James D. Armstrong

Many years ago, in a musty storm cellar in southeast Missouri, light from an old kerosene lantern flickered off the faces of relatives and neighbors seeking shelter. The smell of kerosene permeated the air. Most storms that rumbled across the Missouri “boot heel” had the potential of harboring deadly tornados which lurked in pitch-black nights. The old dugout shelter was nothing more than a hole in the ground supported by wooden beams and covered by three to four feet of dirt, but since we had no modern warning system, we spent many hours huddled in that dark hole. And this is where I first heard the stories of a fortune in gold being found under a relative’s ancient house in southern Mississippi. (My father knew the house well.) I was the youngest of eight children in our family, and we all looked forward to hearing those stories. These childhood memories inspired 'The Will and the Wisp' and its sequels, 'A Voice in the Wind' and 'Echo of the Moon.' Although the stories I eventually wrote down are mostly fiction, the story of the Wisp Gold is very true. It originates in an unforgiving swamp, then moves across the plains and leads to more dangers in a Wild West adventure.

Enjoy!

– James Armstrong