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WORK TITLE: The Jossing Affair
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://historyweaver.wordpress.com/
CITY: Bellingham
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: three sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist.
AWARDS:EPIC ebook Award, 2012, for Tree Soldier; Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, 2013; Chanticleer Grand Prize, 2013; First Place Chaucer Award, 2014; WILLA Silver Award, 2015; and Goethe Grand Prise, 2016.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
J.L. Oakley writes award-winning historical fiction of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as mystery novellas set in Hawaii. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania listening to stories of how her grandmother’s family settled the west, and getting her love of history from her family. She attended college, moved to Hawaii, and became a historian and award winning author. She was a finalist twice at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest and has published fiction in various magazines, anthologies, and literary publications.
Tree Soldier and Timber Rose
In 2011, Oakley published Tree Soldier, set in 1930s with the Civilian Conservation Corps work in Washington State during the Depression. John “Park” Hardesty ostracized himself far away from his family after an argument with his brother led to an accident that caused his brother’s disfigurement. Hardesty works with troubled teenagers planting trees and building bridges. Naturalist Kate Alford, barred from the Forest Service because of her gender, helps Hardesty deal with his past. “Oakley constructs this rugged romance with tremendous care, fully developing its characters,” according to a Publishers Weekly writer.
In the 2013 Timber Rose, Oakley travels to 1907 to tell the story of Caroline Symington, a mountain climber who shocks her wealthy Portland, Oregon family with her love of the wilderness. After her parents disown her, she elopes with forest ranger Bob Alford and dodges the intrusions of her malevolent uncle. Online at Historical Novel Society, Laura Fahey observed: “Oakley does a skillful and confident job of weaving a good deal of historical material into her story.”
The Jossing Affair
The Jossing Affair is Oakley’s World War II thriller that follows British-trained Norwegian intelligence agent, Tore Haugland. Operating in Norway where the Nazis still have a foothold, Haugland poses as a fisherman to help the Norwegian resistance intelligence service. His mission may be threatened by his attraction to German widow Anna Fromme who was accused of betraying her husband. When his cover is blown, Haugland suspects Anna.
“Oakley effectively recreates a lesser-known chapter of WWII through well-developed characters and suspenseful situations,” noted a reviewer in Publishers Weekly. On the Chanticleer Book Reviews website, Carrie Meehan called the book “a highly enriching experience, a fascinating and profound work of historical fiction penned by, J.L. Oakley, one of the best in the business. A certain testimony to the underground heroes of WWII.” Writing online at Historical Novel Society, Laura Fahey commented that some of the characters can be melodramatic, however “her narrative is so sprawling and involving and intensely detailed.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2012, review of Tree Soldier, p. 47; August 7, 2017, review of The Jossing Affair, p. 55.
ONLINE
Chanticleer Book Reviews, https://www.chantireviews.com/ (June 3, 2017), Carrie Meehan, review of The Jossing Affair.
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (April 1, 2018), Laura Fahey, review of Timber Rose; (April 1, 2018), Laura Fahey, review of The Jossing Affair.
J.L. Oakley Website, https://historyweaver.wordpress.com/ (April 1, 2018), author profile.
Thanks for coming by. I write award-winning historical fiction that spans the mid-19th century to WW II. My characters, who come from all walks of life, stand up for something in their own time and place. My writing has been recognized with a 2013 Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, the 2013 Chanticleer Grand Prize, the 2014 First Place Chaucer Award, 2015 WILLA Silver Award and the 2016 Goethe Grand Prise. When not writing, I demonstrate 19th century folkways. I can churn some pretty mean butter.
I've loved history since I was a girl when my mom shared her love of swashbuckling novels and the stories her mother told of settling the West in the 1870s. Naturally, I love to write about it. In addition to historical fiction, I've also written three mystery novellas set in the Hawaiian Islands. These are a part of Toby Neal's Lei Crime Kindle World.
My most recent historical novel, Mist-chi-mas: A Novel Of Captivity, launched this past September. It is set in 1860 on San Juan Island in Pacific NW during a time with the British Royal Marines and US Army jointly occupied the island --peacefully.
