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This time it is “like son, like father”
Richland’s Bill Jordan, 87, publishes
novel to join his son, author Mike Jordan
Longtime Tri-Cities resident Bill Jordan, writing under the name “William Nolan,” has published a novel. No big deal, you might say, but Jordan is 87 years old and was inspired by his better-known author son, Mike Jordan.
So in this instance, it is “like son, like father.”
Bill Jordan, a former instructor at Columbia Basin College, released “Ensenada Blanca,” published by Amazon, this month. Mike Jordan, who grew up in the Tri-Cities, graduated from Kennewick High, and now lives in Malibu, Calif., had been a novelist for years.
Mike Jordan currently has three novels released worldwide. The latest, “Your Heart of Gold,” is partially set in the Tri-Cities. His website is mikejordanbooks.com and his Facebook page is Facebook.com/mikejordanbooks.
“My son Mike is such an inspiration,” said Bill Jordan. “I had these stories inside me, mainly from the years of visiting Baja California, and he said ‘Dad, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Go for it!’ So I did.”
“Ensenada Blanca” follows the journey of recently divorced John Brown south to the tranquil beaches of Baja California seeking a measure of redemption, and hoping to find himself again. There, he meets Elena, finds love and when they accidentally witness a drug cartel murder, end up running for their lives.
The elder Jordan said his son edited his first draft “and it almost killed me.” The younger Jordan has been a journalism professor at Pepperdine University in California for years and is widely known for his evil green editing pen.
“The thing came back with green markings from top to bottom, lines and arrows and it was wild. But I followed his instructions, just kept at it, and man did it make a difference. So far everybody who has read it has been really impressed.”
The elder Jordan also credits Tri-Cities author Renee Riva, who he met at a local Farmer’s Market, as an inspiration. Riva, a prolific author of children’s books and novels, kept in touch with Jordan and reassured him when he had doubts about his writing.
Jordan was the Vocational Education Chair at CBC before he retired in 1987. After retirement he spent many summers in Baja California, keeping a journal about everyday life and the people and places he visited. Those journals, and vivid memories from those days, inspired the novel.
Mike Jordan is a 1968 graduate of Kennewick High and a former Tri-City Herald reporter.
“Crockett’s Coin” is the first novel in Jordan’s epic series of romance, war and social justice in the 1800s. “The Freedom Song” is the second book in the five-novel series. “Your Heart of Gold,” the first installment in Jordan’s “Lovequest” series, which includes several Kennewick scenes, is also a recent released.
