The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Ashley Fontainne Award-winning Book: The Lie.
The Lie
Author: Ashley Fontainne
Book Trailer: The Lie
AVAILABLE
Amazon
Karmen Moncrille's name has been known throughout the world since the age of sixteen when her first book shot to the top of the bestseller's list. Now everything she writes is an instant hit, and her legions of devoted fans eagerly await her next release. The mysterious Karmen always blamed debilitating panic attacks as the reason she avoided publicity and has become a recluse. Which is exactly what she wants the world to think. Only Karmen knows the truth behind her introverted nature. Terrified of being asked where her ideas come from, she fears being branded a raving lunatic. Now just a week before her twenty-third birthday, Karmen’s world implodes. The madness that haunts her dreams spills over to her reality and she questions her sanity. Suddenly everything has changed and now the world will transform with her. Her last book will unleash the truth and alter mankind—forever. Is Karmen's ability to write a gift or a curse? She's about to find out if her entire life is a lie. And why she was destined to write it.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Present Day – Tuesday
“Karmen, we’re ready for you now. If you will follow me to your dressing room, our stylist will get you prepped for the show.”
My heart was pounding already and it was still an hour before show time. The last ten minutes that my mother and I sat in the waiting area had been pure torture for me. For one, I hated sitting still longer than fifteen seconds and two, my anxiety levels were peaking. The reality settled in that I was about to be interviewed on national television for the very first time. I mentally kicked myself for allowing the pleadings of my mother and my Uncle Cy, who happened to be my editor as well, to sway my opinion and talk me into this living nightmare. Why did they think it was such a grand idea to throw the shy, introverted writer into the limelight?
My mother sensed my apprehension. She gently slid her cool hand into my clammy one, forcing me to follow her lead and stand or risk looking like a dolt glued to the chair. Once on my feet, I tried not to wobble, which was rather difficult considering my knees were literally knocking together.
Realizing that I wasn’t going to respond, my mother took control of the situation and answered for me.
“Thank you, Miss…?”
The six-foot Amazon lady in front of us smiled, her perfectly sized teeth gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Her shoulder length hair was too beautiful to be real and not one strand of the flaxen waves was out of place.
“Arianna. Arianna Scarsdale. I’m Renee Jackson’s assistant. And you are?” she replied. The phony smile on her lush, red lips never made it past her protruding cheekbones.
“Shasta Moncrille. I’m Karmen’s mother and her manager.” My mother added the last part with particular emphasis. I guess she wanted to ensure that Amazon Arianna acquiesced to her presence being allowed in my dressing room.
With a slight nod of her head, Arianna turned on her ten inch stilettos (okay, so they weren’t really ten inches, but they may as well have been because there was no way I could ever totter around in those toe killers) and sashayed down the hallway. My mother and I exchanged glances and followed, my rotund rump feeling abnormally huge compared to the boney protrusion that I assumed Arianna called her rear. I mentally cursed the heritage that imprinted itself in my DNA with so many curves. My palms were nearly dripping with nervous perspiration. Arianna was chattering about the sights as we passed each one, pointing out the editing room, the video vault and then the studio set. When I saw the multitude of cameras and an enormous picture of me behind the set, I almost fainted. Thankfully, we stopped in front of what I hoped was the dressing room door.
“Here we are. Have a seat in front of the mirror and Danielle will be right in to do your hair and makeup. Mrs. Moncrille, I’m sure you will find the accommodations suitable. The refrigerator is fully stocked with drinks, and the fruit and muffin basket on the table is our gift to Karmen. Please, help yourselves.”
“Thank you, Ms. Scarsdale. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated.” My mother guided me through the open door. Before she closed it, she turned back around and addressed the Stiletto Queen once more.
“Ms. Scarsdale, would you mind turning the air conditioner to full blast? I’m afraid Karmen is suffering from a major case of stage fright. Water just isn’t going to do the trick to soothe her nerves.”
I forced my eyes not to roll in embarrassment at my mother’s request and the irritated expression that crossed the face of our usherette. Thankfully, no response was given other than a curt nod of Arianna’s head and then she was gone. The tap, tap, tap of her dagger-heels faded as she strode down the hallway.
I stopped in front of the swivel chair that was perched before an enormous mirror. The last thing I wanted to do was sit under the hot, blaring fluorescent lights. Strike that, it was the second to last thing. The first was the freaking interview. It was too late to back out. Instead I did the next best thing and plopped down unladylike onto the cool leather and glared at my mother.
“Karmen, don’t look at me like that. You are acting like a pubescent, hormonal teenager. You agreed to this interview, and you know exactly what it will do for your career.” Her voice was steady and calm, just as I recalled from childhood. Not once in all of my twenty-two years could I ever recall her yelling at me.
My mother never raised her voice even during my tumultuous teenage years. Rather, it became a sweet, sticky nectar that oozed forth, cloaking her irritation in sugary words. A person could become an instant diabetic if they listened too long. No wonder I was such an oddity that hated chocolate.
I closed my eyes and took a long, cleansing breath, controlling the air as it left my lungs. Sometimes my deep breathing exercises worked to settle my nerves but not today. What I really needed was to talk to Uncle Cy. Something about him, some undefined aspect of his aura, calmed me in a profound way. He was the complete opposite of my mother, which made sense since they were ten years apart. She was blonde; he had auburn locks. He was tall and wiry, and mom was as curvy as one could be without being considered overweight. She had curves reminiscent of the 1940s that she generously passed along to me. Not that I had any choice in the matter.
