Dana Haynes

I wrote CRASHERS and BREAKING POINT, both of which focus in part on technology that is used to bring down airliners.

This week, my friend Andrew Rome brought an article to my attention that suggests one of my fictional creations may have a real-world counterpart. This, of course, appeals to a sick and, frankly, twisted soul like me. Andrew: Thank you. Now make the voices stop. Please.

The article, from The Manchester Guardian, features the headline: Cyber-attack concerns raised over Boeing 787 chip’s ‘back door’

Plus this sub-head: Researchers claim chip used in military systems and civilian aircraft has built-in function that could let in hackers

Oooh… nefarious….

“Two Cambridge experts have discovered a ‘back door’ in a computer chip used in military systems and aircraft such as the Boeing 787 that could allow the chip to be taken over via the internet,” reporter Charles Arthur states.  “’ An attacker can disable all the security on the chip, reprogram cryptographic and access keys … or permanently damage the device,’ they noted.”

I no longer am laboring in the fields of Airliner-Crash-Go-Boom these days – I have a contract with Minotaur books for two novels starring ex-spy Daria Gibron. And I promised Minotaur that no airplanes would be killed or injured in the making of these novels.

But, oh, Andrew Rome, you evil, evil bastard… This is soooo damn good….

Oh, look at the time. Appointment with psycho-therapist. Gotta run. Bye.

Katy agreed to pretend to vamp for the camera, so I could shoot research photos of the security outside the Duomo in Milan. Best … Girl Friend … EVER!

Working on-location in Milan, Italy.

This winter, I wrote the first draft of a scene for the next book. The scene takes place in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, pictured here. Earlier this month, Katy King and I got to travel to Milan to “block” the scene.

That meant I walked the scenes as the characters do. I entered where they did, followed the choreography of a two-pronged firefight. I took in the sights from the point of view of both my protagonist and the antagonists.

Katy took photos, while I jotted notes. We observed the Milanese residents, the tourists, the local and state police, the rhythm of the passers-by.

Now back home, I’m feeding these new facts into the next draft of the novel.

This stuff is invaluable. There is absolutely no book you can read, no website you can visit, that matches the feel of walking the site.

Many novelists hate the re-write process. I’ve rarely had so much fun.