Writers in the Storm

by Piper Bayard
of Bayard & Holmes

The basic function of intelligence personnel (a.k.a. "spooks") is to collect information on people and organizations. One way of doing that is to plant "bugs." People often ask why anyone would bother physically bugging a room when there are so many ways to hack into everything from computers and phones to cars and refrigerators and take over the cameras and microphones in them to spy on people.

Physical bugging is still useful because one should not count on the target to have their devices with them, turned on, and pointed in the right direction for proper surveillance. Also, some people are savvy enough to keep electronics out of the room for important meetings or discussions.

Pro Tip #1 - Secure Conversations at Home

If you need to have a private conversation in your house, turn off your computers and keep them well out of the room. Also, turn off phones and put them in the microwave. A microwave should block the signals.

To test this, put your phone in the microwave when the phone is on and then call it. If your phone rings, your conversation is not secure, and neither is your microwave. You need to replace it.

What is a "bug?"

In spook parlance and crime stories, the term “bug” refers to electronic devices for clandestinely monitoring targeted spaces. We’ve all seen and read about fictional spooks locating bugs in homes, offices, and hotel rooms. The characters usually find them in a few seconds on lampshades, behind pictures, and inside desk phones. It’s cute and convenient for writers to pretend that bugs are so easy, but in modern times, this is far from the truth.

In the early years of the Cold War, the Soviets successfully bugged the US Ambassador to the Soviet Union’s residential office in the US Embassy in Moscow from 1945 – 1952. They did this by presenting the ambassador with a gift of a carving of the US Great Seal. Once the bug inside the Great Seal was discovered in 1952, the Central Intelligence Agency ("CIA") invested heavily in developing better bugging and bug-detection technology.

The agency also developed “audio teams,” whose specialty it was to bug targeted spaces. The term audio team predates video surveillance, but it is still used by older (pre-video) spooks, while the term "tech teams" is used by younger ones. Intelligence services around the world all now field such specialty teams.

Bugging technology has improved tremendously since audio teams were first formed, but the tech teams of today still use some of the basic practices and principals developed prior to 1960. While other types of intelligence personnel partake in bugging activities as opportunities allow, when time and opportunity permit, a specialized team can do a better and less-detectable installation of bugs.

How an operative or a team bugs a location depends on several factors.

Time—How soon do they need the information?

If they need critical information quickly, a field spook may not have time for a tech team to show up and do a thorough job. In that case, the spook would do the job, and they all have varying degrees of training and expertise in basic bugging techniques. In other words, your character's time constraints will dictate whether they plant the bug or they call in a team.

Time—How long will they have to plant the bugs?

If a field spook or a team has only a few minutes, then they will use the simplest installations of disguised bugs. If a tech team has as much as twenty minutes to work, they consider it a luxury. With less time, they will be less thorough.

Time—How sophisticated is the target?

In twenty minutes, a six-person tech team can install a top-quality eavesdropping system that will be difficult for even a sophisticated opponent such as a Russian or Communist Chinese embassy to detect. With a less-sophisticated target, such as a drug gang or a Third World military or diplomatic installation, a good team can do a great job in as little as five minutes.

Time—How long must the power source for the bug last?

Bugs are transmitters, and they need a power source. Some bugs are now smaller than a dime, and in the smallest devices, battery power is limited. However, technology allows for bugs to use external power sources, such as the target’s own electrical system.

The bug’s transmission need not be powerful. In fact, if a bug transmits too strong a signal, the target can detect it too easily.

The bug pictured here doubles as an answering machine cord. It is an example of the fact that anything can be rigged as a bug. Anything.

The answering machine this was used on also provided the bug's power source. Not only did this bug pick up phone conversations, but the large black end has tiny holes in it, allowing it to transmit conversations that took place in the room where it was located. It worked well until the Soviets figured it out around 2005.

Location—Where can the operative or audio team monitor the bugs?

Bugs must be monitored, but that is made complex by the fact that a bug transmitting a strong signal is more likely to be detected. That means that to monitor a bug, either the spook or the tech team must be nearby, or there must be relays.

If the spook or team can’t safely monitor the installed bug from a nearby location, such as an apartment or business in an adjoining building, then larger (but still compact) relays can be installed near the bug to receive and re-transmit the bug’s weak signal. One reason this answering machine bug avoided detection for so long was because it only had to transmit as far as the closet on the other side of the wall, where a larger relay transmitted the signal farther.

