zenWriter42
Synopsis
An in-progress suspense novel set in Dayton, Ohio. Fatal Wood's sixth-sense falters when her predilection for hacking gets her fired one semester from college graduation. Never mind that her boss put her up to it to keep track of a wayward lover, Fatal loses the job that pays her tuition. She doesn't go quietly, and while searching for evidence to clear her name she discovers a blackmailer using the school’s network to siphon money from his victims. A fellow student is killed by the traitor as he scrambles to hide his tracks and frame Fatal for the crime. All the wiles she learned from her Gypsy grandmother combined with her hacking skills and a fierce desire for justice propel Fatal to an explosive confrontation between truth and power. She learns to look past the superficial for the nuances of reality and finds a greater appreciation for family and for life.
Yes, this isn't exactly according to NaNoWriMo specs since it's already in progress, but I need a serious jump-start on this stalled project. NaNo's been good for me in the past (2005, 2006), so here I am.
Excerpt
So I’m a hacker – get over it. Not all of us are nerdy, unwashed males hanging out in questionable Internet chat rooms because we’re socially inept. Some of us are reasonably articulate, employed, and civic-minded. And we’re female. My friend Carmen and I work in the college computer lab to pay our way through school. We like to explore the system, see what we can learn, expose security weaknesses, not create havoc for havoc’s sake. Never expected to find the school director using the network to blackmail well-heeled privacy loving gamblers. Now the bastard killed Carmen and thinks he can frame me for the whole mess. Not happening. As my Gypsy grandma always says, karma’s a bitch. In this case, her name’s Fatal Woods.
