J. Luke Bennecke

Pomona, an MBA from Cal State San Bernardino, a private pilot’s certificate, and is a partner in an engineering firm. As a philanthropist, he awards scholarships annually to high school seniors at his alma mater.

The author resides in Southern California with his wife of 30 years, whom he enjoys traveling with, and three spunky cats. He spends his leisure time flying, learning about innovative tech, playing golf, and catching up with his grown daughters. Bennecke is a member of International Thriller Writers and looks forward to attending ThrillerFest every year in New York. Stay Connected

jlukebennecke.com

Uncaged welcomes J. Luke Bennecke

Welcome to Uncaged! Waterborne will release on April 22, and it’s the 2nd book in the Jake Bendel thriller series. The synopsis of this book is actually a bit terrifying on how this could become true in the near future. Can you tell readers more about this series and this book?

At the core of each of the four Jake Bendel books is a real-world problem. I’ve done my best to weave in one possible engineering solution to each of these problems, while wrapping it all up in a thrilling tale that takes the reader on an extraordinary adventure. Waterborne presents us with the possibility of terrorists contaminating our water supply. Unfortunately, these types of scenarios have already started to unfold in real life, so my hope is that this book will help shed some light on the problem which, in turn, might nudge our leaders towards taking appropriate preventative actions.

Your first book in the series, Gridlock is a thriller about self-driving cars and transportation. You are a civil engineer in California trying to improve the roadway systems. Is that where you got the inspiration for Gridlock?

I was stuck in traffic one day on the 210 freeway and it hit me: Why are we, as a society, still tolerating traffic congestion in the 21st century? All of the tech is available to eliminate it, but at what cost? At the time, self-driving cars wasn’t even a term yet, but I wondered what would happen if the bad guys got ahold of a bunch of the vehicles with the intention of inciting fear. Like Waterborne, Gridlock is a cautionary tale rooted in real-world technologies.

What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

At the core of the third book in the Jake Bendel world—already written/edited—is our ailing power grid at its core as the real-world problem (tentative title: Black Out). I’ve included several (hopefully) unique ways to turn our tech against ourselves with the intention, again, of bringing these potentialities to light in order to take preventative action. After that, I might release another book I’ve written/edited in the supernatural suspense genre that will force readers to question their own reality about what happens after we die. I’ve also written a sci-fi suspense screenplay that I plan to reverse-screen-adapt into a full novel tentatively entitled: Time Goggles. After that, I’ll write the fourth Jake Bendel book, where I’ll explore the structural engineering components embedded in various conspiracy theories of the 9/11 attacks.

What are you looking forward to doing when the pandemic is over that you haven’t been able to do?

Traveling! Last February, my wife and I had monthly 2020 trips planned to various places across our great country…all cancelled. I’m also a hugger and miss giving/getting hugs with my family and friends.

The Kill Switch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood made me cry. They did an amazing job of connecting me as the reader to the military dog. In one of the scenes, I found myself completely and emotionally engulfed in the story. That type of reader-character connection is something that inspired me to study my craft even harder.

What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

Honestly, writing helps me relax and unwind. Sometimes, writing is like reading a good book, where you’re lost in the scene, but 10x more intense. I also play the drums, jogging/swimming, and enjoy curling up with my wife on movie night.

How many hours a day do you write? On average, how long does it take to write a full novel?

I’m definitely a morning writer and stick to a strict regimen. I wake up at 5:30, pur a cup of piping hot coffee, and pick up where I left off the day before. Sometimes I only write for a half hour, sometimes eight straight hours, depending on where I’m at in the process. Once I have my rough outline of the plot, I write at least 1,000 words per day (more if I really get on a roll). I give myself the freedom to deviate from the plot if different scenes/ideas pop into my head.

Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books?

Physical books! Always! :) I haven’t been able to get into ebooks, but that’s all my wife reads. Are you reading anything now? I’m just finishing a terrific book by J.D. Barker (The Coast-To-Coast Murders) and James Patterson. Next up is Barker’s latest book: A Caller’s Game. His writing is pure genius and I find it inspirational.

