The interrogation of SSA Ellie Conway & SSA Doctor Kurt Henderson

I am SSA Ellie Conway and the guy who looks a bit like Kevin Costner is SSA Doctor Kurt Henderson. We’re special agents with the FBI, in particular we’re half of Delta A. Delta A is a specialist team that predominately investigates serial crime.I’m the main character in The _Byte Series novels by Cat Connor and Kurt, Lee and Sam are my trusty sidekicks… probably best they don’t hear me say that though.


In March 2012 the fourth Byte novel by Cat Connor, FLASHBYTE, was released by Rebel e Publishers. I guess we’re here because Flashbyte has a lot to do with us, more so than Lee and Sam (who are the rest of Delta A). For me personally, Flashbyte, was a total mind fuck, I’m sure Kurt will agree with that. The cases we dealt with have left a lasting impression on us all. One of us nearly didn’t make it, you’ll have to read the book to find out who.

We thought it would be interesting (maybe) if we asked each other the same questions Cat likes to ask other unsuspecting folk. Not sure how this will turn out but let’s give it a go!

Comfy?

Ellie: What’s your favorite meal, Doc?
Kurt: Just about everything my mom used to make. I’m a guy. I eat what’s put in front of me. Similar to you Conway.
Ellie: I’m not a guy.
Kurt: I know. Trust me I know. I meant we’re similar in our eating habits.

Kurt: Here’s one for you Conway, it’s perfect. Describe your current mental status.
Ellie: I don’t think I can. That blinding grin reflecting off your face is very off-putting, Doc.
Okay, my current mental status is stable.
Kurt: Really, you’re going with stable?
Ellie: Uh huh. Problem?
Kurt: I think you should go with mentally hilarious.
Ellie: Yeah, well, you’re not me.

Ellie: Doc, do you have a favorite coffee or tea?
Kurt: Not really. I do like both. I’ve been trying to get Conway to drink more tea and less coffee. No luck so far.

Kurt: Conway,try andwalk these poor people through a typical day for Delta.
Ellie: Do we ever have a typical day? Let me think, how about the day I woke up dead? Nah, not really typical. Okay, Just recently, the day you and I headed to Lexington to investigate a spate of deaths in a hospital.
Kurt: Do you even remember that day?
Ellie: Good point, my memory of our recent trip to Lexington is sketchy. Excuse me while I take this opportunity to point out that you can all find out what happened in Lexington by reading Flashbyte.
Kurt: Smooth, Conway, real smooth.
Ellie: As for a typical Delta day… it starts early, runs late, and involves a lot of paperwork. Sometimes, in between the early start and late finish things blow up, people shoot at us, and the shit hits the fan.
Kurt: What do you mean sometimes?

Kurt: Hand gun or rifle, Conway?
Ellie: Hey, that’s two questions for me in a row, Doc.
Once I would’ve said hand gun all the way, but now, I’m quite comfortable with both. I doubt I’ll ever be a really good sniper, I’m not patient enough.But damn picking up a rifle every now and then is fun.

Ellie: Are you left handed or right handed, Doc?
Kurt: Left-handed for most things, right for some.
Ellie: You going to share what most and some are?
Kurt: Not what you think… let me rephrase, predominately left-handed. That’s all you’re getting.

Kurt: How many times a day do you check your twitter stream, Conway?
Ellie: Not as many as I used too, not since the #wheresmymail killer. But I do still use Twitter, I’m just more careful with my use of hash tags these days.

Ellie: Name the top four things on your bucket list, Doc.
Kurt: You’re using this as a fact finding mission, nice Conway, real nice.
I don’t think I can share the top thing on my bucket list, so moving down the list we have.
     2. A vacation in New Zealand - I didn’t see enough when we were there a year or so ago.
     3. Get my pilots license.
     4. Runaway and join the circus.


Ellie: Kurt, what is the most random thing you have ever done?
Kurt: Joined Delta A. It’s not for everyone.

Kurt: If you’re not working, what are you most likely doing?
Ellie: That’s easy. Spending time with my daughter and Rowan, and we also have Delta A dinners every week - that obviously depends on us not being away or whatever. We do try to get together socially at someone’s place on a Sunday. It’s nice to kick back and have some fun with the team and our families.

Ellie: Kurt, Whiskey or Bourbon?
Kurt: Whiskey, single malt.

Kurt: Ellie, what are you carrying in your pockets and on your person, right now?
Ellie: One moment while I empty my pockets… a tin of mints; a packet of tissues; a keychain with keys, flash drives, and SD cards attached; a safety pin; my credentials and badge.
That’s it for my pockets.
On my belt I’m wearing a Glock 17, two extra magazines, and handcuffs-both steel and plasticuffs.

Ellie: Ebook or tree book, Kurt?
Kurt: Depends. I don’t have a preference. When we’re traveling, eBooks are easier. At home I read both.

