Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please click on the title to bring up the post so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)
In my first post about this interesting Northwest author – he just published his tenth mystery novel in the Cal Claxton series, entitled Deadly Redemption – you learned about his educational background, culminating with a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Cal Berkley.
His goal was to be a university professor, but there were no jobs, so two years of post-doctoral work in chemistry followed at the University of Florida.
Below, you’ll learn about his dual career as a research scientist and international business executive and his writing journey started in 2002 with short stories and then publication of his first novel Matters of Doubt in 2013.
On a business trip for DuPont where he worked for thirty years starting in 1969, he fortuitously left the book Heaven’s Prisoners by his favorite author, James Lee Burke, in his motel room. On the long non-stop flight home from Atlanta, he had nothing to do and arrived at his destination with twenty-three pages of what eventually became his fifth book – Blood for Wine in 2017. (“I laid it aside and came back to it after I knew what I was doing.”)
I was first drawn to Warren’s books after reading a 2023 Willamette Week review by my friend, Richard Meeker, the former publisher of the paper. Easley’s five novels I’ve read to date have lived up to this description:
“The Cal Claxton mysteries are well plotted with believable, multidimensional characters. They are so good and compelling I plowed through all nine in the past three or four months, in the order in which they were written.” (#2)
And if one reads multiple other reviews, the above praise is not colored by the reviewer’s parochial Pacific Northwest bias. Take this one from Publishers Weekly on No Way to Die:
“In Easley’s satisfying seventh mystery featuring genial Oregon attorney Cal Claxton, he creates authentic characters and relationships, and his eloquent descriptions of the Oregon wilderness are sublime. This well-plotted, character-driven series just keeps getting better.” (#3)
“Well Plotted” – Publishers’ Weekly
Deadly Redemption (#4)
Now before telling you more about his fascinating background, let me give you the scoop on his latest book. In a recent telephone chat, Warren described it as “kind of a miracle book.”
“We were moving after 28 years, so it came in short bursts – five to ten pages at a time and by the end of August, I got the ending – always a challenge for me. I wrote furiously for four days and didn’t show any of it to Marge, my primary editor, until the first draft was done.”
I’m pretty excited about the positive feedback and sales have been brisk.” (#5)
Warren and wife, Marge – his primary editor
He was leaving the next day after our conversation for a book tour in California. I asked him about his typical writing schedule for his books which average about 90,000 words. (It made me glad that I write blog posts and not novels – mine average about 2,500 words):
“It’s not real regimented – usually first thing in the morning for a couple of hours then 9:30 or 10:00 PM until midnight. My goal is five to ten pages every other day.”
He described Deadly Redemption as a
“….capstone, – Cal Claxton returns to LA after 13 years in Oregon to right a miscarriage of justice – I may decide to launch another series at this juncture.”
By the way, I asked about the origin of his protagonist’s name:
“Claxton was my mother’s maiden name and I thought Calvin was just kind of a ‘clunky’ moniker! And I wanted Cal to be a lawyer, not a private investigator.”
Beerchasing Expeditions
In 2023, I reached out to Warren by e-mail and told him about my blog and my thirty+ year background in the world of law and invited him to have a beer so I could interview him.
We raised our first mug at the Aurora Colony Pub – in the historic burg of Aurora – about twenty-five miles south of Portland, where Warren and his wife, Marge now live. (#6)
We had a great chat and discussed the setting of most of his novels – in beautiful Oregon Wine Country – above the City of Dundee – where Cal Claxton has his residence and law office in an historic home.
Cal resides there with his loyal pup, Archie, which coincidentally happens to be the same name and breed (Australian Shepherd) as Warren’s own pooch who will be four in January. (Next time we go Beerchasing, I will pick a place that is dog-friendly so Archie can join us.) (#7 – #8)
Since Dundee is the home of one of my favorite dive bars – one that prompted me to start this hobby in 2011 – I gently chided Warren that although Cal Claxton frequents a number of real and fictitious enterprises in Dundee (such as Red Hills Market), he had never been to Lumpy’s Landing – nor had Warren himself.
I suggested that we remedy that by having our second interview over beer in that colorful watering hole and Warren agreed. Although I hadn’t been back to Lumpy’s since my original visit and review in 2014, it retained the same great ambiance – probably most of the same regulars as well…..
The external reader board slogan which used to read, “Our beer is a cold as you exe’s heart,” was replaced with the one below:
Warren had a draft Breakside Wanderlust IPA and I opted for one of my favorites – a cold bottle of Miller High Life. And while the regulars played pool or lost their money on video poker, we drank-in some of the signs and memorabilia that typify most dives.
An Amazing Background
While Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” played in the background, I interrogated the author about how a guy with a long career as a research chemist and international business executive became a popular crime novelist.
His twenty-seven years at DuPont as Technical Director involved relocation and a lot of travel including a six-year stint in Geneva, Switzerland from 1983-89.
His friendship at DuPont with Mark Suwyn, a fellow chemist (PhD in inorganic chemistry from Washington State University) resulted in what must have been a lot of boring work lunches with discussions ranging from the periodic table of elements to modular calculations of biopolymers and the resulting index for molecular complexity:
| 𝐶m=∑𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑖𝑠𝑖log2(𝑉𝑖𝑏𝑖)−12∑𝑗𝑑𝑗𝑒𝑗𝑠𝑗log2(𝑉𝑗𝑏𝑗). |
But that relationship would be fortuitous (or perhaps come back to haunt him, given his new assignment….) after Warren initially retired from DuPont.