Field operatives and tech teams can also install monitoring equipment in a vehicle. A car’s trunk can contain equipment that can trigger a relay to quickly transmit information and recordings picked up by the bug in a matter of seconds. All the spook or team has to do is drive the vehicle past the relay.

Alternative Installation Methods

Sometimes, the spook doesn’t need to access the space. Many a bug has been placed by sending a nice gift to a target, such as a heavy desk clock, a lovely antique lamp, or the US Great Seal carving referenced above.

The trick in these cases is to have a viable source for the gift. A contractor trying to do business with a foreign embassy might serve as such a source if the contractor is in the employ of the folks doing the bugging. Unfortunately, most of the premier targets, such as a Russian embassy, will not be easily duped into accepting gifts and placing them in secured areas.

In the ideal case, a targeted building can be bugged during construction. These windfalls are infrequent, but they provide the best opportunity for placing the most sophisticated, long-acting bugs.

A more frequent event would be gaining access when repair work is being done. If your character can intercept a delivery of new furniture or appliances, then they have a great opportunity to place high-quality bugs and thoroughly disguise the installations without setting foot on the premises.

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The Field Spook’s Bugging Kit

Once your character gains access to a space by way of bribery, trickery, or breaking and entering, their bugging kit need not be any larger than a paperback novel.

A basic bugging kit would include bugs that can be programmed to record and/or transmit on preset schedules. The bugs could also be turned on and off remotely to foil bug sweepers. The kit would contain a small hand drill, a minimal paint set, and epoxies for patching minute holes in walls. The paint is odor-free and fast-drying. For the finishing touch, the kit would contain a “puffer” for adding a layer of ambient dust to a painted area.

The entire kit might be disguised in something such as a travel-size chess set or built into real cosmetic containers.

One Way a Field Spook Plants a Bug in a Wall

The field spook first selects an advantageous location, often just above a baseboard. She begins by drilling a small hole, catching the dust on a little piece of plastic. She then selects a bug from her assortment, pops it in the hole, and seals the hole with epoxy. She empties the wall dust from the hole into a baggie and then uses the plastic as a palette to mix dabs of paint to match the color of the wall. With a small brush, she paints over the epoxy and then collects all of her materials to take with her.

As a finishing touch, she sucks up ambient dust from against the baseboard with the puffer and puffs it onto the freshly-painted wall until it looks like the surrounding area.

Final Thought

In short, your character's bugging efforts will be believable if you consider the full nature of the opportunities they have for surveillance and plan their bug installations accordingly. Where are they? How much time do they have? Who is the target? What equipment do they have? Work logically with the space, time, and tools available, and your characters will bug like the pros.

Do you have any questions about bugging? What kinds of surveillance equipment do your characters use in your books?

About Bayard & Holmes

SPYCRAFT: ESSENTIALS

What do the main intelligence agencies do and where do they operate? How do they recruit personnel? What are real life honey pots and sleeper agents? What about truth serums and enhanced interrogations? And what are the most common foibles of popular spy fiction?

With the voice of over forty years of experience in the Intelligence Community, Bayard & Holmes answer these questions and share information on espionage history, firearms of spycraft, tradecraft techniques, and the personalities and personal challenges of the men and women behind the myths.

Though crafted with advice and specific tips for writers, SPYCRAFT: Essentials is for anyone who wants to learn more about the inner workings of the Shadow World. CLICK HERE

“For any author, this is the new bible for crafting stories of espionage.”

~ James Rollins, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Demon Crown

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Piper Bayard and Jay Holmes of Bayard & Holmes are the authors of espionage tomes and international spy thrillers. Please visit Piper and Jay at their site, BayardandHolmes.com. For notices of their upcoming releases, subscribe to the Bayard & Holmes Covert Briefing. You can also contact Bayard & Holmes at their Contact page, on Twitter at @piperbayard, on Facebook at Piper Bayard, or at their email, BayardandHolmes@protonmail.com.

by Eldred “Bob” Bird

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my writing life, it’s that everything has a story. Every object within my sphere came from somewhere. It had a beginning and will eventually have an end. Along the way it may pass through many hands and touch countless lives before being swallowed up by the sands of time.

Part of being a writer is being able to extract that story. Proper research is one way to accomplish the task, but sometimes the object itself will speak to you if you’re willing to listen. I’d like to tell you how one of those objects spoke to me.

