Marsh Island was released November 2013 and is available from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, publisher AEC Stellar, and me via webpage oliverchase.net. The publisher decided to re-release the novel to coincide with the sequel’s release referenced below.
Blind Marsh sequel and final novel in Hirebomber Crime Series will release December 11, 2014 and 
be launched on Facebook November 13, 2014. Advanced electronic copies are available now for preorder from Amazon, B&N, and from Smashwords. Paper is available now via AEC Stellar and me via the website oliverchase.net.
Those in the mood for an armchair adventure won’t be able to put this one down. Oliver Chase’s mystery thriller, “Marsh Island” is a page-turner. Chase writes with a refreshing style in the genre of Sanford and Burke…
The main character is very easy to relate to, although at times he is a bit frustrating. I found myself mentally shouting at him, warning him not to trust people and not to be so gullible. Chase only gives a few moments of the villain’s point of view, but they are extremely intriguing…
Ollie’s comment: Wait for Blind Marsh where the villain confronts Phil. The world demands a life be taken.
Marsh Island is a thriller to its core. It’s twists and turns kept me reading, searching for answers. The storyline kept me turning to the next page, only to become more determined to find the answer. Page after page, Mr. Oliver had my heart racing, and my adrenaline coursing through my body, watching and waiting to see what came next…
What to say about my guest today? Things you won’t hear about today are things like “Distinguished Flying Cross” as a Marine Pilot, or 22 years in the FBI on dark missions. No those aren’t things discussed today, nor the hard to understand neighbors of Louisiana. Cajuns perhaps? I’ve worked with a few and have to say, I know a little Cajun French, but there are female readers present, so never mind. What makes today’s guest qualify to write the books mentioned today? As I went through the questions and my guest answered I pictured a relaxed and casual setting as he leaned against his little Grumman Tiger airplane and memories were recalled and excitement rose about the forthcoming book release. Now it’s time for you to feel that same thing as you meet . . .
Author
RW: You grew up in the military, calling yourself a Military Dependent and not the commonly used Military Brat, for obvious reasons, tell us about that life and how it shaped Oliver Chase?
OLIVER: I grew up on military bases throughout the country from California to North Carolina. What a great place to be a kid – safe, communal, and social. I didn’t miss a thing from a traditional school setting. The friends I made in elementary school usually showed up again in Junior High. High School was a like a reunion of old pals from years gone by with new friends to be made.
We always seemed to know one another, one another’s friend, and best of all, we knew the little girl on roller skates with skinned knees in fourth grade that grew up to be our Homecoming Queen. I’ve read about the meanness in some kid’s life when it came to school. That was not how we grew up in the military.
I was also one of the rare kids whose dad had a short, one-time tour in the civilian world when I was a sophomore and junior in high school – convertibles, drive-in movies, and lovely ladies on roller skates serving shakes at my local hang outs for almost two years. We even had our own Wolfman Jack wannabe that played rock and roll songs, took requests, and spoke with a gravelly voice, just like in the movie. What a great hiatus from the button-down world of the military and just what a “rebellious” teenager needed.
There was a time when I had this teensy-weensy problem with the truth. I can’t tell you in how many versions, George and his cherry tree were explained to me. Of course, I grew up and not only found the value of honesty, but discovered I liked being in groups of honest people. There is no honor amongst thieves or liars, and I like honor.
In all my growing up however, I never lost my yearning to spin a good tale. I think engaging a reader in a fictional story and letting the author speak to his personal beliefs is the height of literary actualization and honesty.
RW: I think it’s somewhat obvious with the adage of ‘write what you know’ why you write about mystery thrillers with a touch of politics and airplanes but I always ask this of my guests, how did you come to writing and why do you write in the genre that you do?
