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Fortune & Fame

A Novel

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About The Book

Church first ladies Jasmine Cox, Larson Bush, and Rachel Jackson Adams are back and battling it out again—this time on reality TV—in the latest collaboration between national bestselling and award-winning authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley.

Jasmine Cox, Larson Bush, and Rachel Jackson Adams have been through a lot together—from fighting for their husbands to become the head of the American Baptist Coalition to getting mixed up in a terrible murder. Now the frenemies have found themselves the stars of First Ladies, a much anticipated new reality television show.

Jasmine balks at the idea of airing her dirty laundry on national TV, but Rachel sees it as the perfect opportunity to take her brand to the next level. And if Rachel is in, so is Jasmine. All the cast members are women of God—how much drama can there be?

Rachel and Jasmine know their own pasts are murky, but they’ll seem like choir girls when the secrets and sins of the others come to light. The two will once again have to form an unholy alliance to go up against these so-called Godly women who see the show as their chance to take them down—at any cost.

Reading Group Guide

This reading group guide for  Fortune & Fame  includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.


Introduction

From competing against each other to become the First Lady of the American Baptist Coalition, to joining forces to extract themselves from a murder case, Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams have been through a lot together. In Fortune & Fame, the women must put aside their differences as production begins for the new reality series First Ladies, where both Jasmine and Rachel intend to become the show’s biggest star. But when Rachel’s husband’s former lover joins the cast and Jasmine’s husband’s former flame turns up as the show’s executive producer for the OWN network, the ladies find themselves in for a season of drama both on- and off- screen. To survive the months of filming and maintain their sanity and their marriages, Jasmine and Rachel will have to decide whether it’s best for them to become friends or foes.  

Topics & Questions for Discussion 

1. The world of reality TV provides a setting rife with drama for all of the novel’s characters. What do Rachel, Jasmine, and Mary each hope to gain by appearing on First Ladies? Is it simply fortune and fame, or something more than that? What does each character stand to lose by starring on the show? Do you think that the benefits of appearing on a reality show outweigh the negatives?
 
2. Each of the three First Ladies has come to her position in a different way. What does each of them gain by being a First Lady? How do Jasmine and Rachel’s positions differ from Mary’s, and why? Are they right to treat Mary as they do?
 
3. Reality shows are supposed to be unscripted. But as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that many events and scenes of First Ladies—for example, Nathan exposing the secrets of Mary’s past on the altar of his church—are staged by the stars and the producers. Were you surprised by how many of the characters orchestrated events during the course of filming, and by how scripted the “unscripted” show actually was? Why do the characters feel they needed to manipulate situations, and how do their manipulations help or hurt them?
 
4. From phone calls to Stedman to her brilliant scheming, Jasmine has a very powerful friend in Mae Frances. How do Mae Frances’s connections help Jasmine and Rachel throughout the course of the novel? Could Jasmine and Rachel have made it through filming without the assistance of Mae Frances?
 
5. Natasia promises Rachel, Jasmine, and Mary that First Ladies will be a classy show, “about serving as an example of a Godly woman who finds forgiveness in the most difficult of situations.” By the end of the novel, do you think Natasia’s description is an accurate representation of what audiences would take away after viewing season one of First Ladies? Why or why not?
 
6. Rachel reveals that she thinks that God is testing her by putting her on a reality show with her husband’s former lover and ex-con Mary. Discuss Rachel’s relationship with Mary over the course of the novel. Has Rachel accepted Mary by the end of the book and passed God’s test, or not? If you think of the reality show as a test from God for all of the main characters, who passes and who fails?
 
7. Jasmine constantly refers to herself as classy and sees herself as above the show’s drama, while Rachel struggles to maintain her composure and refrain from physical violence and altercations. How do the women’s contrasting personalities push them apart and how do their differences bring them together? Do you think Jasmine and Rachel are actually more alike than they think? Do you have friends with personalities that you consider to be completely opposite from yours?
 
8. When Mary is released from prison, she never dreams that her life with Nathan will turn out the way it does. How does her time in prison change Mary and her faith in God? Why are her expectations of life with Nathan so different from the reality? Why is she so submissive to her husband? Were you surprised when didn’t she speak up for herself or try to leave her marriage sooner?
 