A Cycle of Life

Besides writing, one of my other passions is cycling. For the most part I keep the two separate, but sometimes my worlds collide. A few years back the writing and riding came together in an unexpected way.

I have a birthday tradition. On my special day I mount my bicycle and ride one mile for every year of my life. This was a nice challenge at first and served me well for many years. However, as my fitness level increased, the difficulty of the task diminished, making the annual outing feel like any other day in the saddle. One thing became evident—I needed to find a way to put the magic back into the ride.

I decided that magic should come in the form of a new bike . . . well, a new-to-me bike. I began looking for a bicycle made the same year I was born—a kindred spirit of sorts.

After months of searching, my quest ended with an online auction for a 1959 Schwinn Traveler three-speed in less-than-stellar condition.  The bike was scratched, rusty, and needed completely worked over. It was perfect for my purpose.

The next step involved the frame. My original goal was to make it shine like new, but while contemplating touching up the paint something stopped me.

I sat studying all the scratches and chips on its surface, inspecting each one carefully. For some reason I couldn’t bring myself to paint over the flaws. Then it dawned on me—they were telling me a story.

I ran my fingers over the cool steel tubes, feeling every imperfection like a blind person reading a page of Braille. The history of this bike was written in the scratches and wear marks peeking through the fading black paint. These were scars left by half a century of use, much like the scars adorning my own body.

I inspected the circular marks rubbed into the top tube. Is this where the cable and lock that protected it from thieves hung? And wear bands on the seat stays, likely from a book rack—perhaps this bike transported someone to a higher education, or maybe propelled a young entrepreneur along his paper route.

This two-wheeled treasure read like an old mystery novel. 

How many miles had it seen? What roads had it traveled? How many lives had it touched?  My imagination ran wild with the narrative spelled out by this road-weary traveler. I had to ask myself a question—how could I just erase that life with a little pigment and a brush?

I couldn’t do it.

After a great deal of contemplation, I opted to go for preservation, rather than restoration.  I carefully finished cleaning the frame without editing the story laid out before me and sealed it up with a coat of wax before reassembling the bike.

Me and My Birth Year Bike

Now, when I climb aboard this rolling piece of history every summer for my birthday trek, I do my best to respect its past and guarantee its future.  The bike gets cleaned, adjusted, and lubricated with great care, but I don’t panic when I put a scratch or two in the paint. I simply look at it as adding my own chapter to the book of this amazing machine’s life.

I plan on spinning a series of tales inspired by the scars on this incredible machine.

Beginning with the first owner, each section will tell the story of how this particular bike came into their possession and how it changed their life before moving on to the next person, finally ending up under my care.

Your Turn

Now that I’ve shared the story of my special object, here’s an exercise to help you do the same. Look around you and pick out an item. It can be something you just acquired, or a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. The more unusual the object, the better.

Got your item? Good.

Now pick it up, feel the weight, run your fingers over the surface, and study every detail. Think about all the other hands that have touched it. Who made it? How did it come into your possession? What will happen to it when you’re gone? Could it be at the center of a mystery? Maybe it’s the “Maltese Falcon” in your next tale of intrigue and adventure.

Let your imagination run wild and jot down everything you can think of. Got it? Now write the story!

What object did you choose? What ideas did it inspire? Tell us about it in the comments!

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About Eldred

Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.

When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives). His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. He can be found on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.

All photos courtesy of Eldred Bird.

by Julie Glover

Social media can be a fantastic way for authors to connect with resources, share about their books, promote events, and more. But there's another aspect of social media for writers—the social part.

I've experienced many benefits of making friends online. And you can too.

Pearls of Writing Wisdom

If you want to find pearls, first find oysters. Fellow writers are like oysters—people who create and polish up their wisdom and then share it with you.

Sure, you can find fantastic courses, conferences, and craft books, but there's an added layer when a friend says to you, "Here's what worked for me." Of course, you don't always agree, because what works for them doesn't necessarily work for you. But with so many pearls, you can sift through and find the best ones.

Plus, you can share what you've learned. It's always a good feeling to help others on their path.

Resource Information

We tend to trust recommendations and advice from people we know more than people we don't, so writers who are also friends can be a great boost to your knowledge of resources.

They can give great recommendations for a book cover designer, a copyeditor, a writing coach. Or they can assist directly by critiquing your manuscript, showing you how to set up a Facebook ad, etc.

