Sylvia Massara

Biography

Sylvia Massara is a multi-genre author based in Sydney, Australia. She loves to dabble in wacky love affairs, drama, murder, scifi (and anything else that takes her fancy) over good coffee.

Born in Argentina from Italian descent and with a fusion of Spanish, Swiss and Scandinavian lineage, plus transplanted to Australia at age ten, Sylvia describes herself as a bit of a moggie cat by way of mixed pedigree. She is also a citizen of the world as she has travelled widely throughout most of her life and she's the proud owner of three passports.

As with most authors, Sylvia draws on her varied experience from the often puzzling tapestry of life. She loves nature and communing with the animal kingdom (as her pampered kitty, Mia, will attest) and vicariously through the many characters inside her head. Occasionally, however, Sylvia ventures into the world of humans, albeit for a limited time as she prefers the unconditional and genuine company which animals bring to our planet.

Currently, Sylvia has a number of projects on the go, but she is waiting for her muse to make up his mind and settle on one.

Where to find Sylvia Massara online

Books

The Stranger
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 86,340. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: March 15, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Apocalyptic, Fiction » Science fiction » General
The Stranger is a sci-fi apocalyptic tale with moralistic issues such as climate change and human rights, and involving the fight between love and evil and its repercussions on our planet. Rhys, an advanced being from another planet, is sent on a mission to Earth to determine the planet's destiny and whether it's worth saving, but his judgement may become clouded when he meets Carla, a human.
Wacky Romance Double Set
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 121,390. Language: English. Published: December 23, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » General, Fiction » Romance » Contemporary
A double set of romantic comedy relief by author Sylvia Massara featuring her two novels "The Other Boyfriend" and "Like Casablanca". So sit back, relax with your favourite beverage and get ready for a feel-good buzz with Massara's wacky romantic novel duo!
The Mia Ferrari Mysteries Trilogy
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 221,110. Language: English. Published: July 22, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Cozy, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
A set of 3 stand-alone mysteries, which can be read separately, but they will be even better when read in chronological order. Mia Ferrari is a feisty, smart-talking, determined woman working in the international world of hotels amid illicit love affairs, trouble-making celebrities, temperamental chefs, sinister characters, suicides, and the list goes on!
The South Pacific Murders -- A Mia Ferrari Mystery #3
Series: The Mia Ferrari Mysteries, Book 3. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 75,290. Language: Australian English. Published: March 8, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Cozy
A killer is on the loose onboard a cruise liner. A number of doctors from a medical convention are being murdered one by one. The ship’s captain asks Mia and her travelling companions to take over the investigation. A secret sex club and horse racing bets are the only clues that can uncover the identity of the killer, but will Mia be able to solve the mystery before the killer strikes again?
The Gay Mardi Gras Murders - A Mia Ferrari Mystery #2
Series: The Mia Ferrari Mysteries, Book 2. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 73,120. Language: Australian English. Published: August 5, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General, Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
(4.50 from 2 reviews)
Mia Ferrari, smartarse, older chick, super sleuth, is back! This time, she is up to her neck in drag queens, a rare diamond with a curse, and murder most foul against the backdrop of Sydney's world famous Gay Mardi Gras. A female impersonator is murdered and Mia has to juggle drag queens, handsome gay men, a transsexual with a dark past, a young cop with sex on his mind, and much more.
Playing With The Bad Boys - A Mia Ferrari Mystery #1
Series: The Mia Ferrari Mysteries, Book 1. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 75,150. Language: English. Published: March 5, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General, Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
(4.33 from 6 reviews)
A woman plunges ten floors down an atrium and lands on a baby grand piano in the luxurious Rourke Hotel Sydney. The police rule this as a straight case of suicide; but 48-year-old hotel duty manager and wannabe investigator, Mia Ferrari, thinks otherwise. As Mia sets out to unravel the mysterious death, she comes up against an unsavoury cast of characters who will do anything to shut her up.
Like Casablanca
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 62,750. Language: English. Published: January 29, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Romantic Comedy, Fiction » Romance » Later in Life
(4.50 from 4 reviews)
What does internet dating and Casablanca have in common? Nothing, unless you go to Rick's Cafe and find out what dating blogger, Cat Ryan, is up to. Cat's doing research for her internet dating blog, and the place she chooses to meet her many dates is Rick's Cafe in Sydney. But what of its disturbingly handsome owner, Rick Blake? What does he think, seeing her with a different man each time?
The Soul Bearers
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 100,420. Language: English. Published: October 2, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Romance » Contemporary
(5.00 from 8 reviews)
Partly inspired by true life events, this is a story of courage, friendship and unconditional love. Alex, freelance writer and survivor of child abuse, shares a house with homosexual couple: Steve and the disturbing Matthew. Alex finds she is inexplicably attracted to Matthew and must battle with her repressed sexuality and fear of intimacy.
The Other Boyfriend
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 60,880. Language: Australian English. Published: July 22, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Romantic Comedy, Fiction » Romance » Later in Life
(4.58 from 12 reviews)
Sarah Jamison is on a mission to find a boyfriend for her lover’s partner; and Sarah’s best friend comes to the rescue with an idea so crazy that it just might work. Enter the enigmatic Mike Connor. Sarah hates the man on sight, but her body tells her otherwise. Mike Connor is smug and full of himself; even so, Sarah thinks that with his help she can finally be with the love of her life.