OLIVER: I began by reading historical novels like The Source, Battle Cry, The Right Stuff, Space, Exodus, and Hawaii. I’d spend time in school away from my math and science books just to disappear into the world of James Michener and Leon Uris. My grades didn’t do well until I discovered Pulp Novels like Ray Bradbury, H.P Lovecraft, and Dashiell Hammett. Now I could stick a whole book into the back pocket of my jeans, and read a chapter or a few paragraphs on the bus, between classes, and in study hall…not to mention the occasional all-nighter or until the flashlight batteries gave out. Pulp novels are what I write now. The only difference is that we call them mystery noir. I like mystery thrillers, techno thrillers, and political thrillers. There’s a pattern here, I think.
RW: You told me Marsh Island is a real place in Louisiana, where you reside now, tell us about your Hirebomber Crime Series starring Phil Pfeiffer, your protagonist.
OLIVER: In Marsh Island, Army Ranger Phil Pfeiffer is left for dead in the opening days of the Gulf Wars. He’s found by wandering Iranian tribes people, severely injured and the lone survivor of a secret mission. Phil is released from the Army and decides upon the simpler life of a private investigator skip tracing and catching cheating husbands. Simple that is, until he is hunted by the mob, pursued by a psychotic hit man, and stalked by deep water sharks. He must shadow box a bizarre and dangerous world of false clues and thousand year old prophecies to survive. In the sequel Blind Marsh, Phil agrees to protect the lounge singer we met in the first book from an unpredictable ex-boyfriend and his gangster family. Let the love sparks fly. Struggling with his own demons and disappointments, Phil survives a Wild West shootout and uncovers a plot we knew was brewing in that pesky first book. Phil uncovers the theft of a trillion dollar industry and weighs his own life against that of the killer. He chooses to take both when true evil is disclosed.
RW: I think knowing of your Military and FBI background I read at OliverChase.net where some of what went into your books but what inspired you to actually write them?
OLIVER: Many people have given their lives over our short history to stop tyranny and injustice. I see these individuals as the foundation for our country and our beliefs. The key in my books however is not the involvement of the mass, but individual strong men and women unwilling to compromise their values in a vanilla world of common music, social blandness, and popular thinking. If you believe that singular acts cannot change the flow of history, just look at a generation of strong moms and dedicated fathers that said no to genocide, apartheid, dictators, and even teenage drinking. A single man or a woman can change our world. We can take that to the bank.
RW: Tell us about your main characters and what you think will them connect to readers.
OLIVER: Phil Pfeiffer was described by a reviewer as an everyday man, flawed like many of us, but called upon to test the strength of his beliefs. Our heroine in Blind Marsh made her choices in life, too – some good and some not so good. They set themselves apart by choosing to overcome adversity with character and sometimes, raw guts. Greatness is not just the province of the historical figures; greatness resides in all when we choose.
RW: What message do you think your book delivers to the reader?
OLIVER: I’d like to believe many of us see ourselves as something other than ants working in the pile. Whether that’s true or not, I like stories about strong people caring for their comrades, delivering lunches to the shut-ins, or teaching kids to swim at the YMCA. We have a potential to make life better for others. Service doesn’t take away from strength but delivers it, and makes us more than just soldiers, laborers, or even ant-queens.
RW: Writers inevitably put something of themselves in their work, what do you discover about yourself when writing?
OLIVER: More than I’m probably willing to admit. My first book was written a couple decades ago and resides in my closet. Sometimes on a cold, uninspired mornings I’ll drag it out and read. I’m always surprised by again meeting the people I used to know– real and imagined. Most are compilations of persons from my past in cramped and scary airplane cockpits, hiding under flimsy roofs during rocket attacks, or with a badge walking the dark streets in a city already several hours asleep. I tell their stories even if they never quite recognize themselves from my words.
RW: Describe your book in one word.
OLIVER: Rollicking
RW: Where can we get your book now?
For paper, Southern Bound Bookstore in Biloxi and Bay Books in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; Amazon (of course); and B&N by mail.
Contacting me through my webpage oliverchase.net will “net” you a signed copy for same charge as Amazon. As I indicated earlier, I’m between books at the moment and have a little time to connect more personally with a reader.
Electronically, add Smashwords and KOBO to the nationals mentioned above.
One great thing Oliver is doing is his Book Launch for Blind Marsh on his facebook page. It is coming up October 13-15.
