Welcome! Welcome! Mystery fans! We’re celebrating A Spy Like Me today and all week!
I’m excited to welcome Gina Robinson today to talk about spy gadgets! #cool She’s the author of two spy books for adults and I can’t wait to read them!
Facebook ~ Twitter @ginamrobinson
I write what I like to call spylicious romance. Another term might be action adventure romantic comedy. My books are filled with love, action, and humor. And spy gadgets–everything from real, currently available on-the-market devices, to humorous gadgets spies wished they had. That’s the great thing about writing about spies–you can make gadgets up as the need arises. Think about the things Q creates for James Bond. Does anyone really have a car with an ejector seat, a high-powered oil jet, and .30 caliber machine guns behind the headlights? Bond does. Why shouldn’t your spies? Oh, and Bond had a set of rocket-firing bagpipes, too. You never know when a nice set of pipes will come in handy.
Need ideas for what kinds of spy devices to invent for your plot? Turn to the experts. I write humor so I often go to classic humorous spies for my inspiration. One of my very favorites is the old, classic Get Smart TV show. I have several seasons of it on DVD and I pop by Get Smart fan sites whenever the need arises.
Max Smart had one of the first cell phones–his shoe phone. Which now, in the more modern Get Smart movie, resides in a museum. Thanks to his creators, Max was decades ahead of his time. Max also had all sorts of phones disguised as everyday objects, as well as guns in every form–pool cue guns, charms on charm bracelet guns, even rubber duckie guns. Don’t give that one to the kids by mistake at bath time. He also had poisonous soap and a ping-pong ball grenade. His sidekick, 99, had poisonous lipstick. Are you sensing a theme here? Anything goes.
If you’re looking for something a little more realistic, visit one of the many spy supply sites online. You’ll be amazed at the real spy items the everyday person can buy–teddy bear cams, rearview sunglasses, listening ears, video pens. I have a video pen. It’s great fun to use. I also have several pair of rearview sunglasses–love them! I used them for comedic effect in my novel The Spy Who Left Me.
That’s my real message–whether you use real or imaginary devices, just have fun.
Gina Robinson is the Kindle bestselling author of The Spy Who Left Me. Her latest novel, Diamonds Are Truly Forever, releases on May 22, 2012. Check out her website, www.ginarobinson.com, for a full listing of her books.
Gina’s offering up a copy of The Spy Who Left Me! Thanks so much Gina! I love me some spy gadgets!
Enter to win Uncommon Criminals.
Enter to win The Emotion Thesaurus.
Thanks everyone!
Funny, I just finished my spy novella. Unfortunately it’s set in 1811 so there weren’t a whole lot of gadgets to use, although he does keep a dagger in his boot. Not all that much fun, but he does get to throw it at the enemy.
Every guy digs the Bond gadgets!
Congratulations Gina on your new release. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Congrats on your new release!!! Bookshelf Muse told us all about it 🙂
I love the idea that there are online spy supply sites! I’ll keep that in mind. 🙂
These sound like fun books.
Get Smart was such a fun show! So much silliness – great stuff! 🙂
Love the term spylicious romance! Gadgets would be one of the most fun and most intimidating parts of writing spy fiction. Sounds like some fun stuff to learn!
I love the old Get Smart TV shows! Oh yes, those were such fun!
I like your ideas for spy gadgets. I have a series of book planned, funny spy stories, kind of like Get Smart. I can’t wait to make up gadgets! I bet it is half the fun!
I love spy stuff — and humor! It’s so hard for me to write, so I appreciate the talent it takes to do funny.
I agree– gadgets do instill a huge sense of fun into this genre. Think about 007 for example. Each movie, we look forward to his visit to HQ when he gets his latest set of spyware to handle the upcoming mission. Gotta love it, and the more inventive, the better. 🙂
Angela