Author J.R. Mason learned firsthand how creativity often meets chaos. After being furloughed from her job during the pandemic, she took the opportunity to explore her creative writing side.
“I’m like, ‘What am I going to do?’ And someone was like, ‘You need to write your book,'” Mason tells Pittsburgh City Paper. That sounds like solid advice, except the thought of writing a book had never crossed her mind.
Now, the local author has six self-published works, including her most recent release, a novella titled How To Kill Your Neighbors (and Get Away With It).
Born and raised in Ambridge, Mason always had a knack for storytelling. Still, she never considered herself a writer until life pushed her into it. “[People] are like, ‘How did you become this writer?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know,'” Mason laughs.
With a background in journalism and a flair for the dramatic, Mason crafted her first book, How is This My Life? Confessions of a Sane Single Woman, described by City Paper as a “humorous, semi-autobiographical account of trying to find love and stability as a Black woman in southwestern Pennsylvania.” This would lead her to explore darker themes in subsequent works, including the psychological thriller series Stolen Pieces.
Often, authors are left hanging for years as they shop books around to publishing houses and agents. But Mason refused to wait, choosing self-publishing over waiting to get her stories out into the world. “It was Stolen Pieces. I actually thought this would be a great one to get an agent for and get traditionally published. But no one got back to me.” Mason recalls.
She adds, “I was like, I don’t have years. Stolen Pieces is a dope story. I am publishing this now because the world needs to read this book!”
How To Kill Your Neighbors (and Get Away With It) continues her journey into salacious territory. Described in a press release as “If Desperate Housewives and You had a love child raised by Only Murders in the Building,” the thriller (not a how-to guide) takes place in Ambridge, the borough where Mason still resides.
The story centers around a group of neighbors who have all been emotionally victimized by their nosy, insufferable neighbor, Linda. Events are told from the viewpoint of Raya, with whom Mason admits to sharing some characteristics, and based on real-life experiences (except the murder part).
Signed paperbacks of How to Kill Your Neighbors (and Get Away with It) are now available on her website, via Kindle/paperback on Amazon, and soon on Audible with the rest of her books.
Her twisty narratives seem to resonate with readers, and Mason says she often receives requests from fans to have their names used for certain unfortunate characters.
To ensure her stories are as authentic as possible, Mason reaches out to experts for advice, including for How To Kill Your Neighbors (and Get Away With It). “I consulted with medical doctors, trauma specialists, even the garbage man to figure out how you are going to get these bodies out of this actual Pittsburgh alley.”
If not for persuasive readers, Mason may have never written her second book, Soulmate Set Backs: Confessions II, much less her Stolen Pieces trilogy.
“People think writing a book is easy, but it’s emotionally exhausting. And then these people threaten me within an inch of my life for the sequel,” Mason says. She was able to foster connections with other Black female authors.
Always up for a challenge, Mason added “audio production” to the list of skills.
“I did my own audiobook for Stolen Pieces, which I’m like, ‘Okay, how hard can this be?'” she admits.
Because her vision for the audiobooks was so immersive, there was a lot of trial and error until she mastered the art. “I am so dramatic. I’m very animated. I want sound effects,” Mason says.
The move paid off, and she says she has started getting requests from other authors to produce theirs. “I did [Progeny by] Kenya Moss-Dyme. I gave birth to a demon baby in the dining room. I know my neighbors are like, ‘What the hell’s happening in that house?'”
Mason can’t help but feel a little disappointed that these hidden talents and skills haven’t surfaced until now. “I feel like I missed my calling all these years,” Mason says.
She’s making the most of it now, even if it leaves her readers and neighbors questioning their moral compass.
This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2025.
