You all know I blog about books.The books I read, books written by friends and colleagues and books I've fallen in love with. The books I write, too. The characters who populate them, the clothes they wear, the problems they cause me.
Well this blog is about a book, too. No change there, then.
But everything else about it is different because this book isn't a romance, or even a thriller. It's non fiction, hard cold fact; UNAUTHORISED ACCESS is published by John Wiley & Sons, will be on sale in the first week of August in the UK -- October in the United States -- and has been written by my son.
We now have two generations of authors in this family and I am soooooo proud.
Here's the cover --
The son and heir has always loved computers. He was given a calculator as a present by a friend of ours when he was two years old. He took his father's Hewlett Packard calculator (hundreds of pounds worth, folks) to bits when he was two and a half and his first actual computer was a Sinclair Spectrum.
Then he saw the film Sneakers and decided that he wanted to be the Robert Redford character when he grew up. That's the movie where a bunch of computer savvy guys are paid to break into banks and steal their money (they give it back!) to test their security systems.These days that has a name -- it's called Physical Penetration Testing (and is one step on from online computer penetration testing) and my son, who is these days an international security consultant based in Europe, has written the first handbook for IT security teams on how to do it for themselves. (They don't steal anything, btw, they leave something behind to prove they were there.)
So, just to make this writerly, anyone thinking of writing a thriller or a crime novel might want to check out the chapters on lock picking, planting bugs, or even dealing with guards.
The foreword to the book has been written by the world's most celebrated ex-hacker, Kevin Mitnick, and for those of you who haven't heard of him this would be like Susan Elizabeth Phillips telling romance fans that they should read my book.
Did I mention that I was proud? You should see his Dad.
24 comments:
Wow! How ultra cool is that!
I worked on the Spectrum's big sibling the QL at one time. Your son has probably never heard of that great work: QL SuperBASIC: the definitive handbook.
I couldn't say, although I can remember him learning Basic. He actually built my first website, but I could never get him to update it. Far too busy doing other, more interesting things. I wish now, I'd made him sit down and,in return for food, show me how to do it myself.
Ohh Liz you must be SO proud! Congratulations to your son. Take care. Caroline x.
p.s. Thanks for the book - it arrived today. Will enjoy reading it in bed tonight!
Wow he sounds like he was child genius. I've always been fascinated by his job but there are days when I can't get my own computer to turn on... *sigh* I guess it just wasn't meant to be :). Isn't it a fantastic cover?
Thanks guys! The cover is fabulous and I've just spotted it amongst the Hot Future Releases at Amazon UK -- just beneath Dean Koontz and Kathy Reichs. :)
Wooo! Proud Mum with plenty of good reason! His book looks amazing and should sell well.
In fact I am sure DH would buy a copy as he reads hacking and IT security books like we read novels(he's into computers too) and I'll point him at the Amazon listing.
There's a great chapter on lock picking which anyone might find useful. The first born's Dad did point out that the book is a bit like a burglar's handbook, but fb says that burglars already know this stuff. We have to learn to think like them...
I need to turn him to the Dark Side. He should be so good at fiction :)
Liz, how wonderful to see Wil's book in print. I'm sure you and John are both bursting with pride -- and rightly so! A child might be born intelligent, but it takes the right sort of nurturing to achieve this. Congratulations to Wil and his family.
Thanks, Anne. His publisher phoned on Friday to say how well the book is selling -- it's been a fabulous weekend.
Cool cool cool. I will just have to buy that one. One of the nerds around should get excited about it. :)
Penn
A big congratulations Liz on your son's book release! WOOHOO! That is awesome! I am so happy for your son!
Oh cool! His book was next to Dean Koontz and Kathy Reichs books. I predict his book will out sell in no time!
Thanks Penn and Michele. His publisher called on Friday to tell him that it's their fastest selling title since she took over -- wanted to know if he'd been talking to anyone. He told he hadn't, but that his mother might have... :)
Oooo so exciting!! I can think of a few people who would like this.
Oh by the way, last summer I told SEP to read your books ;-)
B
Bless you, Biddy. I've just had a call from one of the local papers and they're running a piece this week.
SEP? No. You have to be kidding.
Nope not kidding, was at RWA literacy signing last year in SF. Got her to sign Natural Born Charmer and mentioned you had recommended her to me and that she should really read your books. Whoever was helping her out seemed to know your name...
Thunk...
Liz, congratulations on having such a clever son -- not only a computer genius, but literate and successfully so!!!!!!!!
I'm thrilled to hear that the book's selling well, too. Fabulous.
WOW, two authors in teh family! Congrats Liz's son!
Congratulations to your son! I bet his book would make a great research source for many romance writers. :) Heck, someone with his job would probably make a perfect hero.
Fab news, Liz, and I'm not surprised you're so proud of him. (He's also lucky having you as a support - bet he learns tons from you about talking to newspapers, because I certainly did.)
Definitely turn him to the dark side. He has your genes... and, added to what he knows, wouldn't he make a fantastic thriller writer?
Yay, Wil! All that from seeing Sneakers? I loved it, too, as did my kids, but sadly none of them became IT security consultants as a result.
Congrats to the proud parents, as well!
Wil is giving me plot ideas. Always a good thing.
Hi Kate. Thanks for that. I'm hoping to pop over to see the first born as soon as I have this book in the bag and maybe we'll do some brainstorming!
LOL, Anne! I've been having a lot of fun obsessing over his book on Amazon (it's been on the UK Hot Futures List with the likes of Dean Koontz and Dan Brown for a week) instead of mine, for a change. The first born is somewhat bemused. Wishes people would buy the book, but not read it. I'm trying to remember that v. odd feeling of being published, exposed to the public gaze and the sudden fear that people will hate it.
Many congratulations to your son!
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