Pirate Peril beginnings

I was happily plying my trade [psychology] at Naval Hospital, Oakland, CA [now closed] in 1995 when my Big Boss, the CNO [Chief of Naval Operations] decided a psychologist was needed on the tiny island of Adak in the Bering Sea about three hours flying time east of Anchorage, AK.

I got the job. Lucky me. Not!

Adak had had an active role in WWII in stopping the Japanese invasion of North America but had not seen much action in recent decades. It, too, was closing.

For the next year I had nearly nothing to do. From a busy practice in Oakland where I was responsible for the mental health of some 15 thousand sailors and their families, I ended up with some 500 souls, almost none of whom needed a shrink. The CNO had been worried about depression & possible suicide among the sailors on the island, apparently excluding me.

Weather in the Aleutians is mostly miserable. The wind blows so hard & so constantly, rain & snow arrive horizontally. One restaurant, open erratically with mediocre food, and a free movie theater, showing the latest '80s films, comprised most of our vibrant social life. The overcast was constant, but no matter; in fall, winter & spring, the sun was seldom up anyway.

I was bored and depressed and Pirate Peril was born.

Working on this book during that dreary year made life so much better. So much so in fact I've been working on it — on and off— ever since.

One day, I hope to get it published.