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Character Dear Reader Letter: Veronica von Stade from ‘Plague’ by H.W. “Buzz” Bernard

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lettersJanuary doesn’t have to be all about freezing temperatures and nothing to do! Literarily Speaking will be hosting authors from January 2 – 25 with a fun way to get through the winter doldrums. We are asking authors to have their characters write letters to their readers. If your character had a voice (and of course they do!), what would they like to say to their readers? Now they finally have a say! Put on a hot toddy, light the fire and read these way cool letters to YOU, our dear readers!

Today’s guest is Veronica von Stade from H.W. “Buzz” Bernard’s Plague!

Veronica von Stade is a killer-for-hire wanted by Interpol for questioning in a number of murders and assassinations.  Her parents were members of the Bader-Meinhof Gang, the German terrorist organization that rose to prominence in the early 1970s.  Veronica is strikingly beautiful, but also psychopathic, a deadly combination . . . especially for male targets.  She’s just one of the adversaries my protagonist, Richard Wainwright, faces in PLAGUE.

Dear Readers,

I ask you, Dear Readers, not to judge me too harshly, at least until you know me better.  Then, if you feel compelled to condemn me, I can live with that.  As I always have.

First, I understand that the old conflict of nature vs. nurture will arise.  It’s not something I’ve been able to throughly resolve myself.  Did I turn out the way I did because of the environment of violence, i.e., the Bader-Meinhof Gang, I was raised in?  Or was I genetically predisposed toward–I hate to use the word–psychopathy?    That is, no matter where or by whom I was raised, would I have turned out any differently?

Perhaps all of that is of no matter, however.  I am what I am.

Second, I would caution you to not necessarily believe all that has been written about me, especially in the popular media.  As avid readers, you no doubt have learned not to not accept all that appears in print as gospel.

In Die Welt, a German newspaper, I was characterized as a female version of The Jackal, the infamous political assassin who terrorized France in the 1970s.  I have killed, I admit that, but, as the article in Die Welt pointed out, I am part legend, part myth, and no one really knows how much of each.

Thus, for instance, when you read of me using sex to lure, like a Black Widow spider, certain of my victims, you might wish to consider whether that could be sensationalism or journalistic veracity.

But what is not sensationalism or myth is that I’m elusive.  I’ve been wanted by Interpol for questioning in a number of crimes for over a decade, but have never been apprehended.

It’s true I’ve been “inactive” of recent, so perhaps that has taken some urgency from the hunt for me.  There also has been speculation that I may have retired or been killed. I can vouchsafe that I have not been killed.

Retired?  Well, there’s always enough money to entice one out of retirement.

But the challenge for you, Dear Readers, is to determine how much fact and how much fiction surrounds my life.

I am what I am.

But what is that?

Regards,

Veronica von Stade

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Buzz BernardH. W. “Buzz” Bernard is a writer and retired meteorologist.  His debut novel, Eyewall, which one reviewer called a “perfect summer read,” was released in May 2011 and went on to become a best-seller in Amazon’s Kindle Store.

His second novel, Plague, came out in September 2012.

He’s currently at work on his third novel, Supercell.

Before retiring, Buzz worked at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia, as a senior meteorologist for 13 years.  Prior to that, he served as a weather officer in the U.S. Air Force for over three decades.  He attained the rank of colonel and received, among other awards, the Legion of Merit.

His “airborne” experiences include a mission with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, air drops over the Arctic Ocean and Turkey, and a stint as a weather officer aboard a Tactical Air Command airborne command post (C-135).

In the past, he’s provided field support to forest fire fighting operations in the Pacific Northwest, spent a summer working on Alaska’s arctic slope, and served two tours in Vietnam.  Various other jobs, both civilian and military, have taken him to Germany, Saudi Arabia and Panama.

He’s a native Oregonian and attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he earned a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science; he also studied creative writing.

Buzz currently is vice president of the Southeastern Writers Association.  He’s a member of International Thriller Writers, the Atlanta Writers Club and Willamette Writers.

He and his wife Christina live in Roswell, Georgia, along with their fuzzy and sometimes overactive Shih-Tzu, Stormy.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | LINKEDIN

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Plague 2Deep in the secret recesses of a Cold War lab, the Russians created tons of deadly bio-weapons.  Now, decades later, a protege of that Russian research is about to release weaponized Ebola into the heart of the South’s most iconic city: Atlanta, where the symbols of American “decadence” range from a happily diverse population to the Coca-Cola museum and CNN headquarters.

A preliminary test of the horrifying virus demonstrates the unspeakable suffering of its victims–and alerts the Centers for Disease Control that a terrible pandemic is in the making.  CDC Virologist Dr. Dwight Butler begins a frantic effort to track down the source of the virus before it’s too late.

For new BioDawn CEO Richard Wainwright, it quickly becomes clear that the “accidental” plane crash that killed the pharmaceutical company’s entire executive hierarchy may have some connection to the evolving threat.  Suddenly, Richard is being stalked by a hit woman.  He and Butler join forces to find the lone terrorist at the center of a plan that could unleash the Black Plague of the 21st century.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

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