I Take to the Water...

by Felicia Donovan

I grew up on the shores of Long Island. My grandfather, a Naval Captain, practically raised my father on boats. As children, we were exposed to lots of water experiences - fishing on my Dad's boat, building sand castles near the shore, surfing on our makeshift surf boards or just swimming in the chilly Atlantic. The time we spent together as a family on or near the water are some of my most cherished childhood memories.

Now that I'm all grown up, I still find myself at the beach as often as possible, but the chilly New England winters make beach-going a very trying experience. I've done it many times, but the wind sucks the air out of your lungs and no layers can keep warmth in.

I had been sorely missing my water connection until a few weeks ago when I joined a fitness center with an indoor pool. It is the single-most best investment I've ever made. Though the pool fills up with young families on the weekend, it is often completely empty the odd times I go. The pool is kept warm enough to let my muscles gently warm up as I begin my laps. After doing "Penance" for a while, I stop and play - diving, spinning, bobbing up and down and generally frolicking about - just as I did as a child.

As I glide through the water unencumbered, uninhibited, my imagination surfaces. I am, once again, Jacques Cousteau about to discover the sunken treasure ship laden with gold buried at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years. I am a World Explorer setting off by sea for foreign lands. I am a dolphin trainer holding onto a fin as I am gently pulled along. I am gleeful, joyous, free...

What does the water bring to you?

Changing Colors

by Felicia Donovan

I was born in the Fall, thus I claim it to be "my season." This colorful rite of passage embodies everything beautiful about New England. It is a gift wrapped in orange, red and gold to be slowly unwrapped each day.

For many of us blessed to spend our Falls in New England, the season often kicks off with a bumpy ride on a teetering golf cart deep into the apple orchards. We are given careful instructions by our driver on the proper way to pick apples. "Twist the stem, never pull it. Place it gently into the bag to prevent bruising." As soon as the driver leaves, we eagerly twist off a few samples to make sure they are plenty ripe. Sometime later, laden with heavy bags and sticky hands, another cart returns us to the farm stand where we eagerly devour hot apple donuts made right before our eyes. Our appetites satisfied, we stroll into the blueberry fields where my young friends and I let our imaginations run wild. We are in the middle of a fairy forest with hidden doors and wild creatures.

The next weekend finds us at a Pumpkin Festival along an estuarine center. I watch scarecrows being built and go on a scavenger hunt. A bearded man carves a giant pumpkin into a gargoyle. His t-shirt reads "Real pumpkin carvers have guts." I stuff myself with pumpkin muffins.

The leaves have already begun to burst into color though we know we are nowhere near "peak" yet. "Reaching peak" is a concept as nebulous as trying to predict the winning lottery ticket. Meteorologists pore over weather patterns and temperature trends, but Mother Nature makes her own schedule. One good rain storm can wipe "peak" out nearly overnight, as can abrupt temperature swings. New Englanders don't worry about such things. We know peak by the waves of color on the landscape. We know peak by the bright red maple leaf floating down the river. We know peak by the moments that take our breath away.

Paper, Scissors, Rock, Fence

 

by Felicia Donovan

I recently began planning a fence at my friend's house so I could bring my dogs during my visits. The process began with carefully drawn out plans on paper of a quintessential New England white picket fence. We imagined the flowers to be planted in front of it ala Yankee Magazine. The remaining fenced-in area would be green-colored mesh set back into the woods to not break the visual flow and blend carefully into the landscape.

With careful measurements and a diagram laying the whole area out, I proceeded to my favorite home improvement stores and quickly loaded the back of my van with posts and brackets, rolls of mesh fencing and stakes to support it. I gulped when the total came up, but it was a small price to pay knowing the dogs would be safe and separate from the other members of the animal kingdom who were known to visit including deer, porcupine, skunks, etc.

With much enthusiasm, I began to build the wire fence by driving the metal support posts into the ground. Bang, bang, ping. I felt an odd vibration in my hand as I struck the top of the metal post. Rocking it, I heard the sound of scratching as the metal hit rock. No problem, I thought, I'll just move it over a bit. Bang, bang, ping. Ten feet later, I still had the same results. Turns out, my friend's house was built on bedrock. One solid slab of bedrock that lies about four inches below the ground...consistently.

You know what they say about the best laid plans. The fence is now a dog run with plenty of area for them to exercise and do their business. No visits from Yankee Magazine, but life is full of compromises and this is one of them.

