Interview with Cristelle Comby for Danse Macabre @Cristelle

Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, in Greater Geneva, where she still resides.
 
Thanks to her insatiable thirst for American and British action films and television dramas, her English is fluent.

She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.

Danse Macabre is her third new-adult novel, and she’s hard at work on the next titles in the Neve & Egan series.

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1. At any given time do you work on only one story at a time and maybe plot out the next one or are there many ideas racing around your head?

I like to plan ahead. Although the books in the Neve & Egan cases series can be read as stand alone, there’s a larger story arc playing out. In such cases, I believe it’s important to know what’s coming next to make sure clues align. 

2. Is there a genre you haven't written in but would like to? Or wish you could write in?
I’d love to try some Urban Fantasy next. Make up a story with some wizards or something.

3. Do you add an element of romantic suspense in your stories?
It’s the one thing that seems to keep happening without me wanting it to. Thing is, I hate reading those stories with will-they-won’t-they situation that go on for ages, so I try to stay away from those clichés. But characters are at the center of each of my work, and relationships are what makes them evolve. So yes, there’s some romantic stuff happening here and there.

4. Say you have unlimited funds: What kind of writing office/cottage would you create for yourself?
I’d love to have a little house on a beach shore somewhere, on some tropical island. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a large modern kitchen, and a little garden with an ocean view where I could write in the shade. Maybe toss in a hammock while you’re at it.

5. If you could turn your novel into a TV show, which novel or series would you do? Where would it be set? Network TV (ABC, NBC, CBS), Cable (AMC, BBC, Lifetime) or Premium Cable (HBO, Showtime, Starz)?
I doubt there’s enough room for nudity or violence in the Neve & Egan cases to qualify for Cable, so I’d go with a channel like ABC or CBS. They make some good crime drama.

6. Finally, tell us about your latest release!

Well, Danse Macabre is the third installment in my Private Investigators series, the Neve & Egan cases.

PI Alexandra Neve and Ashford Egan are hired to find a missing Prima Ballerina who’s vanished from her home in East London. Local police is also on the case, but there seems to be no clues as to what happened to the missing girl and overtime is frowned upon. Will Neve & Egan be able to score leads where the police cannot?

 

Excerpt:

 

I take a better look at the dancer facing us. He looks… fragile more than shy. He has bags under his eyes, his nails show the traces of nervous biting, and his clothes are ill-fitting. Lack of sleep, tension, weight loss. What is going on in Marc Jules’ life? What is he trying to hide from us? ‘That’s not all, is it?’ I lean forward, look at him square on. ‘There’s something you’re not telling us. It’s plain to see.’

The young man shrinks in on himself even more. ‘No… no, nothing. I told you everything I know. I have no idea where Isabella is. I swear.’ A thought strikes me, and I try another angle. ‘She obviously means something to you.’

The man’s eyes shift to the side as he focuses all of his attention on the half-empty lemonade glass sitting on the table. Gotcha!

‘You like her, yet you refuse to help us; it doesn’t make sense,’ I continue. ‘What would Isabella say if she could see you now?’

‘I don’t know anything,’ Marc protests with fervour.

‘Really?’

‘I’d tell you if I knew. I like her, she’s my friend. I want to find her too.’

‘Then stop lying to us,’ Egan says. ‘What are you not telling us?’ 

‘If what you’re saying is the truth, you would do well to stop keeping things from us. You’re slowing us down, Marc; you’re wasting our time,’ I continue, relentless. I can feel we’re close to breaking him, so very close. ‘Do you know how valuable time is, in a situation like this? Time is everything. Every second we’re wasting on you is taking us further away from Isabella.’

‘You’re letting her down, right now.’ Egan adds. ‘Maybe you’re not her friend after all.’

‘No — she’s my friend. I swear.’ Marc rushes the words out, tears welling up in his eyes.

 ‘She’s helped me when no one else would. I owe her so much.’

My eyebrows rise up at the words and I cock my head to the side, my expression expectant.

Marc bites down hard on his lip the second he finishes his sentence. He didn’t mean to reveal this much to us, but it’s too late now. The cat’s out of the bag. I soften my tone now that I’ve got what I wanted. ‘What do you mean, Marc? How did she help you?’

‘I don’t… she just…’ He stops himself, crosses his arms over his chest. ‘It’s nothing to do with any of this.’

‘Let us be the judges of that,’ Egan says. ‘If Isabella was involved, it could be relevant.’

‘It’ll stay between us,’ I promise. ‘We’re not the police, Marc. Whatever it is, no one else needs to know.’

The young man lets out a long breath as he uncrosses his arms. Defeated, he lets his hands hang limp in his lap.

