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“Murder, she wrote” – author inspired by
the world of international hotels
Double identity of novelist Sylvia Massara:
Freelance HR consultant and content writer by day … murder mystery author by night. That’s a fitting description of multi-genre novelist, with a mystery series, Sylvia Massara.
These days, however, Sylvia is known as an ex-human resources manager who now writes full-time, penning her novels (well, in truth she really uses Word rather than a pen).
Her sassy and cool, older chick protagonist was born by drawing inspiration from the international hotels in which Sylvia worked in a previous life. Her creation resulted in a savvy, smart-talking duty manager named Mia Ferrari who acts as a hotel-based, crime-solving, super sleuth heroine, and who has a weakness for younger men of the “bad boy” variety, is addicted to coffee and Italian food, and loves to drive a Ferrari. "Corny, I know," Sylvia refers to the car, "but I couldn't resist it seeing as Mia shares her surname with this superb motor vehicle."
Freelance HR consultant and content writer by day … murder mystery author by night. That’s a fitting description of multi-genre novelist, with a mystery series, Sylvia Massara.
These days, however, Sylvia is known as an ex-human resources manager who now writes full-time, penning her novels (well, in truth she really uses Word rather than a pen).
Her sassy and cool, older chick protagonist was born by drawing inspiration from the international hotels in which Sylvia worked in a previous life. Her creation resulted in a savvy, smart-talking duty manager named Mia Ferrari who acts as a hotel-based, crime-solving, super sleuth heroine, and who has a weakness for younger men of the “bad boy” variety, is addicted to coffee and Italian food, and loves to drive a Ferrari. "Corny, I know," Sylvia refers to the car, "but I couldn't resist it seeing as Mia shares her surname with this superb motor vehicle."
In the first murder mystery, Playing With The Bad Boys, the 48-year-old, divorcee protagonist leaves no stone unturned as she endeavours to solve the mystery that forms the central plot line for the story. Mia shows off her investigative skills despite her archenemy Detective Sergeant Phil Smythe’s efforts to get her to mind her own business.
A suicide takes place in front of hundreds of witnesses and the police write off the whole thing fairly quickly. Mia, however, thinks there is more to this than meets the eye, and with a little help from her friends she sets out to prove the suicide is not all it seems.
In the second mystery, The Gay Mardi Gras Murders, Mia is up to her neck in drag queens, bad boys, gorgeous gay
boys, a missing diamond worth $20 million, and a mounting body count. The story is set against the backdrop of Sydney’s world-renowned gay mardi gras.
Finally, in her most recent novel, The South Pacific Murders, Mia and her colleagues embark on a cruise to Hawaii, where a killer runs loose murdering a number of doctors from a medical convention onboard ship. Mia is forced to join forces with her archenemy, DS Phil Smythe, and work her way through a secret sex club and the world of horse racing in order to find the vital clue that will lead her to the killer.
A suicide takes place in front of hundreds of witnesses and the police write off the whole thing fairly quickly. Mia, however, thinks there is more to this than meets the eye, and with a little help from her friends she sets out to prove the suicide is not all it seems.
In the second mystery, The Gay Mardi Gras Murders, Mia is up to her neck in drag queens, bad boys, gorgeous gay
boys, a missing diamond worth $20 million, and a mounting body count. The story is set against the backdrop of Sydney’s world-renowned gay mardi gras.
Finally, in her most recent novel, The South Pacific Murders, Mia and her colleagues embark on a cruise to Hawaii, where a killer runs loose murdering a number of doctors from a medical convention onboard ship. Mia is forced to join forces with her archenemy, DS Phil Smythe, and work her way through a secret sex club and the world of horse racing in order to find the vital clue that will lead her to the killer.
But back to Mia’s creator—having worked in a number of international hotels in her earlier career as a human resources manager, Sylvia decided it was time to turn her virtual pen to the hospitality industry. Sylvia's career in the hotel industry has proven to be a great source of inspiration, and it provided the perfect backdrop for murder.
Sylvia says, "Hotels are where you see it all—illicit love affairs, trouble-making celebrities, temperamental chefs, sinister characters planning shady business deals, suicides, drama, and the list goes on. The world of hotels is a world of its own, and often an insidious one, (very much like the world of show business). So where better than to plant a busybody duty manager who fancies herself as an investigator with the desire to pit her skills against the police?"
Sylvia continues, "Mia doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and after a nasty divorce, which left her feeling very bitter, she doesn’t trust men. But men cannot help being drawn to this smart-talking woman. Not only does she have style, but she’s gutsy and leaves no door unopened in her efforts to solve a mystery."
Sylvia says, "Hotels are where you see it all—illicit love affairs, trouble-making celebrities, temperamental chefs, sinister characters planning shady business deals, suicides, drama, and the list goes on. The world of hotels is a world of its own, and often an insidious one, (very much like the world of show business). So where better than to plant a busybody duty manager who fancies herself as an investigator with the desire to pit her skills against the police?"
Sylvia continues, "Mia doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and after a nasty divorce, which left her feeling very bitter, she doesn’t trust men. But men cannot help being drawn to this smart-talking woman. Not only does she have style, but she’s gutsy and leaves no door unopened in her efforts to solve a mystery."
In a world where older women (anyone 40+) tend to become "untouchables" according to the likes of Hollywood, the media, and sadly, the employment market, it’s refreshing to see an older woman heroine determined to help those who cannot help themselves--that is, the victims of crime.
The one thing Sylvia really loves about Mia is her persona—she’s a flawed character with everyday problems. She’s loved and lost, she’s been cheated on, swindled, and used. The good news is she has grown from past pain by recreating herself into an assertive, strong woman with a low tolerance for fools. Despite this, we see Mia start to transform even more in her second and third mysteries, where her character grows and develops into someone who despite her strength also opens up her feelings at the risk of getting hurt again.
The one thing Sylvia really loves about Mia is her persona—she’s a flawed character with everyday problems. She’s loved and lost, she’s been cheated on, swindled, and used. The good news is she has grown from past pain by recreating herself into an assertive, strong woman with a low tolerance for fools. Despite this, we see Mia start to transform even more in her second and third mysteries, where her character grows and develops into someone who despite her strength also opens up her feelings at the risk of getting hurt again.
Sylvia based Mia’s character to reflect some of the qualities found in the film noir genre films of the 1940s. Characters like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe have been an inspiration: flawed characters who sometimes have to bend the rules to get what they want, and who don't necessarily have a happy-ever-after end to their story. It’s rather like a mirror of real life, and Mia, while a fictitious character, still has to face life's obstacles.
As with film noir, the stories are larger than life with a little dark comedy thrown in, but at the same time these stories reflect characters who deal with everyday problems, though their dialogue tends to be peppered with some smartarse remarks.
The Mia Ferrari mysteries are set in contemporary times and they deal with modern situations. They are fast-paced, too, so don’t expect to find long descriptions and pretty prose in these novels—the writing is very much like Mia’s character, impatient and wanting to get to the point.
There are three titles to the Mia Ferrari mystery series thus far--all in eBook and paperback format.
As with film noir, the stories are larger than life with a little dark comedy thrown in, but at the same time these stories reflect characters who deal with everyday problems, though their dialogue tends to be peppered with some smartarse remarks.
The Mia Ferrari mysteries are set in contemporary times and they deal with modern situations. They are fast-paced, too, so don’t expect to find long descriptions and pretty prose in these novels—the writing is very much like Mia’s character, impatient and wanting to get to the point.
There are three titles to the Mia Ferrari mystery series thus far--all in eBook and paperback format.
Available titles
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