Before writing Angels in the Fog, I read dozens of books before writing this story,  working hard to be true to the historical details, down to the movies  and music of the time. Angels in the Fog is a mixture of fiction  and fact, with characters that are both real and imagined. I loved  immersing myself in the time period.

Researching this book, even before I knew there would be one,  was exciting for me. I spent time in several locales in the Pacific  important to this story. I traveled two weeks in the Philippines with  family, visiting important wartime sites such as Manila, Corregidor,  Clark Field, Leyte, and Tacloban. I marveled at the life-sized statues  at Leyte that mark the spot where MacArthur and his men returned  to reclaim the Philippines.

During the war, my dad enjoyed spending what leave he had  in Australia and always hoped to see the country again. But he  contracted pancreatic cancer and died at the age of sixty. Several  years ago, I took a month off work and traveled to Australia to see  what all the fuss was about. I loved this beautiful country and her  people. You were right, Dad. 

I paid my respects at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, honoring the  memory of those who lost their lives during the surprise Japanese  bombing that started World War II in the Pacific. I lived on Oahu  for a year on work assignment, and the islands hold a special place  in my heart.