J.L. Oakley
Award-Winning Indie AuthorNovels set in WWII Norway
Novels set in the Pacific Northwest
Hilo Bay Mysteries with a bit of history
About Janet
So glad you came by. I love history and stories, gardening and just being outdoors. (I’ve been tent camping since I was a baby!)
I’ve lived in the Northwest for over 35 years. When I’m not writing, I enjoy delving into local history, looking for little surprises that tell a larger story of my area and the nation’s past, fodder far more novels or non-fiction pieces. I can be found in my garden conversing with chickadees or teaching history hands-on to local grade school students. I churn excellent butter (don’t forget to wash it!) and can spin up a storm.
Latest News
Historic Plumbing Part II
I’m now a week into the portable outhouse in my backyard as I work getting the sewer pipes replaced. Using it brings back memories of YWCA camp in the Pennsylvania woods with wolf spiders in the corner and a black snake that liked to sun himself at 1:00 PM in path to...
Historic plumbing
My house is 105 years and I’m having a fatal breakdown with the sewer line. It must be 80 or 90 years old. I know this because in 1913, a photographer, I think Sanderson, flew over Sehome Hill in a balloon and took a picture of the neighborhood. Going up the alley...
A Good Resource for Washington State History
I write both fiction and non-fiction. Three of my novels take place in the Pacific Northwest in three different time periods: mid-19th century, 1906 and 1935. Each story has its own culture, technology, politics and media. My characters deal with the time they live...