The Writer
Madison Taylor is the definition of hard work. 32 years old and the eldest of three girls, raised in Bronx, NY, I was faced with many personal challenges. Instead of using them as a crutch, it compelled me to finish school to become a lawyer. Through all adversities, I managed to obtain Bachelors in Criminal Justice and I am currently in Graduate school to obtain my MPA in Business Management at John Jay College.
I surmised myself as having a dramatic imagination and writing became my passion hobby. I’ve imagined my story in my head so long, it seemed like I had lived it. I had made so many excuses as to why this wouldn’t work and kept putting it on hold, but I was tired of reading the same stories over and over again and eventually decided my story would bring to the public a creative twist to contemporary fiction.
I want readers to read Scattered Lies and take in the spirit of each character. Many fiction books are written and the story focuses on one character. My book brings you four stories of different lives that deceit brings together through a world wind of unpredictable events. I want readers to see that sometimes we will do anything for self preservation and when it comes to personal happiness nothing is sacred.
A page turner; a dramatic novel that takes us on a unique journey of a different contemporary fiction minus the clichés of the more circulated street tales of sex, money and murder.
Learn more about Madison at Influential Writers Publishing, LLC.
APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING…
Denise Taylor, a chameleon, is building a promising future for herself. Aspiring toward the successful life of designer suits and couture shoes, she will learn that the past will pull up alongside you with a vengeance.
LIES ARE DEADLY…
Tony Flowers, a successful CEO/Rapper, is on the verge of becoming the Bill Gates of the music industry. He forces you to explore the way excess erodes our sense of satisfaction. Deceitful, manipulative, and living with the secret of his ultimate act of betrayal, he discovers that some lies are worth dying for.
DECISIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS…
Gabrielle Brightman is an upscale, sophisticated, resilient young woman. She didn’t become a powerful attorney without making many sacrifices. While running her own small practice, she earned a reputation for taking on controversial clients. Nevertheless, she will embark on the biggest challenge of her life.
AND DREAMS DESTROYED
Morgan Marciano is a naïve, gorgeous, yet optimistic young lady with a prominent future, but she will encounter the worst evil of all.
All will realize that when they lie, all that’s left are Scattered Lies.
Scattered Lies tells a riveting story of scandals, half truths, and ultimate triumph. It will take you on an unpredictable ride through real life, where lies are the reality of the truth.
Click the cover above to order your copy of SCATTERED LIES today!
I selected you as an AtBaP featured author because your latest book dabbles in the topic of the month - lying, cheating, betrayals. Tell me, why (or how) did you find yourself developing your story around this topic?
Scattered Lies was written after years of witnessing the ills of human nature. I took into account my own determinations and realized that sometimes we will exceed our own expectations and stop at nothing to maintain self preservation even at the unfortunate expense of others.
I almost liken the complexity of lies and cheating to that of a murder mystery. In a mystery, there are always so many layers woven in the story in order to create those twists and turns and whodunit moments. When writing your novel, how intricate, complex were you in developing the weaves of lies and betrayals?
When I began establishing my characters, I kept reminding myself of “real life.” While creating an atmosphere of suspense was easy, the shock factor is what I used to distinguish my book from the mainstream sex, money and murder clichés. In the movie, Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow, Paltrow’s character lived the same day everyday but each day she made a different decision for the same situations. The complexity of the story forced you to see how decisions shape our realities into very complex circumstances.
Also, instead of focusing on one character, I introduce my readers to four very different people. Each one’s story somehow connecting to the other generates a more volatile intensity to the overall development of the plot. This will keep the readers engrossed wondering how it will all come to a cataclysmic conclusion.
The lies. The cheating. The betrayals. They are all a part of someone's "dirt," and people seem to be all too happy to immerse themselves in others' dirt. Why do you think readers are so fascinated with the tawdry side of characters?
There are a lot of reasons why people are drawn to others people’s problems. At some point everyone wants to escape their own reality. Sometimes immersing yourself in other people’s misfortunes makes you realize your troubles are not that bad or it makes them feel better about themselves. Also, for some reason, as much as we hate to admit it, we love drama. It gives us a sensation that can’t be replaced with anything else. We gravitate towards it as justification for our own moral deficiencies. How many times do you say to yourself, “It’s not so bad if everybody is doing it”?
Personally, what's the worst thing someone can lie about, and why?
Personally, once someone lies to me, I can no longer trust them. I think the worst thing someone could lie about is their loyalty to you. I find myself losing associates because I believed their alliance to me, to find out they didn’t really care for me or my well being. I think this is the worst thing you can lie about because when you are at your lowest point, your alliances are what you count on most, then to realize at that fateful moment that you are alone is like the worst feeling in the world.
