Today we welcome Michael Houtchen, author of the new suspense thriller Tybee Island H-Bomb, on the second day of his blog tour! We wanted to get the “story behind the story” of the new book, and Michael gave us his response!
The Story behind Tybee Island H-Bomb
by Michael Houtchen
My wife and I, along with four other friends, get together just about every Friday night to play cards. The six of us play a game called Hand and Foot. In our small group, there are three men and three women, so most of the time, it’s the men against the women. Just for the record, the women win most of the games.
Every year we try and take a vacation together. We’ve been doing this for over twelve years, and out of those twelve years, we’ve gone to Tybee Island, Georgia, probably seven or eight times. For us, life is simple on Tybee. We rent a house, we stock up on groceries, we cook, we love to eat, we love Brandy Alexanders (BA), and we play cards. We enjoy sitting on the balcony after a hard game of Hand and Foot, sipping on BA’s, taking in the sea breezes, smelling the saltiness of the ocean in the air, watching the tide roll in and out, watching beach-goers, and watching the pelican’s flying in formation up and down the coast. Several of us even like to walk on the beach. I’m not one of them.
While most of the time we prepare meals in our rental, there are several restaurants we venture out to. We love Belford’s Seafood and Steaks in historic Savannah. I always get the she-crab soup. On Tybee, there’s nothing like the Sundae Café. No, it’s not an ice cream parlor. It used to be, but today it’s an up-scaled fine dining restaurant and a must do while on the island. Several times we’ve eaten at A-J’s Dockside Restaurant. It was there I heard about the hydrogen bomb the government lost back in 1958. I even brought a Tybee Island Bomb Squad T-shirt. Once, I caught a documentary on the History Channel about the lost bomb, and how it was lost somewhere around Tybee Island. To this day, it’s still out there somewhere waiting to be found. I found it fascinating.
I thought it would be cool to write a story about the incident and bring it up to-date. So, in the story, six retired friends from Kentucky travel to Tybee to eat and play cards. Do you want to guess who those six people are? Yes, in the story, Mike Roach is me. Roach was my mom’s maiden name. While on vacation, the Kentucky six would get caught up in murder, kidnapping, and terrorism.
Most of the sights and sounds in the book are from our experiences on Tybee Island. From the fake shark attack, the feral cats, down to the guys who trim the palm trees, these were real moments in our lives.
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Be sure to connect with Michael, pick up a copy of Tybee Island H-Bomb, and check out the other stops on his blog tour!
Synopsis of Tybee Island H-Bomb: The government lost a hydrogen bomb around Tybee Island, Georgia, in 1958, or is that an old wives’ tale?
If it is only a tale, then why are three young men trying to find it, in hopes of selling it to make a dirty bomb?
Before the week is out, six friends from Kentucky will get caught up in kidnapping, murder, and treason, while trying to save one of their own and perhaps the citizens of Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia.
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About Michael Houtchen:
Kentucky has always been my home. I was born in Owensboro and raised in Daviess County. Life was simple back then. I grew up with outhouses, hand-pumps, and coal stoves. If you wanted hot water, you heated it on the stove. Both of my parents have passed on. I have a half-brother, Danny, but most of our younger lives he lived with his father, so we didn’t get to see each other often. Looking back, sadly, it was like being an only child. My closest friends were the cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, turkeys, geese, ducks, and horses my dad kept on our small farm. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out. Farm animals can be so jealous. Our grocery store – mason jars of mom’s canned vegetables and the occasional trip into town to the IGA.
My dad was a woodsman. You could give him a shotgun, a box of shells and a book of matches, and he could disappear into the forest for weeks. I used to hunt with him, but I was never the woodsman. I can’t tell you how many deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and ground hogs I’ve eaten.
My wife, Stephanie, and I have five kids (three boys and two girls) and eight grandchildren (five boys and three girls). All but one son live here in town. You should see Christmas day at our house.
I’ve had several jobs during my lifetime. When I was thirteen, I had a summer job. I was a soda-jerk at the Utica Junior High School playground. The school is now defunct. It is not my fault the school went defunct. As an adult, I started out as a janitor. Loved the work, but not the pay. Mapping came next. In other words, I was a draftsman who created maps from surveys. I did that for over twenty years. Mapping fulltime and going to Brescia College (It’s now a University) at night, I got a BS in Computer Science. Career change. I was a Computer Analyst for over twenty years.
There came a day when I realized I was the dinosaur of Computer Science. Technology had passed me by. So, I up and retired. That was in 2014, and I haven’t missed working a day. Truth be known, I do miss the people I worked with. Notice, I’ve said nothing about writing. I could tell you a pretty good story, but putting it on paper was another thing. Stephanie, my wife, asked, “And why not?” I had no answer.
I should keep this short, so, I will tease you with two important events that happened in my life; two events that I haven’t already discussed. When we meet each other, don’t hesitate to ask me about them.
Monday, September 6, 1965, was a Labor Day, and I was out of school. On that day, I came in contact with a high voltage powerline. Seven thousand two hundred volts entered my hand and exited my head and my feet.
That’s not a typo. It was seven thousand two hundred volts. I was given up for dead for three days. There is a “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say. Ask me about it when we meet.
The second event: September 17, 2017, I was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church. It keeps me busy these days. If you’re not sure what a Permanent Deacon does, Goggle “Permanent Deacon of the Catholic Church.”
There you have it. My life story summed up in 1000 words or less. It sounds like a writing contest doesn’t it. There’s so much I left out. I could tell you about riding the rails, or the time I hung myself. But, those will have to wait until we meet.
Author Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Houtchen-1425826841052699/
Tour Schedule and Activities
11/20 Infamous Scribbler http://www.infamous-scribbler.com/ Author Interview
11/21 The Seventh Star Blog http://www.theseventhstarblog.com Guest Post
11/22 Jazzy Book Reviews https://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/ Guest Post
11/23 The Literary Underworld http://www.literaryunderworld.com Guest Post
11/23 The Writing Process http://kimsprocess.wordpress.com Top Ten’s List
11/24 Carol Preflatish, Mystery Author http://CarolPre.blogspot.com Author Interview
11/25 The Book Junkie Reads . . . https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blogspot.com/2019/11/spotlight-tybee-island-h-bomb.html Author Interview
11/26 Sheila’s Guests and Reviews http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com Guest Post
Direct Purchase Links for Tybee Island H-Bomb
Kindle Version: https://www.amazon.com/Tybee-Island-H-Bomb-Michael-Houtchen-ebook/dp/B07V6T7BWC/
Amazon Print Version: https://www.amazon.com/Tybee-Island-H-Bomb-Michael-Houtchen/dp/1948042789/
Barnes and Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tybee-island-h-bomb-michael-houtchen/1132868604?ean=9781948042789