Now Your Character Can Play James Bond. Gadgets with Heather Weidner

Today, I am hosting Heather Weidner. Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. She is President of the Sisters in Crime, Central Virginia Chapter where I recently spoke on the subject of Violence in Writing. Heather’s short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series. Today, she's talking about gadgets that give your protagonist a little James Bond swagger.

Fiona - 

Gadgets! Fun! How did you get interested in the subject?

Heather - 
My sleuth in Secret Lives and Private Eyes is a thirty-something private investigator who has a knack for getting herself in and out of humorous situations, and she often uses what she has handy when she’s on a case. 

Here are some real gadgets that might just be useful. I’m wondering how many Fiona Quinn has.

Fiona - 

(I'll never tell.) 

Heather - 

Tile - is a tag that you can add to things to track where they are. If you’re within a certain radius, you can ring the tile locate it. You can also use the Internet to see the last place you had the item. 

This Camera Pen lets you capture video and audio discretely. You can also use it as an ink pen. 

Spy-Tronix has a variety of home and business-use hidden cameras. My favorites are the electrical box or the fake book with the hidden camera. 

If you’re worried about hidden cameras, this detector will allow you to sweep an area for wireless cameras and eavesdropping devices. 

Identity Stronghold sells RFID blocking wallets to prevent electronic pick-pocketing. 

Here is a sunscreen flask, for those who need a hidden secondary container on a sunny day. 

This aluminum Coke can has a hidden safe for your valuables. Just be careful not to recycle your treasures by accident. 

Pocket Stashes provide you with keyring options for hiding cash, change, or a lighter. 

There are lots of tactical purse options for those who carry concealed weapons. There are also quite a lot of coat, jacket, and vest choices for those who don’t want a purse. 

Pepper spray comes in a variety of sizes and styles. This is a model disguised as lipstick.

This one’s not available yet. It’s just a concept, but I did use the idea in a story. It’s called Undercover Colors. Users can put a finger with this nail polish in their glass to detect the presence of a date rape drug.

And don’t forget your smartphone. In addition to the communications and camera options, there are lots of apps for emergency air horns, compasses, flashlights, and GPS. And most have a way to track them if they’re missing. (Go to this blog article to read more about that)

Fiona - 

Very fun, Heather! I am a total gadget girl. I love this kind of stuff. Hey, can you take a second to tell us about your new book?
Heather - 
Secret Lives and Private Eyes

Secret Lives and Private Eyes is a fast-paced mystery that will appeal to readers who like a strong, female private investigator. 

Business has been slow for PI, Delanie Fitzgerald, but her luck seems to change when a tell-all author hires her to find rock star, Johnny Velvet. Could the singer whose life was purportedly cut short in a fiery car crash still be alive? And as if sifting through dead ends in a cold case isn’t bad enough, Chaz Wellington Smith, III, a loud-mouthed strip club owner, hires Delanie to uncover information on the mayor’s secret life. When the mayor is murdered, Chaz is the key suspect. Now Delanie must clear his name and figure out the connection between the two cases before another murder – probably her own – takes place.

Fiona - 
Visit Heather on her website

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

As always, a big thank you ThrillWriters and readers for stopping by. Thank you, too, for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you 
helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Emergency Phone Apps to Save Your Heroine's Life

Heather Weidner
Facebook Link

My Friend Heather and I were heading home after a book signing for

our Virginia Is for Mysteries anthology and what do you think a nerd girl (me) and a geek girl (Heather) - who both write suspense/crime - would end up talking about? Turns out we were trying to save our heroines' lives with a cell phone.

 

solar charger

First - that phone better be charged, or she will need a way to charge it.

* Power cords (car or wall socket)

* Solar power charger
* hand crank charger

charge cords duct taped to a hand crank charger

Second - Does she have reception? No? She can try the following:

* Keep the cell phone charged (at least 3 bars)

* She can try standing outside of the building.