9. The First Ladies get the opportunity to star on a television show because they each have a powerful husband, but the pastors all have very different feelings about the show. Describe how Hosea, Lester, and Nathan each react to their wives being a part of the television show, and how their feelings about the show impact their marriages. Why are Lester and Hosea so reluctant to be a part of the filming, and why is Nathan so eager to appear on camera?
 
10. Natasia’s illness causes her to question everything in her life, particularly her relationship with Hosea. Does Natasia take advantage of her situation to get closer to Hosea, or is she doing what anyone in her position would do? How does her understanding of her mortality impact her actions? Do you think Hosea goes too far in his support of Natasia, or are his actions justified? Is Jasmine right to be angry with her husband for helping Natasia, or not?
 
11. ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray wrote the book in alternating chapters. Could you tell which author wrote which chapter? Did you see examples of how each author tried to put the other in situations that would be difficult to write their way out of?
 
12. By the end of the novel, do you think that Jasmine and Rachel are truly friends, enemies, frenemies, or something else? What do you predict will happen on the next season of First Ladies?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Hold a reality show pitch session! Each member of the book club should prepare their best idea for a reality show and pitch it to the group. Who would star in your show? Where would it take place? Why do you think it would be a hit?
 
2. The First Ladies are filmed volunteering at the Fulton County Right Track program with troubled young girls. Spend an afternoon with the members of your book club volunteering at a cause that is important to all of you. No need to bring the drama—just have fun while you help make a difference!
 
3. Are you on Team Jasmine or Team Rachel? Make T-shirts showing your loyalty like the ones Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley are wearing in their joint author video for Sinners & Saints, the first book that brought Jasmine and Rachel together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g57hGC zXPp0.

About The Authors

Rochelle Scott Design and Photography
Victoria Christopher Murray

Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including Stand Your Ground, a Library Journal Best Book of the Year and NAACP Image Award Winner. Her novel, The Personal Librarian, which she cowrote with Marie Benedict was a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Visit her website at VictoriaChristopherMurray.com.

Photograph by Rochelle Scott
ReShonda Tate Billingsley

ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s #1 nationally bestselling novels include Let the Church Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed, and Say Amen, Again, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Her collaboration with Victoria Christopher Murray has produced four hit novels, Sinners & Saints, Friends & Foes, A Blessing & a Curse, and Fortune & Fame. BET released a movie in 2013 based on ReShonda’s book Let the Church Say Amen in which she had a minor role. She also had a role in the made-for-TV movie The Secret She Kept based on her book of the same title. Visit ReShondaTateBillingsley.com, meet the author on Facebook at ReShondaTateBillingsley, or follow her on Twitter @ReShondaT.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Gallery Books (February 25, 2014)
  • Length: 304 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781476747187

Raves and Reviews

“The scandalous characters unite again in Fortune & Fame, Murray and Billinglsey’s third and best collaboration. This time brazen Jasmine and Rachel, who has zero shame, have been cast on First Ladies, a reality TV show that builds one’s brand and threatens to break another’s marriage. Sorry, buttered popcorn is not included.”

– Essence magazine

“Priceless trash talk marks this story about betrayal, greed and stepping on anyone in your way. Best supporting character goes to Mae Frances, who nails all her scenes as a muse for Jasmine. A great choice for folks who spend Sunday mornings in the front pew.”

– Library Journal, on Fortune & Fame

"Double the fun, with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors. It’s a match made in heaven!"

– Grace Magazine

"Murray and Billingsley keep things lively and fun."

– Juicy magazine

“Frenetic and deliciously slapstick sequel to Sinners & Saints…These frenemies [Rachel Jackson Adams and Jasmine Larson Bush] are drama queens at their best and smartest, a combination that will leave fans praying for their further misadventures.”

– Publishers Weekly

“Celebrated authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley combine forces in this unconventional tale about two ambitious women at odds.…This faith-based novel should keep devout fans on their toes."

– Upscale magazine

"Writing in an engaging and comfortable style, Murray creates believable women to whom readers will easily relate."

– Library Journal

“Faith-based fiction doesn’t get better than Billingsley’s entertaining soaps, notable for their humor, wonderful characters and challenging life situations that many readers, Christian or not, can identify with.”

– Publishers Weekly

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