I COME FROM A FAMILY OF PACK RATS. History stirs on the shelves in teapots and in boxes full of letters and journals as long ago as 1830. The family story goes back to 1638. But it’s been the stories of my Nana, her mother Martha Parker March and my own mother who have nourished me. There are strong women in the family. Ansenith Parker, Quaker missionary to the Shawnee and Kaw. Martha March, teacher of ex-slaves and Kiowa children and president of the Idaho Womans’ Relief Corps. Mysterious Judith March who was fined for wearing a lace cap above her station in the 1600s. Writing about them has helped me examine my own life and upbringing.
Then there was my great-grandfather William F. Osborn. I was seven years old when my mother put into my hand his small, leather-bound pocket journal. He was a Union surgeon in the Civil War writing under the thunder of guns and duress at Gettysburg and many more horrendous places. He wrote quick notes in pencil and pen, sometimes only a few lines at a time.
Wednesday, July 1st
Found a part of our corps engaging the enemy, about 20,000 strong. A severe engagement followed. Our forces were driven back by superior numbers.
I wrote my first historical fiction story in fifth grade. I haven’t stopped.
Today, I write historical fiction that spans the mid-19th century to WW II with characters standing up for something in their own time and place. I’m proud that my writing has been recognized with a 2013 Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, the 2013 Chanticleer Grand Prize, the 2014 First Place Chaucer Award, an Everybody Reads and Bellingham Read pick and the 2015 WILLA Silver Award, Pulpwood Queen Book Club 2016 backlist pick for February 2016.
When not writing, I demonstrate 19th-century folkways in the schools and at San Juan Island National Park. And I have a cat who thinks she’s editing.
The Jossing Affair
Publishers Weekly. 264.32 (Aug. 7, 2017): p55+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Jossing Affair
J.L. Oakley. Fairchance, $19.99 trade paper (540p) ISBN 978-0-9973237-0-2
In the tantalizing prologue of Oakley's solid thriller set in 1944 Norway, Henry Oliver Rinnan, "a Gestapo unit unto himself with a maniacal lust for brutal punishment" of his Norwegian countrymen, shoots a man before dumping him in a snowy ravine. An elderly witness to the shooting retrieves the victim and manages to revive him. Flash back to seven months earlier: Tore Haugland, who has been working with the Norwegian resistance intelligence service and the British, was an integral member of the Shetland Bus operation, in which Norwegian fishing boats transported arms and agents between the Shetland Islands and Norway. His dangerous work becomes even more perilous after he falls for Anna Fromme, the German widow of a Norwegian who came to distrust her before his arrest by the Nazis. After her husband's disappearance and presumed death, Anna was suspected of having betrayed him. Then someone, possibly Anna, informs the authorities that Tore is working for the resistance. Convinced of her innocence, Tore resolves to unmask the person who really betrayed him. Oakley effectively recreates a lesser-known chapter of WWII through well-developed characters and suspenseful situations. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Jossing Affair." Publishers Weekly, 7 Aug. 2017, p. 55+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A500340350/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cc5b5d2e. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A500340350
Tree Soldier
Publishers Weekly. 259.1 (Jan. 2, 2012): p47.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Tree Soldier
J.L. Oakley. CreateSpace
(www.createspace.com), $15 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-14538-9647-1
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
This vigorously researched historical novel set during the Great Depression tracks the life of the leader of a Civilian Conservation Corps group working in the forests of Washington State. John "Park" Hardesty heads a motley band of teens thrust into road and construction work. But unlike his crew, Hardesty, while college educated, is fairly familiar with hard work. Breaking in his squad at Camp Kulshan, Hardesty must also confront his past while falling for the fetching, independent-minded local naturalist Kate Alford, with whom--after she saves his life in the forest--he shares his shameful family secret: after a terrible argument with his brother that resulted in a car accident, Hardesty was cast out of his family by his father. Oakley constructs this rugged romance with tremendous care, fully developing its characters, particularly the honorable Hardesty, and building moments of tension in an engaging and entertaining novel.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Tree Soldier." Publishers Weekly, 2 Jan. 2012, p. 47. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A276436959/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=5b57854e. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A276436959
The JøSSING AFFAIR by J. L. Oakley – Norwegian Historical Fiction, World War II, Thriller
Rating:
Title: The Jøssing Affair
Author(s): J.L. Oakley
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Norway, Spy, Thriller/Suspense, WWII
Publisher: Fairchance Press (2016)
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At a time when true identities are carefully protected and information can get you killed, heroes emerge to fight the evils of Nazi-occupied Norway in J.L. Oakley’s highly suspenseful and beautifully penned historical fiction novel, The Jøssing Affair.
