'Crooked Triangle' author sails through life

Local man recently published first novel

MOSES LAKE — It's not every day a nautical theme pops up in a Yuma, Ariz., house.

But it was exactly that type of home decorative choice that initially spawned Sam Ivey's interest in the hobby.

The idea first sparked while wondering what sort of theme to put in the house he and his wife were building.

"We decided, in Yuma, nobody has a nautical theme, and that would be different," Ivey recalled. "So we designed the house around a nautical theme and then after having lived there for several weeks or so, I got to thinking, I probably ought to know something about this genre in the midst of which I was living."

Ivey sent away for some books on sailing. The more he read, the more interested he became in actually doing it, and began renting boats out while visiting San Diego before he decided to buy one.

Matter of fact, Ivey liked sailing so much that he made it the central core of his first novel, "Crooked Triangle," published through PublishAmerica in March.

The book follows the adventures of two young paralegals in Florida who sail to the Bahamas with their boyfriends, only to be mistaken as a link in a drug chain operating out of Colombia.

"They almost get killed a couple times, but they survive and get to know each other in a way that they didn't know each other to start with," Ivey previewed.

With "Crooked Triangle," the author said he wanted to write a story that had a lot of adventure and action and was also a pleasure to read, but didn't have any of what he considers to be the cosmetic profanity and immorality that is so prevalent in today's culture.

Ivey's work experience includes time as a meat cutter, grocery clerk, manufacturing building installation, Navy aerial photographer, tile setter and nine years as advertising manager for the Yuma Daily Sun before he became self-employed.

Ivey and his wife moved to Moses Lake five years ago, after discovering the economic benefits of living in the area while visiting friends. Their "daughter by choice" followed them to Moses Lake and works as an editor for medical transcribers.

Writing first crossed Ivey's mind in 1980, he said, but he had no idea what to write about. He first began a short story in the mid-1990s after purchasing a computer, which turned into a chapter, which turned into 70 or 80 pages, which expanded into the book.

He said he has no idea how long the book took to write, what with all the writing, editing and rewriting. He is presently working on the fourth book in the series, and is looking for a publisher for the second book.

"If they like a good adventure story, and one that that they would enjoy their children reading —especially children that have an interest in boats and ships — and isn't going to violate what some parents would not want violated …" Ivey said of readers who should check out his novel.

"Crooked Triangle" is available online, in Hastings and "through the author," Ivey said.