"NET Trigger" is Mark Gregory's first novel. It's a technological thriller with a potential internet crash as the main plot thread. It's set in Honduras, Mexico, New Orleans, and Oklahoma.
Net Trigger summary: The Federal Bureau of Investigation receives an anonymous tip of an international technology company's plot to shut down the internet and create a national security risk. They also obtain photographic negatives from a 24-year-old 35-millimeter camera depicting passengers struggling to survive a Convair 580 plane crash. The resolution of the crisis can only be found in the remains of the crash, deep in the Campeche jungle of Mexico. Though separated by decades, two timelines converge as Agen Darin Newsom and a team from Honduras search for the wreckage and the documents that can stop the countdown of the "NET Trigger."
It can be purchased on Amazon, in both Print and Kindle versions.
Endorsements and other information: (note that there's a lot of the plot details.)
Endorsements:
Russ Lee, vocalist for NewSong - “Net Trigger is a faith adventure with lots of interesting twists and turns! Mark uses his giftedness as a communicator to capture your attention and hold it as he takes you on a wild ride. This story will make your heart pound and your imagination soar. Net trigger brings faith and adventure together in a way that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed every word! Thanks Mark. I can’t wait to read what’s next!”
Rick Ezell, author of Seven Sins of Highly Defective People, and How God Shapes Our Character Through Crisis - "Mark Gregory writes with a passion and clarity that kept me turning the pages of his new novel. From beginning to the end, Net Trigger is an action packed adventure that will touch your heart. Read it, but hold on."
Douglas Houston, Christian worker in Honduras - “Careening through Honduran airports, Mexican jungles & hi-tech companies in the US, one is faced with the conclusion that a Christian's words, backed up by his character, is what speaks most loudly to the world around us. I couldn't put it down!”
Jeremy Johnson, Pastor, Orlando, FL - “Net Trigger is a non-stop thrill ride from cover to cover. His descriptive story-telling style is so vivid that you feel like you are a part of the story. This book is filled with a rare combination of action, adventure and compassion that grabs your attention and your heart from the very first word. The character layers are peeled back throughout and keep you guessing the length of the book. The essence of unpredictability!”
What’s the plot? Here’s what I have put on the back cover, as well as to give a quick overview.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation receives an anonymous tip of an international technology company’s plot to shut down the Internet and create a national security risk. They also obtain photographic negatives from a 24-year-old 35-millimeter camera depicting passengers struggling to survive a Convair 580 plane crash. The resolution of the crisis can only be found in the remains of the crash, deep in the Campeche jungle of Mexico. Though separated by decades, two timelines converge as Agent Darin Newsom and a team from Honduras search for the wreckage and the documents that can stop the countdown of the “net trigger.”
The History of Net Trigger’s Development: The root of the concept goes back to my doctoral work (Ph.D. - 1988 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY), where I studied languages and literary theory, specifically how “time” is used in the Old Testament narrative. The idea of time such as: use of flashbacks, foreknowledge, scenes, dialogue, narrative summary – all compellingly tell the history of the Old Testament. My dissertation indicated that the ancient Hebrew writers took the art of writing narrative to a new level compared to other ancient writing.
When I began to develop the idea of a novel, my studies in the “time” aspects of narrative led me to think in terms of a dual timeline. Thus Net Trigger uses a 1985 timeline and a 2009 timeline, all which moves dramatically together, eventually merging into the present day as survivors of the 1985 plane crash play a big part in the 2009 story-line. Such as:
(spoiler note: there are hints of the outcome of the present day story-line.)
A camera from the crash (1985) is found (in present day) and the pictures from the roll of film tell the story of the victims struggle to survive. One of the victims was William Bond, an early developer of the Internet (International Network). He wrote the original Internet Protocol Code and left a back door in place which would allow his company (FairFacts) years later to shut down the Internet and provide their own infrastructure – making billions of dollars in the process. Bond had a personal crisis that led to his desire to shut the backdoor, but before he could reverse the Net Trigger, his own company killed him. It was his notes from the plane crash that would eventually lead to stopping the Net Trigger from being effective.
The actual writing of Net Trigger began many years ago with the general plot of the plane crash and the unfolding story of the survivors, as depicted by photos. A national dilemma formed quickly as I overlaid the concept of an internet failure which could lead to a security crisis. After writing the first few chapters, the novel sat for a while and I slowly added up through about chapter nine or ten. I always said that if I made it past chapter eight, I knew I'd finish it - for some reason, this number of chapters was a coalescing point where the story-line developed and I could more clearly see a natural, and hopefully dramatic, ending. The bulk of Net Trigger was written in about a six month period, where I committed to a disciplined and prodigious effort at writing. After the first draft was completed, I further developed the redemption aspect by adding a late chapter that sent Cole and Jennifer back into the Campeche. (see below) For me, this was a needed amplification of their characters and an appropriate way to demonstrate the redemption that Christ brings to our lives.
Then began the round of editing and searching for an publisher. I submitted to a number of publishers and eventually received two contracts, the second of which I chose: Power Publishing, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana. Under their guidance, I began work with an editor, Liz Lounsbury, who was immensely helpful in the refining process. We worked throughout last fall, accelerated the work in January, then finished and uploaded the files in February. With the cover completed, the book was ready to print, and began to ship around the 6th of March, 2009.
The Redemption Theme: Yes, the theme is very prevalent in the book. Beginning with William Bond’s attempt to reverse the FairFact’s company’s plans to shut down the internet. Redemption finally occurs 24 years later when his notes are used by the FBI to stop the Net Trigger. A second major redemptive act occurs when the missionaries, Cole and his wife Jennifer (Andrews), race back into the jungle to rescue the same mercenaries who just hours before had tried to kill them. Cole’s wife, Jennifer, is a medical doctor and qualified to provide emergency treatment to the wounded mercenaries.
