About the Book
Title: Secrets in the Woods: An Emilia Long Mystery
Author: J.E. Smythe
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Secrets in the Woods
is a gripping tale about Emilia Long- an Investigative Reporter and her quest
to find out the circumstances surrounding her mother's death. Long's quest
begins after reading documents left for her by her adopted mother revealing
that she was abandoned as an infant at a Brooklyn hospital. The revelation led
Emilia on a suspenseful journey to find her birth mother.
But finding her is not
so easy. Her investigations reveal that her birth mother disappeared months
before her birth and that the disappearance was linked to a murder. With the
key suspect in her mother's disappearance locked away in jail on unrelated
charges and the townspeople, including the Sheriff, unwilling to help her,
Emilia finds herself at a dead end. In an unimaginable twist of fate, Emilia
discovers more than she bargained for. Some Secrets are really better left
untold.
In addition to her 9
to 5 attorney job, Smythe is also the co-founder of publishing company, Lady
Esquire Group, LLC. The Attorney Author describes herself as a half analytic
and half creative who was blessed to figure out how to join those halves
together. Her other books include:
Through Grandma's Eyes, Zora's First Day and a Few Good Friends. When asked
about the motivation for writing her latest work, she explained: "I'm a
lover of the Cozy Mystery genre but I found that there were not a lot of those
books written by African American Authors with African American characters. I
just wanted to put a whole new face on such a fun and exciting genre."
Smythe's adept writing
style in Secrets in the Woods is enticing and captivates readers from the first
page. The novel feature a cast of believable characters and numerous twists and
turns that will have readers begging for more.
About the Author
J.E. Smythe is an
award winning author born in Liberia, West Africa, and raised in Providence,
Rhode Island, and Gaithersburg, Maryland. J.E. is also an attorney who attended
Allen University and received her Law Degree from Massachusetts School of Law.
While working as an attorney, J.E. just could not let her passion to write die.
She decided to take her legal writing skills and write her debut fiction novel
“A Few Good Friends.” J.E. currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where
she has Co-founded Lady Esquire Group, LLC management and publishing firm. She
is a proud member of Zeta phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Book Excerpt
The dark garage parking lot was dimly lit by a
flashing light fixture above the wall. The concrete floor echoed with footsteps
of those who made their way to their cars. Emilia Long stood in the shadows
checking the time on her cell phone. She leaned against the cold cement wall
and folded her arms in nervous anticipation.
She then heard the sound of heels clunking against the concrete floor of the
garage. She peeked out from the shadows and waved over a tall blond woman who
was dressed in a neatly tailored skirt suit. Emilia had been in communication
with the woman for some time. She was on the brink of breaking a national story
against one of the wealthiest men in the state of New York. The woman was the
wealthy man’s Executive Assistant and mistress. She was the only one who could
give Emilia what she needed to break the story.
As an Investigative Reporter, Emilia had broken many news stories, but this was
going to be the biggest. She’d hope that the woman hadn’t changed her mind and
had brought with her all the documents that Emilia needed to write her story.
The woman approached Emilia holding a briefcase in her hand. Emilia smiled at
her but could see the uncertainty on the woman’s face.
“I’m glad you came,” Emilia said to the woman.
“Well, I almost didn’t,” the woman replied.
She opened her briefcase and pulled out a large file. She hesitantly handed it
over to Emilia.
“Everything you need is in there,” the woman said.
“Thank you so much for this. What are you going to do now?” Emilia replied with
gratitude.
“I told him that my mother was sick, so I was taking a leave of absence. When
this hits, it’s probably going to be an indefinite leave of absence,” the woman
said.
“I promise, I won’t use your name. I don’t want this to disturb your life. He
never has to know that this came from you,” Emilia told her.
“My life has been disturbed for a long time. I’ve just been in denial about
it,” the woman said.
“What do you mean?” Emilia asked.
“Is this going to be part of your story?” the woman responded.
“Absolutely not. It’s strictly off the record. Besides, it looks like you need
someone to talk to,” Emilia said.
“I’m from a small town in Maine. It’s beautiful there. The water, the air, you
can’t imagine anything more peaceful. As I look back now, I’m not sure why I
ever left. I guess I was chasing something. Anyway, I came to New York for
college and never looked back. I barely called home,” the woman explained.
“Home is always there. At least that’s what I hear,” Emilia said.
“That’s what I hear too. So, I’m finally going back. It’s time for me to figure
myself out,” the woman said.
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