A Different Kind of "Washington Novel"

The Woods Explores Political Intrigue, Corporate Greed, Union Organizing in Pacific Northwest During Last Days of Great Depression

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Political potboiler or environmental love letter to the Pacific Northwest?  In his rowdy new novel, The Woods, Washington DC insider and Washington State native Ronald Lee Geigle explores the political intrigue and corporate back-stabbing that are inherent in times of economic turmoil­––no matter which "Washington" you're talking about. The novel is being published in association with WordVirgin, an indie publishing platform based in Seattle, Washington DC, and Edinburgh.

Set in the world of big-timber logging and labor unrest in Washington State during the Great Depression, The Woods focuses, in part, on people who take advantage of economic disorder to achieve their own political gain.

"Some readers may indeed find a parallel with what goes on in the nation's capital," deadpans Geigle, who has worked as a Hill staffer and then DC consultant for decades.

"My novel is about people pursuing dreams during hard times," he adds. "When the jobs and the banks go under, how do you survive—especially when so many corporate barons and political manipulators are gaming the system?"

Seattle was Red in the '30s

The novel draws out the labor unrest that is such a rich part of Northwest history, notes Geigle. "Seattle was quite Red and fervent in the 1930s, and the Pacific Northwest led the nation in union organizing.  My novel drops a fast-paced coming-of-age story into the middle of it all."

The author was steeped in this rich brew of big-timber logging and political activism from an early age, hearing stories from his father and friends who were axe men and union activists. Like the novel's young protagonist, Geigle as a boy often attended the funerals of townsmen who were felled by the harsh and dangerous working conditions in the woods.

Geigle knows these characters well. The salty loggers in his book are beyond colorful, and their personalities as rich as the empire-building timber barons' bank accounts.

But the novel is more than just sabotage, sex, and unions. It is also a beautifully drawn coming-of-age novel of love and transformation set amidst the splendor of the Pacific Northwest's mountains and forests. Although he'd say he's more adept at writing about intrigue than nature, Geigle's descriptions of the environment are lush and transcendent. After reading his prose, you'll never look at hawks the same way again.

Excerpt from The Woods:

For the first time in his life, Albert stopped wondering.  The rhythm of the logs, the calculations in his head, the quick orders he snapped to the crew, and the wonder of seeing a reluctant winter fall upon the high mountains refreshed him.  Even the stabbing cold, which he had come to hate for so long, gave him a sense of achievement.  As the temperature dropped and the wind grew, and the sense of danger increased, he found a sense of calm rise within him.

The hawks had gone.  The eagles had gone.  The songbirds had long since departed.  But for some reason––a reason he couldn't understand––Albert was still on the mountain.

Link to Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H59NIHQ

New indie publishing firm
The Woods is being published in association with WordVirgin, an indie publishing platform based in Seattle, Washington DC, and Edinburgh.

The firm specializes in helping authors complete and market their fiction and non-fiction books. www.wordvirgin.com

Media Contact: Helen Pettay, 910-795-1202

SOURCE WordVirgin