#Olen Steinhauer

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[mistresskayla-blog1]

A Swiss Escape

Characters: Daniel Miller x Courtney Roeber

Lyn's Writing Event - Week 4 - Day 24 (late submission)

The chalet was made of sturdy wood, with a sloping roof to let the snow slide off. The windows are framed with wooden shutters, and smoke gently curls from the chimney, indicating a fire inside. Outside, the snow blankets the ground, creating a serene and picturesque scene. The surrounding trees are frosted with snow, and the only sounds you hear are the soft crunch of snow under your feet.

Part 1:

May 24th: Week 4: Blizzard

Characters: Daniel Miller x OC Courtney Roeber (Swiss French)

The character of Daniel Miller was created by Olen Steinhauer, Bradford Winters and Zach Craley for television.  

Fandom: Richard Armitage – Berlin Station – Daniel Miller

Word Count: 1.9k (part 1)

Warnings: extreme weather, blizzard, potential smut, survival, no electricity, stranded, escape scenario, international spies, CIA, guns, knives,

The chalet was made of sturdy wood, with a sloping roof to let the snow slide off. The windows are framed with wooden shutters, and smoke gently curls from the chimney, indicating a fire inside. Outside, the snow blankets the ground, creating a serene and picturesque scene. The surrounding trees are frosted with snow, and the only sounds you hear are the soft crunch of snow under your feet.

As glasses clinked in an open bar, Daniel scanned the room for his contact. When his eyes landed on a beautiful blonde woman at the bar, he cursed under his breath, “God please don’t be her”, he shook it off and made his way towards her, his suit was a warm grey, his tie was missing, collar unbuttoned. His smile was warm, and Courtney’s cheeks flushed when this dark haired and tall man approached her. She was conversating with a colleague and was momentarily silent. The other women looked at Courtney puzzled, “Please go on, and the minister would like to address, what?” the women asked.

Courtney looked at her again, being taller than some, she was used to looking down, but eye to eye with this man was in a word, intoxicating. Daniel stood at the bar a few chairs away, sipping his gin. And side-eyeing her with a quirked expression. Courtney continued with the women, “Yes, he wants to address concerns of the constituents on that matter, I’m sorry will you excuse me, please?” her softened Swiss accent could be caught by Daniel’s perceptive knowledge of dialects. Daniel did his best Swiss dialect impression when he asked her to ‘sit down with him’.

The warm features of the bar and lounge created an ambience of leisure and comfort. Wood and glass surrounding the whole room. Intricate features on walls, and doorways. Open beams hung above them, with pendulums of light hanging in midair it seemed between the large caber beams. Guests were jovial, but not loud, it was a relaxed Sunday evening after a political conference. Some retired to their rooms, and some stayed in the lounge.

Courtney stood against the bar, and looked at him, frankly, “You are supposed to ask me something, no?” her voice came up at the end in a classical Scandinavian way. Daniel smiled shyly, setting his glass down steadily.

“Ya, Du sollst sagen: Mochte ich etwas Schokolade?” (you are supposed to say, would I like some chocolat?)

Courtney warmed with laughter, “Na, geht es dir?” (Well, do you?)

Daniel looked at the bar, and then back at her, “If you’re offering.” (he switched back to English).

Courtney blushed again, slightly, and Daniel tried not to notice. Courtney knew he would be charming, they usually are, but she didn’t trust him.

A storm was due to hit the resort tonight, but living in this area it was all or nothing. Sometimes the cell passed you by and sometimes you were buried for days. It was Sunday evening, and most were leaving for home, so the resort would be all but deserted come Monday morning. Maybe that was why he was here, to tempt her into staying past, and revealing the secrets she had. Though she wanted a cozy snow tryst, she wasn’t sure, he was the one to do that for her. Oh, he was enticing to be sure, clean, handsome, nicely dressed, trying his best to act German, but that American confidence was too obvious to hide behind some simple dialogue.

Daniel saw her mind working overtime as they sat in silence momentarily, “Whatever you know, I can protect you,” he said boldly. Courtney chuckled at that, “Oh, really? So you think this is a state secret then, not just a rambling?”

Daniel looked at her in all seriousness, “I’m not here for ramblings, your intel is good, and I am here to collect you,” 

Courtney looked at him shocked, but she tried to conceal it as she sipped her drink, “I see. Well, I don’t think I will agree to leave with you. You can take the information I have, that is all.  I will make my own way.” Daniel held his breath not wanting to make a snide retort. His hand drifted towards her on the bar, a paper concealed under his palm. Courtney, put her hand on his, and that spark seemed to get stronger, like a pulse of current running through her. Daniel drew his hand away, and she palmed the note.

“Just come find me when you are ready to talk.” He said, he finished his drink and stepped away from the bar, leaving Courtney by herself at the bar.

She found her coat at a table of colleagues and put it on as she exited onto the loggia. It was dark out on the snow, but silent, as the door closed behind her. Courtney shivered, but she wasn’t cold. A breeze kicked up her hair against her parka, and she pulled up her hood around her face framing it in fur. Courtney opened the note Daniel had given to her. It simply had his room number on it, and a code for something else, but she wasn’t sure what. It was a 4 digit code. 4152. His room number was 209. She noted that and tossed the paper into the air watching it catch in the breeze and float down to the snowy path below her. A car pulled up to the entrance below and pressed the paper further into the snow and gravel drive. Courtney amused re-entered the lounge through the glass door. She moved through the bar and headed to her room.

---

Daniel had retired to his room, to wait for her, though he wasn’t sure if she would come that easily. He knew what room she was in, but thought it was best to just wait and have her come to him. As long as she did it tonight. Tomorrow morning would be too much commotion when everyone from the conference leaves, including her.

He paced in the suite between the bed and the seating area, not sure what to do with himself. He hadn’t been this anxious in awhile and it drove him mad. He went to his duffle and took out his gun, clicking it, and checking the magazine, making sure the safety was on. Just busying his hands. A soft knock fell upon the door and Daniel looked up, sharply. He disengaged the gun, set it back into his bag on the dresser and stepped to the door.

“Yes?” he asked the door, looking through the peephole. Her golden locks flashed in the tiny lens, and Daniel’s eyes dilated instantly. Daniel unlocked the door and opened it, lazily hanging his hand at the top of the door, “Come in, I wasn’t sure you would stop by.” He ushered her in, checking the hallway as he closed the door and stood against it. Courtney turned to him, “I had the room, so I figured, it was worth a look”, she tried for a smile, but it looked more nervous than she actually was feeling.

The overhang of his loggia in his room created a looming shadow to the storm that was now well underway outside. The doors rattled in the wind a bit. Courtney was nervous now, she could be delayed getting home tomorrow if this storm didn’t let up by morning. Daniel watched her expression change when she looked out the glass doors to the patio.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Daniel asked, curiously.

Courtney met his eyes this time, “Yes, you wanted me to tell you what I had for information, correct, and then I can leave, right?”

Daniel stepped towards her, she moved back a half step, even as she was nearly his height, he could still be intimidating. Daniel gave her a glowing smile to ease her apprehension, “I just need to hear it, and then I can let you know what is best for your safety, if we think you will be compromised by releasing the information to us, then I am assigned to protect you”, he smirked, looking at her hungrily, as his hand drifted towards her coat sleeve. Courtney tensed, mildly, “do you want me to take your coat?” he offered, trying to be hospitable, as he stepped clear of her and towards the makeshift bar he had made with a countertop and a mini fridge.

“Can I get you a drink?” Daniel asked her. Courtney shook her head, but realized that he wasn’t looking at her, “No, no I’m fine. Let’s just do this”, she gathered up her courage and sat down at the desk opposite the seating area.

Daniel turned to her, sipping some wine, from a tumbler glass, “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”

Courtney sighed, “Ok, my name is Courtney Roeber, I work for the Swiss Minister of Police, and I think he is involved in a scandal involving trafficking of youth from Kazakhstan,” she paused as Daniel’s eye brows furrowed, “As you probably know, Kazakstan is home to many different ethnicities’ so many different, well from a beauty and fertile standpoint, women and girls can look so very different and so very pretty, so I think he is importing them.”  Courtney, clutched her key card, rolling it over in her hand. Daniel sat down on the bed, closer to her.

“Look, I know this is a delicate matter, and I want to handle it as best I can. What made you make this link between Jans and the girls?” Daniel inquired.

Courtney looked at him and sighed, shoving her hand down her shirt and producing a thumb drive on a lanyard, “I have it in his correspondence, I run his books for him and too much money was going for “aid sponsorships” and then disappearing and reappearing into his personal holding accounts. So I copied the files, and ran them against his travel. Several dates matched up. It cannot be coincidence”. Daniel reached for the thumb drive, “Can I see it for myself?”

Courtney pulled on the lanyard and it broke free from her neck, she handed him the drive that dangled the end. Daniel took it whispering thanks, he smiled warmly and placed it into his tablet, clicking on files and scanning the data. He took out his phone and sent the files to HQ.

“Well, this all looks in order. And I see why they had to hire outside the scope. Im sorry if this compromises you, even morally”, Daniel said, placing a hand on her arm. Courtney still didn’t trust him, but he was being very nice. He wasn’t slamming her up ahainst walls or threatening her, or trying to kill her for the information. He just, asked. She smiled back at him.

“So I can go now, yes? I really should get packed up for tomorrow,” Courtney stood and Daniel stood too. His hand make it to her arm again, this time it squeezed a little.

His breath was near her face, “I don’t think you should go back to your room tonight. There may be someone out looking for you. I tracked several suspicious men on this floor just before you left the bar. Courtney froze a second, “Wait, how did you know when I left the bar?” Courtney rolled her eyes, “spies, all of you,” then she swore in German and moved away from him. Daniel let go of her. Courtney walked out of his room and into the hallway, towards the stairwell to her own floor. Daniel stared as the door closed, and chuckled to himself, “She’ll be back, but in the meantime, I have the intel.” Daniel called into HQ and gave his report, sent the files, made sure to copy them and then discarded the thumb drive in the room safe punching in the code, 4152. It clicked and locked with a beep. He closed the closet door and sorted himself out for the night. Tucking his gun under his pillow. He laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling.

~~

Taglist:

@scariusaquarius @middleearthpixie @sweetestgbye @riepu10 @enchantzz @lathalea @legolasbadass @evenstaredits @amylupotter

[andersonvision]

IFC Films has officially acquired the North American rights to the highly anticipated globe-trotting espionage thriller Inheritance, directed by Neil Burger (Limitless, Divergent), and co-written by Burger and Olen Steinhauer (Berlin Station). Starring Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play, Bridgerton) and Rhys Ifans (House of the Dragon, Nyad), the film will take viewers on a thrilling adventure across iconic destinations, including New York City, Delhi, Seoul, and Cairo. The immersive film is set to hit theaters on January 24, 2025. In Inheritance, Maya (Dynevor) discovers that her father was once a spy, thrusting her into a dangerous international conspiracy. As she searches for answers, Maya becomes a target and embarks on a mission across the globe to uncover the secrets of her father’s past while mastering the espionage skills he once possessed. Produced by Neil Burger, Bill Block, and Charles Miller, Inheritance is set to kick off 2025 with a high-octane, globe-spanning adventure. Mark your calendars for January 24, 2025, and get ready for an intense, international thrill ride!

[sesiondemadrugada]

All the Old Knives (Janus Metz, 2022).

[richardarmitagefanpage]

Olen Steinhauer shared on Twitter a photo of Richard and Rhys Ifans filming Berlin Station S1.

[riepu10]

@olensteinhauer Apple phone just threw out some memories at me. Shooting Berlin Station with ⁦@RCArmitage and Rhys Ifans, 2015.

[moviesandmania]

ALL THE OLD KNIVES (2022) Preview of Chris Pine spy thriller

ALL THE OLD KNIVES (2022) Preview of Chris Pine spy thriller

All the Old Knives is a 2022 American spy thriller film about two CIA operatives, and former lovers, who reunite to mull over a tragedy. Directed by Janus Metz from a screenplay written by Olen Steinhauer based on his 2015 novel of the same name. Produced by Mark Gordon, Matt Jackson, Paula Mae Schwartz & Steve Schwartz and Nick Wechsler. The movie stars Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence…

[l-egypte]

December 18, 2020 | Blue Egyptian Water Lily

I read The Cairo Affair, by Olen Steinhauer, in August 2020, and there was mention of a blue Egyptian water lily (I can’t recall the context, however). The blue Egyptian water lily (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, or previously Nymphaea caerulea), also known as blue lotus (or blue Egyptian lotus), is a water lily that “was known to the Ancient Egyptian civilization.” [x] 

The plant and flower are very frequently depicted in Ancient Egyptian art. They have been depicted in numerous stone carvings and paintings, including the walls of the famous temple of Karnak, and are frequently depicted in connection with “party scenes,” dancing, or in significant spiritual or magical rites such as the rite of passage into the afterlife. King Tut’s mummy was covered with the flower. N. caerulea was considered extremely significant in Egyptian mythology, regarded as a symbol of the sun, since the flowers are closed at night and open again in the morning. At Heliopolis, the origin of the world was taught to have been when the sun god Ra emerged from a lotus flower growing in “primordial waters.” At night, he was believed to retreat into the flower again. Due to its colour, it was identified, in some beliefs, as having been the original container, in a similar manner to an egg, of Atum, and in similar beliefs Ra, both solar deities. As such, its properties form the origin of the “lotus variant” of the Ogdoad cosmogeny. It was the symbol of the Egyptian deity Nefertem. [x]

The image is “The Blue Egyptian Water Lily,” from The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature, engraved by Joseph Constantine Stadler (German, 1780–1822) and published by Robert John Thornton (British, 1768–1837). The MET Museum’s description for the image is as follows:

This delicately colored aquatint depicts blue Egyptian water lily (Nymphaea coerulea) rising from the waters of the Nile at Aboukir Bay, with palm trees and a mosque in the middle distance. The site would have reminded viewers of Nelson’s 1798 victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. Dr. John Thornton devoted his personal fortune to the project, which celebrated recent discoveries relating to floral reproduction by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. Flowers from all corners of the globe are shown in native habitats (although costs allowed only thirty-two of a planned seventy prints to be published). Thirteen engravers worked from paintings and drawings supplied by botanical artists, the plates were etched using a combination of aquatint, stipple, and mezzotint, printed in color “à la poupée” then enhanced with watercolor additions. Size, composition, and sensitive coloring together suggest that these works hoped to raise botanical art to a level that rivaled more exalted genres.

[Painting titled “The Blue Egyptian Water Lily,” from The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature, downloaded from www.metmuseum.org]

[my-name-is-dahlia]

Vocabulary (pt.dccclxxxii)

Words taken from The Cairo Affair, by Olen Steinhauer:

kangaroo court (n.) an illegal court formed by a group of prisoners, strikers, etc. to settle disputes among themselves.

disco [music] (n.) a style of dance music characterized by a strong, repetitive rhythm, and the use of electronic instrumentation, popular especially in the 1970s.

indoctrinate (v.) teach (a person or group) systematically or for a long period to accept (especially partisan or tendentious) ideas uncritically.

recrimination (n.) an accusation in response to one from someone else.

zealot (n.) an uncompromising  or extreme partisan; a fanatic.

coup d’état (n.) a violent or illegal seizure of power.

jackboot (n.) a large boot reaching above the knee worn chiefly by soldiers, e.g., those under the Nazi regime.

afwan (n.) Arabic. “Afwan has two usages in Arabic: 1. if you are asking about something, you can start your question with AFWAN; in this case it means EXCUSE ME. 2. if someone is saying THANK YOU, you should reply with AFWAN; in this case it means YOU ARE WELCOME.” [x]

shukran (excl.) Arabic. = thank you.

cum (prep.) (usually in combination) with, combined with, also used as (a farmhouse-cum-museum).

[solitaryfossil]

Book Review

I’ve been trying to get some of my NetGalley ARCs list read, this was the most recent one I finished. Loved it.

Olen Steinhauer: The Last Tourist. ★★★★★

Suspense-thriller, Spy-espionage. Expected Pub date March 24, 2020

Blurb: In Olen Steinhauer’s bestseller An American Spy, reluctant CIA agent Milo Weaver thought he had finally put “Tourists”—CIA-trained assassins—to bed.

A decade later, Milo is hiding out in Western Sahara when a young CIA analyst arrives to question him about a series of suspicious deaths and terrorist chatter linked to him. Their conversation is soon interrupted by a new breed of Tourists intent on killing them both, forcing them to run. As he tells his story, Milo is joined by colleagues and enemies from his long history in the world of intelligence, and the young analyst wonders what to believe. He wonders, too, if he’ll survive this interview.

My review: Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I loved everything about this -  the final in a 4-book series - so much that can recommend all the books of the series. In this finale Milo and his new organization discover even more secret machinations, on a larger scale than ever expected. The pacing was flawless, and enough turns and twists kept me thinking about this current, contemporary (America’s Screaming Angry Orange Man even gets a quote or three) novel after finishing it, taking in the US election/politics of 2016, corporate shenanigans, international secret deals and much more. This series is definitely recommended for fans of the genre. A great, complex story.

[mistresskayla-blog1]

Pure Surrender

Characters: Daniel Miller x Francis Dolarhyde x OC Chasca Flores

Lyn's Writing Event - Week 3 - Day 21

May 21st: Week 3: Incan

Characters: Daniel Miller (AU – Pre S1 BS) x (AU crossover) Francis Dolarhyde x OC Chasca Flores

Fandom; Richard Armitage – Berlin Station/Hannibal – Daniel Miller/ Francis Dolarhyde

The character of Daniel Miller was created by Olen Steinhauer and Francis Dolarhyde was created by Thomas Harris

OC Chasca Flores is created by Kayla Crowe  

Word Count: (long one – full story WIP)

Warnings: ritualism, potential smut, virgin sacrifice, trauma, kidnapping, ayahuasca, shamans, human torture, violence (weapons), ancient cultures, nudity, blood rituals.

            Daniel lands in Pucallpa, Peru. They house an international airport in that region, and it was the closest landing site to the temple of Pachamama, the Earth Goddess of the Incans. Daniel was assigned to find investigate a series of disappearances of young women. The local authorities were uninterested and Daniel was charged with finding out what was happening to these girls. Daniel was glad to get away from some of the other drama in his life, and took the assignment happily, he just didn’t know he was dealing with a madman.

This is a placeholder because this story is in deep development. You may see some content from it this week, definitely this month.

Lyn's Writing Event 2024

Taglist:

@enchantzz @middleearthpixie @legolasbadass @sweetestgbye

@amylupotter @evenstaredits @lathalea @scariusaquarius

[meandrichard]

Flashbacks to Berlin Station setting frustration

Flashbacks to Berlin Station setting frustration

This article about how viewers who know feel about the apparent geography of Stay Close made me laugh in sympathy.   The Silver Jubilee Bridge. The cinematographer has a thing for this bridge on the level of my obsession with Richard Armitage’s thumb.    But I remember listening to Olen Whatshisname go on about how “this is Berlin you will recognize” and then being crushed when I saw how they…

[wepicy]

Advice Quote By Olen Steinhauer “Without balance, a life is no longer worth the effort.” Olen Steinhauer, - The Tourist

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