Monday, October 31, 2016

OPERATION MAXTRACKER


 



October 31, 2016



Cyberspace Teeters on Collapse

-- Fourth novel in thriller series has eerie ring of reality --


    ST. PAUL, AB, October 31, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Unsettling questions about the roles organized crime, governments, and law enforcement covertly play in controlling the internet are raised in Eileen Schuh's new thriller, OPERATION MAXTRACKER.
http://mybook.to/OperationMaxTracker

This fourth book in her ongoing BackTracker series is a fast-flowing follow-up to FIREWALLS, and continues the saga of young Katrina Buckhold's fight against The Traz biker gang.

With uncanny references to actual news headlines, Schuh creates in readers a quiver of anticipation and dread, leaving them to wonder who controls the Web (in both the story and reality) and for what purposes? Also unsettling, is the incredible power wielded in secret by those trying to keep cyberspace and the nation safe.

Well known for her past portrayals of psychological drama, Schuh takes OPERATION MAXTRACKER to a new level as danger, cunning and espionage spill out of the virtual world into real life.

Schuh is also known for her surprising and satisfying endings and OPERATION MAXTRACKER definitely delivers on that count.

About the book

Sergeant Kindle is counting on his top secret Operation MaxTracker team to thwart a surging attempt by criminal gangs to hijack cyberspace and take control of the world.

The tremendous power of the defensive system the team is creating and the potential for its abuse, has computer guru, Katrina Buckhold, on edge. Shrug, Head of Project Security, is supposedly keeping everyone and everything safe, but based on her past experiences with him, she's not confident he's up to that task.

Katrina's toughest battles, though, are not against those threatening cyberspace but against those who are concerned about her ability to raise her children, and Shrug's not helping with that, either.

Then unspeakable tragedy strikes, stripping all friendships to the core and laying bare the stunning truths behind the secrets, fears and mistrust.

Operation MaxTracker Amazon Purchase Link
Operation MaxTracker Smashwords Purchase Link

"I was inexorably drawn into this dark and claustrophobic world of coercion, mysterious antagonisms and deep mistrust." ~Gilli Allan, award-winning author of "Fly or Fall"

The novel includes Book Club discussion questions that explore the social, legal, and ethical issues touched on in the novel.

For those who can't get enough of the BackTracker characters, Schuh advises that Sergeant Kindle's law enforcement team plays a major role in her other recent thriller, SHADOW RIDERS.

In addition to the four novels in her ongoing BackTracker series, The Traz, Fatal Error, Firewalls and Operation MaxTracker (The Traz also comes in a school edition), Eileen Schuh is the author of the adult thriller, Shadow Riders and two adult SciFi novellas (Schrodinger's Cat and Dispassionate Lies).

Born Eileen Fairbrother in Tofield, Alberta, Schuh now lives with her husband in the boreal forest near St. Paul in north eastern Alberta, Canada.

She invites you to visit her online:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Amazon author page
Twitter

To request an interview email: eileenschuh@yahoo.com

# # #


Contact Information:
Eileen Schuh
Kastle Harbour Publishing
St. Paul, Alberta
Canada
Voice: 780-645-7890
Website: http://www.eileenschuh.com


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This News Release can be viewed online at: http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/cyberspace-teeters-on-collapse-430302.php


Saturday, October 29, 2016

What's in a (sports team's) name?


There is a call to drop sports' teams names and/or logos that make reference to aboriginal peoples, such as the Cleveland Indians and the Edmonton Eskimos.

Although many sports team have animal and bird names (Blue Jays,Tigers, Cardinals, Lions), or weather/geography names (Hurricanes and Avalanche), North American aboriginals aren't the only identifiable group of persons whose names have been adapted by sports teams.

We have the Vancouver Canucks (which is slang for Canadians and at one time was considered derogatory), the Montreal Canadiens (whose nickname is the Habs, which is apparently short for the phrase referring the French residents of Quebec, les Habitants).

We have the Dallas Cowboys, the Ottawa Senators, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Fransisco Giants, and Oakland Athletes. The Edmonton Oilers.

The Ottawa RedBlacks insist their name has nothing to do with skin colour, but refers to diverse groups of people who have red and black as their official colours, such as other Ottawa teams, the RCMP, Ottawa’s Cameron Highlanders, and the Governor General’s Foot Guards.

And then there are the New York Yankees...




Chill with a Book!: The Final Steps

Check out my latest post on Chill with a Book!: The Final Steps: Top selling author, Eileen Schuh talks about the, heart stopping final steps before publication day. "Writing a novel is labour intensive...

Eileen Schuh,Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Friday, October 28, 2016

Cover reveal (Part 3) OPERATION MAXTRACKER

The teddy bear...