As I pounded away with muscles I'd forgotten existed (but painfully reminded me the next day), it occurred to me that trying to put up a fence is very much like trying to write a book. No matter how big or small the plot may be at the start of your project, sometimes stuff gets in the way. If finishing the job is important, be willing to compromise and keep pounding away. That's what authors do.

Of Yard Sales & Crazy Tales

by Felicia Donovan

Friends of mine and I decided to clear out our respective "treasures" this past weekend. You know the stuff - eight-track tapes, vinyl albums (which, apparently, are quite vogue these days) and the assorted collection of clutter that ends up in the back of your closet until you decide to move and realize that you a) either bought it again when you couldn't find it or b) could have used it a year ago but it's of no use now.

Our adventures began with the "Early Birds" who somehow missed the signs and ads indicating an 8AM start. At 7:30, they began to show up.

"We haven't even taken off the tarps," I lamented as they strolled up the long driveway.

"We'll help you," they all offered.

"Damn right," I thought to myself. "If you're showing up this early, you'd better have stopped for coffee, too."  I promptly put them to work clearing and helping me setup. That'll teach 'em.

But the most interesting point of the day, by far, was the elderly woman who pulled up my friend's long, curvy driveway lined with other cars along the edge, in her Lincoln Continental. Pulling in - not a problem. Backing out - well, let's just say that's where all the fun began. First of all, when a Lincoln backs up into a Nissan, guess who wins? Fortunately, the Nissan was just pushed a little and no apparent damage was caused. One friend repeatedly banged on the Lincoln's window to alert the driver that she was hitting the Nissan.  At the same time, a couple, who had just arrived for bargains, came charging up the driveway when they saw the Lincoln repeatedly push the Nissan.

"Ma'am!" everyone yelled. "You're hitting that car!"

"I am not!" the driver insisted.

"Three witnesses saw you."

This prompted the driver to finally emerge. She looked around at the small crowd and threw her arms up in the air.

"Well," she said gruffly, "Do they have a problem?"

Undaunted, she proceeded to get back into the driver's seat. One gentleman stepped forward and made a firm offer to back the Lincoln out on her behalf. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The elderly driver finally relented and we watched as the gentleman deftly back the Lincoln out of the long, curvy driveway. The owner jammed her hands onto her waist and in a loud voice said with much indignation, "Well! He could have at least offered to give me a ride!"

With shaking heads, we all watched her walk down the driveway and take control of her car again.

Yard sales. Used comforters, $5. The Monkees on vinyl, $1. Plots for future stories - Priceless.

"Cash for Clunkers" or "Cash for Suckers?"

by Felicia Donovan

I felt somewhat vindicated back in February 2008 as I slipped the final car payment into the envelope, gave it a good lick and mailed it off.  Free at last, free at last. A few weeks later, the vehicle title arrived in the mail to prove it was officially mine.

My van, with its 70K plus miles, was still doing duty after many years of porting me through New England blizzards and ice storms to get to the Police Department where I worked. Nobody ever calls a Snow Day when you work in Public Safety and my van has done a good job of getting me there even when the going was tough. 

"I'll drive it into the ground," I thought.  I rubbed my hands together gleefully as I tried to estimate just how many years I could be without a monthly car payment.  So what's all the hoopla about "Cash for Clunkers?"

First of all, if it's running and it's drivable, it's not really a "clunker." I know a clunker when I see one. The hub caps are all gone, the windshield is sealed in place with bathroom caulk, the foam padding from the seat cushions juts out all over the place and flies through the air when the windows are down, and there's more duct tape than metal. I haven't seen any program cars that look like that. The mere fact that you can drive it onto the car lot proves it's not really a "clunker." What was Washington thinking?

Secondly, somebody's got to figure out what this program is all about. Do they really want to clean up the environment and make it healthier for us all by putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road? How about issuing a law banning cigarettes first? I betcha that will do more for my health and my children's health than trading a car in that gets 5 more miles to the gallon. No disrespect to the President, but if you want to set a really good example for the American public, quit the sticks.

How about instead of trading in my 2003 van for a 2010 car that gets a few more miles to the gallon and paying me $4500 in the process, I get to trade in my house with its leaky walls and windows for a new one? There's a housing glut out there, in case you haven't noticed. Not only will I be improving the environment with my nice new R-Factor insulation, I won't be contributing to the coffers of the oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia trying to keep it heated in the winter. I'll even stimulate the economy by committing to shopping locally to buy furniture to fill my new rooms.