The Book
When four people choose lying as a path to attain their success, they will find that the destiny they wished for is not always guaranteed. Because when...
APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING…
Denise Taylor, a chameleon, is building a promising future for herself. Aspiring toward the successful life of designer suits and couture shoes, she will learn that the past will pull up alongside you with a vengeance.
LIES ARE DEADLY…
Tony Flowers, a successful CEO/Rapper, is on the verge of becoming the Bill Gates of the music industry. He forces you to explore the way excess erodes our sense of satisfaction. Deceitful, manipulative, and living with the secret of his ultimate act of betrayal, he discovers that some lies are worth dying for.
DECISIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS…
Gabrielle Brightman is an upscale, sophisticated, resilient young woman. She didn’t become a powerful attorney without making many sacrifices. While running her own small practice, she earned a reputation for taking on controversial clients. Nevertheless, she will embark on the biggest challenge of her life.
AND DREAMS DESTROYED
Morgan Marciano is a naïve, gorgeous, yet optimistic young lady with a prominent future, but she will encounter the worst evil of all.
All will realize that when they lie, all that’s left are Scattered Lies.
Scattered Lies tells a riveting story of scandals, half truths, and ultimate triumph. It will take you on an unpredictable ride through real life, where lies are the reality of the truth.
Cheating, Betrayal, Lies
I selected you as an AtBaP featured author because your latest book dabbles in the topic of the month - lying, cheating, betrayals. Tell me, why (or how) did you find yourself developing your story around this topic?
Scattered Lies was written after years of witnessing the ills of human nature. I took into account my own determinations and realized that sometimes we will exceed our own expectations and stop at nothing to maintain self preservation even at the unfortunate expense of others.
I almost liken the complexity of lies and cheating to that of a murder mystery. In a mystery, there are always so many layers woven in the story in order to create those twists and turns and whodunit moments. When writing your novel, how intricate, complex were you in developing the weaves of lies and betrayals?
When I began establishing my characters, I kept reminding myself of “real life.” While creating an atmosphere of suspense was easy, the shock factor is what I used to distinguish my book from the mainstream sex, money and murder clichés. In the movie, Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow, Paltrow’s character lived the same day everyday but each day she made a different decision for the same situations. The complexity of the story forced you to see how decisions shape our realities into very complex circumstances.
Also, instead of focusing on one character, I introduce my readers to four very different people. Each one’s story somehow connecting to the other generates a more volatile intensity to the overall development of the plot. This will keep the readers engrossed wondering how it will all come to a cataclysmic conclusion.
The lies. The cheating. The betrayals. They are all a part of someone's "dirt," and people seem to be all too happy to immerse themselves in others' dirt. Why do you think readers are so fascinated with the tawdry side of characters?
There are a lot of reasons why people are drawn to others people’s problems. At some point everyone wants to escape their own reality. Sometimes immersing yourself in other people’s misfortunes makes you realize your troubles are not that bad or it makes them feel better about themselves. Also, for some reason, as much as we hate to admit it, we love drama. It gives us a sensation that can’t be replaced with anything else. We gravitate towards it as justification for our own moral deficiencies. How many times do you say to yourself, “It’s not so bad if everybody is doing it”?
Personally, what's the worst thing someone can lie about, and why?
Personally, once someone lies to me, I can no longer trust them. I think the worst thing someone could lie about is their loyalty to you. I find myself losing associates because I believed their alliance to me, to find out they didn’t really care for me or my well being. I think this is the worst thing you can lie about because when you are at your lowest point, your alliances are what you count on most, then to realize at that fateful moment that you are alone is like the worst feeling in the world.
Throughout Scattered Lies, readers will relate to the relationship between Denise and Tony. We’ve all had, or so we thought, that ‘friend ‘til the end’ until that day of reckoning presents itself and you realize how vulnerable you have made yourself.
Think about all the books you've read and enjoyed; what character has been the biggest liar, cheater, and betrayal artist, and why?
Of course, for me it would be Tony Flowers. With working on my book, I haven’t had the opportunity to read many books lately. However, Tony’s betrayal is the worst of the worst. It’s not only his betrayal to Denise, but his betrayal to everyone in his life. His demons have triggered the most evils of all the characters.
From Scattered Lies' Chapter Five...
Denise has to meet up with an old skeleton out of her closet that she was sure was tucked away for good...
Just when Denise got ready to head out to the conference room, she heard her cell phone ringing. Damn, I didn’t put it on vibrate.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Dee, what’s up? It’s Felicia. We need to meet ASAP. Some shit jumped off. Meet me at Wendy’s on Broadway,” Felicia ordered. Back in the day, Felicia and Denise were hitmen for Greg and had done a lot of shit together.
“A’ight! It better not be any bullshit, for real,” Denise warned.