Sylvia Massara's tag cloud

adversity    antiques    apocalyptic romance    australia    australian mystery    australian novel    beach read    blogging    casablanca    chick lit    chicklit    chicklit humour    child abuse    climate change    contemporary    cooking    courage and resilience    cozy mystery    dating    death    detective    detective action    drag queens    drugs    female impersonators    female sleuth    ferrari    fiction    friendship    friendship and love    gay mardi gras    gay men    good versus evil    hen lit    homosexuality    hotels    hugh jackman    human rights    humour    illegal drugs    illness    inspirational    internet dating    investigating team    jamie oliver    lifestyle    love    love story    love triangle    money laundering    morality    murder    murder and mayhem    murder and mystery    mystery    mystery action adventure noir humor    mystery action suspense thriller    mystery and suspense    mystery detective    mystery series    mystery suspense    obstacles    online dating love    police    relationship problems    relationships    restaurants    ricks cafe    romance    romantic comedy    scifi    scifi action adventure romance    scifi general    serial killer    sexy thriller    sleuth detective    spiritual    suicide    suspense    suspense action empowerment women    sydney    sydney australia    sydney crime    sydney mardi gras    thriller    transsexuals    trilogy book set    trilogy bundle    triumph    unconditional love    women sleuths    womens fiction   

Smashwords book reviews by Sylvia Massara

  • Sleight Malice on Jan. 11, 2011

    As usual, the Queen of Suspense takes the reader through a labyrinth of situations and clues where the reader thinks "Yes, yes, I know who's done it!", but we're often wrong. When Vicki is ready, and not a minute before, she eventually leads the reader to a culminating and unexpected ending. Like Vicki's other book "Thin Blood", I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sleight Malice. The story gripped me from the start and then I couldn't put it down--even when I was supposed to be working on other things. LOL. I will soon embark upon another suspense adventure with Vicki's "Brittle Shadows" and already I know it's going to make an excellent read.
  • Thin Blood on Jan. 11, 2011

    I really enjoyed how the author built the suspense in her story. At first I thought the story was going to be a simple one, with the first few characters introduced and the general plotline, but as I got more into the story, other characters came out of the woodwork and there were a couple of very good twists--especially the one at the end. Normally, I don't read contemporary suspense novels, especially because some of them get too graphic (eg. Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, etc), so what I liked about Vicki Tyley's book was that she didn't have to resort to the use of gross and graphic scenes in order to grab my attention. She managed to maintain the suspense right through, simply by weaving her story in a way that kept me wanting to find out more and kept me guessing--and this, in my opinion, is the mark of a true suspense writer. Anyone can write about blood and gore, but not everyone can write a good suspense story without being too graphic. Vicki did and this is why I liked her novel. I will be reading Vicki's other books - she's got me hooked now ;-) I call her "The Queen of Suspense"!
  • Brittle Shadows on March 05, 2011