 

Of all the symbols on the cover of my soon-to-be released thriller, OPERATION MAXTRACKER, the rough-looking worn pink teddy bear is the most apparent. Without thought, potential readers will know there's a child in the story, and perhaps a child in trouble.

We learn very early in the story about an endangered child, so this intensely emotional graphic is not misleading and gives nothing away.

The worn pink teddy bear, the eerie blue binary curtain, the top secret file, the coffee stain, the cellular phone and mittful of drugs--together what these graphics symbolize pretty well sums up the novel.

One other important thing about the cover--

I don't like 'flat' covers and together with Cathy over at Avalon Graphics we worked to get a dimensional feel. We laid the file down, tilting it as if on a desk, we stood up the teddy bear and brought it forward, we used the lines from the phone, the file, the notebook, to draw the eye into the cover, back behind the injured or endangered child, beyond the secrets, deep into the eerie electric blue curtain of binary symbols.

I hope this amazing cover draws you into the story, too.

OPERATION MAXTRACKER, coming soon.



Sergeant Kindle is counting on his top secret Operation MaxTracker team to thwart a surging attempt by criminal gangs to hijack cyberspace and take control of the world.

The tremendous power of the defensive system the team is creating and the potential for its abuse, has computer guru, Katrina Buckhold, on edge. Shrug, Head of Project Security, is supposedly keeping everyone and everything safe, but based on her past experiences with him, she’s not confident he’s up to that task.

Katrina’s toughest battles, though, are not against those threatening cyberspace but against those who are concerned about her ability to raise her children, and Shrug’s not helping with that, either.

Then unspeakable tragedy strikes, stripping all friendships to the core and laying bare stunning truths behind the secrets, mistrust and fears.

Eileen Schuh, Author

SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR

SchrÓ§dinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Cover Reveal (Part 2) OPERATION MAXTRACKER

The coffee stain...


A complete image of the OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover came to me very early in the process of discussing my new novel with Cathy, my cover designer over at Avalon Graphics. That's never happened to me before.

I usually have a general inkling of what I want the covers of my new books to look like (although there have been times when I've had no clue). But this cover came to me complete, in full colour, with graphics and text, background--the whole thing.

And in that vision, on that TOP SECRET file centering the cover, there was a brown stain from a coffee cup.

I wasn't sure why, since there had been no mention in the story of such a file, nor of a coffee stain.

Upon reflection, I realized potential readers seeing the cover, will likely interpret the stain as long, late, tension-filled hours of hard covert work...because what else would a ring of coffee on a folder stamped 'Top Secret' symbolize?

That interpretation is very representative of the story. Strange how one small, well-placed graphic can carry so much meaning. A picture perhaps really is worth a thousand words!

Avalon Graphics did a great job of translating my vision into a reality--replete with the coffee stain.

Stay tuned for the backgroud info on other elements of the OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover.



Cover Reveal (Part 2) is brought to you by:

The BackTracker Series

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016DHRSDU/ref=series_rw_dp_sw The BackTracker team--sacrificing their souls to save the world...one crime at a time.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Awarding winning author....


Would you like to add "award-winning author" after your name? Self-published authors and those who have published through small independent publishers now have a chance to pick up this honour with the newly-established CHILL WITH A BOOK AWARD.

Pauline Barclay, author and founder of the award visits Magic of the Muses today to bring us more information on the award.
Thanks for dropping by, Pauline!


Chill with a Book AWARD

 by Pauline Barclay


http://www.chillwithabook.com/

September saw the launch of a brand new award, Chill with a Book AWARD.

The Award is exclusively for indie authors and authors with small indie publishers and is designed to promote the best books from indie authors.

Indie authors write some of the great reads on offer in the market place, but due to a number of constraints their work is not always as visible as authors published with large publishing houses, yet many of them deserve as much, if not more, recognition.

For those who know me, understand I am very passionate about supporting indie authors, I am one myself and know from personal experience how tough it is to gain recognition and a large following whilst sitting down and writing the next novel, and that is why I have created Chill with a Book AWARD .
 
Pauline Barclay
I want Chill with a Book AWARD, not only to gain a reputation for recognising great reads, but for authors to feel proud to receive the accolade. However, the AWARD is not for everyone, it will only be honoured to the best.


How the process works:

Once a title has been accepted for consideration it will be read by a number of Chill’s readers and checked against the following criteria…

  • Were the characters strong and engaging? 
  • Was the book well written? 
  • Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next? 
  • Was the ending satisfying? 
  • Have you told your friends about it?

Readers have clear instructions on how to arrive at their evaluation.

Authors must understand that a book accepted for consideration for a Chill with a Book AWARD does not guarantee it will receive the AWARD.

Authors of books accepted for consideration for the AWARD will be notified directly whatever the final decision.