Oliver gave us some great answers and I think you can get a full understanding of what went into his books, but now let’s look at bit at what is Oliver Chase. Yes I said what, not who.
“I like modern day thriller mystery writers like Craig Johnson, Tom Clancy, James Lee Burke, and Stephen King. I cut my teeth on James Michener, Herman Wouk, Tom Wolfe, Leon Uris, and Ernest Hemingway. Didn’t we all? Don’t let me forget Lee Harper, Susan Sontag, and Lorraine Hansberry. All very influential in my life and my writing. You know something? I never realized how powerful they were until I cranked out my first book Western Sunrise. All I knew was they told great stories making me regret that I’d turned the last page. I hope readers of Marsh Island and Blind Marsh feel the same way.”
“I like a cup of coffee when it’s cold outside; hot tea (orange pekoe) to follow if I’m still in the mood. In hot weather, I like cold tea in the morning after my workout.”
“When I’m full of ideas, I write. I believed Stephen King when he said write, write, and write. When I’m just full with myself, I run or swim.”
Upcoming from Oliver Chase.
Levant Mirage is waiting the editor’s red pen in November 2014 and will see light in the winter of 2015 as a new release. The novel is twist away from my noir mystery style and is a techno thriller with a threatened dystopian plot. Borne from my days at NASA, Islamic terrorists see and take the opportunity for final Jihad when our country dissolves the Constellation heavy lift rocket program and gives away the technology.
In The Joshua Tree, a bright political and personal future beckons Scott McHale, newly elected junior senator from California. Some whisper about a run for the presidency after Scott puts in few years to calm and mature a headstrong and driven personality. When politics conflict between kingmaker and prince however, a rift is irrevocable and a murder results. Survival is in the hands of those Scott loves when the world and the fickle press turn against him. The Joshua Tree will be completed in the Fall of 2015 just in time for the Presidential Election and will be a first draft product of the NaNoWriMo challenge this year. Only do this challenge once, however. There are eleven more months in every year. http://nanowrimonomo.com/
I’ve also written a screen treatment of Marsh Island based on Craig Johnson’s successful Walt Longmire model. The publisher will get his first installment in December 2014 after percolating in my desk drawer for a couple of months.
RW:I know you don’t have an agent but would be open to one at some point but tell us about AEC Stellar. I’ve had experience with another of your members Shannon A. Thompson of Take Me Tomorrow, and she was a great interview just like you have been.
OLIVER: The group writes in the thriller, YA, paranormal, Sci-Fi, and romance ilk. Inside our limited population, we help with Advanced Readings, reviews, launches, and critiques…and we do occasionally take one another to the woodshed when its warranted. I’ve been there and am better for the experience. Our publisher formulated a unique business model by offering printing and formatting services, editors, and publicists. We choose inside or outside the Community when we want the service. Most importantly, AEC introduced us to each other so that we can learn, grow, and spread our literary wings safely, and where jealousy and ego have no place.
RW: If you could have written any book that exists, other than your own, what would it be and why?
OLIVER: 11-22-63 by Stephen King
I’ve read the book twice, and examined the craftsman’s work often. King is a master yarn spinner, and his time travel adventure is one of the best examples of Sci-Fi and Thriller rolled into one. I liked the fantasy in The Stand and The Dome, too. In 11-22-63, King stayed historically close enough and strayed sufficiently in fiction to keep me riveted. Quite a good balancing act and worthy of multiple reads. Hey, Stephen. I taught, too and appreciated your comments on the youthful ineptitude we once brought to class. I just hope the kids survived and didn’t listen to me.
RW: What is your favorite word?
OLIVER: Insipid
Don’t you just love a description of something dull and uninspiring? As a sometime personal provider of insipid first impressions, I like when characters break out and prove others wrong.
Ronovan
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I’ve reviewed H. Schussman’s work here before. It was El Tiburon and I gave it 4 stars. You can even read the interview I did with her by clicking here.That was her second book. Now I’ve read her first novel which you can get on Smashwords in any format you like.
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