While I can't claim to be a true-blood Yankee, I've lived in New England for over twenty-five years so that old adage swirls in my head wherever I go. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And if it ain't broke, why get rid of it and take on the burden of a monthly payment? Doesn't that increase our debt and isn't that how we got into trouble in the first place?

When the Government decides to let me have the new car but not burden me with payments every month, I'll reconsider. Meanwhile, I'll keep my trusty old van with the dented bumper and scratches and drive it into the ground payment-free. Sure, I could get a few more miles to the gallon, but is that any reason to toss it aside? Besides, I've got a few dents and scratches myself and I'd like to think I'm not ready for the junk pile because of it.

What Do You Mean It's Not Deductible?

by Felicia Donovan

Every Spring, my accountant sits patiently across the desk with a solemn expression on his face as I explain my annual list of what I think are justifiable deductions. Every Spring, I'm politely informed that the Federal Tax Guideline has not evolved to the degree that I think it should have and the bulk of my list, which I carefully document on a neat spreadsheet, is stricken. I don't understand this. My requests are reasonable and based on sound accounting principles. To my readers and fellow authors, I let you be the judge...

Reading Time

"What's this 200 hours for?"

"Reading time."

"Reading what?

"Books. I'm in training. You know, like an athlete. The more books I read, the better a writer I can be. It's germane to my profession."

Denied.

Product

I don't just mean hair product, I mean every product - moisturizers, special soaps, etc. You figure out how many public appearances the average author makes a year. It costs to look this good. And while I'm at it, no one has yet to explain to me if I'm supposed to use the wrinkle relaxer before the wrinkle firmer or vice versa. Is it a massage after a good workout or a good stretch before a run? Doesn't matter,it's all necessary.

Denied.

Coffee and Strong Tea

It's not my fault that those paper shufflers in DC do not "get" the creative process, but let me make it clear that we authors do not "create on demand." Some of my most brilliant neural misfirings come at the oddest times and if I'm going to capture them, I need caffeine to stay awake. This is genius and you don't put genius on a schedule, hence I should be allowed to deduct the 20+ cups of coffee and/or tea I consume in any given day as an allowable expense that enhances my profession due to an unpredictable schedule.

Denied.

 

Dolce & Gabanna Handbag

Where else would I keep the Kindle? Since the Kindle can be snuck under "appreciable equipment," so should the bag it's held in. And the bag had better look good. If the bag looks good, I'll be more confident. If I'm more confident, I'll be a better writer.

Denied.

 

You see my quandary? Am I asking to write off my corporate jet? Noooooo... Am I asking the tax man to discard my million dollar bonus? Noooooo.... All I'm asking for is a little break for being a dedicated writer who squeezes in a writing career in between caring for a family, a house, a bunch of dogs, and working a full-time "day" job. Isn't it time we authors got a break? Maybe some of you have your own deductions that I've missed. If so, feel free to pass them on...

What are You Doing? Being a Twit!

by Felicia Donovan

I'm savvy, you know, about all these social networks. If you looked around, you'd find me on MySpace, Facebook, Technorati, Gather, CrimeSpace and so on. Heck, if it's social and it's networked, I'm there. Really. But what I don't get is this new and incessant, "What are you doing" phenomenon born out of sites like Twitter. Even FaceBook has joined the leagues of micro blogging.

Does anyone really care that much about what I'm doing? Does anyone really need to know that I'm checking my e-mail, drinking my tenth cup of tea or working on my next book project? Maybe once in a while, but all day long? I think not. Oh, and by the way, I'm on cup eleven now, but that's besides the point.

Do I really care about what others are doing every minute of the day? Trust me, there's stuff people do that I don't want to know about. I'm all for hearing about the highlights at the end of the day, but to me, this is almost like some creepy form of textual voyeurism.

I don't text much and I don't Twit well. If you want to know what I'm doing, just ask. Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't, but in the spirit of things, I'll ask it anyway:

"What are you doing right now?"

Which Camera Do I Look Into?

by Felicia Donovan

I'm hoping my fellow Midnight Ink authors can give me some advice as I embark on my first television interview.

I figured I would just show up and answer a few questions about THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY series just like the many readings I've done over the years. Cool, confident...piece of cake.

Then I got "the list."

