Helaine Mario

Helaine Mario has written four novels of suspense. The Classical Music Suspense Series includes: THE LOST CONCERTO, DARK RHAPSODY, and now SHADOW MUSIC, all published by Oceanview Publishing. Classical piano music and several visits to France, Austria and Cornwall inspired many of the events - and much of the atmospheric and authentic settings - in her series, which features Boston Classical Pianist Maggie O'Shea. The stand-alone espionage novel, FIREBIRD, was inspired by a Russian firebird brooch discovered in New York's theater district. Music and Art are at the heart of Helaine's stories. 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 and Al Gore in the Office of the Vice President and continues to be a passionate advocate for women & children's issues. In 1998, Helaine founded The SunDial Foundation, Inc., which contributed to non-profit organizations for our most vulnerable women, children and families for 20 years. In 2018, The Helaine and Ronald Mario Fund was established to continue this work. Royalties from all book sales go directly to children's reading, nutrition and health programs. Born in NYC and a graduate of Boston University, Helaine now lives in Arlington, VA, with her husband of 50+ years, Ron Mario. She is grateful to be a 2 time cancer survivor, and is most proud of her 2 children and 5 beautiful grandchildren. Her son Sean studied classical piano for 15 years and inspired the classical music background in Helaine's music suspense series. 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. A note to my readers, There is a lovely quote that says, “Happiness is finding the first good book in a series, and knowing there are more to follow.” If you want to learn my pianist Maggie O’Shea’s story from the beginning, then read Book 1 in the series, THE LOST CONCERTO. But if you are new to the series, and beginning with Book 3, SHADOW MUSIC, I am including brief synopses of the first two books to give you a sense of Maggie’s story so far. The Lost Concerto (Book 1 of the Maggie O’Shea Classical Music Suspense Series) The Lost Concerto introduces Boston classical pianist Maggie O’Shea. Haunted by the violent death of her husband, grief has crushed her passion for music. Moving on is unthinkable, until an old photograph draws Maggie to Paris in a desperate search for her missing godson. Threatened by a vicious killer, Maggie is swept up in decades-old secrets involving stolen art and music. Maggie will fight for a little boy’s life and discover an unexpected love - and a priceless concerto lost for decades. Dark Rhapsody (Book 2 of the Maggie O’Shea Classical Music Suspense Series) As classical pianist Maggie O’Shea prepares for her return to the music world, an unforgettable rhapsody and roses from a sinister admirer draw her into the mystery of her mother’s death and deadly secrets from World War II. In a compelling blend of past and present, Maggie is hunted by a brutal, disfigured killer who threatens those she holds dear – a vanished symphony conductor, the innocent heir to a priceless Matisse, and the colonel she has come to love. and, SOME Q AND A… WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT READERS WILL TAKE AWAY FROM YOU BOOK? I’ve been told by many readers that they laughed and swooned and worried and cried and fell in love. That is a wonderful compliment, as, more than anything, I want my readers to think, and to FEEL. I want them to care about Maggie and her Colonel (I am half in love with him myself…). Readers often say, “I didn’t want it to end.” Those are the six best words I could hear. They want to know what happened next. And, it's important to me that readers care about Maggie's choices and ask themselves, "What would I have done?" My readers remember my characters, my stories continue to resonate, and I am grateful. WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE ABOUT WRITING THAT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED? There are four pieces of advice that have really mattered to me the most. 1. ‘Don’t apologize.’ I am writing what I want to write, and I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not. 2. “Don’t give up.” At some time or another, every writer is hurt by painful rejections or bad reviews, myself included. The first draft of The Lost Concerto spent two years in a drawer. But this story deserved more than ‘death in a drawer.’ Because I believed in these characters, I finally just forced myself to learn, make the changes I needed to make, and look at the novel through new eyes. 3. ‘Even when you think your manuscript is absolutely-positively-for-certain done, edit it again!’ 4. This is the best, and my favorite, from Pat Gussin - written in a letter to me years ago when Oceanview rejected an early manuscript of my first novel. She said, simply, “Deepen your characters.” A light went on, and I found my true ‘writing home.’ WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE PIPELINE? While I never planned to write a series, The Lost Concerto left several questions unanswered. Then my readers began asking what was next for my pianist Maggie. I wanted to know, too! And a symphony conductor kept slipping into my head and asking for a role…. And so, Dark Rhapsody was born, delving into Maggie's past and raising even more questions. Now, in Shadow Music, Maggie faces a life-changing secret. ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR NOVEL, OR LIFE IN GENERAL? I was 68 when The Lost Concerto was published… one of the true great surprises of an already unpredictable life. I still keep asking myself if I am dreaming. And – while there are too many moments in life that we cannot change or control, I know that it’s how we deal with what happens to us that matters. That is when we learn who we truly are. This always will be a theme in my novels. I