Sebastian Wallace

I'm a Writer

About

Application Security Engineer, professional hacker, programmer, part-time writer, full-time robot. A former police officer from sleepy Somerset, UK, now a cybersecurity engineer and tech nerd with a love for crime and sci-fi writing. I'm currently working on a series about a dysfunctional cold case team who can bring victims back from the dead along with a few other projects. I enjoy entertaining people and crafting unforgettable characters because, let’s be honest, we read for the characters, not just the story, right? Always happy to chat about what readers love (and what they don’t!)


Born with Dyslexia and ADHD, I am easily distracted, especially by anything shiny, and often struggle to read or understand what I wrote just twenty minutes earlier. Because of this, all my books are designed with accessibility in mind. I use a larger print font and shorter paragraphs to make reading easier, ensuring that my fellow dyslexic readers can enjoy the stories without frustration.


I served as a police constable with Avon and Somerset Police for five years, meeting a vast range of people, from seasoned detectives and skilled dog handlers to criminals and victims from all walks of life. During my time in the force, I learned invaluable lessons, including compassion, resilience, and the harsh reality that helping people is not always as simple as it seems. The characters in my books are, in some way, shaped by the people I had the privilege of working alongside. Each one carries a fragment of those incredible individuals, even if only a small part, and I hope that if any of them ever read my work, they will recognize a piece of themselves in it.


Growing up, I was surrounded by science fiction and technology, lucky enough to have a father and uncles who found endless joy in tinkering with gadgets and machines. It quickly became clear that technology would have to find its way into my writing. As a child, one of my favorite video games was The Journeyman Project, which featured a time machine called Pegasus. That idea sparked my imagination and inspired the creation of the Pegasus Research Organization and the Quantum Entanglement Device, allowing me to weave elements of science fiction into my work and appeal to those who enjoy a touch of the extraordinary in a story.


My passion for technology led me to a career as a cybersecurity engineer, a job I genuinely love and look forward to each morning. Beyond my professional life, I am blessed with a wonderful family, two amazing boys and two incredible girls, all of whom support me in whatever wild adventure I choose to take on. My wife, however, is my anchor in the chaos. Without her, I would probably be living in a cave somewhere, surviving on grass and drinking pond water. She is the voice of reason who reminds me when an idea is truly insane, yet she is also the one who will shrug, smile, and come along for the ride because she knows I will not let it go.


Family is everything. Without it, nothing else matters.

Professional Development

I'm a professional Product Security Engineer with extensive expertise in cybersecurity and software development. A passionate hacker, I specialize in both physical penetration testing and network/web application security. Beyond the technical side, I thrive on writing about security, teaching it, and fully immersing myself in the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity.

Education

Bachelor of Science BSc Hons

2017

Bristol University

Computer science and security

CompTIA Pentest+

2023

Specialist in penetration testing

CISSP

2024

Certified Information Systems Security Professional

Professional Experience

M.E Product Security Engineer

Nov 2023 - Present

Allstate, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (Remote)

  • Managing Security Engineer, leading a small agile team to deliver security tools and systems for internal clients.

Software Developer (including App-Sec)

Jun 2020 - Nov 2023

Parts in Motion (Part of the Automotion Group), Exeter

  • Worked on cutting-edge software design and development within the automotive industry.
  • Specialized in cybersecurity, application security, and secure development practices.
  • Utilized technologies including Symfony Framework, OWASP methodologies, and Doctrine (PHP).

Software Developer

Jun 2018 - Jun 2020

Cardstream, Taunton

  • Developed solutions for a leading white-label payment gateway provider.
  • Ensured security in payment processing systems through vulnerability assessments.
  • Worked with Jira, Doctrine (PHP), and cybersecurity best practices.

Senior Application Security Engineer

Sep 2015 - Jun 2018

WC&C LIMITED (Part of Thames Water PLC), Swindon, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

  • Developed and managed application security within the water meter and management industry.
  • Maintained secure code in PHP, C, and C# to ensure application integrity.
  • Worked with GPRS & GSM communication technology and proprietary software.
  • Performed penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and ethical hacking assessments.

Application Security Engineer (including Hardware)

Mar 2013 - Sep 2015

Geist Global, Taunton, United Kingdom

  • Developed secure structure testing and early vulnerability detection in C# and PHP environments.
  • Performed threat modeling and pentest rule set development for hardware security testing.
  • Collaborated with the hardware team to automate security tests and strengthen system defenses.

Portfolio

Current published books and projects

In Their Last Words

Crime and Mystery with Sci-fi

Sentinal scanner

Header scanner for websites

PWD

Simple password generator

MP - Recon

OSINT tool

MPMetaSpy

OSINT tool

MPLink

Link scraping tool

Video Game

HORROR - Mannequin

Simulator

EDUCATION- Solarlab

Video Game

HORROR - bunker4

Video Game

HORROR - Sandhill park

Video Game

HORROR - Silent Rail

Video Game

HORROR - Shadow Watch

Contact

Feel free to contact me any time you like!