The Secret Billionaire
by Teymour
Shahabi
GENRE: Young
Adult Mystery
BLURB:
His will leaves the
entirety of his wealth—one of the largest fortunes in history—to his “dear
friend Lucian Baker.” Only there is no trace of anyone by that name. And the
fortune itself is nowhere to be found.
Andrew Day knows
nothing of wealth and privilege, but he won a scholarship to study at the most
exclusive school in the country, in the town where the mystery, decades later,
remains unsolved. There he discovers friendship and danger with the
aristocratic Cameron and the beautiful Olivia. But watchful eyes follow him
everywhere... Until, one night, he comes across a secret that will change his
life. As he begins to unravel what really happened to the Surway fortune, the
question remains: who is Lucian Baker?
Winner: Northern
California Book Festival, Best Young Adult Book, 2016
Winner: Great Midwest
Book Festival, Best Young Adult Book, 2016
Winner: Florida Book
Festival, Best Young Adult Book, 2016
Excerpt:
They continued to follow the fence
on the sandy path along the road. But the House remained hid-den. The elms on
the other side of the fence barred their sight. They all sensed, without saying
so, that the trees would thin out. They were so hopeful for a clearing that
they could picture it as they went, lying just beyond the shadow of the last
trunk they could see. But the last trunk kept receding, and the curtain of
trees kept on going beyond it, as silent and unhelpful as the empty road
alongside.
All of a sudden, Olivia stopped. Her
eyes were fixed on the ground. Neither Cameron nor Andrew could make out what
she was staring at in the sand of the path. She brought a hand over her knee
and crouched. The boys gathered closer. Their shadows mingled over her. She
looked up into their faces. After a few seconds, she asked,
“What do you guys think?”
“What do we think of—?” Cameron
began, taking another step closer, when suddenly she shouted,
“Cameron, stop!”
She jumped up and held out her arms.
“What the hell was that?” he yelled
out.
“Don’t step on it!”
“Don’t step on what?”
“The footprint!” she answered in a
whisper, as if just remembering the sound of her own voice. She glanced over
both shoulders, gave Cameron and Andrew a significant look, and slowly lowered
herself once more to the ground. The two of them mirrored her movement.
All at once, Andrew saw it. It was a
footprint, unmistakable, elementary, like a picture in a comic book, a single
elongated shape with a line separat-ing the heel. Cameron asked in a muted
voice,
“What kind of shoe is that? It
doesn’t have any—any details.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. Not even
whispering could soften her contempt.
“It’s a boot,” she said.
“A boot,” Cameron repeated. And
after a sec-ond’s reflection, “So it’s a boot. So what? People leave footprints
every day on every path in the world. Some of them wear boots.”
But he didn’t dare to go back to his
normal voice.
Olivia continued to study the print
as if he hadn’t spoken. It was Andrew who answered,
“But no one leaves footprints on
this path.”
Cameron and Olivia looked up.
“There’s nothing along this road,
nothing for miles in either direction, right? Nothing but the gate of the
Surway House.”
They stared at him without reply.
“Well,” he went on, examining the
footprint, “as-suming that’s the case, then there’s really no reason for anyone
to have come here recently—no reason other than...” His eyes turned to the
fence.
Olivia’s gaze followed his.
“It’s not just the fact that someone
was here re-cently—” she began.
“How do you guys know it’s so
recent?” Cameron broke in. “The print could go back several days, anytime since
the last rainfall. For all we know, someone could have left it over the weekend.
No one here’s an expert in detection.”
“No,” Olivia rejoined, “but I’m an
expert in shoes. That’s how I know it’s a boot.”
What inspired you to write The Secret Billionaire?
This is not a fantasy book, but I wrote it as an escape from reality. I drew inspiration from the great stories of my childhood, stories of adventure and lost treasure, like Ali Baba or The Count of Monte-Cristo, stories about heroes and supervillains. And my story seemed to belong naturally in a fictionalized version of the beautiful Hudson Valley, near New York City where I live.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in the same series as The Secret Billionaire or what you have planned for the future?
My goal from the beginning was to write a series. I've planned it out from the start, and there are secret clues in the first book as to what lies ahead... But for now, the main order of business is to finish the second book. I’m extremely excited about it. And every time a reader asks for the sequel, I feel a new burst of energy and courage for the road ahead.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Secret Billionaire?
They're all entirely fictional (as far as I can tell), except for three. Two of these are major characters, and they're inspired by people who are close to my younger brother. I've never met them, but he's described them so thoroughly and so beautifully over the years that they made their way into the book. The third character is based on a real-life person whom I've met and spoken with. But I'm almost certain she doesn't know, and maybe I'd prefer to keep it a secret…
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
I grew up in Paris, on Avenue Victor Hugo, and I couldn't imagine a greater honor than to have his name on my address. He was a great man, who fought for those who were defenseless against his government. Moreover, every page of his writing, his poetry, his drama, and his prose, is filled with beauty. And the characters he created and the tales he told will live forever.
If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time period?
I would much prefer the past, and ideally the ancient world: Rome, Egypt, or the Persia of my ancestors. I'm fascinated by myths and empires – which might be one of the many reasons I love New York City :)
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
An imaginary pet wolf.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
Thank you, dear Avid Reader!
Interview
with Teymour Shahabi
What inspired you to write The Secret Billionaire?
This is not a fantasy book, but I wrote it as an escape from reality. I drew inspiration from the great stories of my childhood, stories of adventure and lost treasure, like Ali Baba or The Count of Monte-Cristo, stories about heroes and supervillains. And my story seemed to belong naturally in a fictionalized version of the beautiful Hudson Valley, near New York City where I live.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in the same series as The Secret Billionaire or what you have planned for the future?
My goal from the beginning was to write a series. I've planned it out from the start, and there are secret clues in the first book as to what lies ahead... But for now, the main order of business is to finish the second book. I’m extremely excited about it. And every time a reader asks for the sequel, I feel a new burst of energy and courage for the road ahead.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Secret Billionaire?
They're all entirely fictional (as far as I can tell), except for three. Two of these are major characters, and they're inspired by people who are close to my younger brother. I've never met them, but he's described them so thoroughly and so beautifully over the years that they made their way into the book. The third character is based on a real-life person whom I've met and spoken with. But I'm almost certain she doesn't know, and maybe I'd prefer to keep it a secret…
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
I grew up in Paris, on Avenue Victor Hugo, and I couldn't imagine a greater honor than to have his name on my address. He was a great man, who fought for those who were defenseless against his government. Moreover, every page of his writing, his poetry, his drama, and his prose, is filled with beauty. And the characters he created and the tales he told will live forever.
If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time period?
I would much prefer the past, and ideally the ancient world: Rome, Egypt, or the Persia of my ancestors. I'm fascinated by myths and empires – which might be one of the many reasons I love New York City :)
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
An imaginary pet wolf.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
AUTHOR BIO:
Teymour
Shahabi was born in Paris of Persian parents in 1985. He moved to the United
States to study Comparative Literature and Mathematics at Harvard University.
He lives in New York City where he’s spent the last few years among serious
professionals, many of whom probably prefer to read nonfiction. The Secret
Billionaire is his first published book.
You
can watch him try to figure out writing and life at Facebook
Author
Links:
Buy
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Giveaway:
A print copy of "The Secret Billionaire" with a personal message (International Giveaway)
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1 comments:
Sounds great! I'm so excited to read it.
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