Name Before the Masses Tour & Giveaway - Conspiracy of Silence by Glede Browne Kabongo

Welcome to my stop on Glede Browne Kabongo's Name Before the Masses Tour for Conspiracy of Silence.
Please make sure to leave a comment or question below to let Glede know you stopped by and to enter her giveaway.
Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour. You can follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.

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Why I Chose To Write A Psychological Thriller by Glede Browne Kabongo

I think the genre chose me, not the other way around. When I was querying agents and editors, I struggled to fit this book into a neat little genre box like they wanted me to but it just refused to be pinned down to a singular genre. Little did I know that it would turn out to be a psychological thriller. I think that stems from the fact that I’m always interested in why people do the things they do. I have this need to grasp the motive or at the very least, understand the character’s way of thinking which is what psychological fiction does: the characters use their mental resources to match wits with a formidable opponent, all the while battling for balance and understanding in their own minds about their circumstances.

I knew Conspiracy of Silence had to have several components: suspense, tension, a strong female protagonist opposing an equally strong antagonist, and the book would end in a courtroom trial. The psychological thriller borrows from the mystery, suspense and thriller genres but reverses the structure of the traditional thriller somewhat. The traditional thriller emphasizes the plot and physical action and tension. The psychological thriller emphasizes the characters and their motives.

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Conspiracy of Silence
by Glede Browne Kabongo

Publisher: iUniverse

Release Date: September 4, 2012

Pages: 258

ISBN: 978-1475945676
ASIN: B009BJ3DC8

Buy Links:

Amazon Print              Kindle           Barnes & Noble Print

Nook            iUniverse

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:

Marc paced back and forth on the living room floor, his face laced with anger. It didn’t take long for Nina to discover the source of his wrath. He held up a photograph of Nina and Sonny Alvarez.

“Are you having an affair?” he asked, his jaw twitching.

Nina took two steps backwards, as if the damning photograph would cause her physical harm if she got close. She knew who had sent it and she berated herself for underestimating how low he could sink. By her way of thinking, Phillip figured if her marriage fell apart, she would come running to him and he could get her to do whatever he wanted. It’s the way he manipulated people: get them in a vulnerable state and then swoop in for the kill or make some grand sweeping gesture that would get you all happy, and before you realized what was happening, it was too late.

“That’s a strange question, Marc. When have I ever given you reason to think I was being unfaithful?”

“Never. Until now.”

“Babe, you’re getting worked up over nothing,” Nina said calmly. “Sonny and I are old friends from Stanford. I met him for lunch to discuss business.”

“On a Saturday? You said you were spending the weekend with Charlene. Look at the date on the bottom.” He shoved the photo into her hands.

“It was a quick, unplanned trip. Sonny works for a research company and Jack came to me with the idea of hiring his firm. I told Jack I would take care of it because of my connection to Sonny. I wanted to get it out of the way—one less thing on my plate during the work week.”

“Why haven’t I heard about this Sonny until now? And if there’s nothing going on, why lie to me about going to Charlene’s?”

“I already explained that, Marc. I told Jack I would take care of it because I knew Sonny personally.”

“So your boss called you on a Saturday, mentioned this research firm and you just decided to hop on a plane to Baltimore, just like that?”

Nina wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and took deep calming breaths.

“Marc, I swear I’m not having an affair with Sonny or anyone else.”

“Then can you please explain this? It came with the photographs.” He pulled out a white sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to her.

Your wife is a liar. You deserve the truth.

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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

Don't forget to leave a comment or question below to let Glede know you stopped by and to enter her giveaway.
Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour. You can follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.