Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Netminder By Jeff Adams
Codename: Winger, Book 4
After a summer that was nothing like he’d planned, teenage secret agent Theo Reese is back to school and to work with Tactical Operational Support’s IT department. His world turns upside down arriving home from hockey practice to a major security breach.
On the run, he soon discovers the TOS network is down and he’s cut off.
As he uses his unique skills to find out what’s happened, Theo discovers the evil agency Blackbird is responsible. A nemesis from Theo’s first field mission is out for him and will stop at nothing to force Theo to help Blackbird realize their goal of taking global control of the internet.
Getting help from some unexpected sources, Theo must stop the internet takeover while trying to keep those closest to him safe.
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Netminder by Jeff Adams: Behind the Scenes
Writing Netminder was the most difficult of the four Codename: Winger books. While teen secret agent Theo Reese went through a lot in the previous books as the missions got more difficult and personal, in this one everything changed and the stakes became enormous.
Through the entire series, I worked with an incredible developmental editor. Laura’s guidance of subtle yet powerful ways to enhance the story were invaluable from the first book, Tracker Hacker. Her input for Netminder thoroughly enhanced the story and the way I approached telling it. As Theo is cutoff and forced to run, I wrote it in a way that mirrored something out of 24. If you watched that show, you know it could be exhausting watching Jack Bauer save the world in just 24 hours.
Laura rightly pointed out that both the reader and Theo needed a break. In its original form, Theo was on the move and in extreme danger for roughly the first third of the book before the pace eased a bit. He didn’t get to rest or have a moment to think about what had happened, digest it and formulate plans. And while it was a page turner for the reader, again, it was exhausting. She helped me find a better pace for that section, that not only let the reader catch their breath but Theo could too.
Another key contribution from Laura is late in the story, once the mission is completed and Theo is dealing with the aftermath. There’s a scene (which I won’t spoil) that Laura gave some suggestions on that had me tearing up because they were so perfect.
Below is an excerpt from Chapter 3, which finds Theo considering where to go since he’s running from a security breach that happened at his house. It gives you a sense of what he’s going through in Netminder.
Chapter 3
Where could I hole up for the night?
The farther away from home, the better. There were so many ways to be tracked with cameras—traffic, ATM, other business with street surveillance not to mention the tracker chip in my neck. Starbucks had at least two visible cameras—provided neither was fake. Staying invisible was difficult at best.
Riding with the helmet gave me some cover but not a lot.
Back to Maps, I looked for cheap hotels that weren’t more than an hour’s ride away. Cheap was key. While I had the stash of cash and cards, there was no way to know how long it needed to last.
I found a place where rooms cost just over a hundred dollars and that was less than five miles away.
Lightning flashed outside the window and a rolling crack of thunder followed in short order.
Great.
I didn’t mind riding in the rain. Sometimes it relaxed me. A thunderstorm was another matter.
It was time to hit the road, before the storm arrived.
Almost out the door, I stopped and went back to get a couple more cold sandwiches and bottles of water, so I’d have another meal on hand.
Hopefully, the hotel would have a room. While I could’ve booked online, I didn’t want to leave any traces.
Drizzle fell. Lightning vividly arched across the sky. Thunder gave a low, ominous rumble—it was the low bass of an action movie amplified in extreme surround sound.
I couldn’t remember what I’d learned in grade school about how to count from the lightening flash to the thunder clap to figure out how far the storm was.
I didn’t pause to Google that. I got the lights mounted and took off.
Once at the hotel, my priority would be to attempt to resurrect the TOS network and get help. Tracking down who’d invaded the house was a close second.
I’d solved a lot of problems, but people invading the house, doing what they did to John, no TOS network—it all seemed much bigger than my abilities to fix.
The weather went to hell after I’d been on the road for a couple of minutes. A downpour soaked me in a matter of seconds. At least the backpack was waterproof. If I was lucky, the hotel had a laundry room.
Riding in the rain sucks when you don’t know the terrain. The GPS provided instructions in my earbuds, but without the phone mounted on the handlebars, I couldn’t see the preview of the road’s curves.
It took longer than expected to get to the hotel. At least there weren’t any jerks on the road. Most drivers gave me space, didn’t try to crowd, and even when the road narrowed, they went around without a honk. It didn’t seem like anyone followed me, but I couldn’t be completely sure.
To celebrate Jeff’s Codename: Winger Series re-release and brand new audiobooks, Jeff is giving away:
- A Signed Paperback Set of Codename: Winger Series (US & Canada Only)
- 1 of 2 Audio Codes for Book 1 Tracker Hacker (International Winner)
- A Personal Signed e-set of Codename: Winger Series (International Winner)
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About the Author:
Jeff Adams has written stories since he was in middle school and became a published author in 2009 when his first short stories were published. He writes both gay romance and LGBTQ young adult fiction…and there’s usually a hockey player at the center of the story.
Jeff lives in northern California with his husband of more than twenty years, Will Knauss. Some of his favorite things include the musicals “Rent” and “[title of show],” the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition “So You Think You Can Dance.” He also loves to read, but there isn’t enough space to list out his favorite books.
Jeff is the co-host of the “Big Gay Fiction Podcast,” a weekly show devoted to gay romance as well as pop culture. New episodes come out every Monday at BigGayFictionPodcast.com.
You can find out more about Jeff’s books at JeffAdamsWrites.com
Connect with Amy:
Website: http://JeffAdamsWrites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerjeffadams/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterJeffAdams
Jeff (& Will’s) PodCast’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggayfiction/
Can’t wait to listen to book 4!