Signed copy of book titled Danse Macabre during the tour.

 

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#Interview for Three Black Boys by @ZangbaThomson

Zangba Thomson is the Creative Director at BME LLC, the author of Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper, co-author of Do Right Do Good (a self-help guide book towards vision fulfillment and entrepreneurship), a recording artist, and New York Life Coach Examiner. Zangba balances his career and family time on the scale of hard work and dedication, and his main areas of focus include his real life experiences, metaphysics, and spirituality. Zangba's work reinforces the basic idea that goals are fulfilled when right decisions are made. Please visit his website.

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Self Confidence: The motivational force behind Zangba Thomson’s success

Every author by now knows what a difference a boost of self-confidence can make to one’s career. With it, you can succeed abundantly, but without it, you can fail miserably before completing a single book project.

Self-confidence is defined as a realistic assurance in one’s own power, ability or better judgment. But to me, self-confidence is that unseen motivator—an attitude booster that has enabled me, and countless amounts of other authors—to overcome many fears and obstacles—on our long journeys towards vision fulfillment.

But how is self-confidence obtained, and most importantly—where can it be acquired? According to Napoleon Hill, widely considered one of the greatest writers on success—stated that the law of autosuggestion, when applied every day, could aid anyone in acquiring self-confidence. If you continuously repeat to yourself that you have confidence in your ability to succeed—you will gradually influence your subconscious mind to think successfully.

“All impulses of thought have a tendency to clothe themselves in their physical equivalent,” Hill stated in Think and Grow Rich, one of the best-selling books of all time. “The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by fear—just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by courage.”

So, according to Hill—what we think—we become, and it’s not unusual for a person with self-confidence to think decisively. In their mind, they will never doubt their ability to succeed. But a person who doesn’t have self-confidence, he or she will think indecisively because subconsciously—they do not believe in their ability to prosper.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” ~ J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan

So every waking moment, while writing my debut novel, “Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper,” I thought, spoke and believed that I was—a published and well-respected author. Many distractions came and many distractions went, but through it all—I remained focused by tricking my subconscious mind into believing that I was again—a published and well-respected author, and in doing so—I became extremely determine to finish writing the book that I had started writing months prior, and through my hard work and dedication—I became a published and well-respected author, but one important fact stuck out like a sore thumb—my self-confidence was at an all-time high when I prevailed against all odds. I used autosuggestion—to get me to start believing in myself, and once I had enough self-confidence, I succeeded in being a published and well-respected author—and you can too.

In conclusion, I want to end this motivational/testimonial article with Mel Blanc’s famous catchphrase, “That’s All Folks!” And I want to thank Isabel Roman’s Sexy Adventures—Passionate Tales for hosting this wonderful blogging event, and also I want to thank Goddess Fish Promotions for the hard work that they are doing—in regards to organizing this magnificent “Virtual Name Before the Masses Tour” for Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper. (PEACE) and always remember that (P) Positive, (E) Energy, (A) Always, (C) Creates, (E) Elevation.  

Blurb:

Teenagers spring into dangerous action to obtain financial aid for a woman who has only a month to live. The setting is Queens, N.Y., home to Babita Harris, an Indian immigrant plagued with the deadly black fever disease. With a couple of months to live, Babita only hope of survival is a costly liver transplant. But with no health insurance, the chance of a surgery is slim. What she needs is a quarter of a million dollars in cash. Barnes, her only son, along with his two friends, Demus and Baker, spring into dangerous action to get the money. Although their road is paved with good intentions, the brothers in arms will experience more than they have ever experienced before.

Where to Buy: Amazon

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Excerpt:

Thousands of light years away from the Devil’s Lair, between Earth and the fourth dimension, is Barnes, standing inside a dark passageway to the afterlife. With both of his hands folded before him, he is ushered into the Great Balance Chamber by an unimaginable creature. Barnes is frightened when he sees the Chief God of Justice and other anciently dressed high official gods. He sits in a chair designed with Aramaic letterings, and out the corner of his eye, towards his left hand side, he sees the Scale of Truth and Deceit. The Chief God of Justice, ready to perform the weighing of the heart ceremony, bangs his Staff of Life into an oval shaped instrument, and an indescribable sound echoes throughout the Great Balance Chamber.

“The Scale of Truth and Deceit will decide if your heart is pure or not,” says the Chief God of Justice in a thunderous tone of voice. “If you are innocent and speak the truth, you will be set free to prepare for your great journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But if you are found guilty, of an abundance of lies and deceit, you will be sentenced to a second death, which means your soul and your spirit will be destroyed!”

Zangda will be awarding a digital copy of Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper or a Bong Mines Clothing T-shirt (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (US ONLY)

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