Q:In a similar regard, which character in Cyber Countdown do you most identify with, and why?
A:James. We both have a background with the navy. We both worked for the federal government in high-level positions. We both were successful at cybersecurity because we loved it. Finally, we both have gorgeous wives named JoAnn who are from Minnesota and are very good with finances.
Q:Have you ever been a hacker?
A:I was a penetration tester for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, which is essentially a “white hat” hacker. White hat hackers find vulnerabilities in order to fix them, while black hat hackers take advantage of them to attain wealth or power or for political reasons.
Q:If someone came to you for advice on how to get started writing, what would you tell them? What is the best—and the worst— advice you’ve ever gotten about writing?
A:I would advise anyone who wanted to start writing to write about what they know and love. The other requirements with respect to when to use dialogue and narration will come later. Spelling and grammar are important, but with good spelling and grammar checking software and accomplished editors, that shouldn’t be a big problem. Best advice: Write about what you know. Worst advice: You need the sex scenes to be more graphic and explicit.
Q:What’s next for author Terence Flynn?
A:I’ve completed a second book titled Cyber Apocalypse that includes many of the same characters that appear in this book. I’m also writing a third book in the series, which is currently titled SCADA Red.
READING GROUP GUIDE
1.This book contains many plot twists and turns. Which one(s) surprised you the most? Why?
2.It wouldn’t be easy to leave one’s homeland, yet many characters in this book do just that. Discuss which characters leave their countries of origin, and why. Would that be a difficult thing for you to do? Why or why not? What would you do in their situation?
3.This book is filled with intricate details of cybersecurity, cyber warfare, worms, malware, and hacks. Which of these new technologies did you find the most intriguing?
4.Do you have any experience with hacking someone else’s information or being hacked—perhaps having your identity stolen? How does this kind of invisible theft feel different from old-fashioned theft? Why?
5.Perhaps the most surprising turn comes near the end, when a character makes the difficult decision to leave the homeland. Did this surprise you? Why or why not? Would you have made the same decision?
6.Dimitri is at times a thug and at other times a gentleman. Discuss how he changes, and why he makes this change.
7.Why do you think George Solomon and his son have such a difficult relationship? Did this come as a surprise to you?
8.There’s a lot of romance in this story between James and JoAnn, Kim and Cai, and others. How are these couples good for each other? Do you think these relationships will last?
9.There’s an old saying about “honor among thieves.” Did you see examples in this story? What characters do you think acted both honorably and dishonorably, and what examples do you have of their behavior?
10.North Korean student Kim Kwon-Mu and American cybersecurity expert James Jordan share many of the same traits, yet are different in obvious ways. Discuss what they have in common, and how they’re different.
11.Does Kim see his uncle, whom he calls “Admiral,” as a father figure, or more as a military superior? In what ways are the two roles— parent and superior—the same, and in what ways are they different?
12.Did any of the technology described in this book—from military capabilities to intricate computer worms—surprise you?
13.If you could have access to one of the incredible technologies described in this book, what would you choose, and why?
14.Do you think cyber attacks like those described in this book will play a greater role in warfare in the future?
15.There are good and bad aspects to using computer technology in harmful ways, such as inserting a “worm” or virus to disable someone’s access or information. In addition, there’s a lot of harvesting of our personal data without our knowledge, such as we’ve seen in recent news about Facebook selling our information. What do you think about these threats? Are there times computer hacking is acceptable? How does a person or government make such a determination?
16.Who was the real villain in this story, and why? Did that come as a surprise to you?
17.What was your final assessment of George Solomon? Do you think he acted honorably, or did he never overcome his selfish ambition?
18.Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character did you change your mind about, and why?
19.If you could spend an afternoon with one of the characters in this book, who would you choose, and why? If you could spend an afternoon in one of the scenes in this book, what place would you choose, and why?
20.Have you ever been in a submarine? Do you think you would enjoy being submerged for weeks at a time?
21.If this book were a movie, who do you imagine in the roles of: James Jordon? Senator JoAnn Young? President Meredith? Kim Kwon-Mu? Kim’s girlfriend, Cai Chan Li? Dimitri? If you were invited to play one of those roles, who would you like to portray, and why?
22.If you could write a sequel to this novel, which characters would you want to write about? If you could send a message to the writer about a possible sequel, what would you tell him you want to read more about?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author grew up in New York City and went to school at Queens College and State University of New York at Stony Brook graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science. He also received a Juris Doctor from American University in Washington D.C. while working for the Departments of the Navy, Justice, and Commerce in Washington DC.
After leaving the government, the author started his own engineering consulting company providing Information Technology and Cybersecurity support services and products to the Federal Government and commercial businesses and has U.S. patents in both technology fields. He provided cybersecurity support to DoD, DHS, NASA, NIST, and NSA. He continues to lead his company into new technology areas including Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and is on the Board of Directors of several cybersecurity organizations.
The author has been happily married for 24 years and has a son and daughter. He currently lives in Southern Maryland and enjoys sailing, traveling, and all water related sports and activities including fishing, scuba diving, surfing, swimming, and water skiing. His interests include science, history, politics, and technology and enjoys reading books about history, science, science fiction, technology, and especially adventure novels based on new technologies and scientific and technological research.
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