J. Edgar Hoover Helped Me Write "Holy Oil"

J. Edgar Hoover

It started with a letter.

It started with a letter from one of my long-suffering pre-readers ... the people I test my new books on. 

He had just finished reading my third Father Hardy mystery, Holy Oil, a mouthwatering mystery compote of romance, murder, disappearance, lust, pre-Alaska statehood intrigue—my best nail-biting climax ever—and some funny stuff.

He said, "I love it!!!!" But then he said that one of my characters, William ... the government agent ... "always seemed to have a near magical solution to the situation. For example, a fully equipped bunker only a short walk from town.

"It just seemed a bit far fetched," 

Hoover and me. 

"Hah!" I replied. And that's when I told him about the secret, Cold War Operation "Washtub," I had  discovered while researching. 

Washtub was an FBI project to train Alaskans to be ready to resist the Soviet invasion. 

Really! Here's the link: https://www.rt.com/usa/184164-soviet-invasion-alaska-washtub/

Under the plan, "stay-behind agents" would hide in so-called survival caches – bunkers loaded with food, warm clothes, message-coding material and radios – and report on enemy movements.

A mystery series set in 1950s Alaska

Return with us now to those thrilling day ... a version of Nenana, Alaska, where I was a child in the wild 1950s. I've written four books about Father Hardy and his friends: Evie—the woman he loves—smart, beautiful and handy with a knife, Andy—the sharpshooter and Italian coffee gourmand, William—the mysterious government agent, and more. 

It's a quirky bunch of people, in a quirky town, at a time when Alaska was changing, oil riches were on the horizon, and the Cold War was hot. 

The first book is called "Indecent Exposure," ... people in Alaska who are indecently exposed, freeze. Followed by "In Gold We Trust," "Holy Oil," and soon, "The Old Rugged (Double) Cross." 

I need reviews!

Photo by Billie

As a self-published author, magazines like the "The Library Journal," or "School Library Journal," won't review my books. I think they only review from big publishers who also buy ads. 

So I rely on you. Thanks to so many of you who have taken a chance on me, read all the books, AND uploaded reviews to Amazon. 

And of course, thanks to Mr. Hoover, who came up with a completely outrageous idea that I could kick some mystery butt with.

Tell your friends, tell your librarians. Thanks for your support and good energy.