Conspiracy of Silence

Welcome to Glede Browne Kabongo's blog tour.  Glede, tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

I have a day job like most new authors. I’m a marketing director, and married with two boys. I just finished reading New England White by Yale professor Stephen Carter. When I’m not writing, I’m most likely nose-deep in a good read.

 

2.How long did you write before you got published?

I started writing for my town newspaper as a teenager and also wrote for my college newspaper. I did a brief stint as a freelance reporter but I’ve always wanted to write novels.  It took me 2-3 years to finish Conspiracy of Silence before it got published.

 

3.Which of your books was the hardest to write? 

 Conspiracy of Silence was my first novel and I’m in the development phase of my next one so it will be interesting to see how this journey is different.

 

4.Has being an author made you feel any different about yourself? 

 I have stories running around in my head all the time but to be a published author and get such a positive response from readers is the realization of a life-long dream. Now that I know I can do it, it gives me that extra excitement about making each book more amazing than the one before.

 

5.What are your future goals for your writing?

I’ll continue writing. My future goals include winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and having one of my books hit the big screen.

 

Wow, those are big goals!  I'll be rooting for you. 

 

 

BLURB:

 

She has the perfect life—and a secret worth killing for.

 

Nina Kasai is a gorgeous, Ivy League educated executive who would do anything to keep her past a secret, even from her husband. Seventeen years ago, she ran for her life and the truth has been locked away in the pages of her hidden diary, and in the mind of a disturbed woman who will never tell—ever.

 

When Nina lands the cover of a prestigious business magazine however, she can no longer hide from the powerful enemy she escaped. Phillip Copeland wants to be the next Governor of Massachusetts and he’s not above using his power and influence to silence Nina. He warns her to keep quiet about what happened all those years ago—or else.

 

As the stakes are raised, both politically and personally, Nina realizes the only way to win this game is to tell the truth. But who will believe her since her diary has been destroyed, and the only other witness isn’t talking?

 

Nina’s one chance at reclaiming her life hinges on a dramatic courtroom battle where nothing is as it seems. And when the verdict is read, four lives will be forever altered.

 

Excerpt:

The telephone rang at three a.m. A drowsy Nina answered it.

“I have bad news.”

She didn’t need a psychic to tell her that. It was three in the morning.

“What is it?” she asked Dan McCloud.

 

“It’s Constance Buckwell. She’s dead, Nina.”

 

Nina turned on the lamp on the nightstand and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

 

“How could she be dead? I just spoke to her last night. She emphatically told me she was going to lie on the witness stand.”

 

“It’s a tough break, for her and for us.” Dan McCloud couldn’t hide his disappointment. Even at this ungodly hour, he was thinking like a lawyer.

 

“How did she die?” Nina asked.

 

“Heart attack. She was on her way home and collapsed on the bus. She made it to the hospital alive but died shortly afterwards.”

 

“This isn’t a good time to bring this up, but we just suffered a major setback and we need to rethink our strategy,” McCloud said. “This case is going to come down to your testimony. I’m still optimistic about our chances, but you have to be the most compelling witness in this case. Your recollection of details is what’s going to persuade a jury to vote for a conviction. Can you meet me at seven?”

 

Nina shook Marc awake. “We have big trouble.”

 

“What?” he asked without moving.

 

“Constance is gone. No more star witness.”

 

Marc popped up like a Jack-in-the-Box. “Where did she go?”

 

To hell is my best guess.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Gledé Browne Kabongo began writing at age 14 when she covered soccer matches for her hometown newspaper.  She has also written for the Patriot Ledger and Metrowest Daily News, two Massachusetts based newspapers. She earned a master’s degree in communications from Clark University, and once had dreams of winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. These days her dreams have shifted to winning the Pulitzer for fiction, and a Best Screenplay Academy Award. For the past decade, Gledé has worked in senior marketing roles for organizations in the Information Technology, publishing and non-profit sectors. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

 

Author website: http://www.gledebrownekabongo.com

Twitter: @gkabongo

 

Buy links

 

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Silence-Gledé-Browne-Kabongo/dp/1475945671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347649769&sr=8-1&keywords=glede+browne+kabongo

 

Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour.  Find her schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/virtual-nbtm-conspiracy-of-silence-by.html