First-time author pens thriller

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Ed Vovsi had his first book published at the age of 73.

"This is not the great American novel," he said. "I haven't written that one yet."

"Chasing Napoleon" is, according to Vovsi, a trashy airplane book. The story centers on James Napoleon, who is involved in an offshore money-laundering scam with his boss Bradley Harper. As part of the plan, Napoleon makes a stop in Las Vegas to ensure his boss' wife, Evelyn Harper, has an accident severe enough to bring Bradley to the city, giving his conspirator, Cole Webster, the space he needs to complete the electronic transfers undetected. But the accident kills the wrong person and sends Napoleon on a course to kill Evelyn and anyone who gets in his way.

The story is set mainly in Las Vegas where Vovsi has lived for the last 10 years.

He spent about four months writing the book, which was the easy part, and then wasted a lot of time. After six months of looking for an agent, Vovsi began an online search for a publisher. He picked four publishing houses and contacted them.

Although there was interest in the book from a publisher in Indiana, when he learned they wanted him to send $4,000 he decided to keep looking.

"I could self-publish and pay for everything," he said. "I decided I'm not paying anything."

Publish America gave Vovsi a better deal.

"It was a piece of cake," he said. "We did it all through e-mail. Everything they did I had to sign off on."

Although this is Vovsi's first book he has been a writer since he received a degree in journalism from Bradley University in Illinois.

"I went to college for a year and got kicked out," he said. "They expect you're going to go to class. My mother thought it might be a good thing if I got a job. When I was 19, work wasn't in my vocabulary."

It was 1952 and Vovsi decided the job he'd take was one with the U.S. Air Force.

He worked in Alaska before it was a state and received foreign duty pay.

"I drew maps, saw snow and froze," he said.

He said the year and a half he spent in Alaska felt like being in jail. It was during the Korean War and Vovsi said he volunteered to go to Korea but his officer laughed at him and said, "We can get anyone to go to Korea. We can't get anyone to go to Alaska."

"I left that job and went back to school," Vovsi said.

During his senior year at Bradley he began working with the Peoria Journal Star writing obituaries. He worked at night for the morning edition.

"One night there was no one in the newsroom and a plane crashes in the Illinois River," he said. "The city editor comes over and says 'You're the only one we can send.' The photographer was my instructor at school. I wrote the story and got a page one byline. I never had to call another funeral home again."

Vovsi left the newspaper business a few years later for $5,400 a year.

"I sold out for 54," he laughed. "That was big money."

He joined the American Heart Association (AHA) as public relations director. Vovsi spent 36 years with the AHA and was CEO when he retired.

During his time with AHA he moved his wife and three kids to California. That time it was for $10,000 a year.

"We lived in Northern California during a very interesting time, the free speech movement, Black Panthers, white go-go boots, no bras," he said.

He got involved in local politics and became the mayor of Pinole, Calif. in 1973 while Ronald Reagan was governor of the state.

"I didn't take any bribes," he said of his year as mayor. "I was young and stupid. I thought you could do something you can't really do."

During this time he was also working on his master's degree in history from Holy Names College in Oakland.

Vovsi said he knew he could write a book because of the time he spent writing his thesis for his master's degree.

"I remember when I wrote my master's thesis my proctor was a nun and the smartest person I ever knew in my life. She was in her late 70s, which at the time I thought was really old."

Vovsi's thesis was about the history of Pinole and is now used in classes at Pinole Valley High School.

For years Vovsi only wrote the types of things managers write, such as planning and analysis documents. He also wrote a chapter in a broadcasting text book and wrote professional journals.

"Stuff nobody reads except family," he said. "And not even that."

Vovsi is currently writing two more books and joked that he is under contract with Publish America until he's 80.

"Chasing Napoleon" is available online at www.amazon.com or at local Barnes and Noble stores.