More than once, I've answered a grammar question for a writer friend—because I'm here and they asked, plus I have subscription access to the Chicago Manual of Style. They bring other perks, but I'm their go-to grammar girl. It's a win-win.

People Who "Get It"

When a writer posts about what it's like to work on a book, their writer friends nod their heads, comment with understanding, and let them know "you're not weird, you're just a writer."

Honestly, I had no idea other people told themselves tales in their heads, imagined stories for people they saw in coffee shops or at the mall, and tucked away ideas and phrases they might use someday, somehow—until I was among others who had similar experiences. Turns out I was normal, for a writer.

When you're wanting someone who understands your excitement about a book deal or release, relates to your struggles and disappointment when the story isn't working, or appreciates how the characters you created seem so real—other writers on social media get it.

Shared Expenses

My roommate for two years at DFW Con was a woman I met through social media, or rather, through a mutual friend on social media who connected us. The woman and I conversed online, threw in together, and it went so well, we roomed together the next year as well. Two of my roomies at RWA National one year were also online friends.

Others have shared expenses with hotel rooms, taxi or Uber rides, book marketing, buy-one-get-one courses, and much more.

Connecting with another writer online can save you money...and create friendships.

Real-life Friends

By far, the biggest perk is real-life friendships. Yes, some people I will only ever know online, but others I met online, later met in person, and became good friends with. Among them are Laura Drake (a prior host here), Jenny Hansen (the heartbeat of WITS), and Catie Rhodes (an amazing writer).

Others I'd met in person but strengthened my relationship through social media, such as Elizabeth Essex, Melinda VanLone, and Christina Delay.

I'm not alone. Many of you have forged lasting friendships with other writers that began on social media.

How to Be Social Online

None of these perks come with interacting on social media solely as a marketing platform. Yes, plenty of authors have good results to show for engagement, ads, and promotions on social media. However, if you want social connections, here are a few suggestions for how to make genuine friends online.

Be authentic.

Real people are like your readers: they want three-dimensional characters. If you present yourself as a writing entity, you won't connect with others. You don't have to share about your whole life. In fact, don't. But be honest about who you are and how things are going.

Many people I met through social media later turned out to be the same in person. Because they'd been authentic online. (Although Jenny Hansen's voice was pitched way lower than I originally expected! She's like Lauren Bacall, y'all.)

Part of this, by the way, is to show your face. It's fine to have a different profile pic or use an avatar now and then, but people want to interact with a person. Authenticity involves showing your face. (And no, not the face you had 30 years ago when you took your last professional photo—the one you have now.)

Be more positive than negative.

Some great research by The Gottman Institute shows that a healthy relationship needs about five positive interactions to every one negative interaction. Think about that when you decide what to post.

That doesn't mean you can never share about some fecal festival you're dealing with, but if you've built up goodwill, such posts come across as authentic rather than "there he goes again."

Also, be sure to celebrate others' successes and giving encouragement when needed. That positivity is always appreciated.

Find your niche.

What aspects define you? Figure out what those are and let them guide what kinds of things you post.

Are you a crafter? Share what you're working on. Are you a traveler? Share pics of where you've been. Are you an animal lover? Share dog or cat memes. Are you a movie lover? Share what flicks you're watching. Are you a hard-livin' cynic with a past that would make the average person's eyes pop? Share a story or two with a splash of sarcastic humor.

People like having that window into who you are, and it helps you connect with others in authentic ways.

Be courteous.

Finally, just be nice online. Thank people when they share something you posted or about your book. Apologize if you spoke too soon or crossed a line. Share your own experiences or ideas, rather than telling people what to do. Admit when someone else has a point.

Say "please," "thank you," and "excuse me." And if it's your thing, say "Happy Birthday!" when someone's special day comes around.

Good manners aren't about rules, but about making others feel welcome and comfortable. Do your part to make social media a nicer place to be.

How has the social side of social media benefited you as a writer? What advice do you have for other writers to get the most out of social media?

Image credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Julie Glover is an award-winning author of mysteries and young adult fiction. She also writes supernatural suspense under the pen name Jules Lynn.

Her most recent release is My Stepmom's Ghosts, the third of five YA paranormal short stories coming out this year.

When not writing, she collects boots, practices rampant sarcasm, and advocates for good grammar and the addition of the interrobang as a much-needed punctuation mark.