    With a beginning like the one in this book, you know straight away that you're going to keep turning the virtual pages on your e-reader! I loved the many contrasts in the story that kept me guessing through a labyrinth of characters and situations to try and work out who did it. But as usual, I got it wrong and Vicki kept me guessing right to the last scene. There were some real surprises and twists along the way that made me even more determined to try and outwit the main character and beat her to solving the mystery. However, the author is too clever for this and through her skillful twists and turns she led me to an unexpected ending. Great story, and one that I highly recommend! Sylvia Massara www.sylviamassara.com
  • Enemies and Playmates on April 02, 2011

    This is the first time I’ve read a suspense/ romance and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Being a novelist myself, I thought how I would tackle this kind of genre if I were to write a suspense/romance. Personally, I would find it rather challenging to weave the suspense side of the story with the romance side and keep them flowing with a fine balance. I have to say that Darcia Helle has achieved this in an excellent manner. She has weaved her story with the characters in a subtle manner. So much so that I started to feel just how the characters felt, their likes/dislikes, their fears and their joys. One thing that jumped out at me was Darcia’s wonderful talent for developing her characters, especially the main protagonists. She doesn’t rush in and tell us all about them, instead she slowly shows us through their actions something new about them. I must say that this was done so well that I take my hat off to Darcia. It’s not easy trying to keep so many characters in your head (or even on paper) with their little quirks, habits, etc, and maintain continuity and consistency in a story, and also ensure the plot keeps moving. Darcia obviously has this gift and she delivers her story masterfully, even down to the little details that many of us never think about. I loved the story, and the plot just kept getting better and better, until the story culminated into a spiral of suspense action that made me unable to put down the book—or I should say, I just couldn’t shut off my e-book reader! I can’t wait to read Darcia’s other novels now :-) Sylvia Massara Novelist www.sylviamassara.com
  • Second Chances on April 21, 2011

    I read this book when it came out on Amazon, but I am also writing the review here: Second Chances is what I would term a paranormal suspense with a touch of romance. This is a genre that is new to me; at least since I read Anne Rice's vampire series years ago. But I'm not comparing the two as there are no vampires in this story. Second Chances is a story of good versus evil. What comes to the fore, however, are the qualities of forgiveness and love. In this story, the two main characters take totally different paths in life--one goes down the road of good; the other becomes evil. Now most of us would take the stance that the evil one "gets what he deserves", but in this story we see that love is ever expanding and that not only can it overcome evil, but it can actually transform evil into something that is pure love. In the end, what I took away from this riveting story is that there really is no evil in the universe--there is only love. We all travel down paths of our own making; some of these paths might be good while others might be negative or evil, but in the end there is no condition (whether physical or spiritual) that cannot be transformed by love. This wonderful story comes with a strong message that while subtle, cannot be dismissed. The story holds the reader spellbound with its tale of paranormal events, evil deeds, suspense, friendship and romance. At the end of the day, however, the message comes through loud and clear. Everything is love; everything can be transformed by love. In Second Chances, I was enthralled, held in suspense and even enchanted, in the end I came away feeling inspired and opening my heart to the fact that love truly does conquer all.
  • Justice For Emily on Sep. 21, 2011

    This story has many elements: romance, humour, visits from a loved one who passed on, and the paranormal aspects that the heroine is blessed with and what protects her and makes her the strong and beautiful person she is. But the one aspect that jumped out at me and touched me deeply was the cold brutality that domestic abuse and violence invoked in the storyline. Straight away, my heart cried out for "justice"; justice for the character, Emily, and justice for all women in real life who are subjected to ANY type of abuse, whether it be physical, psychological, verbal or all three. There is a strong message in this story that cannot be ignored, and that is that evil exists in many forms; but through the love of those who care, justice and healing is possible. Certainly, a chilling read from the "abuse" perspective, but an enjoyable read as a whole. Thank you, Sandy; you have tackled a very difficult issue and dealt with it beautifully.
  • Into The Light on Dec. 10, 2011

