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
Schrӧdinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Top Five Reasons to Buy THE TRAZ

Top Five Reasons to Buy THE TRAZ

- 1 -

Young teens are enthralled with Katrina, who is not only beautiful, clever and wealthy but also able to explore the exciting adult world free from parental supervision. Not only that, THE TRAZ is Book 1 in the BackTracker series and we all know how teens love series! 

 

 - 2 -

 Caught up in the excitement of the story, readers may very well miss the social messages. No worries, though. THE TRAZ also comes in a School Edition complete with an international resource list for those wanting help with or more information on the social issues touched on in the novel—such as grief, depression, gangs, swearing, illicit drugs and addictions. 

- 3 -

To survive on the street and in the gang, Katrina must become an expert on body language—be able to tell if someone is lying, is afraid or has ulterior motives. She also must become an expert at concealing her own emotions. THE TRAZ (cleverly disguised as a thriller) is actually a handbook for learning that all-important adult task of mastering body language. 

- 4 -

 The Discussion Guide in the back of the School Edition of THE TRAZ provides a great opportunity for those working with at-risk children to initiate discussion on common teen problems. These same children appreciate reading a story about someone their age who talks like them, is in trouble like them yet successfully meets the many challenges she faces. 

- 5 -

 Gangs such as The Traz biker gang, are not relegated to poor neighbourhoods or immigrant and aboriginal communities. They are powerful, international criminal networks with footholds in the big cities, small towns and rural areas alike. Gangs are known to recruit youngsters to their ranks just as THE TRAZ recruited Katrina. All teens by virtue of their age are ‘at-risk’. Nefarious adults are quick to take advantage of a teen’s need to belong, low self-esteem, depression, naivety, increasing independence, burgeoning sexuality and hormonal and emotional changes. THE TRAZ can be an eye-opener about the dangers of gangs to both teens and the adults in their lives.

THE TRAZ Book I in the BackTracker series: Give yourself or a child you know a thrilling gift this holiday season!

Eileen Schuh, Author
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Highly rated series...

FATAL ERROR Book II of BackTracker series: "Riveting psychological drama," says one Amazon reviewers of this thriller...and others agree. 

Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk




This second book in my BackTracker series deals with the legal, emotional, and social consequences of the year young Katrina spent with The Traz biker gang, as well as the fallout from the undercover police operation that brought down one of North America's most notorious gangs.

Who's to blame for the torture and gang murder of young Lukas? Who should bear the guilt and who should pay the price? The answers play out as the court room battles heat up, as the media catches wind of the stories, as dark secrets become revealed.

"It's about guilt and blame, and ultimately, forgiveness," one reviewer notes. "Emotions run high in this book," says another.

FATAL ERROR was written before I wrote The Traz,  and therefore reads very well on its own. But be warned--when you finish FATAL ERROR, you'll likely feel compelled to read The Traz --to find out for yourself just who is REALLY to blame for all that went wrong.

This well-done video trailer takes you into the heat of the action and gives you an accurate taste of the intense drama in FATAL ERROR.

Eileen Schuh, Author
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Let’s hear it for the eyes....

I love the cover for THE TRAZ!  I believe it is the girl’s eyes that draw one into the picture.

 

In the story, Katrina’s icy, clear, brilliant, deep blue eyes are mentioned often. In fact, everyone’s eyes are mentioned—Shrug’s slate grey eyes, Chad’s liquid dark eyes, Stack’s black eyes.  Eye contact and body language play a large part in THE TRAZ—highly reflective of what happens during street-level communication.

 

 Clever members of criminal gangs seldom say what they really mean—motives are concealed, business is conducted in coded language, and exotic words and phrases known only to members bind the gang together. 

 

Those who possess secrets, knowledge, and information are those who become powerful.

 

Available on Amazon

To survive in a gang one must at the very least be able to interpret emotions expressed in basic body language. To advance in a gang, to attain a position of power, one must be able to both conceal one’s emotions and thoughts and see through the facades of others.

Katrina, as young as she is, is fairly adept at reading body language and rapidly hones that skill as she struggles to stay safe amidst the danger.

