All Over the Character Oliver

Today will be part three of my guest blog series/character studies.

Please visit Amber Daulton's blog here, to read about the enigmatic character Oliver.

Need to catch up?

Check out my previous blog about the inspiration for the Angel's Code story and also find out more about Danny here.

The Reluctant Veteran

I have to admit something horrible.
I hate Veteran's Day.  But not for the reasons you may think.
I am a reluctant Veteran.  I cringe when people thank me for my service, because frankly, I don't think I deserve their gratitude.
Really.
I didn't do anything spectacular in the Navy.  I was never in a conflict, my life wasn't in any danger, the only things I sacrificed was my innocence, a few thousand brain cells, and maybe caused some liver damage.  I did nothing more than a flirty co-ed on spring break.  I spent half of my Naval career in southern Spain for crying out loud.  On the beach.  Or in a bar.
I don't regret serving in the military.  I learned discipline, honor, and loyalty.  I made great friends, had extraordinary experiences, and got to see a lot of places not many people would have the opportunity to do.

But I really don't deserve to be honored.  I have friends who deserve it more.  I have family who have served and are still serving.  People who have actually deployed to war zones, come back and sign up to go again.  I sat in a tiny room by myself, then when my four years were up, I skiddaddled out of there, never even tempted to reenlist.
I don't take advantage of my veteran's benefits.  There are those who need it more than I do.  I am healthy, I can pay for my own medical needs.  I did not loose a limb nor do I suffer from PTSD.  Those that do need care more than I.  And they need better care, not to fall through the cracks of governmental loop holes and rhetoric.

So in honor of all the REAL veterans out there, to Micki, Lisa, Mike, Christine, Jason, Darby, Jeff, Keith, and all those who I served with and support.  Happy Veteran's Day.  YOU deserve it.  I am proud to call you friends and family EVERYDAY.

The Inspiration

In a half lit room in a sparse flat in SoHo, lines of code, video feed, and still photographs flashed on a bank of large computer screens.  The Fallen Angel kept a watchful eye on all of them and waited.  At quarter to six in the morning, one monitor raised an alarm.
  “Finally,” Fallen Angel said with a smirk.  “Let the games begin.”
-Excerpt from Angel's Code





Angel’s Code is an exciting romp through the seedy world of cyber crime.  Based in London, the story revolves around Danny Murray and his introduction into the hacker lifestyle.
Danny is a young, bored web design student at Birkbeck College, who dreams of becoming more than just an IT guy.  He wants to make a mark on the world, and releases a prank virus, attracting the attention of internationally renown hacker, “The Fallen Angel.”
Angel agrees to teach the young Danny the ways of the hacker, but his online skills are not the ones in need of refining.
        The only setback Danny has is his older brother, Oliver Murray, who has just been promoted head inspector of the cyber crime division for London’s Metropolitan Police.  Oliver feels it is his main duty to keep Danny away from the mysterious, and dangerous Angel.
However, when the tables are turned and Oliver is the one in need of rescuing, will the skills Danny learned from Angel be enough to save his brother from Cyber Terrorist Ahmed Eid?

In my real job, I am afforded a massive amount of time out during winter and summer breaks. I wrote Angel’s Code last winter after being disappointed with television shows I like to watch and thriller novels that I like to read.  They just always came up short, or I figured out the mystery within the first five minutes.  (I’m looking at you Elementary!)  Fortunately, two shows engaged me, Sherlock and The Adventures of Merlin.  Both have great action, dialog, and humor.  Everything a snowbound Montana girl could ask for.  Most of all I was impressed by now-everywhere-actor Benedict Cumberbatch and probably-soon-to-break-actor Colin Morgan.  Their acting and timing were superb.  And they looked enough alike, I thought they could be related.
I began to stay up nights thinking about what I would like to watch with these two actors in it.  That is when I came up with the story of Angel’s Code.  A hacker, hacker wannabe, and his overprotective police brother.
Every night I would go to bed and make up the story, relishing in their similarities and differences.  Then I thought, no one is going to write this, it may as well be you.  So I started writing.  I had just recently finished a course with the Long Ridge Writer’s Group on short stories, could I really write a whole book? Things started falling in place for me.  I met Danica Winters, who taught me about character development and the hero’s journey.  She put me in contact with a critique group and a publisher.
It still doesn’t seem real.  I am still surprised when people come up to me and tell me how much they liked my book.  It’s all so surreal.
I have the second in the series, Angel’s Betrayal, done and am currently working on the third, Angel’s Fall.
I feel truly blessed that I was able to put out a good story, maybe one day my dreams will make it to the big screen.
If you are interested in knowing more about the characters of Angel's Code, look for the description of Danny on Janette Harjo's blog.  And on November 18th, you can find out more about Oliver on Amber Dalton's blog.

