Discover Interesting Stories

Publications From a Talented Writer

James Olson: An Award-Winning Fiction Author

About the Author

If I’d been able to plan my childhood in preparation for a writing career, I couldn’t have done any better than the life I experienced.

Having a professional soldier for a father can be an exciting and unusual life. It certainly doesn’t give a youngster an opportunity to settle into a rut. I celebrated my 11th birthday in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, traveling by ship to Japan with my mother and two brothers. For two years, we lived in Hamadera, Japan, a small fishing village on the Bay of Osaka. What an adventure for a young boy. Imagine the thrill of immersing in an alien culture; helping Japanese fishermen haul in their nets; or playing baseball on the beach with kids who didn’t speak the same language.

For my next foray into foreign lands, I enjoyed three of my high school years living in Mainz, Germany along the historic Rhine River. Not only did I have an opportunity to savor the heritage and cuisine of the German people, but I was also able to travel extensively in France. It was particularly exciting for a teenager to experience the sights of Paris and to bask in the sun on the splendor of isolated Riviera beaches.

After graduating high school, I proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, first as a tank driver and then as Battalion S-3 (training and planning) clerk with a “secret” clearance. Along with a multitude of life lessons, the Corps taught me anyone could go beyond the physical and mental limits we often placed upon ourselves.

While juggling a career in sales and sales management and my duties as a single parent of twin boys, I managed to publish seven novels, three of which are historical fiction.

“Fascinating Tales From Obscure History,” my first venture into book-length nonfiction, delves into the intriguing stories historians have let slip into obscurity. These are tales that look down the dusty corridors of time and bring to life the real people who carved their names in the annals of history.

My writing has won the Southwest Border Regional Library Association Award for historical fiction and the Council for Wisconsin Writers Best Novel of the Year. I currently enjoy living and working in the wonderful atmosphere of small-town America—Pittsburg, Texas.

Books

Book of the month

Suffer The Children

Would you risk your life for a couple of kids you don’t even know?

Virtually overnight, Jonathon Wilson’s carefree bachelor world has been turned upside down. His sister is dead from a drug overdose that may or may not have been accidental, and he’s suddenly the guardian of a niece and nephew—who’ve been sexually and emotionally abused.

Fighting a Government Bureaucracy to keep the children out of the foster care system is only the beginning of his problems. His sister’s former drug dealer wants to ask the children some questions, and they aren’t likely to survive the interrogation. Now Jon must decide whether he is willing to die to protect two kids he didn’t even know existed two months ago.

Fascinating Tales From Obscure History

Injun

The Vagabond Healer

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If you enjoy history, you’ll love these weekly journeys into the vaults of obscure history. Every Saturday, I’ll be sending a new and different episode the history books have relegated to the dust bins of obscure history. Periodically I’ll also send an email announcing any new books I’ll be publishing, or when any of my books are on sale. If you’re like me, you get way too many unsolicited emails. I will never sell, rent, or lease my email list to anyone for any reason. Should you ever decide you don’t want to receive my emails, simply unsubscribe by the link at the bottom of each email, and we’ll part as friends. In the meantime, I look forward to sharing historical tidbits and having a bit of fun going down the corridors of obscure history with you.

A Canadian Hero

If you’ve ever seen a Newfoundland dog, you know a Newfie is a large working dog, with the males standing 28-29 inches and weighing around 130-150 pounds. This sweet-tempered breed typically gets along very well with children, but a Newfie may not always realize its size and strength. You have to appreciate that in order to understand how “Pal” became a war dog.

As part of the Hayden family, the gentle Newfie adored playing with the neighbor kids who often had him pull their sleds. During one playtime, however, “Pal” accidentally scratched a six-year-old with his big paw, and because the deep scratch required a doctor, the Haydens were faced with putting Pal down or giving him away. They chose life for the 130-pound dog, and that’s how Pal became the regimental mascot for the 1st Battalion of the Royal Rifles of Canada.

The Royal Rifles stationed at Gander International Airport quickly welcomed the dog into their ranks. The soldiers renamed him Gander and "promoted" him to sergeant. When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941, Sergeant Gander went along.

Hong Kong was very hot, and Gander’s thick, heavy coat wasn’t well suited to the climate. To help Gander cope with the heat, Rifleman Fred Kelly (Gander’s handler) let him take long, cold showers. The Newfie was also reported to have a fondness for cool beer.

Gander, however, developed a dislike of Asians, probably related to the efforts of some locals to steal him. He got away, but only after struggling, which Gander never forgot. His regiment didn’t discourage Gander’s snarling and snapping, and this may explain why Gander had such a ferocious reaction to the invading Japanese.

On December 7th, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and eight hours later, Japanese troops poured across the border to engage British, Indian, and Canadian units on Hong Kong Island. Armed only with his formidable size and an intimidating set of teeth, Gander fought alongside his fellow Canadians. The large dog charged and tackled any Japanese soldier who got too close to his Canadian troops. “He growled and ran at the enemy soldiers, biting at their heels,” recalled Rifleman Reginald Law. Since most of the fighting occurred at night, Gander’s black coat made him all but invisible, and instead of shooting the enormous dog, the Japanese beat a hasty retreat to avoid the “Black Beast.” Gander’s fierce attacks drove back the Japanese troops at least twice.

During the battles, both sides threw grenades, which injured or killed many soldiers. On the fifth or sixth day of battle, Gander was guarding a group of wounded Canadians when a Japanese grenade landed in their midst. The big dog instantly picked up the grenade in his massive jaws and ran it back toward the Japanese. No one will ever know for certain whether Gander realized the grenade was deadly, but if he didn’t think it was dangerous, why would he run it back to the Japanese? Although Gander was killed in the explosion, he had saved the lives of at least seven soldiers.

The allied forces had no reasonable chance of winning the battle, but the Canadians fought valiantly, finally surrendering on December 25th (Black Christmas). When the Japanese interrogated Canadian prisoners, they were particularly interested in learning about the “Black Beast,” because they were concerned the Allies were training vicious animals for combat.

Books By Olson