• Studio lights are very bright so wear extra makeup.
• The lights are also extremely warm so use extra powder to avoid "shine."
• Avoid wearing red.
• Warm colors work better.
• No stripes or "busy" prints or they will strobe.

Okay, you veterans in TV Land, spill! What other advice can you give me to prepare for my big TV debut? I'm starting small, but I want to be good and ready when I get the big call from Oprah!

(Fortunately, my next interview is radio so I don't have to worry about strobing or shining.)

Six-Year Old Misses Bus, Drives Himself to School

by Felicia Donovan

The phone rang at 6AM. I didn't even have to look at the Caller ID to know who it was.

"Write this down."

That's how my conversations with my CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES co-author, Kristyn Bernier, often start. It means Kristyn is driving into the station and when Kristyn drives, she thinks.

"I just heard about a kid who missed the bus and drove himself to school."

"So what?"

"He was only six-years old."

I immediately jumped onto Google and found this article.

Sure enough, this little guy from Virginia whose mother overslept, took the keys to the family's 2005 Ford Taurus, hopped into the driver's seat and took off. He got almost six miles and was within two miles of his school before driving off the road and hitting a utility pole. The boy, who was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head and released, made it to school after all - this time in a police cruiser. His parents have been charged with child endangerment.

"Unbelievable," I said.

"We'll put it in CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS 2," Kristyn said.

Not making the connection, I asked "Why?"

"Read the whole article," she said.

And there it was.

"The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games."

OMG. Video games have evolved to the point that even the military uses them in simulation training. Really, that's what a simulator is - a big, expensive video game where grownups can practice real life adventures without getting hurt.

I'm relieved that the little boy was not seriously injured and the story is not without its lighter side. I can imagine the look on the other drivers' faces when they caught a glimpse (if they could even see him) of the young Dale Earnhardt, Jr, but then I was thinking about a few other things like the skills a lot of these video games teach. Driving? I'd prefer the traditional route of Dad handing over the keys at age 15 and trying to stay calm as you backed up over curbs while attempting to parallel park. But what about the other "skills" these games teach, like shooting, fighting, maiming and stealing cars?  Yup, our kids are learning a lot from these games, that's for sure. The proof is in that little boy.

News from Bouchercon

by Felicia Donovan

I've just returned from Bouchercon 2008, held this year in Baltimore, MD.

For me, it was a very special trip because I went with my sisters and it's been many years since we traveled together.

Among the many highlights was getting to visit with many fellow authors including Donna Andrews. Here we are at the Sisters in Crime Luncheon where we chatted about technology and writing. Donna posed with her upcoming

holiday book, SIX GEESE A-SLAYING. Love the title!

One of the nicest parts of Bouchercon for me was getting to meet new/old friends, many of whom I've known only "virtually," including former Midnight Ink author Tim Maleeny who was nominated for the Macavity Award for "Best First Novel," seen here with our agent, Jill Grosjean. In case you're wondering, indeed, that's a black widow spider emblazoned on my shirt. THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY did not win the Barry Award, nor did Tim win the Macavity, though Tim was well-prepared to celebrate.

I did take a break from the conference to enjoy the beautiful sights of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Here's a photo of the famous Dragon Peddle Boats.

Overall, it was a great conference with many bestselling authors in attendance. The "Belle of Baltimore," Laura Lippman, was this year's honoree and delivered a compelling address about her hometown and how some areas are very safe, while others have some of the highest homicide rates. She pleaded for understanding of the hotel workers' plight, some of whom were picketing outside and begged the crowd to be thankful and generous of their hard work.

Bouchercon 2008 will be set in Indianapolis. If there's anywhere near the turnout that this conference had, place your reservation early!

Who Says Crime Doesn't Pay?

by Felicia Donovan

Anyone who has read THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY series knows that I draw a lot of my plotlines from my own years of experience in law enforcement, as well as my extensive research on all facets of cyber crime. Throughout the writing of the series, I assisted on cases involving child predators, cyber stalkers, on-line harassment, etc; alongside the gal who gave me the original idea for the series, Detective Kristyn Bernier. Kristyn works as an Investigator with the Northern New England Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Together, we trolled the Internet, watched a lot of nasty things pop-up on monitors as she posed as a young teen in chat rooms, and tracked these creeps down through a variety of sources to identify them and get them off the street.