* Is your heroine geeky? She may know to use UMA and if she knows about and can use UMA then she

   might have the advantage over the predator:

What is "UMA"?
Unlicensed Mobile Access is a technology that allows a UMA capable mobile phone to seamlessly switch back and forth between mobile phone networks and local wireless networks. WiFi and Bluetooth are commonly used for the local wireless part of the system. Simply possessing a UMA capable phone does not mean that a subscriber can make use of UMA services since the system requires back-end support from the carrier. UMA is particularly useful in remote areas where mobile phone coverage is poor, as well as inside of buildings where the network signal might not be able to penetrate building walls. In the US, T-Mobile was the first carrier to start offering UMA services. UMA has been officially ratified by the 3GPP and has been renamed GAN, or Generic Access Network, though most often the technology is still referred to by the UMA name. Quote link

* If your heroine has become aware of a problem of low - say one bar- signal, she may fix the problem with a cell phone signal booster. Your bad guy knows how remote that house is and that his cell doesn't work in the area. So when he cuts the land lines, he's sure that his victim is now without resources for calling 911. Ha! Fooled him.

Video Quick Study (3:48)

* Maybe your heroine's job - or just her inner tech-lovin'-geeky-self just preferred having a satellite phone.
   They now come in handheld like a smart phone. With this technology - it won't matter if the cell phones
    are down or if she's been cast out in the middle of no where.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Video Quick Link (3:51) Explains the phone and discusses the updates and very good information for writing this right.

Video Quick Study (2:39) Or if that price was too hefty and she just felt like she needed to be able to update people as to her progress up Mt. Kilimanjaro then she could have this little piece of tech. Not two-way but small, affordable, and she could certainly send out a, "Help, broken leg, am being eaten by hyenas!" text with the hopes that a friend would take some action on her behalf.

* If your heroine has enough cell service and battery for one very short call to let people know she was
   able to swim herself out of the tsunami, who should she call? HERSELF. She should call her messages  
   and change her outgoing message to reflect her status. That way as her friends and family make panicked
   calls to make sure she is okay - they all find out that she has indeed put her swim classes to good use
   and is now drying out under a palm tree.

All right. Let's say that your heroine has her smart phone, it is fully charged, it has excellent signal, and she needs help. What apps could she have loaded up to save her life?

Let's start with some basics:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)*Flashlight –

* Air horn – There are several free apps for

                      iPhone and Android that let you

                     download a  noisemaker. You

                     may need it to draw

                     attention to something in an 

                     emergency.
* Flashlight - This app uses the cameras flash
                     to provide light in an emergency

* Compass - if your heroine knows the general

                    direction of help (the road, river, town)

* A camera/video can help

                   ` to document a crime  

                   ` send information to a helper ex. a doctor so that clear instructions can be given

                   ` help someone locate their position

* ICE app Link to store 3.99$ tells Energency responders whom to contact, medical conditions etc.

* The Red Cross has first aid apps and pet first aid apps - they will walk you through the medical emergency

                     while you're waiting for the first responders.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Beyond the Basics

* Knot Guide

* Survival Guide - includes

   psychological survival and we

   know that this is KEY. One can do

   everything  wrong but if the desire

   to survive is strong enough, our 

   heroine can still stay alive.

* SAS Survival Guide - especially

   helpful if your heroine has some

   basic bushcraft/survival/prepper

   skills be it from Girl Scouts or

   Military or just growing up playing

   in the mud.

* Wild Edibles - plants. Esp

   good if your heroine can't imagine 

   trapping/killing/cooking wild food.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

*Wilderness Survival - I particularly

   like this one because your heroine
   can choose the terrain: desert, snow,
   coast, forest, sea... And get advice
   for food, shelter, water & fire in her

   particular circumstance.

* Chemical Safety Data Sheet - This free

   application displays the International Chemical

   Safety cards. It provides danger warnings and

   first aid information. This is a great resource

   for writers if you want to know the facts about

   a chemical substance.

Remember, in a disaster EVERYONE is trying to use their cell phone thereby overpowering the cell phone tower capabilities. If your heroine is not using satellite technology, she should send texts.

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