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What would you do if you knew you only had a handful of days to live? How would that affect how you act and what you say?


This question intrigued me as I began to write Toxic Game, knowing already that the danger the hero and heroine would face had to do with bio-warfare and having to stop the threat of a pandemic.

While Draden and Shylah are determined to complete their mission they face the fact that they may be infected with a deadly hemorrhagic virus that has no known cure.

Since they’ve become a unit in this mission they’re thrown together in a way that forces trust, but it also extends a level of intimacy. With only one person to share your feelings with, to share your fears with how would that affect you?




Neither Draden or Shylah would waste a lot of time feeling sorry for themselves. They were trained soldiers and that just wasn’t an option to them. But, to get through what they saw as their final days I knew they’d both want to take care of the other person. And when you know you don’t have to face the consequences of your actions then why not be totally honest and ask for the things you want before you die?




Time wasn’t going to be their friend in many ways, but recognizing there wasn’t going to be a lot of time made each minute count. It would make them realize that “now� was the best time to say or do what they wanted or needed. People think they have all the time in the world, but the fact is, you don’t. That’s just an illusion. We are faced with mortality and we really don’t know when our number is up. Knowing you’re last days are upon you could be freeing in a way. I wanted to convey that with this couple.




It was important to me that readers realize that, no matter what, this couple was meant to be. There’s something about being put into a life or death situation that can cause people to have intense feelings for one another that can fade once that danger is over. It made me up my own game writing the romance between them and I believe the result is that Draden and Shylah have become one of the most romantic couples I’ve ever written.













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Isolation was the backdrop of the Toxic Game story in a way. I put the GhostWalkers in Indonesia, specifically in Sumatra because there really are suspected terrorist cells there, but also because the deep jungle there is very far away from home on so many levels. I wanted Draden and Shylah to feel the isolation from all that they know and have only each other as their final “home�.


The jungle of Sumatra also set the mood being unsettled as it’s wild and unpredictable. There, you’re reminded that as human beings, we are also animals. And as animals we are predators. We’re taken to our basic level of survival and realize who and what we really are. Draden and Shylah had to realize their limitations and trust each other’s strengths in order to survive.




They’d been exposed to a deadly virus that killed painfully, brutally and without mercy. And where many people would accept their fate, hole up and wait to die, Draden and Shlyah couldn’t do that. They were driven by a moral code and need to use the last days of their lives to save others.

Saying goodbye, while also still trying to complete their mission, affected more than just Shylah and Draden. Knowing there really are people who go out on dangerous missions and make the ultimate sacrifice I wanted to show how that affects their entire team, their family, their friends. It’s a loss that is personal and extends to so many.



Writing the scene in which Draden realizes he is likely infected and he has to be left behind was emotional. I had to imagine the reaction of his team, and most specifically Joe’s reaction since he was their leader and a close friend. Each of the GhostWalkers on that mission who got out safely, what would they be feeling, how would they react and though I didn’t address each individual I wanted readers to realize the team’s feelings about leaving a man behind. Of course having to leave someone behind isn’t the same as giving up.
At one point Shylah is given the opportunity to say goodbye to her “sisters� Zara and Bellisia and that was even more emotional. To me, I felt the women would feel a sense of injustice on Shylah’s behalf because they found love and Shylah was left to die.



Of course this is a romance which promises a happy-ever-after so the story is also filled with hope, action, adventure and love. And of course the GhostWalkers aren’t going to just give up. If there’s a way to cheat death the GhostWalkers are going to be the ones out looking for it.













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Have you ever watched an old movie and realized that the futuristic looking weapon, communication device, clothing or whatever, now existed? How many of those James Bond weapons or spy gear that was completely made up by the author ended up being made by a government or other agency or company?

I think science fiction helps us to imagine the future. If someone can think it up, someone can make it happen.
That’s part of the reason I like to research real science and then re-imagine it for my own purposes. It’s always possible that, one day, whatever crazy thing I made up might actually come into being. Scary thought, right? LOL At least it’s fun to think about.

Below are several science topics I found fascinating and included in one or more of my books in some way.
When I studied gene therapy many years ago I didn’t realize just how often I’d refer to it in the GhostWalker series. From DNA splicing to creating a hot virus this topic continues to fascinate me.


Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a procedure used to correct the genes that cause disease. There are many approaches that can be used to alter genes. The most common approach is the use of a neutralized virus to insert DNA into the genome. Currently the F.D.A. has not approved any gene therapy for sale, but it does exist experimentally.
For more information visit:





I researched bio weapons and warfare a great deal for Toxic Game. I was surprised to find how long bio warfare has been used.

Bio Warfare

Biological warfare isn’t something I made up nor is it new. History has recorded the use of infectious disease as a weapon as far back as 600 BC. Bio weapons utilize living organisms to spread dangerous infections and create a pandemic in order to cause harm to an enemy. The use of such weapons and the fact that the spread cannot be controlled makes the use of bio weapons a war crime.





I use remote viewing in a few of my books. ESP has always interested me and the Stargate Project was inspiring to learn about.




Remote Viewing

Remote viewing is sometimes called ESP or extrasensory perception. I researched all I could about the Stargate Project which happened in 1978. It was a study done by the US military to find out what potential there was for psychic ability. When the CIA took over the review of the results of the project they did determine that ESP exists. But, because the use of it hadn’t gained enough military intelligence the project was dropped. Psychic ability outside of the military continues to be of interest.

Remote viewing



I have had a few books that talk about characters that can walk on walls and ceilings. In my mind many of the GhostWalkers have this trait though I may not have named them all. The ability to climb on nearly any surface would be very handy in a great deal of situations.




Setae

Geckos have an amazing ability to climb on just about any surface. They’re able to do this because their toes are covered in these microscopic hairs called setae. Scientists have studied the Gecko which has helped with new discoveries and inventions including ways to “glue� wounds.

I have several books in which a character has the ability to climb walls, ceilings or buildings. The ability has to do with setae on the person’s hands and feet.




There are many other topics I’ve researched over the years for my GhostWalker series. Artificial intelligence, poisonous creatures, psychic healing and so on. It’s hard to say what I might find out there in the world of science, but I’m always on the hunt for something unusual and interesting.













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