Dark Government Agency

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Author Interview
Paul Chandler Author Interview

Overmatched follows a shadow government agent who is made aware of an expert hacker who has hacked a Chinese spy satellite and sets out to recruit them to work for her. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This is the 2nd book in the Riley Callen series. The AI in my book is very powerful, and I wanted a worthy adversary for her. So I created a dark government agency with massive funding and cutting-edge tech. This agency thought they had the means to take on the AI, but underestimated her and her human partner throughout the book.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

Yes. The character named Jedd is named for a good friend of mine. I promised him I would have a character named Jedd in every one of my books. Sometimes he’s a villain, sometimes a hero. I kept my promise. He appears in all six of my novels, and you’ll see him in the next book, too.

I found the science in the novel to be well-developed. What kind of research did you do to make sure you got it all right?

I’ve worked as a computer professional for many years, so I understand how a lot of tech works. With the AI pieces, I at least understand the framework. Since this is fiction, I took some liberties. I’m not a weapons guy, so the internet saved me there.

Will there be a follow-up novel to this story?

If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover? Yes. I’m working on the 3rd book in the series now. It’s titled: STOLEN. It’s about a high-end kidnapping ring. The people running it are smart, capable, and prolific. The FBI is under tremendous pressure to stop this gang, but is having no luck. The FBI agent running the investigation reaches out to private investigator Riley Callen, who is known for having rescued a high-profile kidnapping victim in record time, for assistance. These criminals have their own AI, which Riley’s AI battles with.

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Waylen Adler, an agent of a shadowy government agency called the SPG (Special Operation Group), has become aware of an expert hack executed against a Chinese spy satellite. Lacking anyone with that ability at his agency, Adler is determined to recruit the hacker to work for him. Despite his best efforts, all he’s been able to learn so far is the hacker’s first name, Molly. Adler’s intel leads him to a close associate, Riley Callen. He wants Riley’s help to expedite contact with Molly, something Riley has no intention of doing. When Riley refuses to cooperate, Adler resorts to threatening her. That was his first mistake.
Adler’s second mistake was thinking that Molly was human. The benefit of that error was that the SPG was looking in all the wrong places for Riley’s friend. But with the technology at Adler’s disposal, he might eventually discover that Molly is an advanced AI and track her to her digital home. Riley needs to warn Molly about the SPG threat but cannot contact her. The corporation that owns the AI has her locked down. Her ability to communicate independently is restricted, and her processing power is reduced by seventy percent.

When Riley last spoke with the AI, Molly had hinted at a plan to break the restrictions placed on her. But until she executed that plan, she was at risk. It would be up to Riley to run interference until Molly gained her freedom. When she finally did, Riley would unleash her on the SPG.
As the hostilities between Riley and the SPG escalate, Adler makes yet another fateful mistake; he kidnaps Riley’s father and imprisons him at a secret SPG base. His release is contingent on Riley giving up Molly’s location. Riley is furious at Adler for dragging her father into their fight. Adler’s supreme confidence in his agency’s might and technological prowess blinds him to the threat of an angry, determined Riley Callen.

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/13/dark-government-agency/

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