H. L. Wegley served in the USAF as an Intelligence Analyst and a Weather Officer. In civilian life he performed research in atmospheric physics. After earning an MS in Computer Science, he worked 20+ years in systems development at Boeing before retiring near Seattle, where he and his wife of 47 years enjoy small-group ministry, grandchildren, hiking on the Olympic Peninsula, snorkeling Maui whenever possible, and where he writes inspirational thrillers and romantic suspense novels.
How to connect with H.L....
Author web (being rebuilt) – (this is the interim web site): http://hlwegley.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/HLWegley
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/H.-L.-Wegley/e/B00B1XMR56
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hlwegley
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4460203.H_L_Wegley
Blog – The Weather Scribe – a climate of suspense and a forecast of stormy weather: http://weatherscribe.blogspot.com/
Character Interview: Katie Lloyd
Q: I understand you recently had a harrowing adventure. Would you like to tell us about it?
A: I’d rather not. I’ll just say this—I was one of three girls chosen by human traffickers to—well you can guess what they planned to do with us. It’s only because of God and two wonderful people, Jennifer and Lee, that I’m here today, and that I’m not … that I’m … you know …
Q: We understand, Katie. Let’s talk about something else. You are a beautiful young lady and you look so much older than 15. You’re a foster—
A: I know what you’re going to ask. If I’m so wonderful, why didn’t someone adopt me? Or something like that. After my mom died, when I was 3, I ended up an orphan and went into foster care. Not all foster parents like children. They just want the money … or worse. When I got older, there were several attempts at abuse, because of … because of what you mentioned about me. And I’ve been harassed by guys since I turned 12 or 13. But that stopped last year.
Q: That sounds terrible. But you said it stopped?
A: Well, at school it stopped. This boy tried to kiss me on the school grounds. I decked him. Knocked him out cold. He was too embarrassed to report it, but I had to tell the school nurse, because it scared me when he didn’t get up for a few minutes.
Q: A girl knocking out a junior-high-age boy—that must have hurt his pride. We’ve been told that you are quite athletic. What have you done besides—
A: Besides knocking out guys? I don’t mean to laugh about it. But, since he wasn’t hurt, now it does seem almost funny. About sports, I play fast-pitch softball.
Q: Do you pitch?
A: I could, but the coach thinks throwing runners out at 1st base is important too. My coach put me at shortstop, because I can throw harder than most of the guys on the baseball team. He put a baseball in my hand once and pointed the varsity’s radar gun at me. Said my hardest throws were over 80.
Q: That’s right up there with Jamie Moyer’s fastball. I used to watch him at Safeco when he pitched for the Seattle Mariners. Do you have any sports dreams?
A: I’d love to play on the UW Huskies fast-pitch team and make it to the National Championships.
Q: It sounds like you have college plans. We’ve heard that you are a genius, with an IQ high in the genius bracket.
A: That’s what my school counselor says. I’m only a sophomore, but she’s already trying to get me to apply to some Ivy League school. An athletic scholarship looks like it might pay for more of my college, and I’d like to go to UW. They won a national championship in softball a few years ago.
Q: What do you plan to study in college?
A: Softball. :) Seriously, I want to work for the FBI, maybe right here in Seattle, in the Seattle Division Cyber Task Force. Catch the bad guys plotting terror attacks, cyber-attacks, cyber-crime, and cyber-espionage. So it’s probably going to be Computer Science for me.
Q: Wow! That sounds exciting.
A: Some of it is really boring, until you locate the bad guys and find out they’re actually local. Then it can get dangerous.
Q: It almost sounds like you’ve had some experience. But at 15, you haven’t actually—
A: Not me. But Jennifer has. She has temporary custody of me. She told me a little about her work with NSA. FBI Agent Peterson told me a lot more. You’ve probably seen his name in the news a lot lately, especially after the human-trafficking incident. He says he’ll help me get a job with the Bureau after I graduate from college, if that’s what I still want to do.
Q: Let’s see, you’re about 5-foot-9, a genius, an athlete, and very beautiful, is there anything Katie Lloyd can’t do?
A: I can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It’s not like I do bad things, or go looking for it, but trouble seems to find me anyway. Like when the trafficking gang abducted me.
But the worst thing is that I haven’t been able to find a permanent home with people who love me. But maybe that’s about to change. That’s what I’m praying for anyway, because Jennifer and Lee—I shouldn’t say too much yet. Nothing’s official.
Just a minute … sorry, but I’ve got to go now. Granddad—he’s Jennifer’s grandfather—just answered a call and he sounds upset. I hope nothing has happened to Jennifer and Lee. I’m staying with Granddad while Jennifer and Lee are on their honeymoon in Maui.
[Book 3 in the Pure Genius Series]
In an instant the Maui honeymoon of Lee's dreams morphs to a
nightmare when Jennifer disappears on their wedding night. Were the abductors
the trafficking ring Jennifer crippled or does an even a more sinister
organization want her for other purposes.
With the clock ticking toward Jennifer's impending sale,
Lee, accompanied by their fifteen-year-old foster daughter, Katie, and
Jennifer's grandfather, begins his own search of the island. As the search by
Lee and the authorities intensifies, he fears beautiful Katie might end up in
the crosshairs of the traffickers.
Can Lee save both his bride and his future daughter? What if
he has to make a choice? If Jennifer is sold, could she kill herself to avoid a
life filled with degradation and horror? If she did, would God forgive her?
Purchase Moon Over Maalaea Bay
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Thanks so much for sharing with us Katie (and H.L. of course). Moon Over Maalaea Bay sounds like a thrilling read and I can't wait to hear more from Katie! If you've missed H. L.'s other books you should catch up with Hide and Seek (find my RE:View here) and On The Pineapple Express.
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