In This Issue

Title Story

How to Record an Audiobook Like a Spy Hunter

Last week, I locked myself in a sound booth at Tonal Park, a recording studio in Takoma Park, Maryland, to record the audiobook for my upcoming release, Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime (dropping October 7 wherever books are sold—or streamed into your earbuds).

Recording an audiobook isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s a reason most authors hand it off. But for this newsletter, I thought I’d pull back the curtain on the process, the pain, the oddly satisfying monotony—and yes, the burping.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens before that familiar “This is Audible” intro, this one’s for you.

This wasn’t my first rodeo. I recorded Gray Day back in 2019. But Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime is a different beast—less personal memoir, more classified tradecraft manual (but in a fun, let’s-not-go-to-prison kind of way).

Getting into my “spy voice” came easier this time, thanks to an earlier LinkedIn Learning course I recorded to accompany the book. Reading for a teleprompter while emoting? Great training. But an audiobook? You’re in a padded room, headphones on, alone with your thoughts—and you can’t move, because even a head tilt changes the mic distance. Combine that with a lifetime of ADHD, and I was living in a very quiet, very focused personal hell.

Tonal Park is a legit band studio. The vibe? Retro cool. At any moment, I half expected the Rolling Stones to swing by on lunch break. The mixing board looked like it came from a spaceship, and the studio door was thicker than anything I ever saw at the FBI. With my post-surgery hand, I needed both arms just to close it.

It took three and a half days of recording—10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with chapter breaks. And here’s the stuff nobody tells you:

You don’t read from a book. Paper rustles. iPads don’t.

The studio setup doesn’t budge all week. Every chair leg is practically taped down. The mic stays fixed. Your job is to sound exactly the same on day three as you did on minute one.

You burp. A lot. Long-form narration plus adrenaline equals air—everywhere. I lost count. So did the poor editor who now has to cut around my world-record belches.

There’s a team in your ear. A director in New York would chime in with line tweaks. The engineer would catch floor squeaks. Eventually, I ditched the shoes and recorded in socks. Total stealth mode.

Pronunciation matters. It’s incredible how many words I write that I never actually say. Or words I’ve been mispronouncing for years. One of the director’s many jobs is to listen to my pronunciation and ensure each word is crisp and correct. I’m the son of a nuclear engineer and mispronounced the word two dozen times. I’m a former counterterrorism agent that couldn’t make my brain put the correct emphasis when saying “Iran.” Any time the word “similarly” came into play, I wanted to throw my iPad across the room.  

Voice care is critical. My routine: two coffees, three chamomile teas with honey, and a throat spray called Beekeeper’s Immune Support. Shout out to my sister-in-law Angela for that magic.

When we finally wrapped and I read the closing credits, it felt like finishing a mission. Kind of like the first time I saw Breach in a Universal Studios screening room with Chris Cooper. Exhausted. Happy. Proud. And ready for what’s next.

If audiobooks are your thing, I hope you love this one. It’s up for preorder now—nudge, nudge.

Cybersecurity Tip of the Week

Credit cards or cash – what currency is safest when traveling?

Cash is always king – but don’t carry a lot of it. This can make you a target. Credit cards are always best because the big credit companies offer fraud protection. I often leave my debit card behind when I travel because if an attacker gets your debit card and ATM pin, they have direct access to your bank account.

Cybersecurity Breach of the Week

NASCAR Gets Hijacked by Medusa

Just before the Indianapolis race, ransomware gang Medusa infiltrated NASCAR’s systems and demanded a $4 million ransom. The breach occurred March 31, wasn’t discovered until June 24, and includes names, Social Security numbers, internal emails, and raceway ground maps.

Despite Medusa publicly claiming the attack in April, NASCAR stayed quiet. By mid-July, the hackers began leaking files. NASCAR has not paid the ransom, according to public disclosures.

Not their first rodeo—Medusa also hit schools, hospitals, and governments. And NASCAR? They’ve seen this track before: a 2016 ransomware hit forced one team to pay in Bitcoin.

Even racing giants can skid off course when they miss the warning signs.

Tech of the Week

Beekeeper’s Naturals Immune Support Throat Spray

I should have asked Beekeeper’s Naturals to sponsor this newsletter issue, but here is some free love for the company that makes this throat spray. I use it routinely before I take the stage as a keynote speaker, every time I travel to countless hotel rooms through dozens of airports. Since I began using the immune support spray, my voice has stayed strong and the post-travel sore throats disappeared. Big thanks to my sister-in-law Angela for the recommendation!

Appearance of the Week

Below is a sample of me reading my Audiobook. I set my phone on the soundboard next to me, so the audio quality is what the phone picks up natively. The final Audiobook version through the superior microphone will sound much better.

This is a snake peek at one of the later chapters in the PAID (Prepare, Assess, Investigate and Decide) section of the book!

Preorder Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime

My new book releases on October 7, but you don’t have to wait to make sure you are one of the first to get it delivered into your hands! Preorder now with this link.

Spies, Lies and Cybercrime will appeal to every person curious or frightened by the prospect of a cyberattack, from students and retirees to the C-Suite and boardroom. 

Join me and take up arms in the current cyber war instead of fleeing while the village burns. Only then can we begin to move the needle toward a world safe from cyber-attacks.  

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Best,
Eric

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