Agent Keys Steps Out: A Barry Keys Mystery

Passion is a sustaining element in Mike's life. After a forty-year career of professionally racing factory sports cars, writing became that passion. As an avid follower of American history and early Auto Racing Mike combined the two in novels. He finds bringing to life fictional characters in historical events and locations fulfills his passion. Making the stories and characters exciting is a grand challenge. The many hours involved in crafting a novel are enjoyable ones spent trying to become a better story teller. Finding new ways to illuminate a scene to bring the reader into the moment is a lovely satisfaction. His stories take place in the fascinating era of the 1920's to the 1940's. Auto racing then was truly death defying, an adventure in itself. To that, he adds characters living their fast paced lives on the go. Sometimes their adventures are caught up in Nazi intrigues where they must raise their game in order to survive. Love and passion are essential ingredients for these characters also. For them living life on the edge is sometimes more than they bargained for. The Mare Island World War Two novels are about the adventures of the men and women working on America's largest West Coast Naval Yard. 45000 workers daily filed into the yard during the war, they worked in three shifts, 8 hours a day 24 hours 7 days a week. Ships of all types had their battle damage repaired on the yard. Our finest generation lived, loved, and dedicated their lives to the war effort. One of the novel's Mare Island characters devotes his life to submarines, another to protecting the yard from saboteurs. A hunger for action and justice drives the characters here. Living in Northern California, Downs is able to indulge in another passion, research. The San Francisco area is rich in libraries, museums, old naval bases, and parks. He and his wife and make frequent trips to Mare Island, going to the museum and hiking the grounds. He also writes articles for Victory Lane Magazine. His wife Kathy, creates the cover art for the novels and does the editing. Both he and his wife have businesses in an area of Auto racing. She in graphic arts, promotional products, and embroidery. His business outside writing is building racing engines and classic race car restoration. Together reading and writing consume their sun-filled days.