Amazon #1 new release is perfect for fans of NYT bestselling author Allison Brennan
OCALA, FL – Debut author and Best Thriller Awards Finalist Angela Greenman draws inspiration from her time with the International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to create what BestThrillers.com called “a slick spy thriller that balances a futuristic counter-terrorism mission with the battle for its heroine’s soul.” In “The Child Riddler” (July 19, 2022, Bella Books) Zoe Lorel has attained her dream job as an elite operative in an international spy agency, and she’s found her one true love. Her world is mostly perfect–until she is sent to abduct a nine-year-old girl.
The girl is the only one who knows the riddle that holds the code to unleash the most lethal weapon on earth: the first ever “invisibility” nanoweapon, a cloaking spider bot. But Zoe’s agency isn’t the only one after the child. And when enemies reveal the invisibility weapon’s existence to underground arms dealers, every government and terrorist organization in the world wants to find that little girl.
Zoe races to save not only the child she has grown to care about, but also herself. Meanwhile, the agency-prescribed pills– the ones that transform her into the icy killer she must become to survive–are beginning to threaten her engagement to the one person who brings her happiness. Can she protect the young girl, and still protect the one thing she cares about more than anything else?
“The Child Riddler”
Angela Greenman | July 19, 2022 | Bella Books | Techno-Thriller
Paperback | 978-1642473650 | $14.79
Audiobook | B0B6XSK36G | $15.30
Kindle | B0B6KMZRDS | $6.99
“The book opens with a bang with a powerful, action-packed scene that matches up well with some of the best spy thrillers I’ve read previously…Greenman is a capable writer and many of the action-packed scenes a reader expects from a spy thriller are well done and highly entertaining.”
“A slick spy thriller that balances a futuristic counter-terrorism mission with the battle for its heroine’s soul.”
“Extremely entertaining techno-thriller…a globetrotting adventure…memorable characters…fast action…plus some beautiful descriptions of cities and architecture.”
“The highly suspenseful narrative flowed at a fast pace with startling and exciting twists and turns.”
“…outstanding and brilliant tale…never a dull moment…detailed and vivid…”
ANGELA GREENMAN: Angela Greenman is an internationally recognized communications professional. She has been an expert and lecturer with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for over a decade. She had the honor to be selected to draft the Communications Review Criteria (internal, external and crisis) for the IAEA’s prestigious Corporate Operational Safety Review Team. As Lead Trainer for an IAEA regional workshop, she received perfect scores from nine countries. At the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) she served as a spokesperson and was given a special citation for developing an agency publication which was published by the Federal government (“Guidelines for Conducting Public Meetings”). Also while at the NRC, she was a recipient of multiple awards for exceptional effectiveness in dealing with the media and public. Prior to the NRC, she was a press officer for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the City’s civil rights department where she coordinated a city-wide anti-bias campaign. She has traveled the world (21 countries and counting), sailed the turquoise Caribbean waters, explored Canada’s beautiful wilderness and lakes, and now her imagination is devising plots for future novels that will feature more of the exciting places she has been. Find out more about them at her website.
Follow Angela Greenman on social media:
Facebook: Angela Greenman – Author | Twitter: @AngelaGreenman
Instagram: @angelsprism | TikTok: @angelagreenman
LinkedIn: Angela Greenman
In an interview, Angela Greenman can discuss:
- The role of women in thrillers, and how she portrays her protagonist differently than normal women leads
- How working for the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and working in 16 countries shaped the thrilling scenes and settings in her books
- How she writes moral ambiguity, complex character motivations, and multi-layered character development while not losing any action
- The hardships of her childhood, which included homelessness, and how books helped her through challenging life circumstances
- How she found her love for writing, and the process of writing her debut thriller
- Balancing characters in her book, specifically a badass operative and a nine-year-old child, and the bond her characters create
- The lessons she learned as a new author and the preparation that led her book to be considered one of the best books of the year by BestThrillers.com five months after publication
- How to learn from traumatic life events and become a happier person
As an international communications expert:
- Keys to successful communication: issue and message development
- How to conduct effective public meetings
An Interview with
Angela Greenman
1. You are very well-traveled (21 countries and counting)! How did your travels influence your writing?
Travel is a feast of the senses — moments filled with remarkable people, architectural splendor, rich cultures, and deep histories. The colors, smells, sounds, personalities, and scenery are stored in my muse’s toolbox to help me craft a sensory and atmospheric immersion for the reader.
For instance, when I visited the Prague Castle and inhaled the cold musty air of the castle towers, it transported me back in time to the ruthless disciple of the castle archers at the narrow windows, and the terror of the torture victims. The atmosphere and history of this massive complex impacted me so much that I featured it in the first chapter of “The Child Riddler.”
In another example from the book, I used the tall graceful blue bottle of Bulgaria’s national drink, rakia, and the glow of Austria’s green and blue domes in the evening light to build an elegant background that contrasted with the devious actions of some of the characters.
2. You have an extensive career as a communications professional before becoming an author! How does your work in community relations in Chicago and world governments’ public communications on nuclear power inform your writing, and what made you decide to lean into your writing passion?
From my career, I learned to appreciate how we are multidimensional and that there are a variety of reactive forces in our lives that influence us. I also acquired an understanding and interest in the future of technology from my involvement with technical agencies. Since the pandemic put my international travel on pause, I decided it was the right time to turn the page to the next chapter and pursue my love of writing.
3. What does this book mean to you, and what do you hope your readers take from your book?
The positive recognition that I have received as an author is a powerful validation for me that I am finally free from the prison of my bad childhood. I’ve had other successes in my life, but having “The Child Riddler” considered well-written and my writing on par with other well-known thriller writers, is the achievement that I needed to break that last mental chain.
Because of my rough childhood (poverty, homelessness, domestic violence), I almost failed out of my public grammar school. While I have excelled in everything else related to communications, I struggled with writing, not in the ideas, but the structuring such as grammar and spelling. Because it was harder for me, I felt inadequate as a writer. I think my childhood trauma prevented me from absorbing the kindergarten and grade school lessons, and unfortunately, I carried that sense of inadequacy throughout my life—until now, until “The Child Riddler” praise.
Beyond the book being well-written, I hope the readers find “The Child Riddler” an exciting adventure. I also hope one of the things they take away from the book is that having a female alpha protagonist is realistic. Women are out there accomplishing great things as leaders right now.
4. What do you hope to bring to the “techno-thriller” genre that may be lacking in the typical thriller book?
In addition to exciting action and state-of-the art technology, I strive to craft suspense and tension in personal relationships. Each person is a unique tapestry woven from individual experiences, and thus what their personal trigger is, or how they’ll respond to it, is often a surprise. These complexities should also be true of the characters to make the story realistic. Additionally, being well-traveled, I’m able to enhance the story with exotic and atmospheric settings.
5. What’s next for you? Any chance we’ll see Zoe again?
I am currently writing a second book, a sequel to “The Child Riddler.” Zoe has let me know in no uncertain terms that her story is far from over!
A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.
Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.