“I wish! One o’clock is good for me. Is that cool for you?” Felicia asked.
“It’s good,” she replied. What the fuck has Felicia done now? She better not be up to no shit.
After the conference was over, Denise jetted out to meet Felicia. Since Wendy’s was only three blocks from her job, Denise walked there. When she arrived, she didn’t see Felicia.
Think about all the books you've read and enjoyed; what character has been the biggest liar, cheater, and betrayal artist, and why?
Of course, for me it would be Tony Flowers. With working on my book, I haven’t had the opportunity to read many books lately. However, Tony’s betrayal is the worst of the worst. It’s not only his betrayal to Denise, but his betrayal to everyone in his life. His demons have triggered the most evils of all the characters.
A Taste of Fiction
From Scattered Lies' Chapter Five...
Denise has to meet up with an old skeleton out of her closet that she was sure was tucked away for good...
Just when Denise got ready to head out to the conference room, she heard her cell phone ringing. Damn, I didn’t put it on vibrate.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Dee, what’s up? It’s Felicia. We need to meet ASAP. Some shit jumped off. Meet me at Wendy’s on Broadway,” Felicia ordered. Back in the day, Felicia and Denise were hitmen for Greg and had done a lot of shit together.
“A’ight! It better not be any bullshit, for real,” Denise warned.
“I wish! One o’clock is good for me. Is that cool for you?” Felicia asked.
“It’s good,” she replied. What the fuck has Felicia done now? She better not be up to no shit.
After the conference was over, Denise jetted out to meet Felicia. Since Wendy’s was only three blocks from her job, Denise walked there. When she arrived, she didn’t see Felicia.
So she went to the upper level, where she found her sitting in the corner. After they kissed and hugged, Felicia got right down to it. “Remember that hit out of town we did…them guys in the car?” Felicia whispered.
Denise gave her a clueless look. They had done so much shit together that Denise didn’t know which time she was talking about.
Felicia frowned. “Dee, that shit we took care of for Tony…them dudes in the car. Remember? They were coming from the strip club.”
“Oh, that shit…yeah…what about it?” Denise asked, as she popped some of Felicia’s fries in her mouth.
“You know coke head Kim? Well, she was fucking with the nigga’s cousin and she told him we killed them. Dude isn’t built like that, so he told her that he wants five hundred thousand in cash or he’s going to the police,” Felicia whispered.
Denise dropped her head. This wasn’t her fucking day. How the fuck does Kim know about the killings? She wasn’t even in B-more when the shit took place. Something isn’t right. I know I covered all my tracks.
“It doesn’t make sense. Those dudes were from out of town. How did Kim hook up with the dude’s cousin? And he wants five hundred thousand from where?” Denise asked, while shaking her head.
Felicia sucked her teeth. “Dee, he’s not playing.”
“When does he want the money?” Denise asked.
Felicia stared at Denise to see if she expressed any emotions, but Denise hid her expression.
“Like yesterday, so what are we gonna do? I don’t have any bread like that. They know Greg ordered the hit,” Felicia mumbled.
“Tell them to give you a few weeks and you will have it,” Denise said as she rose from the table.
Felicia pulled her back down. “Dee, they are serious. I can’t go to prison.”
“Neither can I,” Denise replied, then walked out.
Denise was upset; she didn’t tolerate extortion. She needed to reach out to Perry and find out what else Kim knew. But first, she needed to holler at Greg.
When she got back to her office, she informed Maria that she would be taking the next day off. Denise didn’t believe in wasting time with things this serious.
It was 5:00 p.m., and Denise couldn’t wait to leave. Felicia had ruined her day. Just when she thought she was done with that lifestyle, it was pulling up alongside her with a vengeance.
Denise woke up early the next morning, took a shower, got dressed, and was out the door before Morgan woke up. She jumped in her Range Rover and headed up to Elmira Correctional Facility to see Greg. Gabrielle is a strong bitch to troop this shit every weekend, she thought to herself. The drive alone is too much for me, and it’s only four hours.
Denise parked her car outside of the facility and walked in. Being that it was a weekday, it wasn’t packed. After they verified Denise’s ID, they took her to the visiting room.
While she waited, she went to the vending machine and purchased some frozen chicken wings, a breakfast sandwich, and a beverage. Since she wasn’t sure what Greg wanted, she got one of everything.
On her way back into the visiting room, she saw Greg sitting at the table brushing something off his shirt and straightening his clothes. Greg hadn’t changed; he still had that swag. Greg didn’t like surprises, but he was happy to see Denise, who he hadn’t seen in years. Even though it was good to see his little sister, he knew better. If Denise came up to see him, something was wrong.
Denise reached out to hug him. “What’s with the smirk?”
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