TITLE– Bird Of Prey - Sémya Slotin Mystery #1
SERIES – Sémya Slotin Mystery
AUTHOR – Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
GENRE – Mystery Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – October 7th 2013
PUBLISHER – Ever After Edition
COVER ARTIST – Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
SYNOPSIS
This was supposed to be an easy case...Sémya Slotin had spent the last three years living in London with her best friend Polliannah Koch staying away from solving cases. After Hawaii, she was taking a break from puzzles, cases and mysteries that could potentially get her killed. Instead, she had been doing her second and third favorite things, drinking and selling expensive vintage wines and having earthshattering sex with the mysterious, sexy, beautiful but ever so secretive Josh Heinz. Life in London was good….until her funds ran out. Too much wine drinking, not enough wine selling!
When fashion designer and adoptive mother, Annika Slotin, summoned her back to Paris to hire her for what Sémya considered being the easiest case of her amateur sleuth career, all she could think of and seeing was money signs and a well-deserved Cuban holiday once it was solved.
What Sémya didn’t see was her stumbling on the fresh corpse of supermodel Johanna Cartier. She didn’t think that male model turned fashion designer Julian Marais-Caldwin, who also happened to be Sémya’s ex, would be suspected of brutally murdering her. Johanna was his girlfriend, his muse and he loved her. Sémya didn’t see the dead bodies piling up or the conspiracy theories.
Sémya was a little rusty. But then again, it was supposed to be an easy case and she was going to solve it. One vintage wine at a time… Sémya Slotin was officially back in business!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Polliannah knew that Sémya would go all Nancy Drew on her tonight. After playing nice with a few guests from the fashion house, she discreetly slipped to the hallway and gestured her to come with her. “I just need to see what’s going on over there?” she whispered as she was removing her shoes.
“Is this not a felony?” she asked Sémya. And she wasn’t going to remove her shoes! Sémya frowned back. How could it be a felony, they are not breaking and entering. They are already inside the house. Every step she was taking was making a sound. “Sorry,” she whispered when Sémya hushed her for the fourth time.
“This house is a maze,” she said opening the third room. It was yet another bedroom, another empty bedroom. She looked around, and apart from the furniture, the place was empty.
“What are you searching for?” She whispered.
“Something…anything. I’ll know when I see it,” Sémya muttered back. “Hide here,” she said when they heard footsteps. She left the door slightly opened so they could see. Johanna was at the edge of the corridor with the gorgeous man they saw at the beginning of the party.
“She’s cheating on Julian?”
“Hush Polli, I want to hear what they’re saying,” she told her.
“Because you have dog hearing?” Polliannah said. The man smoothly passed his hand around Johanna’s waist but she removed it. “Okay maybe he’s just a grabby guest?”
“No, he’s completely invading her personal space. She’s just being careful,” Sémya said. “Peter! Not here, not now.” Johanna said before moving away.
Peter stayed behind and looked their way. They both held our breath until he walked away. “And now I found it,” she smiled. They quickly sneaked back to the party.
“So are you going to tell Julian?” Polliannah asked her.
“Tell him what? That she was talking to some bloke?” She said as she put her shoes back on. “This is Eileen Clarke,” Sémya told Polliannah when the bubbly blond woman joined them. “You’re late but you look lovely tonight.”
“Nice to finally put a face to the name, Polliannah I presume.” Eileen blushed and turned her attention the younger woman who was next to her. “And this is Emma Blum, Johanna’s assistant. She organized this entire shindig for Miss Cartier. I just got here but everything looks great!”
Emma looked a little shaken. “Are you alright Emma?” Sémya said.
She looked away for a bit but smiled. “I’m fine. Who’s up for a tour?"
Polliannah looked at Sémya, they just had their own private tour. Eileen looked very excited about the idea. They all nodded back. “Shall we?” Emma said.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK SOUNDTRACK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHARACTER BIOS & DREAMCAST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY PRIZES:
1 $25 GC amazon, iTunes or BN
10 Kindle Copies of The Plot Thickens, Bird Of Prey first sequel
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meet Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
The Author, The Blogger, The Cheeky Reviewer
“My life journey is like my playlist, amazingly unique but full of contradictions with surprising joys with every song...”
I was born in Quebec City, Canada from Gabonese parents but grew up in Paris and Libreville the Gabonese capital until the age of 18. Are you yawning yet? I am... I moved back to Canada in 1999 after high school in Libreville to study Cinematography and Digital movie production in Laval University in Quebec then The International Academy of Design and Technology in Toronto. After graduating in 2003, I decided to sell my soul to the corporate world and worked in the Benefit Outsourcing Industry for seven in Toronto before reconnecting with her first passion writing.
"A teacher told me in high school that people didn't read anymore so I decided that I would make movies instead...so that didn't stick…"
I finally went back to school to study creative writing at Georges Brown College in 2010 and 2011. I started to write The Coulda Woulda Shoulda Song Series as an assignment and finished Book One in late 2011 before moving to London.
