About this item
A woman and her young son flee to a convent on a remote island off the Breton coast of France. Generations of seafarers have named the place Ile de la Brume, or Fog Island. In a chapel high on a cliff, a tragic death occurs and a terrified child vanishes into the mist. The child's godmother, Maggie O'Shea, haunted by the violent deaths of her husband and best friend, has withdrawn from her life as a classical pianist. But then a recording of unforgettable music and a grainy photograph surface, connecting her missing godson to a long-lost first love. The photograph will draw Maggie inexorably into a collision course with criminal forces, decades-long secrets, stolen art and musical artifacts, and deadly terrorists. Her search will take her to the Festival de Musique, Aix-en-Provence, France, where she discovers answers to her husband's death, an unexpected love -- and a musical masterpiece lost for decades.
About the Author
Helaine Mario has written two novels of women's suspense, Firebird and The Lost Concerto. Firebird was inspired by the recent spy scandals in Washington, D.C., and a Russian firebird brooch discovered in New York's theater district. Classical piano music and several visits to France inspired many of the events - and much of the atmospheric and authentic settings - in The Lost Concerto. The Lost Concerto, published by Oceanview Publishing, will be available in Hardcover and E-Book July 1, 2015. Helaine's first novel, Firebird, will be available as a Kindle E-Book re-released by Oceanview Publishing in late July 2015. Helaine believes strongly in "giving back" to her community. For the eight years of the Clinton Presidency, she was a White House volunteer for Tipper Gore in the Office of the Vice President and continues to be a passionate advocate for public service and women & children's issues.In 1998, Helaine founded The SunDial Foundation, Inc., which contributes to non-profit organizations that benefit our most vulnerable women, children and families. Living in the Washington, D.C., area, she has been active with Suited for Change, Boys & Girls Clubs, Salvation Army Leadership Council, and is a long-time board member of the Children's Health Board of Children's National Medical Center. In 2001, Helaine conceived and implemented Project PJs, which is a comforting gift package of a book, a bear and warm pajamas for under-served children in the Washington community.The website is www.sundialfoundation.orgA substantial percentage of net proceeds from book sales will go directly to The Sundial Foundation and organizations that support at-risk women, children and families.Born in NYC and a graduate of Boston University, Helaine now lives in Arlington, VA, with her husband of many years, Ron Mario. She is grateful to be a 12 year cancer survivor and is most proud of her children and beautiful grandchildren - daughter Jessica, the mother of Ellie (9) and Tyler (7) , and son Sean, dad to Clair Violet (5) and Declan (2) . Sean is the pianist who inspired the classical music background in The Lost Concerto.When it comes to writing, Helaine wants, more than anything, to tell a good story, create characters with depth, and paint pictures with words. She wants to be a storyteller forever.CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR HELAINE MARIO, THE LOST CONCERTOTELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, HOW AND WHEN YOU STARTED WRITING. I always loved reading but never imagined I would write a book. And then I discovered that whatever work I was doing, I gravitated toward the "writing" part of it. So I began writing for the local newspaper. The articles were well-received, but I wanted something more. Until one day, when I found myself thinking of an old friend and wondering 'what if? '... I reached for a pencil and the words just spilled out. The Lost Concerto was born. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE YOUR NOVEL