Awarded books will be promoted on Chill with a Book’s web site, Chill's Pinterest board, Chill's Facebook page and Twitter

A small fee of £15 is charged for each book accepted for consideration payable via Paypal (the fee is for the purchase of Kindle copies for readers and any balance left used to maintain Chill’s web site)

There are limited places each month for books to be considered and if you are interested in submitting your title, please email Pauline at paulinechill@hotmail.com in the first instance.

Chill with a Book’s decisions to accept or reject a book for consideration is final.
Chill with a Book's decision to award a book or not is final.

It is an exciting time for Chill with a Book and indie authors and I look forward to seeing great, well written reads sporting the coveted Chill with a Book AWARD button on every book shelf.

For more about Chill with a Book AWARD click on the following link: 

*  *  *  *

"Awarding winning author"  has been brought to you by


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016DHRSDU/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

The Traz, The Traz School Edition, Fatal Error, Firewalls and the soon-to-be-released fourth book in this dynamic action-packed series, OPERATION MAXTRACKER


Bikers vs cops on the Alberta prairie...
and throw in a 13-year old girl.


Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Cover Reveal! OPERATION MAXTRACKER

There are many elements in a book cover: font, cover, graphics, placement, author's name, title.  Each must serve a purpose and together they must blast a potential reader's senses

Despite the adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover," we all do. A cover needs to catch the eyes of potential readers, needs to get people to reach out and pick it up, turn it over and devour the back cover copy. For an eBook, it must stand out among all others, must look enticing and amazing. Must get readers to stop and scan the description, and hit that purchase button. It must look good on eReaders and other digital devices.

A cover must do all that while remaining true to the story and genre (readers don't like being deceived) and must not give away the story.  In the case of the OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover, it must also match up with the other books in the BackTracker series.

"It all starts with the cover."

When working with my cover designer, I begin with the mood. Is the overall gist of the story lighthearted, dark, angry, sad, intriguing, romantic..? Mood will play an important role in the cover design, determining the color and font and influencing the graphics and overall appearance.

Here's a peak at some of the elements from my forthcoming OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover.

The title font and design was chosen to match the first three books in the series.  The electric blue background calls to mind the eerie glow cast by a computer screen, while the curtain of zeros and ones represents the binary code used in computer programming. There's nothing like a file stamped TOP SECRET to encourage a reader's interest. Just think, by reading the book, one will be able to share in a secret!


Knowing something that few others do, makes us all feel special. 

The cell phone draws our eyes to it with it's bright reflection. Smart phones are high-tech communication devices, powerful but vulnerable, too, perhaps.

The orange font is a nice contrast to the electric blue, and ties the cover together, complimenting both the TOP SECRET stamp below it and the review blurb above.

Stay tuned for more cover reveal details in the days to come.

"Cover Reveal! OPERATION MAXTRACKER has been brought to you by

The BackTracker Series

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016DHRSDU/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Eileen Schuh, Author
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR

Schrodinger's Cat

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Criminal Minds at Work: And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs

Criminal Minds at Work: And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs: How the Hells Angels compare to The Traz--the biker gang in my ongoing BackTracker series... "When I wrote the first novel in my BackTracker series, I had no intention of following it up with eight more novels. But if I had intended t...

Monday, October 3, 2016

Real headlines about biker gangs

Calgary boy, 5, watches as mother, her boyfriend fatally shot in car

Shooting in northeast residential garage believed to be gang related


Ah, yes. It is not easy to leave the gang lifestyle--alive, as Insp. Don Coleman of the Calgary Police Service Major Crimes Section points out in the article.

And once involved with a gang, it's also not easy keeping one's children safe. That's what my young protagonist in the BackTracker Series, Katrina Buckhold, finds out in the soon-to-be-released OPERATION MAXTRACKER, Book 4 in the series.


When I wrote FATAL ERROR, I hadn't intended on writing a series, but then along came the prequel THE TRAZ and the story kept going and going. Much like in real life, I guess, when it comes to gangs. For decades, law enforcement has been trying to dismantle the biker gangs and they just aren't disappearing as this news story reveals: Hells Angels recovering, growing stronger in Quebec, crime experts say
More in this news item: Former undercover agent says biker gang affilates share same values “The initial attraction is the romanticism of that culture. You want to be the rebel, the modern-day cowboy. It’s the sexiness, the glamour of it,” he said during a telephone interview from his hometown in Arizona. “But when you become involved in the Hells Angels, you quickly realize that it’s international organized crime and the stakes are so high. The reality is it’s a nasty, dirty, grimy, blood world.”

So, yes, there is also a future Book 5 in the BackTracker Series, and a Book 6 and 7 because once one gets involved with a gang, there's no turning back...safely.

Real headlines about biker gangs has been brought to you by:

The BackTracker Series
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00VIXAZQM/kindle/ref=sr_bookseries_null_B00VIXAZQM