Jeff Sheckter
The Daedalus Protocol
A deadly pathogen has been unleashed across the globe, killing livestock and destroying crops as it spreads. A near-extinction event from worldwide famine will be certain if it’s not stopped in time.
DOSSIER: What made you decide to go from being a big-time executive consultant in Canada to writing a book like The Daedalus Protocol—a thriller that deals with a deadly global pathogen that turns into a near-extinction event?
SHECKTER: I was living in NY finalizing the construction and building the team at the American Dream mall project in New Jersey when Covid hit and decided to move my family to The Bahamas to ride out the storm. While I was there, a reminder popped up on my phone that simply said, “Write a book”. I had set the reminder years prior while I was at Harvard Business School and to be honest, I’d pushed it forward a few times. However, this time I happened to have (for the first time in 25 years) no office or mall to run and decided it was now or never—and The Daedalus Protocol was born.
Those Edmonton winters
DOSSIER: Are the winters in Canada so bad that you sit around thinking about how the world is going to end? That’s where the idea for your book came from, right?
SHECKTER: LOL. Yes, the winters in Edmonton are some of the coldest anywhere. There were a few days last year where we were the coldest location on earth! Not an exaggeration, you can look it up! The idea for the book was really an amalgamation of a few ideas I was tinkering with. I knew it would have a biblical slant (without being religious or denominational. I think that some of the biggest and best stories ever told are biblical. Whether people believe them to be literal or metaphorical doesn’t really matter, the story endures.
I wove some of the threads of those tales together to create my fictional story The Daedalus Protocol.
Grab a flight to write
DOSSIER: When and where do you like to write and what environment works best? Is there music from the soundtrack to Strange Brew playing in the background?
SHECKTER: Great question! I haven’t been asked that before. I typically write late at night. I’ve tried to write during the day, but it just doesn’t flow for me when the sun is up—I wish it did. My best sessions are between 10pm-2am. Also, airplanes. Something about being stuck in a seat with no outside distractions flips a switch and I go into overdrive. I’ve actually booked a flight to get myself unstuck from writer’s block…and it worked! I’m usually listening to music, but not always. It’s often Pink Floyd, Led Zep, 80’s or house music with a few choice metal tracks.
Finding a treasure
DOSSIER: After spending years as a real-estate developer, The Dossier staff just really wants to know what The Property Brothers are like.
SHECKTER: I haven’t had the pleasure, but I’m a fan. There’s a lot of chases and action in The Daedalus Protocol. A bunch of the reviews have compared to National Treasure or Mission Impossible. I’m beyond humbled by the comparison, but the real estate game isn’t so different. In the real estate flipping game, you’re looking for buried treasure too. It’s just in a different form. If you can see through the mess, the jewel inside is often worth the work to uncover.
There’s a sequel!
DOSSIER: Do you have any breaking news or special announcement you’d like to disclose in your Dossier?
SHECKTER: The sequel to The Daedalus Protocol is almost done. I’ll be releasing the name and teaser trailer in the next couple months. Early 2025 release.
Discover more about Jeff on Instagram | Website and Amazon Author Page