I was a strange mixture of both. At only five foot four, I had my mother’s body and my Uncle’s auburn hair, but my face didn’t resemble either of them. I was the spitting image of my father, at least as far as I could tell from the old pictures my mother had shown me when I was a child.
The other main difference between my mother and Uncle Cy was that I could actually carry on deep conversations with him about any subject. When my inquisitive questions became too much for my mother she would simply smile and say, “That’s a topic for your Uncle Cy, not me.” Politics, forensic science, global warming, the economy, literature, religion—you name it and we could converse for hours, completely oblivious to the world around us.
When Uncle Cy spoke, his rhythmic baritone voice pulled me inside a bubble, encapsulating me inside a cocoon of tranquility. When he remained silent and listened to my musings, I sensed deep down in my core that he heard, and understood, what I was saying. It never mattered to me whether he agreed with my opinions or not; I adored the fact that he listened and at least feigned interest.
My pining for his calming presence was interrupted by the loud entrance of yet another scrawny, perfectly primped and preened plastic Barbie-humanoid crossover. The woman I assumed was my makeup artist, Danielle. She flounced through the door and quickly made a beeline for the makeup chair. Guess I really looked like I needed a makeover.
“Wow, Karmen Moncrille! I’m so excited to meet you. I’m a huge fan. I’ve read all your books, which of course were much better than the movies. You know, it’s true what they say, the book is always better. I almost fainted when I heard Renee was going to interview you and I would be doing your hair and makeup. What an honor!”
The words gushed out of her full, pink lips almost as fast as her hands dove into the mound of cosmetics on the table. Before I could even respond she began slathering tons of the smelly goo all over my nice, clean face. The woman's rapid fire pace at talking and grooming me was making me dizzy.
Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
Website: Ashley Fontainne
Twitter: @ashleyfontainne
E-Mail: ashleyfontainne@gmail.com
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Author Description: International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the EVISCERATING THE SNAKE series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley's love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her latest work, a short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating.
Look for Ashley to delve into Christian fiction in late 2013 with her exciting thriller The Lie.
Author's Book List
Number Seventy-Five
Dating can be deadly…
Three years after the demise of her seventeen year marriage, Mandy Russell decides to jump back into the choppy waters of the dating world. With very little options available in her small town of Bainsville, Tennessee, Mandy lets her best friend Shawna persuade her into joining an online dating site.
Feeling she has met someone she can really connect with, Mandy decides it’s time to meet face-to-face with her new suitor, unaware of his true plans for her. Dark, sinister plans that will test Mandy’s physical strength, mental fortitude, and will to survive.
Will Mandy prevail or will this first date be her last?
Book Trailer: Number Seventy-Five
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Order the Book From: Amazon
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Zero Balance
- Eviscerating the SnakeINTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER - Suspense/Thrillers
Nine months ago, Audra Tanner exposed the hidden secrets locked away at the prestigious accounting firm of Winscott & Associates. No one escaped her wrath. And once the smoke had cleared, everyone watched as the diabolical Olin Kemper was led away in handcuffs. Now Audra's meticulous revenge has thrust her into the role of managing partner.
But the firm is struggling to survive amidst the turmoil and media attention surrounding the shocking arrest and upcoming murder trial of Olin. And Audra must face the fallout left from her explosive revenge while trying to heal and recover from the trauma of her past.
Audra thought she had ended the evil lurking within and that her revenge would set her free. Unfortunately, it's only the beginning. Because evil never dies, it only assumes a new form. Soon everyone at the firm will discover that no one is safe when you are dealing with a psychopath that has zero balance.
Book Trailer: Zero Balance
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Order the Book From: Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
Adjusting Journal Entries
- Book Three of Eviscerating the SnakeFor every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. But when it comes to human emotions, the reaction is never equal. No one understands this lesson better than the partners at the prestigious accounting firm of Winscott & Associates. Greed, power, money and sex left six people dead and four in the hospital.
Audra Tanner never realized how far and deep the ripple she created in her revenge pool would extend. Now as the dust settles on the explosion that rocked not only her life, but the lives of countless others, Audra must fight to gain control over her life.
Because others are out to end it.
Book Trailer: Adjusting Journal Entries
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Order the Book From: Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
Accountable to None
- Eviscerating the SnakeINTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
Amazon Bestselling Kindle, Fiction, Suspense
What if the unspeakable happened to you? Would you fantasize about seeking personal vengeance? How far would you go...and how much would you sacrifice to hold those responsible that believe they are accountable to none?
Welcome to the prestigious accounting firm of Winscott & Associates. Welcome to Audra Tanner's personal hell. She had heard the rumors about her employer. The whispered secrets. But she had thrown herself into work to escape the pain of her miscarriage and demise of her marriage. Idealistic, she thought if she worked hard she would be rewarded. She thought wrong.
Savagely initiated into the brutal underbelly of the firm, Audra learns too late that the rumors are true. Now after five years of careful plotting, Audra is ready to push the wheels of justice in motion. Her goal of retribution has turned into an obsession and she will stop at nothing until everyone responsible pays. Will revenge set her free or is Audra's quest for personal justice only beginning?
Book Trailer: Accountable to None
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Order the Book From: Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
eBook Author’s Corner
Mystery Reader’s Circle
Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.
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