Security Force of Two
Celebrate the dog days of Summer, with a Sunday Snippet – Hold onto your hats SECURITY FORCE OF TWO burst onto the scene on the first day of Spring, with 5-Star reviews and awards! First book in my new Mountain Town Mysteries Series. A riveting #paranormal #romance, #mystery, you’re going to love!
A former CIA agent and a Special Forces vet return to their small hometown for different reasons none of which includes involvement in an investigation of the new police chief’s murder.
A little about Security Force of Two:
Miacoh Zane, a Special Forces veteran, returns to Aspen Ridge, Colorado a small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, to settle his beloved grandmother’s estate. But the town holds painful memories and family secrets he wants to leave behind for good.
Candle Bearclaw, a gifted computer analyst/programmer with talents she’s buried when recruited out of college by the CIA. After fifteen years, she abruptly resigns her position with the agency. She returns to her sleepy hometown only to discover her childhood crush has also returned and a violent crime has been committed.
Due to their covert operations experience, Candle and Miacoh are thrown together to assist Homeland Security, FBI, and her father, former chief of police, with a murder investigation. As they search for the perpetrators, will their secrets be revealed as the investigation takes an unusual twist that could blow the case wide open.
An exciting new peek between the pages of Security Force of Two:
When she drove up the circle driveway, a chill shot up her spine, then a strange feeling came over her, almost like someone was watching. Reaching under the seat of her SUV, she pulled out her handgun, checked the weapon to make sure it was loaded, chambered a round, and tucked it in the back waistband of her jeans, covering it with her shirt and jacket. She backed out then drove the entire driveway more slowly, checking the perimeter. Nothing. The cell phone hadn’t chirped to alert her of a breach, but she checked her outside surveillance cameras, then the ones inside her home anyway. Again nothing. She shrugged off the feeling and stepped out of her SUV. Gun drawn, she flicked off the safety and turned on the laser. It didn’t hurt to be safe rather than sorry.
Peeking in the window, she saw the alarm keypad was still set and secure. Then she walked around the house, entered through the back door, closed and relocked it, deactivated the alarm. Nothing was out of place. Part of her wished she’d brought Terrabyte along. Though still young, the pups tracking ability was well-developed. Terra would know if someone were in or around the cabin since they left. Back to the wall, she moved carefully through each room, nothing. When she was sure the house was clear, she sat down at the computer, laying the gun next to it. Warning windows were popped up everywhere on the screen. Someone had tried to hack into her system but hadn’t gotten very far. Closing out the windows one at a time until she found a message planted just under the first layer of security. That is what must have set off the warnings. Her throat went dry as she read the message. “Poking around where you don’t belong is dangerous business. Carl’s death was unfortunate but an accident. Leave it be or pay the consequences.”
Fingers posed over the keyboard. She started to X out of the message but stopped. If this was a disintegrating message, she would have no proof it ever existed. Taking out her cell phone, she took a picture of the screen. The handle on the front door jiggled. She grabbed her gun and jumped up, making her way to the front bay window.
About the Author:
Tena Stetler is an internationally best-selling author of award winning paranormal tales. Some call her crazy others creative. She deals with the voices in her head by writing them down and creating a fantasy world and characters you won’t soon forget. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Colorado is home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a fifty-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.
Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged CIA, FBI, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Security Force of Two, Spy, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Urban Fantasy by Tena Stetler with 3 comments.
Quantum Computers Friend or Foe?
I admit it, I love technology. Does it love me back? Not so much. Sometimes. LOL I found this information on Quantum Computers fascinating and a little scary — Thought you might too.
Ever wonder why the prevalence China and Russia hacking every system they can get into, including banking, health care, military and intelligence? Why are they downloading huge amounts of indecipherable data? One possible reason could be the ultra-powerful and still-experimental technology called quantum computing, which leverages the quantum properties of atoms to quickly compute problems that no regular computer could crack. The race is on and the stakes are high. Whichever country/company successfully creates a quantum computer could have at its fingertips the ability to revolutionize tasks from researching new material, to the best route for delivery drivers. Not to mention making information currently indecipherable actually intelligible with quantum computers. Scary huh?
Hackers in the future could intercept and decrypt new data as it is produced. If the US doesn’t act quickly, it’s possible a foreign power with sufficiently powerful quantum computer could hack the internet and start decoding a lot of what we currently consider secure. Such as passwords, financial transactions, emails, test 
messages, intellectual property, secret communiques within and between the CIA, NSA, FBI, well you get the picture.
While researchers and security agencies are frantically trying to beat foreign governments in this race, they face technical stumbling blocks, such as coming up with standards for researchers to use and then presenting new measures in time. Quantum computers are completely different from conventional computers. Instead of circuits and processors, they use complex physics to force large amounts of information into a subatomic particle. Amazing.
The good news, brilliant mathematicians and cyber security experts in the world employed by many high tech firms in the US and the federal government are aware of the problem and have been working on solutions for years. Referred to as quantum-safe encryption, this type of encoding can be achieved by today’s computers, in almost the same time that current encryption require, but can’t be cracked by conventional or quantum computers. Of the many proposed algorithms for quantum-safe encryptions, Lattice encryption is the most popular approach and works by encoding information in a multidimensional “lattice” of data. Yep, fodder for my next paranormal romance.
However, before this quantum-safe encryption becomes available, it must first become an agreed-upon standard. Then developers, companies and government entities must translate it into code and insert it into numerous services and systems. Optimism is on the horizon, with a National Institute of Standards and Technology project which began approximately in 2016. Let’s hope the powers that be can reach an agreement before we are cyber-sunk.
So the answer to my question Quantum computers friend or foe? It depends on who wins the race. Scary thought isn’t it?
