I’m probably on a government watch list

 I’m probably on a government watch list.

I never thought it would happen to me. I was always such a good girl—quiet, never got into trouble (if you don’t count annoying my sister, which I don’t). But I’m pretty sure I’ve made it. The government is probably watching my every online move, waiting in the shadows for me to give away whatever it is I’m planning.

How, you ask? Well, it all started one day back in 2009. I had an idea for a story. I had no clue what I was doing, but I started writing it down. That seemed innocent enough. At least that’s what I told myself. But that was it—my downfall. Make my stories more exciting, I told myself. Make them realistic. Get the facts straight. Add details that will draw the reader in.

And so, I turned to Google, my old friend. A friend akin to a drug dealer. I’ll just Google this one little thing. No one will know.

And that just leads to more and more, until you find yourself addicted to unearthing correct and accurate information, able to spot reliable sources, able to find all the information you’ll ever need. Information to do what, is the question… Am I writing a novel or planning a terrorist attack?

The government has to be really confused, though, with searches like a lost library from Russia, how child suicide bombings usually work, common middle eastern names, who could blame them? Let alone searches a back-roads route from Philadelphia to Charlotte, detailed layout of The Biltmore Estate (including sub-basement), the most famous unsolved cyphers, secret societies, how to hack government computer systems…

Thank goodness I’m a fourth-degree black belt and I don’t have to Google how best to break a man’s nose, how best to land an upset punch in a man’s gut, where pressure points are on the human body, how to manipulate joints to cause maximum pain and control someone much larger than you. But then…my rank and certified instructor status aren’t exactly secrets. Maybe “they” know that too. Maybe I shouldn’t write about it here…

Anyway.

So, if you hear about my arrest, you can testify that I needed to Google those things, not to overthrow the government, but to write an exciting and interesting book. Right? You’ll do that for me, won’t you? I really don’t want to go to prison. How would I survive? Do you get unlimited paper and pencils? Can I still email my publisher? Wait, lots of quiet time to focus on my stories…maybe I’m judging this thing too quickly.

Nope, nope—no private restrooms or fresh-baked Christmas cookies. Nope, not for me.

So, you’ll testify for me, right?

Please.

 Check out Melissa Koslin’s latest book: The Lost Library

Her past has caught up with her. Again.

Cali Lebeau has been aiding hackers with her cryptology skills to track an apparent terrorist organization. When they discover what she’s been doing, they target her. Asher Cross, billionaire recluse, insists on aiding her, though she doesn’t understand why.

Asher Cross has secrets. He must help Cali, keep her alive, but he cannot let her understand his past or his motivations—in order to protect her.

They discover that the terrorist organization is searching for the Golden Library of Moscow, which was first assembled by Ivan the Great and had grown over time to include the oldest and most valuable texts in the world, including missing masterpieces. They believe the library holds black magic and the secret to everlasting life. It was stolen from them by Cali’s ancestor, and Cali holds a clue to its location handed down by her mother. In order to free herself and Asher, Cali must race against the terrorists, find the library, and share it with the world.

Will they be able to solve the mystery surrounding the Lost Library or risk losing their lives?

Amazon   Kobo   Apple 

Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt in and certified instructor of traditional Taekwondo. During the day, she masquerades as a commercial property manager. She and Corey, her husband of twenty-five years, and three-year-old daughter live in Florida, where they do their best not to melt in the sun.

MelissaKoslin.com