|
Reviews for L.A. Bytes
"L.A. Bytes is filled with one event occurring after the other and at times on top of each other. Brown has written a book with a storyline that grips you from the very beginning and never loses its pace. Chris and David are solid, likeable characters and Brown has the presence of mind to offer the reader insight into the lives of this gay couple. L.A. Bytes has balance, an intriguing, fast moving plot and a great portrayal of the characters. Brown has accomplished a fantastic job with L.A. Bytes! "
Visit P.A. Brown's web site
Read an excerpt from L.A. Bytes
About P.A. Brown P.A. Brown wrote her first book at 17. She read her first positive gay book then, The Lord Won't Mind, by Gordon Merrick, and had her eyes opened. After holding a host of jobs, at forty she went back to school and became a Network engineer, which eventually landed her on the shores of Bermuda where she spent two years learning how to drink rum swizzles and battle hurricanes. Back in Canada, she buckled down and started producing books seriously resulting in a multitude of books coming out in the next year. She is the author of the L.A. series, featuring LAPD homicide detective, David Eric Laine and includes L.A. Heat, L.A. Mischief and the latest L.A. Bytes. She also authored Geography of Murder, Lynx Woods and Memory of Darkness.
Backlist
L.A. Heat L.A. Mischief L.A. Boneyard Memory of Darkness Geography of Murder Lynx Woods Man's Best Friend.
Extras
Trailers for 2 novels: L.A. Heat and Geography of Murder can be found here: http://www.pabrown.ca/trailers.htm
Character Interview with Chris and David here: http://www.pabrown.ca/interview.htm
Character Interview with David: http://naughtylittlevamp.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-bites-with-pat-brown.html
An Interview with P.A. Brown
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: P.A., thank you for talking with us at TRS! Please tell us about your featured book, L.A. Bytes.PA: L.A. Bytes is book 4 in the L.A. series featuring LAPD homicide detective David Eric Laine and his lover Christopher Bellamere. In the first book, L.A. Heat David was deeply in the closet and the last thing he wanted to do was fall in love. But when Chris enters his life, first as a murder suspect, then potential victim and the choice is forced on him. In L.A. Bytes, their relationship is more mature and the threats come from outside of their relationship when Chris has to find out who is threatening to bring Los Angeles to its knees with a virulent cyber attack on the city's infrastructure. David's life is in danger and in the end Chris is the only one who can save him.
HH: Medical records are compromised by a dangerous hacker and your heroes must stop the person responsible because lives are on the line. Where did you get the idea for this exciting story? PA: Back in 2003, after the big Northeast black out that threw most of Ontario into darkness. Shortly after this I came across a book called Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism, which dealt with the danger posed by a cyber-terrorist attack on the U.S. computer- and network-dependent infrastructure. In it, the author talked about how an event like the black out (if it had been the result of a terrorist act) could have been followed by other cyber attacks as well as physical attacks on power structures which could essentially disrupt the entire country. At the time I was working with computers as a Network Engineer so I knew how vulnerable most networks are. As everything in our lives become more computer controlled this threat will increase. I wanted to write a book with this as a theme. I could have embarked on a huge thriller where the threat is world wide, but I wanted it more personal and since Chris, David's lover is a network engineer like I was, I wanted him involved. The threat to first, David, then the city of Los Angeles allowed me to make the book both personal and something that could appeal to anyone interested in thrillers around cyber threats.
HH: What do you like best about Christopher and how do you relate to him? PA: I love his openness. He doesn't hide who he is, whether it's his love for David or poking holes in other people's hypocrisy. He doesn't do things because it's expected. He has such a zeal for life and his love for David is so pure. He's also deeply loyal to his friends, which is something I love, it's a quality I don't always find in reality, which saddens me.
HH: What sort of research went into this story? PA: I read Black Ice as well as other books and magazine articles on threats to computer security. And of course there is a huge amount of material on-line. My research tends to be ongoing. I enjoy finding out new things and like nothing more than digging up some new, obscure piece of information even if I never use it in a story. To me, learning never ends and I hope I can keep saying that as long as I'm alive.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers? PA: A sequel to Geography of Murder will bring Alexander Spider and his lover Jason Zachary back. There are at least 2 more L.A. series books due. One will take the two lovers to Bermuda when David discovers his father, who he was told died before his birth, is alive. In Bermuda Heat, both Chris and David are very much fish out of water in this story. The following book will be back in L.A. where David is once again dealing with one of the more virulent gangs in L.A. I'm also trying my hand at historical novels, some mainstream and others with strong gay characters.
Finally, my first published Science Fiction novel Fall Into the Night will be out in July from Amber Quill Press. For nearly two decades, I wrote nothing but science fiction, but I never tried to get any published. Depending on how this one is received, there may be a sequel.
HH: What do you think today's readers are looking for and how do you fill that demand in your writing? PA: I think readers want the same thing they always have -- good stories with strong, sympathetic characters. I personally love having rich, flawed characters who have to overcome major problems and grow. I'll confess I've had some strong reactions to some of my characters and I like that. People like Alexander Spider who seems hard and even cold, who falls in love with Jason despite himself. Or Johnny Wager, who's a con man, burglar and mostly reformed car thief who finally tries to do the right thing and can't even seem to get that right.
HH: What makes it all worth it to you as an author? PA: Hearing from someone who read one of my novels for the first time and contacts me to tell me they loved it. Hearing from total strangers that somehow I touched them is a wonderful feeling.
HH: Do you read print books, ebooks, or both? PA: At this time I don't haven an ereader so I read all my books in paperback. Some day I will probably get one -- I'm leaning toward the iPad, once they've had a generation or two under their belt. But even then, I will always like books. At this time I would only go with a publisher who did both, or left me the rights to do whatever they don't want to do.
HH: Any big plans for the summer? PA: Nothing really. I have a couple of book ideas to work on -- both historical, one gay the other hetero. I'm also working on getting an agent for them, with hopes of getting a larger NY publisher.
In September, I'm going to Lee Lofland's Writers Police Academy in North Carolina to spend a weekend getting some hands on training from real police instructors. It should be a big help in future police procedurals.
HH: Thank you!
top
Close this window
Copyright © 2010 theromancestudio.com
| 
