My Dad

My Dad loved music.  That's him on the left playing alto sax. I once asked him if he had any regrets - only that he had not played more music, he responded. My love of music came from him. Every night, as a child, I fell asleep to the sound of him playing piano in the room below. This journey was written in my destiny seventy-three years ago, when Captain Edward Joseph Emery sat on the banks of the River Khwae Noi, and wrote in his journal.  Now, I am preparing to leave for Thailand where I shall return this small brown exercise book to the land where it was written. My heart is filled with gratitude for all the people who have rallied to help me realize this dream. I know my dad, more than anyone, would have been grateful to them too. Our lives are blips on the cosmic screen, it is the small slivers of history, like this diary, that remind us who was here, what went on. Witness to history.

Gone, but not forgotten.

When I began researching my novel, Pursuit of the Golden Lily, I was astounded at how little I knew about the history of the Pacific War.  It was not taught to me in school; so much of what happened there was left out of our history books.  What I learned, profoundly disturbed me.  There is an abundance of material about WWII in Europe.  Most people know of the malevolence perpetrated by the Nazis - it's widely available through books and movies as well as history books.   But of Japan's role in committing equally egregious crimes against humanity, there remains much ignorance.  I am not setting out to vilify modern day Japan - as my father always said: "in war, people do terrible things."  They too suffered a terrible consequence.  I do, however, want to pay tribute to the millions of people who lost their lives under the occupation and imprisonment of the Japanese Imperial Army.  And my story, in particular happens to be personally connected to the souls who slaved to build the Thailand-Burma "Death" Railway.  The Thailand Burma Railway Center will house my father's diary; it will be on display for all to read.  He risked his life to write it and I think he would be glad that his little piece of history will live on.  I encourage people to visit the TBRC website, or, if in Thailand, to go to the center itself.  The Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association is also a good resource. 

Pursuit of the Golden Lily - The Journey!

                   
I've just launched an Indiegogo Campaign to help me raise the necessary funds to complete this incredible journey.  Please stop by, take a look and consider a donation - every donation, no matter how small will help me achieve this goal and fulfill a longtime dream of returning my father's WWII diary to Thailand where it was written.  My father wrote this diary at great personal risk.  I know he would be happy to see it displayed where others can read it, to preserve its place in history.  Please share the Indiegogo link with anyone who might be interested in this journey.  There are some fabulous perks - especially if you're looking to vacation in British Columbia or Mexico!  Your support is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

The Novel

A mysterious riddle encrypted in her father’s WWII diary captivates Rose Jamieson’s curious soul.  When her brother suggests she donate the manuscript to the ‘Death Railway’ Center in Thailand, Rose jumps at the opportunity; she’ll combine her quest to unravel the code with a personal journey of self-discovery. But Rose uncovers more than she bargained for: the Golden Lily, a decades-old political and criminal web of intrigue emerges from the ruins, exposing long submerged ties between Asian Mafia gangs, the CIA and the Japanese Imperial family.  Set against the exotic backdrop of Southeast Asia, Pursuit of the Golden Lily is filled with adventure, romance and political intrigue.