Learning to read others is a life-enhancing skill for all of us. Being able to tell if someone is joking or serious, sad or angry, focused or distracted is vital in both personal and work place relationships.

Not until we leave behind the self-centred thinking of childhood does our awareness of others become keen enough to read body language.  THE TRAZ may be a teen reader’s first exposure to the concept that much can be said without the use of words. 

It’s my hope that by the end of the book, my young readers will have lost a bit of the egocentricity of childhood and begun to develop the socially important ability to both ‘speak’ and understand body language.

 
Eileen Schuh, Author
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

FATAL ERROR - Now on Amazon!

What does an author do on the day of her book’s release? As with many aspects of a writer’s psyche and behaviour, my response to this day may seem...a little odd, perhaps.

_______________________________________

 FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com

Kindle Price:

$3.99 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

FATAL ERROR on Amazon.co.uk

Kindle Price:

£2.54 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

_______________________________________

Firstly, I clicked the Amazon link my publisher emailed me-- to confirm she wasn’t lying about FATAL ERROR being available. This despite the fact she has never lied to me before and has no motive to lie to me now.

I then stare at the Amazon page for 3 minutes. Still disbelieving, I hit purchase and download it to my Kindle. Ah ha...FATAL ERROR magically appears on the eReader in my hand. (I’m a baby boomer, so yes, this is magical.) And, almost simultaneously, the invoice for it magically appears in my inbox.

Then...well, it’s kind of like getting a positive pregnancy test result (not that that has happened to me in decades). I do nothing, wallowing in this secret knowledge, savouring it.  I do that for about 10 minutes. Then, (still like the pregnancy test scenario) I try to decide who to tell first. In my mind, I rehearse my announcement. I create a list of those to tell and beside the names, note how I will tell them...phone? email? Facebook?

Then I savour that list for 10 minutes.

Then I realize that for some very good--well, at least some very ‘cleverly-designed’--reasons I do not have my blogs, guest blogs, tweets, or other promo materials ready! About then I notice my craft bag in the corner and realize that in just a few short weeks my next grandbaby will be here and I haven’t started that crocheted bunting bag. I have the Mary Maxim pattern, bought the wool... I rummage through the bag to make sure it is all still there (although in my entire life nobody has ever taken anything from my craft bag and would have no motive to do so now). I confirm that I did buy the colours I want.

I go back to my computer and visit Amazon again. I decide to announce the release to my fans on my facebook author page. I do so. I then try to check my email and realize Yahoo has locked me out of my account (possibly because I switched to a new laptop so they think I’m not me. This has happened before. Their motive is to prevent strangers from hacking into my email account—which has also happened before.) I fight for an hour to try to reset my password, to no avail. I find an emergency contact email address for Yahoo service and fire off a pleasantly-worded letter of protest and plead for immediate assistance. I get an auto-reply email saying I’m locked out until this time tomorrow. I check my hotmail and gmail accounts and receive my facebook congratulatory messages. I do some more wallowing.

I realize it is noon and I’m still in my pjs and have not eaten anything yet. I spend 5 minutes deciding which is my priority. I opt for the shower and dressing. Just as I step out of the shower, my daughter phones, congratulating me on the release and filling me with wonderful grandbaby stories while I attempt to keep my towel wrapped around my sensitive parts. I give up, hit the speaker button on the receiver and pretend I’m listening to her as I rummage in my closet for clothes.

The phone call ends and I’m dressed...but still hungry. I remember the leftover chilli and bee-line it for the kitchen.  I stuff the chilli in the micro and return to my computer, try once more to hack into my yahoo email, all the while wishing Katrina, the young protagonist of FATAL ERROR and computer geek extraordinaire, could pop out of my books and help me solve this issue. I click on the Amazon link to my new book once more and stare at the cover. I really like the cover.  The micro dings and I head back to the kitchen.

As I eat I ponder my next moves. I will write a couple of blogs, design some tweets, post notices to my online groups, email my real-life buddies, replace my profile pic with a cover shot of FATAL ERROR...right after I check that craft bag, one more time.

Eileen Schuh, Canadian Author
www.eileenschuh.com

FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com
FATAL ERROR in the UK

THE TRAZ on Amazon.com
THE TRAZ in the UK

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT