Kiel Barnekov

Biography

Kiel Barnekov is an information technology executive who has led innovative airline and airport technology projects and innovations for over 30 years. Mr. Barnekov was Director of Information Technology at Tampa International Airport and Manager of Information Technology at Orlando International Airport. Well known in the airport industry, Mr. Barnekov chaired the Airport Council International - North America Information Technology Committee. As a young child Mr. Barnekov was always conjuring up stories and filling them with colorful characters, sharing them with anyone and everyone who would listen. Although his career was in airline and airport technology, with his family's support, Mr. Barnekov returned to his creative roots. As a professional storyteller, Mr. Barnekov is adept at using imaginative thinking and creative flair to bring stories to life in engaging and entertaining ways. Shepherds of Destiny is Mr. Barnekov's first novel. Mr. Barnekov lives with his family in Ormond Beach, Florida.

Smashwords Interview

• Start by sharing a little about yourself
I grew up in the Washington D.C. area, Northern Virginia. My father was a federal intelligence officer and captain in the Naval Reserve. Growing up D.C. was exciting. You had access to all of the monuments and the Smithsonian. This early exposure to history likely shaped my profound interest in it. At one point I was actually encouraged by a history professor to join academia in the field of history. But trying to support a very young family rendered that path too risky to me at that time. My first career job was with Delta Air Lines at Washington National Airport, loading bags and cargo. In 1976 we were able to relocate to Tampa where I spent four years working in airport customer service. In 1980, we relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where I was selected to attend Delta's computer programmer training. In 1997 I joined American Airlines computer services spinoff company, Sabre in Dallas, Texas. In 2003 I joined Tampa International Airport and became Director of IT. I retired from Orlando Airport in 2018. Shortly thereafter, I started writing.
• Give an overview of Shepherds of Destiny
o In the year 2028, Kristian Barnett, billionaire through inheritance of his parent’s estate, and CEO of Barnett Industries which develops, manufactures, and implements advanced transportation systems globally, falls ill at the age of thirty-three with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

o Dr. Savannah Richards, Neurosurgeon and Research Scientist at the Stanford Neuroscience Health Center has developed a means to preserve the brain of a patient whose body has been irrecoverably destroyed but whose brain is unharmed. Concurrently, Dr. Ansley Barnett, wife of Kristian Barnett, is leading the development of a cyborg body indistinguishable from a human body for DARPA.

o Soon after Kristian’s brain is removed and placed in stasis, he is approached by The Guardian. The Guardian is a spiritual being who watches for timelines that are going astray and threatening the existence of humanity. The Guardian enlists Kristian’s mind, untethered from his corporeal body, to control the actions of individuals key in keeping a timeline on its predestined course. In his current spiritual state, Kristian is able to travel to any period in the past or the future with The Guardian in order to affect changes to a timeline going worong

o With Kristian's spirit in tow, The Guardian travels back in time to the U.S. Civil War to counter a threat to the timeline in which the Union won the war is in jeopardy. Should Kristian fail to complete his assignment from The Guardian, the history of the United States is changed, and the country will not survive World War II.
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o Aaron Adams, also suffering from advanced ALS in the year 2038, is approved for Dr. Savannah Richard's brain preservation procedure. But prior to the procedure his mind is scanned and stored for download to a cyborg body. Aaron is approached by The Guardian as his mind is also separated from his corporeal body. His assignment from The Guardian confronts a rift in time that threatens the outcome of World War II, and ultimately, the free world.
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o Kristian Barnett and Aaron Adams, under the guidance of The Guardian then travel forward to the year 2052. The founding CEO of a high-tech information management company and two multi-billion-dollar telecommunication moguls have developed a new smartphone supporting an advanced communications technology. This technology enables the ability to control a user’s thoughts and actions without the knowledge or consent of the user.
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Books

This member has not published any books.