In a quiet Norwegian fishing village during the Nazi occupation, risk lurks everywhere. Most residents are patriotic members of the resistance, “jøssings,” but there are “quislings,” too. Those who collaborate with the Germans and tout the Nazi propaganda of Nordic brotherhood between the nations. Mistaking the two is a matter of life and death.
At the heart of the narrative is Jens Hansen who is an exceedingly mild-mannered handyman and a deaf-mute. Jens helps his friend Kjell on this fishing boat but mostly keeps to himself, communicating with paper and pencil when asked a question.
But Jens has a secret. His real identity is that of Tore Haugland, a man who will risk his life repeatedly as a British-trained member of the resistance. He and Kjell coordinate the transport of weapons and agents via the “Shetland bus,” a fleet of small fishing boats and a few American submarine chasers, that make excursions from the coast of Norway to the Scottish Shetland Islands.
Haugland and Kjell also assist the young Norwegian men who fled enlistment in the German army and are starving in the woods. Armed with the knowledge that war is ugly and men often break under brutal interrogation and tortured before their deaths, Haugland and Kjell share the scantest details about themselves with each other.
There are many heart-stopping moments in this novel, deeply affecting episodes told with poignant precision and a sense of awe for the real-life counterparts Oakley’s characters portray.
Amidst the intrigue and suspense occurring on the seas, daily life in the village may seem calmer, but Oakley deftly demonstrates the pervasiveness of suspicion and danger during wartime. Villagers snub Anna, a beautiful young widow whom they mistakenly believe to be a quisling. As the Allied Invasion progresses through Europe, liberating towns and countries alike, the residents of Fjellstad fear that the German forces will hang on until the last bitter moments in their beloved Norway. How many will die before that time comes?
Oakley clearly did exhaustive research when writing this book. A voluminous amount of details is provided on all aspects of the Resistance in Norway. No stone is unturned and the reader benefits. In addition, the reader learns a great deal about Norwegian life and customs, about an exceptionally hearty people who annually experience four phases of winter and midnight sunshine during summer. They are not a people to be subjugated, and this book showcases how they fought the German occupation with every means available to them.
The Jøssing Affair is a highly enriching experience, a fascinating and profound work of historical fiction penned by, J.L. Oakley, one of the best in the business. A certain testimony to the underground heroes of WWII who put aside personal safety for a cause much bigger than themselves. Their courage is acknowledged in this superbly gripping novel.
By Carrie Meehan
The Jossing Affair
By J. L. Oakley
Find & buy on
L. Oakley’s rich, satisfyingly atmospheric novel The Jossing Affair is set in the midst of the Second World War in Nazi-occupied Norway. A Norwegian named Tore Haugland, trained by British intelligence services, returns to Norway intent on creating a pocket of resistance centered on a west coast fishing village, with the aim of receiving smuggled arms and supplies from the British in defiance of Nazi rule. Haugland’s mission is complicated when he falls in love with a German widow and is later betrayed, seemingly by somebody he had come to trust.
Oakley juggles all these elements very smoothly, and although both her characters and her dialogue can at times verge on the melodramatic, her narrative is so sprawling and involving and intensely detailed that most readers will likely be as engrossed as I was.
First-rate WWII-era espionage fiction.
Review
Reviewed by
Laura Fahey
Timber Rose
By J. L. Oakley
Find & buy on
L. Oakley’s Timber Rose is set in the earliest years of the 20th century and follows the life and adventures of Caroline Symington, the daughter of a prominent family in Portland, Oregon. The year is 1907, and Caroline is unapologetically unconventional, preferring tramping and hiking in the wilderness to her family’s ideas of more ‘proper’ pursuits for a well-born young lady. Both her fondness for the outdoors and her complicated family relationships entwine with her adult life: she elopes with Bob Alford, a forest ranger in the North Cascade Mountains, and her malevolent uncle eventually darkens her life again, trying to make inroads into the national forest that has become her home.
Oakley does a skillful and confident job of weaving a good deal of historical material into her story of married life, from mountain-climbing to the women’s suffrage movement to the early days of ecological conservation. All of it is presented in an appealingly earthy, unpretentious prose style laced with wry humor and some memorable insights into human nature. Timber Rose is at times an openly sentimental tale, and it’s portrayal of Caroline’s slow awakening to love and happiness is genuinely memorable.
Highly recommended.
Review
Reviewed by
Laura Fahey