The idea for this book, A BODYGUARD OF LIES, struck me when I was tipping a pint with fellow tourists at an Irish pub. There on the wall was an old, WW II photo of Irish dockworkers sharing their pub with German U-boat sailors. That started me wondering about the role that Ireland played during the war, its uneasy relationship with Nazi Germany and the German spies who infiltrated Ireland and England. Lots of research followed, which led me to a contemporary story about an FBI undercover agent who investigates an elderly, naturalized American grandmother, to discover if she is the woman wanted by MI6 for war crimes. Little ol' Mary McCoy Snider, a dangerous WW II Nazi spy who caused the deaths of thousands? Agent Jake Bernstein finds that an unbelievable stretch and the granddaughter whom Jake finds himself falling in love with also disbelieves MI6's allegations.
Jake’s investigation draws him into the middle of a dangerous, secret neo-Nazi group that'll stop at nothing to protect one of their own. And then Jake must choose between the old woman and her lovely granddaughter or justice!
Research and travel are important inspirations to one’s writing. As in the case of this novel, the travel came first, followed by the inspiration and research. Sometimes, the research into an interesting topic inspires the story and characters. One of my hobbies over the years has been research into ESP phenomena. The reason? My cousin, Chickie, is a clairvoyant reader and has “read” for thousands of people from all over California and now Arkansas, where she now lives. She read for me almost thirty years ago and she was so accurate, I was awestruck! After that event, I took a workshop at Foothill College in ESP, given by a Czech physicist who once worked for the Moscow Institute for Psychic Research. What I learned in that two-day workshop convinced me that most homo sapiens are on a spectrum of psychic abilities, from what would be referred to in the music world as someone who is tone-deaf to the other extreme of the spectrum, a genius of extraordinary abilities, such as Beethoven or Mozart.
Many years later, after more reading and research into ESP, I was hit by the idea of developing a paranormal series, about a young woman from an ancient bloodline of psychic women. Hence was born ATHENA’S SECRETS (Book One of the Delphi Bloodline series), now available and published by The Wild Rose Press. Athena Butler, a clairvoyant artist, longs for a normal life but is constantly recruited by law enforcement officers to help them ferret out terrorist cells and criminals that elude them. I’ve just finished Book Two and will begin research on a new setting for Book Three, San Francisco.
Also, through promoting ATHENA’S SECRETS, I’ve met local psychics and one in particular wants to collaborate on a book about her experiences. This new project sounds intriguing, as it will be a nonfiction book about this woman’s true-to-life psychic experiences.
You just never know where research and travel will take you! But it’s all good and enriches one’s life!
by Donna Del Oro
To Purchase on The Wild Rose Press
To Purchase on Amazon
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