The Cerebral  Writer
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Links

Welcome Guest Author Gledé Browne Kabongo

1/27/2013

7 Comments

 
Picture
Deception – Destroyer or Preserver of Trust?
Gledé Browne Kabongo

“The truth is like oil,” an aunt once said to me. “Sooner or later, it will float to the surface.” I was around fourteen years old when my aunt told me that one summer and I’ve never forgotten it. So why is deception so common in the human condition? Is it deeply entrenched in our DNA?  Are we born knowing how to deceive or is it something acquired when we tell our first lie to a parent because we were caught doing something we know we shouldn’t have? Do we find it as easy to deceive, as it is to breathe? Do we differentiate between deception for the greater good or for selfish reasons? Does it even matter?

In my novel Conspiracy of Silence, my protagonist Nina Kasai truly believed her deception was for the common good, protecting herself as well as those around her, of what she was sure would be disastrous consequences if the truth ever came out. So she dug in her heels and continued to deceive her husband and others. In the end, as it always does in real life, everything falls apart. And the very thing she was working so hard to keep a secret is exposed for all to hear and see. It often takes two or three times as much energy to repair the damage once a deception has been exposed, than if does to tell the truth and deal with the consequences up front.

So why bother with the deception in the first place? That’s a complicated question to which there is no singular, satisfactory answer. A U.S. President was almost impeached when he initially deceived the American Public and Congress about his relationship with an intern. The depths of the deception perpetrated by cyclist Lance Armstrong was recently exposed where Lance himself admitted that he lied about doping while he was a competitive cyclist. The fallout is huge, not just financially but as a major betrayal of trust. So was it worth it? It seems that Lance’s mantra was to preserve his image at all costs. Now everything he thought he was fighting to preserve through his deception may be at risk.

So why do we do it? Maybe, just maybe, the biggest deception of all is self-deception. The lies we tell ourselves about who we are, why we do what we do, the lies we tell each other about our lives, our situations. Or maybe the biggest deception of all is the belief that we’ll never get caught. 

Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.  For additional chances, follow the rest of Gledé's tour.  You can find the schedule here.

Picture
About the Novel:

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.


Picture
About the author:

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.

For more information, check out her author website, follow her on Twitter @gkabongo, or stop by the Conspiracy of Silence Amazon page.

7 Comments
Crystal
1/27/2013 04:47:19 pm

The excerpt is intriguing!

Reply
Goddess Fish Promotions link
1/27/2013 06:32:16 pm

Thank you for hosting today

Reply
Lisa Lane link
1/29/2013 12:12:19 pm

No problem!

Reply
G. Aliceson Edwards
1/27/2013 06:39:53 pm

Great last line in excerpt and the book seems worthy of reading!

Reply
Rita Wray
1/28/2013 12:51:51 am

Very good excerpt.

Reply
Kate
2/26/2013 10:36:44 am

Thanks for the chance to win!

hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu

Reply
Andra
2/26/2013 10:38:00 am

Glede, I have to say, If your book is anything like the guest posts you've been doing, I can't wait to read! I feel like I get a peek inside your head and you have the most interesting things to say :)

andralynn7@gmail .com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Privacy Policy:

    No names or e-mail addresses listed in blog post replies will result in mailing list additions or sharing/sales to other sites via the Cerebral Writer.

    All email addresses, unless added intentionally to the body text of a post or response, will remain hidden from public view.

    Archives

    April 2021
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008


    Categories

    All
    Aftermath
    Animals
    Anthologies
    Awards
    Bestseller List
    Bizarro
    Blogging
    Classics
    Contests
    Critical Analysis
    Dystopia
    Edgar Allan Poe
    Editors
    Excerpts
    Film
    Finding Poe
    Flash Fiction
    God
    Grammar
    Guest Blogs
    Horror
    Humanitarians
    Interviews
    Jane The Hippie Vampire
    Language
    Leigh M. Lane
    Literary Fiction
    Lupus
    Marketing
    Movies
    Muses
    Musicians
    My Books
    Myths Of Gods
    My Writing
    My Writing
    Nook
    Novellas
    On Writing
    On Writing
    Opinion
    Other Great Authors
    Paying It Forward
    Pirates
    Poetry
    Racism
    Redrafting
    Revelations
    Reviews
    Rod Serling
    Screenplays
    Self Publishing
    Short Stories
    Speculative Fiction
    Television
    The Hidden Valley
    The Private Sector
    The Twilight Zone
    This Site
    Trailers
    Urban Fantasy
    Vampires
    Weird Western
    Words
    World Mart
    Zombies

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.