And the rest as they say is history... Almost two years later, I'm in London and wrote three novels: This Could Have Been Our Song! A coulda woulda shoulda ballad... (Book one) currently available on amazon and soon in iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Nobles and Smashwords. The sequel This Would Have Been Our Song! Catchy tune and dancers tales will be release in January 2014. Bird Of Prey, my first mystery novel will be release in October 7th, 2013 on paperback before its wide release in November 25th, 2013. It will be followed by The Plot Thickens (a novella) in January 2014 and Polliannah Got Married! in April 2014 or earlier.
Author Interview
You wrote another book with a very strong female character. How is Semya different from Lucia?
They are like night and day but they could totally hangout in London and bond over a bottle of tequila. Lucia, like me, loathes vodka. Lucia would tell her about her overbearing sisters, her complicated love life and her career. Sémya would call her a snob with petty issues and would point out that she’s “dating” the sexy owner of the lounge and she knows people who could take care of her problems. Lucia would call her out on wasting her talent and they would laugh and drink to that!
Lucia’s strength comes from her family whether she likes it or not. Sémya’s strength comes from her survival instinct and her obsession for the riddles, cases and the truth. She doesn’t really know who she is yet or where she really comes from.
By the way, they have both been in boarding school around the same time and are only a year apart. I’m just putting it out there! LOL
You set your story in the fashion world, but Semya isn't the kind of woman we picture inhabiting that world. Why did you decide to set it there?
You set your story in the fashion world, but Semya isn't the kind of woman we picture inhabiting that world. Why did you decide to set it there?
Sémya was supposed to be nosy clumsy designer assistant when I first decided to write a mystery. Then I changed my mind, I just couldn’t see her this way. I still wanted to kill a model and I’ve spent some time working fashion house in London so the research part was already done. It’s not like in The Bold and Beautiful at all! Much less glamorous.
Is it fair to say that Semya, as brilliant as she is, also has a self-destructive streak?
So... tell us how you met Semya?
And that's the real story?
And you've been doing it for how long?
Uh huh. And, um, what did you before that?
Got it. So, let me ask you, as brilliant as Semya is, how long do you think you'll be able to keep up this charade?
When are you going to tell her the truth?
Is it fair to say that Semya, as brilliant as she is, also has a self-destructive streak?
Yes and Bird Of Prey didn’t even cover it. Now that the sequel is done I can quote one of the characters:
Polliannah to Dmitri:“She wants to go to Maska.”
Dmitri to Pollianah: “Of course she does. That woman has always had a death wish."
Not to give too much away, but I loved that the damsel-in-distress and knight-in-shining armor roles were reversed. Did you do that on purpose?
For Bird Of Prey yes, I thought the situation called for it. It won’t always be the case.
Semya's wonderfully loyal, but she's also deeply suspicious. Is there anyone that she lets down her guard for?
The only two people in her life that are not lying to her, or so she thinks, her brother Aaron and of course Polliannah. In the second book, The Plot Thickens we get to know Polliannah better and what she had been through before Bird Of Prey and during Bird Of Prey.
Every time Josh was in a scene, I spent half the time screaming, "Oh my god, he's a crazy stalker, get away from him!" and "Damn, he is so hot!" Is Josh good for her?
The short answer is no. Not so much for what/who Josh really is but mostly because he’s enabling her obsession of riddles by keeping his identity a secret. She gots to know!
I chuckled every time Semya brought out her board, but at the same time I was fascinated. What made you come up with that?
Dr Reed and the rest of the BAU in Criminal Mind, I love that show. Spoiler Shemar Moore is part of my Sémya Slotin Mystery fictional cast.
How many Semya Slotin mysteries can we look forward to?
With Bird Of Prey, seven but the story shifts gear in The Plot Thickens. A lot of mysteries or unanswered questions would need to get resolved before Sémya takes on a new case.
And now...an interview with "Josh Heinz" (yeah right!)
So... tell us how you met Semya?
(sexy chuckles) It’s a little embarrassing…I was at the beach with a friend in Honolulu and this beautiful woman said that she just have to see me naked. So I obliged… she wanted to…check out my ink.
And that's the real story?
Ask her, we hadn’t met nor spoken to each over before that day.
Right... and remind us what you do again?
I own a lounge in Camden Town, Skins, maybe you heard it?
And you've been doing it for how long?
Um…we opened four years ago in September.
Uh huh. And, um, what did you before that?
Odd jobs here and there.
Got it. So, let me ask you, as brilliant as Semya is, how long do you think you'll be able to keep up this charade?
What are you getting at? (he stopped smiling)
When are you going to tell her the truth?
I’m sorry who are you working for again? And what truth might that be?
Okay- last question. Do you know who Semya Slotin's father is?
(He comes very close and his voice completely changes) Do you know who her father is? This interview is over!
STALK DANIELLE HERE
New Website | Like me on Facebook | Danielle-Claude Indie Books Reviews Facebook page | Danielle-Claude Indie Books Reviews | Goodreads profile | Pinterest
No comments:
Post a Comment