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged CiIA, Encryption, FBI, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NSA, Quantum Computers by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Interview with Leslie Wolfe – Dawn Girl
Give a warm welcome to Leslie Wolfe, author of Dawn Girl.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Leslie and Dawn Girl.
Leslie, what is Dawn Girl about?
A terrific team of investigators solving crimes. FBI Special Agent Tess Winnett is a powerhouse woman, relentless and smart as a whip, but damaged, wounded, and doing a poor job at hiding it. Yet nothing stops her from chasing the perp, at times not even procedure. She teams up with a duo of Palm Beach County detectives, and, while the three of them are not a match made in heaven, they somehow manage to work together well.
What would readers remember after they finish reading the book?
A bit of avant-garde forensic science, some cutting edge investigative procedures and methodologies, an interesting dive into the psychology of a serial killer, and all that sprinkled with the latest technology in the field.
Your writing style is fast, filled with dialogue, almost at the expense of descriptives and narratives. Why is that?
This is how human beings interact, especially when under pressure or stress. We stop paying attention to our surroundings, and focus on the task at hand. People interact with one another, talk to one another, and have feelings for one another and for everything we do. That’s what I’m focused on, rather than specifying each article of clothing someone wears, or the color of the flower vase in an office somewhere. This technique isn’t necessarily good or bad; just somewhat different from mainstream.
What’s the biggest compliment you received from a fan?
It’s when readers tell me they stay up all night to finish the book, because they couldn’t put it down. That’s music to my ears Like any other artist and entertainer, I thrive knowing that I deliver that escape into the fictional world in a grasping, gritty, and memorable way.
You mentioned science, technology, psychology. How do you keep it real?
I do extensive amounts of research for my work, and I’m fascinated by what I have the opportunity to learn. Additionally, sections of my books go through a process of validation at the hands of several fantastic partners who are law enforcement officers, scientists, doctors in medicine. In Dawn Girl, for example, there are sections that speak about using certain plant extracts and animal venoms to achieve certain goals. Despite the extensive research, my hands were shaking a little as I wrote them, metaphorically speaking, and I was relieved when my research “passed scientific review.”
Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?
Apart from social media and email interactions, I’m a veritable recluse. Email is the best and quickest way to reach me, and I was fortunate to build true friendships with readers over email. The majority of my readers ask me when’s the next book coming out, not when I’m getting out of the house, so I get the hint and I keep on writing.
Is Dawn Girl going to be continued?
Yes, Tess Winnett, the leading lady of Dawn Girl, has been very well received by the readers, and my fans have been adamant: they want more. Therefore yes, there’s more, and there will be even more, coming soon. It all starts with Dawn Girl.
Tell us a little more about Dawn Girl?
Her blue eyes wide open, glossed over. A few specks of sand clung to her long, dark lashes. Her beautiful face, immobile, covered in sparkling flecks of sand. Her lips slightly parted as if to let a last breath escape.
Who is the beautiful girl found at dawn, on a deserted stretch of golden sand beach? What is her secret?
FBI Special Agent Tess Winnett searches for answers relentlessly. With each step, each new finding, she uncovers unsettling facts leading to a single possible conclusion: Dawn Girl is not the only victim. Her killer has killed before.
Hiding a terrible secret of her own, Special Agent Tess Winnett faces her inmost fears, in a heart-stopping race to catch a killer who’s getting ready to end yet another life. Will she find the killer in time? Will she be able to stop him? At what cost?
The rules of the game have changed.
So has the textbook definition of a serial killer.
Special Agent Tess Winnett is the bold, direct, and short-fused heroine of Dawn Girl. Putting her life on the line, she doesn’t pull any punches, searching only for the truth, and for the man who takes lives on her watch. Intelligent, resourceful, and uncompromising, Tess will take readers on a memorable, white-knuckled journey in this suspenseful, gripping serial killer thriller.
How about a snippet from between the pages of Dawn Girl?
She made an effort to open her eyes, compelling her heavy eyelids to obey. She swallowed hard, her throat raw and dry, as she urged the wave of nausea to subside. Dizzy and confused, she struggled to gain awareness. Where was she? She felt numb and shaky, unable to move, as if awakening from a deep sleep or a coma. She tried to move her arms, but couldn’t. Something kept her immobilized, but didn’t hurt her. Or maybe she couldn’t feel the pain, not anymore.
You can get Dawn Girl at the online retailers listed below:
About the Author:
Bestselling author Leslie Wolfe is passionate about writing fiction, despite spending a significant number of years climbing the corporate ladder. Leaving the coveted world of boardrooms for the blissful peace of the Florida-based “Wolves’ den,” Leslie answers one true calling: writing.
Leslie’s novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. Fascinated by technology and psychology, Leslie brings extensive background and research in these fields that empower and add texture to a signature, multi-dimensional, engaging writing style.
Leslie released the first novel, Executive, in October 2011. It was very well received, including inquiries from Hollywood. Since then, Leslie published numerous novels and enjoyed growing success and recognition in the marketplace. Among Leslie’s most notable works, The Watson Girl (2017) was recognized for offering a unique insight into the mind of a serial killer and a rarely seen first person account of his actions, in a dramatic and intense procedural thriller.
A complete list of Leslie’s titles is available at http://wolfenovels.com/titles
Follow Leslie on Twitter: @WolfeNovels
Leslie’s Goodreads profile: http://bit.ly/LWolfeGR
Like Leslie’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wolfenovels
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfenovels
Visit Leslie’s website for the latest news: www.WolfeNovels.com
Tour giveaways
For readers – 3 $20 gift card combos, “Coffee and a Book,” Starbucks and Amazon gift cards $10 each.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Dawn Girl.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Crime Thriller, Dawn Girl, FBI, Leslie Wolfe, Police Procedural, Suspense by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
