PERSPECTIVES OF AN ASPIRING NOVELIST: ONWARD

SYNOPSIS OF THE NOVEL I'M WRITING

LEVI McPHERSON, a graduate student of analytical chemistry at the University of North Central Florida, is approached by agents of the Homeland Security’s Counter-terrorism Unit. The agency is recruiting Lee to study and expose the loopholes of screening instruments in airports. Struggling financially, he accepted the offer, making him a paid, benevolent hacker of the nation’s gateway. Yet Levi is horrified when an Airbus from Los Angeles disintegrated in mid-air.

At 40, when everybody’s career trajectory is going up, Levi’s still a poor graduate student, struggling financially. His research projects however, are worth million dollars. Researching the highly classified and heavily guarded secrets of detecting traces of explosives, what Lee know was a goldmine. The agency's offer is his financial break . So Levi tackles the problem like a scientist, detailing the loopholes of the aviation security and turning what he knew into a big time money machine.

JIM and JONATHAN of the counter-terrorism unit, where nowhere to be found after Charlotte International Airport, a hub of Delta Airlines closed abruptly because of instrument malfunctions in their security lines. And in a post-Osama Bin Laden’s era, the biggest blow to the United Stated after the 9/11 disaster comes unexpectedly when a passenger plane blew up in the skies of Washington D.C., in the heart of the nation.

Levi knew it was only the start of more troubles, so he recruits his fellow graduate students to counter the future attacks. They have to think like criminals—and scientists too. With the help of FBI counter-terrorism experts, Homeland Security and Transportation Security Agency, the team races to close and plug the loopholes Lee identified.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

ONWARD

It's the weekend, and time to share books from my Book-stack. For some reason, I gravitate to books related to Starbucks. This is my
second book that I've read related to Starbucks, the first one was How Starbucks Saved my Life.

To me, it's like having a motivational coach. Here's the highlight of the locker room huddle:

Success is not an entitlement and it has to be earned everyday.
No status quo, constantly push for re-invention.
The world belons to the few people who are not afraid to get dirty.
But going forward with fear would not allow our company to thrive.

Don't roll your eyes and let the word of the coach sink in, you'll have goosebumps.