Story Behind the Story
by Susan Sleeman
I love computers and electronics—like stand in line for the next iPhone love them. And since they are becoming more and more a part of our lives I wanted to use my knowledge to share stories of how cyber crimes can impact our everyday lives. That’s how the Agents Under Fire series was born. This series features three female FBI agents who work on an elite FBI Cyber Action Team, so of course, the stories in the series need to revolve around cyber crimes.
As I was thinking of plot ideas for Web of Shadows, book two in the series, I was preparing for an upcoming trip where I would be flying. As a writer my mind works in odd ways so as I was thinking about the trip, I asked myself what would happen if someone hacked into the TSA’s No Fly List and was able to add and delete people who could fly freely in our country.
After I got over the fact that I was indeed flying soon and I hoped this really didn’t actually happen J, I came up with the idea of a teen hacking into the list and making it vulnerable to unscrupulous people. I loved the idea, but then decided that the stakes weren’t quite high enough for my characters.
So I decided to have the computer that was used for the hack placed into a geo cache where anyone could find it and thus have access to the No Fly List. High enough stakes, you say? No, I wanted to make the crime personal to Nina Brandt, the FBI agent featured in this book so I decided the hacker would be the younger brother of Quinn Stone, the man she was in love with but estranged from.
Enough you say? No I wanted Nina to struggle even more, so I made the man who finds the computer be a former criminal who she arrested and is now free and has a giant grudge against her. Naturally, he wants to frame her for the hack, which he tries to do using everyday technology like cell phones and laptop computers.
From early reviews, I can see that readers think Web of Shadows is a thrill ride that provides a satisfying romance, and at the same time, the readers see the dangers in technology and also see how hard it is to protect our national security in the cyber world. I hope that you’ll check out the book and find the same thing true after reading it.
Web of Shadows has officially been released! Pick it up today!
equipment in these bright, airy rooms. Not so much with real police labs. They are strapped for money and cramped in small spaces, but still, I learned so many things. One was how to process fingerprints, and then how to use a fuming chamber to obtain fingerprints from uneven surfaces and hard-to-dust surfaces such as bottles, knives, guns, etc.
d International Airport, but hey, the emergency response workers didn’t treat it as a drill. They screamed onto the tarmac to help victims wearing gory makeup meant to simulate serious injuries. Mock family members arrived at the airport and were taken to special rooms to await the news of their loved ones. It all felt so real and gave me everything I’d need to write such a disaster. I’m just waiting for the right book. And as a bonus, I got a great t-shirt and medal for participating.
firefighters, nuff said, but there was actual research here, too. The firefighters first demonstrated how to cut off the roof, then I was given the chance to step into turnouts and open up another car with my fellow participants enrolled in the local Police Academy.
