What’s in Mrs. Hale’s Receipts for the Millions 1857?
2680. A Paris card of invitation to an evening party usually implies that you are invited for the season.
Time Flies by When You’re a Writer and Have a Life
Hang it all, where did the time go? I was going to report on what has transpired since Christmas, (sometime around New Years) mainly that my latest Lei Crime Kindle World novella, Coconut Island, has been selling very well. But in January, I made the decision to finally publish WW II novel, The Jøssing Affair. A 2013 Chaucer category award winner, I’ve been pitching and getting full reads for Jøssing for years. (Even as recent as last summer by an editor at a top house) A launch is planned at Village Books, in Bellingham, WA on April 9th. In the meantime, it is available for pre-order at Amazon on Kindle.
What The Jøssing Affair is About
British-trained Norwegian intelligence agent, Tore Haugland, is a jøssing—a patriot—sent to a fishing village on Norway’s west coast to set up a line to receive weapons and agents from England via the “Shetland Bus.” Posing as a deaf fisherman, his mission is complicated when he falls in love with Anna Fromme, a German widow. Accused of betraying her husband, she has a young daughter and secrets of her own. Although the Allies have liberated France, the most zealous Nazis hang on in Norway, sending 
out agents to disembowel resistance groups. If Haugland fails, it could cost him his life and the lives of the fishermen who have joined him. When Haugland is betrayed and left for dead, he will have to find the one who betrayed him and destroyed his network. He will also have to prove that the one he loves was not the informer. In wartime love and trust are not always compatible.
Writing is an Art, A Passion, and Requires Persistence to Reach a Goal
Am I excited? Yes, I am. The Jøssing Affair is my first novel. I wrote it years ago, by hand before I had a computer. On it, I learned how to write long form, research an historic time, and put living, breathing characters into it. I learned how to write synopses, pitch and query agents. With it I went to writer’s conferences and entered lit contests. I also learned how to rewrite, slash and kill my darlings. Its story has always had a special place in my heart, but I think I am glad that I’ve waited this long. All the things I learned over the years, has made this novel ready to come out. You can the pro-order here.
Coconut Island and another announcement
It’s really a joy to have a story based on history to resonate with readers as has Coconut 
Island. Many, some regular visitors to the Big Island or new residents, never heard of the devastating 1946 tsunami that hit Hilo. Some report scrambling to their computers to learn more, something that makes me very happy. I took extra effort to do the research and get the little details. Many thanks to the wonderful librarians at the Hilo Libraries and the Hawaii & Pacific Section of the Hawaii State Library.
Other News.
Timber Rose, my historical novel set in the North Cascades at the turn of the century, received a number of awards in 2015. I’ve been very humbled by the attention, but January 16, I learned that the novel has been selected by the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs as their February back list read. This is such an amazing honor. I’ve been pretty speechless since then. The Pulpwood Queens is the largest book club in the world with over six hundred chapters. I can’t imagine the impact this will have on my novel, but I am very happy.
Finally, I’m very pleased that my manuscript, Mist-shi-mus: A Novel of Captivity received an honorable mention in the Chatelaine Romance Awards for 2015. This novel is set in the Pacific Northwest, just a year before the outbreak of the Civil War. Royal Marines and the U.S. Army occupy an island while the international boundary is decided. American settlers, Coast Salish Indians and Hawaiians also inhabit the island. Against this background is a love story that spans 20 years.
One final thing
I’ve set up a Mail Chimp account for a newsletter. It would be great if you could sign up for it. The button is calledn “JL Oakley’s Book News & A Little History too .” I promise not to spam.