It's a Marshmallow World

It's snowing in the Big Sky State, not much of it sticks to the ground, but enough of it to get me in a holiday frame of mind.  I think I was ready for a change of weather, though.  My garden has been cleared, my cold weathe gear taken out and dusted off.

Looking out of the window at work I see people still hesitant to adhere to the winter protocol.  Mostly college students, boldly trudging through the ice crusted leaves in their flip flops and short sleeves, hunched over as though they could hold on to their fast dissipating body heat like a quarterback about to get sacked.  Jack Frost is a linebacker out for blood.

I, on the other hand, look forward to colder weather.  The shish shish sound of fallen leaves when you shuffle through them, the particular smell of fall and wood burning stoves.  Drinking hot tea and cider.  When I unpack my winter clothes, I greet each sweater, long wooly sock, and scarf that comes out of the plastic bin.  I love to cozy up in a blanket and my dogs, put on some soft music, and watch the snow fall.  I start to think of the holiday treats I will make to share with friends and neighbors.  And of course, I start to plan my annual demented gingerbread house ( the past three years have been high security prison, strip club, and brothel).  

Now, come February, I will grow weary of the snow, and will be waxing poetic about the spring.  But that, my dear readers, will be another blog.

I have a lot of Character!

Have you read Angel's Code and wanted to know more about the characters, what compelled me to write the story, and what's next?

Well, you're in luck!

For the next few weeks, I will be blogging and guest blogging on the in's and out's of Angel's Code.

Starting with Danny- the "main" character of the first book of the series.

If you would like to know more about Danny, please read my guest blog on Janette Harjo's blog.

I will continue the discussion next week on here on my own blog, then travel around the blogosphere sharing the secrets of my madness.

And if you haven't read the book yet, your in luck!  There are still plenty of copies at the following online retailers.  You don't even have to get out of your pajamas!

ITunes

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

See you on the inter-webs!

The Death Cat Cometh

Being sick sucks.  Monday night I came down with a stomach bug and left work early, hoping it was some sketchy yogurt I ate earlier and not the flu that was rampaging through the sorority house, laying it's victims to languish in the hallways, moaning about how sick they are, but not taking any of the advice the housemother and I would give them. 

But I digress, I was sticken with stomach cramps, nausea, sour burps, and dizziness.  Not good when you need to serve up a fancy plated meal for 60 women.  Needless to say, I kept it together until after the plating, though the fury of passing plates almost pushed me over the edge, then I went home.  Driving while nauseous is no picnic either.  I made it home and went to lay down until the room stopped spinning.

The next day, I felt a little better.  That is until I opened a can of dog food.  The chunks of compressed meat hovering in it's viscous gravy sealed my fate, and I called in sick then went back to bed.

After a three hour nap, I made myself some gingered chicken broth and sat down in the sun room by our sliding glass door.  The early afternoon sun warmed my aching body and I felt a little more cheerful.  A sudden movement caught my eye, and from out of the hedges lining our porch slinked out the death cat.  I screamed in horror at the ominous omen glaring at me.

"The Death Cat!  The Death Cat has come in my hour of weakness!"

Now the Death Cat is one of many cats that roam our neighborhood.  A massive long-haired black feline who usually sits on the fence corner glowering at our house.  He is the arch enemy of our black cat, Magic.  The Death Cat, when he's in full skulk, looks like the grim reaper,  Saggy black fur and two demonic glowing eyes.  Many midnight battles have been waged between Death Cat and Magic.  Usually after these fights, we will find a deceased animal on our patio, a bird, a mouse, one time a pack  rat... always Magic, missing clumps of fur, ends up staying inside for a couple of days.

But yesterday the Death Cat came for me.  He looked me right in the eyes and my heart shivered.  

I'm surprised I'm still alive.

Perhaps it was just a warning, a gentle reminder that bad things do pass, to enjoy your health while you have it.   So Enjoy Life my friends, or else the Death Cat may visit your porch next.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled life

So my life has been crazy.  Week after week of work, markets, and critique meetings and now my calendar is finally clearing up.

Two weekends ago, I went to my first writer's conference.  It was sponsored by the Montana Chapter of the Romance Writers Association.  Yeah, I know.  I'm not a romance writer.  Now I know what a man feels like in a room full of estrogen high women, much like the houseboys I work with at the sorority.  The seminars were good, I learned a lot, and I met a bunch of great women. Including a woman who looked exactly like my mom.  It was erie.

So I got home last Sunday and dove right into Homecoming weekend.  I'm not in college, I'm not an alumni, but I do belong to Pug Club, and we march in the parade every year.  This year the theme was "Up with Montana" thus our club and every other entry in the parade dressed as the movie "UP!"

I have to admit we were the cutest.  I volunteered to make the floating house, and then we all dressed up like the old man, and our pugs were clouds.

Aren't they adorable, and miserable looking?  

So our parade went well, and I'm glad it's over.  Now I can get back to my routine. Work, exercise and write.  Here's hoping.