I write for you! Hopefully you enjoy my stories and they have an positive impact on the way you see the world. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and am growing my mailing list, so please visit my website at www.jlukebennecke.com and subscribe.

Enjoy an excerpt from Waterborne

Waterborne J. Luke Bennecke Techno Thriller

A thought-provoking thriller about a very real threat to the essence of life: water. You’ll be forced to consider how you’d react if you were cornered and trapped in a terrifying, lifethreatening situation. Jake Bendel and a cunning team of experts create a five-plant desalination system - all powered by environmentally friendly molten salt reactors - providing clean, healthy drinking water to millions of thirsty Californians. But the dark side of humanity sees this as a chance for revenge against the United States. A genius weaponizes the system, threatening to kill more Americans than all of World War II.

The clock is ticking. Can Jake and the FBI stop the terrorists before more innocent people are murdered in the name of the Jihad? WATERBORNE will grab you by the throat and pull you into a vicious struggle that will define the fate of the world for generations to come.

Excerpt

August 1st – Stockton, California 11:15 p.m.

Mass murder can be complicated. But profitable. From a vacant corner of the Chili’s parking lot, behind a four-foot-high wall of cropped manzanita shrubs, Gunther Pertile scanned the area for civilians. Not a soul in sight. He whipped out his Glock 9mm—with suppressor—aimed at each of the two main overhead lights and squeezed off two muffled rounds. Glass shattered, falling to the ground as the entire scene went dark.

He dismounted his jet-black Harley, then slid off his helmet to reveal the short, curly hair he’d recently bleached to no longer be the dark-haired, dark-eyed killer on the FBI’s most wanted list. Running his fingertips along each of the four loaded mags inside the pocket of his leather jacket, he calculated the time to empty all sixty rounds. At three rounds per second and another three seconds to swap each mag, he could finish in just over half a minute.

One dead every half second.

Not bad.

But he tossed aside his mass shooting fantasy, forced himself back to reality, drew a deep breath and relished the security of his weapon. After two decades as a sniper, he knew tonight’s assignment—his actual job—would succeed.

Piece of cake.

His weapon holstered, he glided through the front door of the restaurant and took a window seat. A flash of blue pulled into the parking lot. The target—a civil engineer named Jake Bendel—wore a gray fedora hat, jeans, a light blue dress shirt and plaid charcoal sport coat as he exited a Tesla and strolled toward Chili’s carrying a laptop, several rolls of paper, and a three-ring binder. Inside, the hostess escorted him to a booth on the room’s opposite side. Physically, the target’s height and weight matched the profile the boss had provided. At a height of just above six-one, maybe two hundred pounds, Gunther evaluated the level of effort to accomplish the abduction.

Within tolerance.

After Bendel sat, he ordered dinner and worked, checking his Apple Watch every few minutes. Gunther took a slow sip of ice water, studying the mostly vacant dining room of the restaurant. Eventually, the target’s food came and he ate—still checking his watch. Gunther smiled. The other members of the assault team had already taken care of Jake’s friend, Dave, who most definitely would not be dining at Chili’s tonight. Or anywhere ever again, for that matter. Gunther finished his water and set the glass on the table.

His Android read 11:55 p.m.

Perfect.

He dug a hand into his pants pocket and wrapped his fingers around a syringe filled with enough Trihypnol to subdue a professional wrestler. With the quarterinch-long needle capped at the tip, he’d avoid accidentally injecting himself with the hypnotic drug.

Trihypnol was the perfect concoction for tonight’s events. Once administered, the victim would remain fully awake, but in a highly suggestible and altered state of consciousness—alert and fully mobile for up to four hours. The famous Dr. Jake Bendel would later crash like a pelted pigeon and sleep for half a day, with zero memory of the evening’s activities.

Bendel stuffed the last piece of halibut into his mouth, chewed, and washed it down with a final swig of beer.

Game time.

LAI n EY CAMER on

Lainey Cameron is a digital nomad and author of women’s fiction. A recovering tech industry executive, her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It tells the story of a Silicon Valley investor who first meets her husband’s mistress across the negotiating table.

A digital nomad—meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time—Lainey is an avid instagrammer. She’s currently riding out the pandemic in San Miguel de Allende, in