Janet Oakley
author of The Jossing Affair
Award-winning author J.L. Oakley writes historical fiction that spans the mid-19th century to WWII with characters standing up for something in their own time and place. Her writing has been recognized with awards such as Goethe Grand Prize and 2020 Military Writers Society of America Silver for The Jøssing Affair, the 2018 Will Rogers Silver Medallion, two WILLA Silver Awards and the 2020 Hemingway Grand Prize award for 20th century war time fiction. When not writing, she demonstrates 19th century folkways, gardens and weaves.
Me: Tell us about The Jøssing Affair and The Quisling Factor.
Janet: The Jøssing Affair and The Quisling Factor are set in Norway during and after WWII. Tore Haugland, a British-trained intelligence officer is sent to a fishing village on Norway’s west coast to set up a line to receive weapons and agents from England via the “Shetland Bus.” Posing as a deaf fisherman, his mission is complicated when he falls in love with Anna Fromme, a German widow. Both novels are about espionage and courage with the epitaph that “In wartime, love and trust are not compatible.”
Me: What inspired you to write them?
Janet: When I tell people that it was a dream about a man in the snow with German soldiers standing over him over two decades ago that led me to write The Jøssing Affair, people are amazed. Sometimes, dreams can start you on a path that leads you to some wonderful moments in your writing life. Back in my mind, however, was the plaque I saw while a student in Vichy, France dedicated to the twenty-five students shot by the Gestapo. That image inspired and grew my interest in the Resistance in Norway.
Me: What sort of research was involved in writing these?
Janet: I’m lucky to live in a region with a large Norwegian-American population, so early on I had a chance to interview folks who lived during German-occupied Norway. My university also held some wonderful books on the library shelf, including the declassified British Naval Intelligence books for agents in Norway. Having started when there was no internet nor email, I wrote letters to Norway which I cherish. In the last decade, research has been much easier. Four years ago, I went to Trondheim, Norway to do research on The Quisling Factor. I am in touch with well-known Norwegian historians who are guiding me on a prequel.
Me: What is your favorite scene in the series?
Janet: One favorite scene in Jøssing is when Haugland and his group of fishermen helping some refugees get on the Shetland Bus are confronted by a traitor in their midst. A lot of action and a crisis point in the success of their overall goal of delivering arms to the Resistance in Trondheim. Another scene is when Haugland and Anna are reunited after a tragic encounter. In Quisling, there are many scenes, but the one that stands out is when a mother makes a difficult decision to save her baby from a war criminal.
Me: What is the most useful writing advice you’ve ever received?
Janet: Writing as long as I have been doing, there are pages of advice out there. The best, of course, is to write consistently. For me, that’s every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a few minutes or all day, just write. But in the actual creation of your work, both Robert Dugoni and Donald Maas both empathize creating a full life of emotions, fears, desires, and wounds not only for your hero but for your antagonist as well.
