Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Take a spy home for the holidays! CypherGhost is here...

CypherGhost, Book 7 of the Spies Lie series, is Available Now!

She is a CypherGhost: An untraceable hacker, someone who can be anywhere and do anything using a computer. Can an aircraft be hacked? Can a human being be hacked? Don’t be so sure…

When Ann Silbey Sashakovich enters Stanford University to study computer forensics, she gets far more than she expected. During the Thanksgiving holiday of her freshman year, she finds that the aircraft she is a passenger on has been hacked. Its engines have stopped and everyone aboard is screaming.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg_6hmQVmp44DpNVl4akny0RRETHtNY79U640Tvqrh6UK0wf3_RmDRf2V0OUUQ127AlP6X6MIrlxFdAZ-uyrpEoFfcOq02W2b8cJgetc67tj0wCy1I_naHQvH1xDQ_rcRKgeV5BBOHKUqrEwZJPgyPyELUrwJwgVtWB8bef=s0-d-e1-ft
When Charlette De Spain’s boyfriend is falsely accused of stealing secrets from the FBI and dies in prison under mysterious circumstance, it changes her life. Once an Art History major, now a budding computer hacker, she gathers the proof that he was innocent. When no one pays attention, she decides to become judge, jury and executioner of all those responsible. 

But the aircraft carrying one of her primary targets also carries Ann.

In an America whose government is silently at war with its hackers, who prevails and who fails isn’t limited to the two young battling women, but might also involve the fate of the entire nation.

If you enjoy spy thrillers, you will love this roller coaster ride of a book that takes readers deep into the twisted world of covert operations.

Buy the paper version of CypherGhost here:

The Kindle version (ebook) of  CypherGhost is now LIVE for PRE-ORDER, to be delivered on December 5:

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

About the recent elections in America, and the new realities

I'm sure that many others of my followers expected a different result for many of the candidates and propositions on the ballot. So did I. Pundits seemed to believe the elections would yield a different result, and that influenced my expectations as well.

Where I live, in California, may friends and others were absolutely shocked. Since the pollsters are rarely wrong, this added to their dismay. But, we've all learned something important, and now we are adjusting our view of our own country slowly, to match the result.

It doesn't really matter who you voted for. It matters what your values are, and where you think this election will take your own family's finances. As a former economist and faculty member of a highly respected graduate business school, I predict the next four years will mirror the economics of George W. Bush's administration.Almost all of our portfolio is now inside our new home, and we live in our portfolio, so its value isn't as important as its functionality. We have almost nothing in the stock markets. If your pension fund is in stocks, you might feel nervous. I would, especially if you plan to retire anytime in the next decade.

Trump is the first President-elect since Eisenhower who has no elective experience prior to winning the Presidency. But Trump claims he can improve our economy, especially for aging white males. I'm sure this won't happen. It is nearly impossible for any government to single out one segment of the population for more than its share of economic expansion, and the harder an administration tries, the more of the wealth ends up with the richest 1%. That, sadly, is the experience of our country. Only when the entire economy rises is there any benefit to the poorest of us. Our tax laws are written this way. And, a flat tax will not change the problem. It will, in fact, exacerbate it. The inevitable result will mirror what happened nine years ago. And we barely escaped oblivion then.

As far as the political environment is concerned, I believe 2016 America looks a lot like 1932 Germany. This is something we will all have to come to terms with. Politics reflects human nature, not the other way around. Many of us are disappointed with our fate. The conservative right feels President Obama didn't do anything to fulfill their dreams. The aging white male population believes they have been bypassed for any benefits our economy has yielded during the recovery. Women feel this recent election has bypassed them and Hillary didn't offer enough change. All of these are valid.

I'm not confused by the political result. I am bewildered by the economic reality. But our mileage may vary and projections are not written in stone. Be careful out there. Your savings are at risk!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

And now, a poem.

election, by DS Kane

the starless night envelops everything
like a frozen blanket
I fear what is certain
neither dust nor mud will follow
but what appears through the void is a misery full of soulless old men
now we who were the light and faithful run stampeding
trampling those not aware enough to scatter
we chose this fate
we weren't wise enough to see the storm's approach
we aren't agile enough to outrun it
and fate is unseeing and invisible
heil Trumpler.

Monday, November 7, 2016

CypherGhost, Book 7 of DS Kane's Spies Lie series is in PRODUCTION

CypherGhost is the book I began writing during last year's NaNoWriMo. It will be available at Amazon in early December:

She is a CypherGhost: An untraceable hacker, someone who can be anywhere and do anything using a computer. Can an aircraft be hacked? Can a human being be hacked? Don’t be so sure…
When Ann Silbey Sashakovich enters Stanford University to study computer forensics, she gets far more than she expected. During the Thanksgiving holiday of her freshman year, she finds that the aircraft she is a passenger has been hacked. It’s engines have stopped and everyone aboard is screaming.
When Charlette De Spain’s boyfriend is falsely accused of stealing secrets from the FBI and dies in prison under mysterious circumstance, it changes her life. Once an Art History major, now a budding computer hacker, she gathers the proof that he was innocent. When no one pays attention, she decides to become jury and executioner of all those responsible.
But the aircraft carrying one of her primary targets also carries Ann.
In an America whose government is silently at war with its hackers, who prevails and who fails isn’t limited to the two young battling women, but might also involve the fate of the entire nation.
COVER REVEAL!

CypherGhost is the book I began writing during last year's NaNoWriMo. It will be available at Amazon in early December:

She is a CypherGhost: An untraceable hacker, someone who can be anywhere and do anything using a computer. Can an aircraft be hacked? Can a human being be hacked? Don’t be so sure…
When Ann Silbey Sashakovich enters Stanford University to study computer forensics, she gets far more than she expected. During the Thanksgiving holiday of her freshman year, she finds that the aircraft she is a passenger has been hacked. It’s engines have stopped and everyone aboard is screaming.
When Charlette De Spain’s boyfriend is falsely accused of stealing secrets from the FBI and dies in prison under mysterious circumstance, it changes her life. Once an Art History major, now a budding computer hacker, she gathers the proof that he was innocent. When no one pays attention, she decides to become jury and executioner of all those responsible.
But the aircraft carrying one of her primary targets also carries Ann.
In an America whose government is silently at war with its hackers, who prevails and who fails isn’t limited to the two young battling women, but might also involve the fate of the entire nation.
COVER REVEAL!