Kristyn is a bloodhound when it comes to finding the slugs and maggots who prey on our children. In that, we are very much alike - sniffing out the bad guy like a dog and never giving up the bite until absolutely commanded to - but beyond that, we're very different. "Ying and Yang" is how she often refers to us. She's quick-witted with an even quicker tongue, I'm methodical, reflective and reserved. She's always "pulled together" while I slouch around in whatever happens to be clean that morning. Her desk looks like a hurricane just blew through the area while I need everything in folders with labels.

Despite our differences, we work incredibly well together because we both have a strong work ethic and desire to see justice served. We also appreciate each other's intellectual capabilities, so to that end we put our collective blonde (sort of) heads together and schemed up a brilliant idea - What if we collaborated on a book all about cyber crime and case stories from the victim's and law enforcement's perspective about the REALITY of cyber crime? What if we were to make people aware of some of the most frightening websites and tools available to stalk someone? What if we told what it is really like to "catch a predator?" My agent loved the idea. Publishers loved the idea. So...

I'm proud to announce the impending arrival of CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES by Felicia Donovan and Kristyn Bernier, which will be released in December from Que Publishing (ISBN: 0789739224).

Writing non-fiction has been an entirely different experience than writing The Black Widow Agency series. There's all kind of formatting, figures and captions, pull quotes, permission issues, research, fact checks, and more research. There are Development Editors, Permissions Editors, Technical Editors and Author Reviews. And just when we thought we were done with everything, a case that we'd mentioned in the book would take a bizarre turn so we'd have to scramble to squeeze the details in.

As much as I loved writing CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES and working with a terrific co-author, let's just say that I began to sorely miss my Black Widows and the freedom to suspend reality. I'm looking forward to returning to my gals to chronicle their adventures once more, but in the meantime, who says crime doesn't pay?

War Driving & Data Breaches

by Felicia Donovan

A major news story broke a few days ago that 11 individuals have been arrested and charged in the TJ Maxx data breach revealed back in January, 2006. Many people probably saw the announcement on the news and didn't pay much attention to it, but the entire episode has much significance not only to those in the computer security industry, but to anyone who is running a wireless network - even the one you may have setup in your own home.

The TJ Maxx breach included many other favorite retailers such as Barnes & Noble (gulp), Office Max, Bob's Stores and Marshall's. It was to date, the largest data breach reported with an estimated 50 million credit and debit cards breached.

What makes this breach so incredible is that the thieves initially gained access to the store's computer networks by "war driving." Remember the 1983 movie, "War Games," starring a very young Matthew Broderick? The young teen hacked into what he thought was an on-line computer game, but was a NORAD network and almost launched WWIII.

The term "war driving" has its roots in that movie and refers to people who drive around looking for open wireless networks to penetrate. In fact, the open networks are readily mapped and accessible via the Internet for others to see.

It takes very little equipment - a laptop, software and antenna - all of which are widely available, to war drive.

In THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY series, my character, Alexandria, is a former hacker who loves to war drive.

That's fiction, but the reality is that if Alexandria was to drive around your neighborhood, it's very likely that she'd find lots of open, unsecured wireless networks because so many people overlook the importance of locking their wireless access point down. Mind you, Alexandria would only infiltrate a network to get the goods on someone who had mistreated his wife or girlfriend, but in the real world, someone could easily infiltrate your network and do lots of nasty things.

They could "borrow" your Internet service to launch a "Denial of Service" attack on someone else's computer or "sniff" the packets of data traveling through the air using a special software program to steal your credit card information as you ordered on-line. This sniffer might also glean your username and passwords to your bank account that you routinely check on-line. Or, maybe they'd use your Internet connection to download sexually explicit images of children so when the police trace the path back, they knock on your door.

That's why you need to lock your wireless network down, meaning you follow all the instructions that came with it including changing the SSID (the name of your network that is broadcast) so it is not identifiable back to you like "123 Main Street." It means you change the default username and password as soon as you set it up and make both something that is not easy to guess. It means you use the highest encryption level you can based on whatever your computers can handle. It means you do your job of keeping your anti-virus software and operating system up-to-date on your computer to further reduce your risk. These are the minimal steps you need to take to ensure security. And by all means, if you're not sure about what to do, find someone reputable who can help you. It's that important.

I don't expect everyone to follow this advice. It's your choice as a homeowner, but gee whiz, big corporations ought to know better. That's YOUR data they're exposing to identity theft. The actual cost of the breach is estimated to be a staggering $256 million. Who do you think will eventually pay for that?