The cosmic storm of the Carrington Event’s
electromagnetic pulse waves released by the explosion would cripple all
electronic systems and power grids in the U.S., leaving the homeland
defenseless and vulnerable to conventional warfare.
With North Korea looking to be the most likely
suspect, Biff is tasked to intervene and prevent this attack without triggering
a global world war. Collaborating with NIS, the South Korean Intelligence
Service, Biff and his team work to thwart the impending disaster, while also
leaving the CIA with plausible deniability.
Ten Things You Might Not Know About
The CIA International Thriller Series by R.Lawson
1 I tag my novels as "Intelligent
thrillers" to play off of a couple of meanings. One refers to
"Intelligence" agencies and the other to "requiring
thought." My objective is to not only to provide entertainment for
readers, but to also have them come away with the new knowledge of how
something works. For example, in Killing Time, my second novel, I wrote
about how a Stuxnet virus was able to cripple the command and control systems
of Iran's nuclear program, setting back its nuclear ambitions for years. And,
in this case, the title Killing Time is a double entendre as well. Iran
is stalling IAEA inspectors while Mossad and the CIA are assassinating Iranian
nuclear scientists and launching digital malware missiles at their computers.
2 - My novels deal with multiple threats
faced by my protagonist, Biff Roberts, a CIA field officer and Special Activity
Division (SAD) Operative. His outstanding achievements in counterterrorism
eventually lead him to his role as Director of the CIA's counterterrorism (CT)
division. His success also led Iranian mullahs to issue a fatwa, or death
warrant, against him, a recurring theme in the series.
3 - I try to take the reader to places
they have never been with Biff and his CT team as they face a gamut of
challenges from bioterrorism to radical Islamic jihadists. In addition, Biff is
always under the threat of the fatwa (death warrant) hanging over his head. He
is Iran's poster boy for retribution, dramatized in Retribution, the
third novel in the series. I hope my readers identify with his conflicts and
root for him to overcome the obstacles he faces. He's a bigger than life
protagonist who manages to pull out some remarkable feats, amazing his
colleagues and frustrating the enemies.
4 - I introduce the reader to the
inner-working of allied intel agencies such as MI6 (U.K.), Mossad (Israel), and
DGSE (France). In my fourth novel, Existential Threats, Biff
collaborates with all three of these agencies against radical Islamist plots on
three continents, ending up facing a homegrown jihadist bomb threat in San
Francisco. You'll learn about drones, Tomahawk missiles, and IED's (improvised
explosive devices) in this novel. And you will learn some interesting facts
such as, MI6 has no "license to kill" while the other intel agencies
do.
5 - There are many talented authors
writing action thrillers. But I feel that some go over the top in that you
don't have to kill twenty-six bad guys in the first chapters to excite the
reader. Three important elements I try to use to increase tension are surprise,
suspense, and conflict. Once established, I try to build on those. How well
that is accomplished depends on talent and experience. I believe there is progression
in my skills over the course of the series and it is something I work on every
day to improve. A good story will stand on its own if well told. Admittedly I'm
new to the field and working hard to get better as a writer, but my stories are
timely, meshing with contemporary events and introducing technology and science
into the stories. Hopefully my readership will increase.
6 - My Voice: The third person omniscient
voice allows me to maneuver through the plots and subplots. I know where the
story is going, my characters don't. I can plant seeds, foreshadow events,
weave intricacy into the story, possibly trick the reader with a twist and
turn. Plus, this voice allows me to delve into science and technology in
narrative summaries and jump sets.
7 - Dialogue helps my characters drive the
story and limit exposition to correlating narrative summaries to move the story
along without interfering with pace. It's a delicate balance to achieve,
showing, not telling, making it seem natural. This is something I continue to
work on and try to improve daily and with each edit.
8 - The Hook: I always try to bring
the reader into the story with a dramatic opening. I'm working on my seventh
novel, Zachor, and I plan to open that story with a scene in an upscale Jerusalem
restaurant at lunch time:
SURPRISE ENCOUNTER
"I hate it when my day starts like
this."
"What do you mean?"
"See those two Palestinian boys at
the far table across the terrace?"
"One wearing red and white shemagh
talking to kid on iPhone?"
"Yes, them."
"So what about them?"
See that knapsack under the table?"
"I do... starting to get your
drift."
"He's programming the IED in the
knapsack to detonate remotely shortly after they leave the restaurant."
"Absolutely sure of that?"
"Trust me. I live here. This shit
happens."
--- --- ---
But, you don't and won’t know who is
talking or what is going to happen until the end of the short first chapter.
That revelation, plus an elaboration on the background presented
in the narrative summary of the next chapter, fills the reader in on the
characters involved in the restaurant confrontation. The second chapter takes
place in Tel Aviv four hours earlier that morning before the first chapter's
opening scene, setting up the unexpected encounter.
My goal is for the scene and dialogue to
build tension and suspense leading to a surprise event, ideally holding the
readers’ interest, keeping them turning the pages.
9 - Research: It takes time to get
it right, but it lends authenticity. For instance, Biff's team will not just be
drinking beer in an Algiers bar, but they will be drinking the local Tango beer
in "The Place" in Algiers’ storied Hotel Le Chalet Normand.
Tango coincidentally in military jargon, means target and appropriately enough,
the CT team in this scene is on their way to Mali chasing tangoes in my fourth
novel, Existential Threats.
10 - I try not to be a one trick
pony in choosing my topics and I try to write about topical items and current
events. For instance, in my fifth novel, The Carrington Prophecy,
published late last year, the CIA receives actionable intelligence that a rogue
regime is planning a sneak attack with the goal of exploding a nuclear device
above the United States triggering an unnatural Carrington Event. This EMP (Electromagnetic
Pulse) would cripple all electronic systems and power grids, leaving the
homeland defenseless. EMP as a weapon is a topic that has come up recently in
the presidential debates.
R. Lawson is a retired vascular surgeon
and served as a captain in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon.
With over 120 academic works under his belt, he moved into the fiction genre
and began writing thrillers with a focus on terrorism, cyber spying, national
security and more.
He hopes that you enjoy his CIA International Intrigue series featuring Biff
Roberts, veteran CIA agent, as he travels the globe thwarting threats to the
United States and its allies.
For
More Information