Ellie: Kurt, favorite apocalyptic scenario?
Kurt: Working with you Conway, I suspect you’re one of the horsemen of the apocalypse.
Ellie: If I’m one then you, Lee and Sam are the other three.
Kurt: Damn!
Ellie: I always thought of us as Musketeers. This horsemen of the Apocalypse thing is disturbing - now I’ll spend the rest of the day trying to figure out which one of us belongs to which horse. I have a nasty feeling mine won’t be the white one.

That’s about it from us… there is a real danger that Kurt’s apocalypse thoughts will get deep and meaningful - no one wants that! If you’d like to find out more about us we feature in killerbyte, terrorbyte, exacerbyte and Flashbyte. Our books are available in all eFormats and in paperback worldwide.

Check Rebel ePublishers site for new releases and latest news. http://www.blogger.com/goog_194680047

Cat’s blog http://catconnor.blogspot.co.nz/

Twitter @catconnor


- Thanks for joining Cat and Ellie and Kurt on my blog today - if you haven't read any of Cat's books, pick one up - they are fantastic! 

Until next time,
Ciao,
JET

Idiosyncrasies and getting older…

Welcome to another stop on the blog tour – and oh look, it’s on my blog! 

My subject today has nothing to do with writing and publishing, and I’m sure most everyone out there can identify with this in some way. I’ve noticed as I get older that some of my smaller idiosyncrasies seem to have grown into the realm of ridiculous. Like having the light switch bank all facing the same way (either all up or all down) – when I was younger, I didn’t obsess over this at all. If I had five switches in various states, I didn’t care. But now, it irks me to the point if I see it, I have to fix it. A little obsessive/compulsive – yeah – I think more so now than ever before.

Let me share another situation and understand, I was able to see humor in this after my initial meltdown – but the sheer fact that I freaked made both my husband and daughter fall into hysterics. We have an “extra” phone – it’s one of those cheap cordless phones that really sucks – thus the reason why it’s “extra”. Now, my husband found it on his cleaning binge this weekend and decided to replace the phone on my nightstand with this cheap piece of you know what. Not only did the phone suck – but it also had a bright light on the base when the phone was in the charger. Not what you want next to your head when you like to sleep with black out shades.

So when I went to bed (after 11pm on a Sunday night) – I freaked. I wanted to know where my touch button phone was – I had the thing since I was sixteen and it is the ONLY phone that works in a power outage. To add to the fire – even if I knew where he put the thing, I couldn’t just put it back because the wall outlet is behind our bed. A big-ass-king-size-sleigh-bed that I can’t move.

So I went on a muttering rant until hubby came up and I laid into him. What did he do? Laugh. Laugh and laugh some more and then he put back the old phone – while laughing at me.

That was when I realized just how much change irritates me – which isn’t such a good outlook. After all, I read Who Moved My Cheese and latched onto the mantra Change is Good for so many years in the business realm – but now that changes are hitting close to home – I’m not the Change Agent I thought I was.

Hopefully this isn’t something that’s indicative to aging because if it is, I’m screwed. ;)

Where am I going with this? I think it comes back to balance. A person that successfully balances their life between work, family and fun time doesn’t stress over the little changes like a phone on their nightstand. I used to roll with it – which tells me that I need to find balance before the obsessive – compulsive behavior takes over and I can’t react appropriately to such inconsequential situations.

Well, we could all use a little diversion from reality, so if you’re game, take a look at my new release, Crystal Illusions.

Assistant D.A. Carolyn Hastings has an uncanny knack for putting away criminals. With one of the best prosecution records in recent history, her future as Manhattan’s next District Attorney looks certain. But her sixth sense for winning cases threatens to work against her when she starts seeing a string of murders through the eyes of the killer.

With suspects piling up as fast as bodies, and the motives of those closest to her questionable, Carolyn doesn’t know who to trust. When the FBI assigns Special Agent Steve Williams to the case, Carolyn discloses her deepest fear - that the man she loves may be the one responsible for the city’s latest crime spree.

The only thing Steve knows for sure is Carolyn has an inexplicable psychic connection with the killer, and all the victims have one thing in common…a striking resemblance to Carolyn Hastings.


And he knows it’s only a matter of time before this psychopath knocks on her door.

Crystal Illusions praise: “Taylor has a strong thriller where every single character has reasonable doubt flashing like a neon sign hanging over them, and right from the beginning you are trying to guess who the killer really is. Gripping, rich and magnificent - crime whodunnits don't get any better than this!” Author Poppet / Gemma Rice – Author of Quislings, Blindsided, Djinn and Dusan

Thanks for swinging into this stop on my Blog Tour and I hope you’ll stop in at Bitten By Books on the 20th for a chance to win a $50.00 Amazon gift certificate and if you’d like to check out Crystal Illusions, you can purchase it here on Amazon.


Until next time,

Ciao.

JET