The Joy of Writing
“Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” — Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
The Mustard Seed
Some of my favorite childhood memories involve writing stories with my dad. I loved choosing words to move the reader to action or even tears. Creative writing in college ignited the flame, whereas legal writing in law school required a shift to facts and analysis and less creative writing. Years of writing articles and blog posts to expose and solve problems became the impetus for writing my first business book on cybersecurity. I learned the value of a book coach and creation team to achieve my “why” for writing the book.
As I work on my next book on artificial intelligence, the puzzle pieces fit more quickly than the first time. Now, I am coaching myself using my organizational skills and top-notch creation team players.
Ultimately, it takes a team to bring a book from the mustard seed to publication and launch. Inspired by the “process,” I’ve moved forward with coaching authors looking to share their knowledge and stories.
My favorite law professor used to say: “You are a diamond. We are all diamonds.” I believe that every book has a diamond inside.
May you find the diamond in your book. That gem can change your readers’ lives.
33 Ways Not To Screw Up Cybersecurity.“
As a cybersecurity subject matter expert at one of the largest insurance brokers in the world, colleagues and clients sought simple, non-technical explanations of the risks, threats, and language used in insurance policies and reinsurance contracts. Since then, a key ingredient in my writing has been to keep it simple (including explaining the numerous acronyms used in cyber).
Here is an excerpt from my book, #23 Ransomware Attacks:
“Distractions Matter in Cyberspace – Ransomware Scenario – In the Blink of an Eye
Day two of the shutdown. Josh and Dave cannot believe what is happening to their successful medical records business. Despite cybersecurity investments, they are now cybercrime victims. All files are locked, and their business operations shut down. Even worse, the ransomware gang has threatened to disclose sensitive information (double extortion or doxing).
On Sunday afternoon (two days earlier), what seemed right with the world flipped to what seemed wrong. Josh, the diligent advocate for cybersecurity in the company, became distracted while working from home — by the barking dog, the crying baby, and his wife arguing on the phone with their internet service provider.
The hackers entered their company network via one single point of compromise. While distracted, Josh clicked on a malicious link in a phishing email.
Josh and Dave had an incident response plan (IRP) tested and ready. They had not counted on double extortion demanding a ransom payment to halt public disclosure of data. This extortion and exfiltration were not in their plan.”
Kristy, Dawn. 33 Ways Not To Screw Up Cybersecurity (pp. 85-86). Networlding Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Bad things happen to well-intentioned online users. The scenarios in my short book give you a window into how to become as cyber-savvy as possible.
If loss prevention fails, you need to know how to respond. You can see how Josh and Dave responded in my book.
Promotion
Today is the final day of the eBook promotion for 99 cents. Of course, you can purchase the eBook or paperback version anytime. Even better, leave a brief, honest book review so other readers can determine if the book will be helpful in their online security behavior.
Remember my mantra: “There is hope.”
Top yellow mustard image from Pixabay by Uschi Dugulin
Diamond image from Pixabay 526663
