NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Thursday, September 8, 2011

No One To Trust Excerpt


Happy Romantic Suspense Week at Carina Press and Not Your Usual Suspects! At the end of the week we're giving away a bunch of books to one lucky commentator. The more times you comment, the more chances you have to win. We'll name the winner on the blog next Monday. Good Luck and Happy Reading!

Excerpt for No One To Trust by Julie Moffett
www.CarinaPress.com


When I was seven my older brother Rock gave me a camera for Christmas. The science of photography fascinated me—the angles, depth and lighting. But I was more interested in how the camera worked than in what I was pointing it at. Fast-forward a few years and here I am, a twenty-five-year-old, single, white, geek girl who can’t take a decent picture of anything.

I’m also a semi-reformed computer hacker, a numbers whiz and a girl with a photographic memory. The whole photographic memory thing is totally overrated, though. Every human has the physiological capability. Most people just don’t have the film.
Lucky for me, I’ve got the film, but I’m also stuck with a geeky reputation. Counter to the stereotypical image, I don’t wear thick glasses held together by duct tape and I no longer own a pair of high-water pants. On the other hand, I’m no Miss America—just your basic tall, skinny girl with no curves and long brown hair. I double-majored in mathematics and computer science and have zero social skills. These days I’m employed by X-Corp Global Intelligence and Security, as Director of Information Security or InfoSec for short. It sounds impressive and maybe it is, but I’m so fresh in the job, I can’t be sure yet.

This morning the top company brass, including me, had an important client meeting. Actually, it was our first client meeting, which made it all the more significant, not to mention nerve-racking. At a few minutes before ten, I grabbed a cup of coffee and my laptop, heading into the conference room. One of the cofounders of X-Corp, Ben Steinhouser, was already sitting at the table looking over some papers, his bifocals practically hanging off the edge of his pudgy nose. He used to work at the National Security Agency, or the NSA, just like I did and is a living legend among hackers, programmers and cryptanalysts. He is brilliant, difficult and unconventional, but by his sheer genius, he commands everyone’s respect. He intimidates the hell out of me, even if I try to pretend he doesn’t. When I first met him, I reverently called him “Mr. Steinhouser.” He glared at me and told me if I called him that again, he’d fire me. I’m still not sure if he was kidding.

“Hey, Ben.” I tried not to wince as I called him by his first name. It’s not easy to pretend to be comfortable when you’re nervous as hell.

Ben glanced up at me and I’m pretty sure my knees knocked together. “You’re punctual. That’s an admirable quality in an employee. Did you have a chance to look over the materials on Flow Technologies?”

Apparently not the type for small talk. Me neither, although a simple “good morning” would have been nice.

I nodded. Why did I need to be here? My job as InfoSec Director required mostly identifying and assessing threats, vulnerabilities and attacks on our clients’ networks and then implementing plans to either mitigate or eliminate these threats. Client acquisition was not in my job description and frankly, I liked it that way. Not much of a people person.

8 comments:

Maureen A. Miller said...

Lexi is my idol. I want to be her. I could be, but I don't have the looks. I'm not crafty enough, and I'm not witty enough. LOL But other than that..

Toni Anderson said...

Lexi is wonderful. I want to be her :)

Elise Warner said...

Ben sounds like a fascinating character. Looking forward to reading more about him in your "No One to Trust."

Jane said...

I always root for the geek girl.

Marcelle Dubé said...

Geeks rule, as far as I'm concerned. I can't wait to get to Lexi's story!

Clare London said...

Oh the marvellous Lexi! We've got quite a fan club of wannabe's over here :).

And despite what my kids say, geek = good :):).

Thanks for sharing the excerpt :).

Stevie Carroll said...

Fascinating characters there.

Julie Moffett said...

Thanks, everyone, for the Lexi love!!! oxoxoxxo

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