Kirjahaku

It's 1924 and a state-of-the-art bombsight is stolen. A multi-agency task force is brought in by the government to investigate. Then two pilots turn up dead and a second bombsight is missing. President Coolidge sends in Colonel McCullough and Major Armstrong with carte blanche authority to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Marion Davies (1897-1961) first gained attention as a featured player on Broadway circa 1917. Her good looks got her noticed by film producers and that brought her to the attention of newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. He starred Marion in films made by his own movie company that became very popular. THE YOUNG DIANA was based on a popular novel of the day that combined the romance of lost love with a sci-fi theme of rejuvenation. As one of four Marion Davies 1922, alas, it is the only one of them to be lost today while the other surviving three have been restored and are available on DVD. This reconstruction was made possible by culling through movie trade and fan magazines of the time for story information and photos. Twenty-First century software enabled us to transform these images into comic book type artwork. Reading the finished product may give the reader a feeling of having watched the movie itself!

There's a story behind every poem ever written and, given that the literary form is not known for generating big bucks even by the most gifted of poets, chances are strong that the raison d'etre behind most poetry has little to do with mercenary goals. This little book is no exception.About a year ago I thought I had written enough poems to fill a small second volume. However, I felt I needed one more entry, and one of a decidedly humorous nature. Several competent ideas occurred to me but I wasn't thrilled by any of them. On a morning walk with Maureen, my wife, our conversation drifted to a happy idea that energized me. I had found the premise for that additional poem. It had so much appeal for me that I decided that my title for this poem would make a perfect title for the entire book.

Historical Fiction. It is November 1921 and Major Alexander Armstrong has been called back to active service by his old mentor, Colonel McCullough. On the eve of the Naval Disarmament Conference in Washington, D.C., the bodies of two federal agents are found drowned in the Potomac River. Circumstantial evidence suggests Japanese Government involvement with the crimes. Other clues suggest intrigue by another power to set up Japan for the blame. But why? America's first international peace conference is threatened with collapse if the intrepid Major Armstrong cannot crack the mystery.