Little Hatchet | Book 1 of The Oakley Series
By Phil Oakley
An epic historical saga filled with multigenerational family drama and stories of survival in the American frontier.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Oakley family seeks a fresh start on the rugged banks of Little Hatchet Creek in New Mexico. But when young Walter Oakley’s little brother is abducted right from the porch of their cabin, Walter embarks on a daring journey to rescue him. As they navigate their new life among the Mescalero Apaches, Comanches, and Tejanos, the Oakleys struggle to find peace in an unforgiving frontier.
But new challenges await in Texas as the new century dawns. The hardships posed by the frontier pale compared with Walter’s efforts to keep his family together amid the decadence, drunkenness, and violence of Prohibition.
Little Hatchet is the first book in The Oakleys series, a sweeping historical saga of resilience, family, and the relentless pursuit of a better life. Loosely inspired by the author’s kin, it’s a gripping tale of endurance and the unbreakable bonds that hold a family together.
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979-8-9879002-5-3 (paper)
979-8-9879002-6-0 (ebook)
$24.95
Fiction/Westerns
308 pp
Available
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phil Oakley
Phil Oakley is a writer, educator, filmmaker, journalist and executive. He is the author of eight novels. He began working on his first one in the spring of 1964, while a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin. That book finally reached publication fifty years later in 2014. In addition to writing, Phil currently works as a paraprofessional educator at Kennedale HighSchool.
Previously, he served as Director of the Louisiana Film Commission, was a regional executive of The Walt Disney Company, supervising coverage for ABC News in the southwestern United States and Latin America. He also was an editor/producer for The Dallas Morning News. As a journalist, Phil won national awards from Columbia University, the Radio-Television News Directors’ Association and a National Headliners Award. He covered presidents and presidential campaigns, beginning with Lyndon Johnson and extending through the terms of George W. Bush. Phil was born in Austin during the last days of World War II. He lives in Arlington, Texas with his wife, the former Nancy Matens of Baton Rouge. Both are graduates of Louisiana State University. They have two sons and one granddaughter.