    All I want to know is why this author in not yet on the “bestseller” list. This is the second book I have read by Darcia Helle, and all I can say is that I was once again delighted that her story was a real page-turner. “Into the Light” is a paranormal mystery/thriller that will keep the reader wondering what is going to happen next. In my opinion, the character development is exceptional, and we get to piece together the personality and little quirks of each character bit by bit, while the story unfolds beautifully. Being an author myself, I have to say that we can be the worst critics when it comes to reviewing a book because not only do we look at character and plot development, but we also look at grammar, tense and a whole host of other things. We can get very picky at times; so I am pleased to say that I didn’t have a moment’s hesitation about this author’s writing style. I knew that even if the story wasn’t right up my alley, I would still enjoy a good read. In the end, however, I enjoyed the story immensely. When I leave a review, I don’t normally go into the actual story and reveal the plot. All I do is comment on what I’ve learned or felt from reading the book. In this instance, I have to say that I was not only entertained, but I tried to see if I could solve the mystery (which I didn’t), and so it was great when all was revealed by the author as the story unfolded very cleverly. Additionally, the story is one of inspiration and it shows the reader how we see things from a different perspective, relative to where we are—that is, on Earth or in the spirit world. In conclusion, I have only one word to describe this novel: EXCELLENT! Sylvia Massara Author of Like Casablanca, The Other Boyfriend, The Soul Bearers
  • Silver's Redemption on April 23, 2020

    I believe there are millions of women out in the world who will be able to relate to Silver Fellowes’ story. I should know because I’m one of them. Once a corporate high-flyer, confident, powerful, and in control—that is until Silver (and I) hit our fifties and for different reasons our lives fell apart. This dealt a huge blow to our self-confidence and we came away in shock, not quite knowing how to relate to such sudden and huge changes. Although I live in a different country and my experience has been different to Silver’s I feel as if I’ve been on a journey with her in this wonderful novel written by Patty Wiseman. I think of Ms Wiseman as the mistress of strong characterization, and the people in this story will make you laugh, cry, touch you, anger you, or repel you, but the most important thing is that these characters stay with you because they reflect life as it truly is—and therefore they are real. I have read a number of Ms Wiseman’s other books in the past, and I believe her style is akin to that of a modern-day Charles Dickens. Like Dickens, Ms Wiseman will not only show the reader the good and bad qualities of each character, but she will have them interact in such a way that while she spins the main storyline of the novel she’ll weave the personalities and qualities of the other characters in order that Silver’s personal journey unfolds towards full transformation. In the story, Silver Fellowes, a woman in her mid-fifties, leaves the corporate world back east and isolates herself at a rather ramshackle ranch in Texas, which she inherited from her father. Her life has been turned upside down and she goes from a big city, with every convenience at her fingertips, to a cabin that is almost two days’ away by mule from the main town—a one-horse place with people from all walks of life—the good, the bad, and even the ugly. But it is here, in this small town of people with their quips and quibbles that Silver goes through a transformation which leads her back to who she really is. This story could take place in any setting: town, city, or nation, but the theme is universal and it unites us all in how we learn to become true to ourselves. In my opinion there is nothing more inspirational than a woman that discovers who she truly is and how she faces whatever obstacles life may throw at her, while at the same time having the strength to leave a window open for good things to flow in, whether they be independence and flying solo through life, or independence and not being afraid to give love one more chance. In the end, however, what matters most is that Silver, like all her worldly sisters out there, finds the life she was meant to live. NB: This review is unsolicited and the novel was purchased through a special promotion Reviewed by Sylvia Massara—Author