After years of educational achievement and twenty-seven years at DuPont, it would seem logical that Warren was ready to enjoy the fruits of retirement. He was not worried about being bored.
Warren was a good athlete in high school and college (UCRiverside ’59 – ’63) basketball and a football quarterback and is an avid hiker, fisherman and skier – adventure awaited. (#9 – #10)
A Side(ing) Trip!
Louisiana Pacific was founded in 1973 based in Portland, Oregon and Harry Merlo became both Chairman and CEO in 1974. Merlo, who died in 2016, was an Oregon power broker, philanthropist and sports team owner. But there were problems:
“During the 1990s, LP was the defendant in a major class-action lawsuit over its siding product known as Inner Seal, manufactured from the early 1990s through 1996….Many homeowners alleged that Inner-Seal siding, which carried a 25-year warranty, began to rot prematurely—discoloring, disintegrating, and even growing fungi.” Wikipedia
In addition to the siding issues, Merlo got into trouble as reported by Willamette Week:
“But in 1995, a confluence of events prompted its board of directors to abruptly boot Merlo. The feds charged the company with environmental crimes and fraud, and a female subordinate of Merlo’s sued for sexual harassment, alleging women were hired as assistants only if they were stunning, young and ‘likely to acquiesce to sexual advances by the CEO’, according to a 1995 story in Business Week.” (#11 – #12)
Replacing him in 1996 was Mark Suwyn, who needed help in resolving what resulted in millions in legal fees and payments to customers of about $750 million. Suwyn turned to his now-retired friend, Warren Easley, to fill what became a new court-mandated position at LP – Vice President of Quality and Technology.
Warren worked at LP from 1996 to 2002. He’s a modest guy, but some research reveals his influence in the company:
“In 1997 LP unveiled its Advanced Technology Center, which provided the company with the facilities to conceive, test, and improve new offerings. LP soon introduced a bevy of new product systems, including Smart Start siding, TechShield energy-efficient structural panels, TopNotch flooring, and Cocoon insulation….In 1998, LP returned once more to profitability, achieving $12.8 million of net profit from $2.29 billion in sales.” Wikipedia
The photos below show Warren with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, LP CEO, Mark Suwyn and Warren speaking at the opening of LP’s Advanced Technology Center: (#13 – #14)
A Real Retirement
After writing several full-length novels and receiving numerous rejections for publication, Warren wrote Matters of Doubt. He knew it was good, but when he submitted it to Poisoned Pen Press, who had shown interest in his work, he got no response.
He was dejected and ready to quit, but his wife, Marge, talked him into following up. It turned out that they had lost the manuscript and a month later they offered him a three-book contract.
His “retirement career” has flourished with now ten novels and multiple awards including the Kay Snow National Award in 2012, named the Northwest’s Up and Coming Author by Willamette Writers in 2017 and the Spotted Owl Award for best mystery novel by a Pacific Northwest author in 2022. (#15)
In Conclusion
Having worked in the legal environment for over thirty-five years, I thought Warren showed a good understanding of how law firms work, legal ethics concepts and client representation for someone who wasn’t a lawyer. I wanted to find out if some others who had worked in that environment shared my perceptions of Warren’s book.
The short answer is “They do.”
Don Bowerman is a trial lawyer practicing in Oregon City. He has been my family’s attorney since we moved here in 1962. He has been the District Attorney for Clackamas County and the Vice President of the Oregon State Bar. An expert litigator, Don is a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
I loaned him Fatal Flaw on a Friday afternoon and Don called me on Monday and said he would drop by and return it stating, “I started reading it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it a 1 AM.” (#16 – #17)
Hap Ziegler is the President of Mesa Consulting in Santa Barbara. After earning his BS in math, economics and computer science at the University of Pittsburgh, he received his law degree at Duquesne University.
He has had a national practice in law firm consulting for many years and worked as a consultant on numerous projects at my firm Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt. I recommended Warren’s books to him and got the following e-mail:
“Warren is an interesting character and he owes you a beer: I bought his first two books!” (Matters of Doubt and Dead Float)
In a follow-up e-mail, he stated:
” Cal Claxton is my new hero! Very enjoyable, well written.”
Warren Easley’s books are a good read and he’s a great guy with whom to raise a mug. (#18)
Cheers
External Photo Attribution
#1 – #2, #5, #8 – #10. Warren Easley Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/warren.easley).
#3 – #4, #15, #18. Warren Easley Website (https://www.warreneasley.com/).
#6. Aurora Colony Pub (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=461267196004801&set=a.461267156004805).
#7. Wikimedia Commons (File:Wine Country in Oregon Dundee Hills.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Luke https://www.flickr.com/people/88071948@N00 – 12 September 2018.
#11. Oregon Sports Hall of Fame (Harry Merlo – Special Contributon to Sports | Oregon Sports Hall of Fame & Museum).
#12. BookBaby.com (When a door opens by Mark A Suwyn | BookBaby Bookshop).
#13 – #14. Courtesy of Warren Easley.
#16. Bowerman Law Group (https://www.bowermanlawgroup.com/don).
#17. Premier Professionals of Santa Barbara (https://www.premierprofessionalsb.com/links/497-santa-barbara-business-professionals/resources/2362-santa-barbara-management-consulting-r-w-ziegler-jr).
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