TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Thomas E. Burg of Merrill, formerly a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)(1967-1999) and now an author, will be at the T.B. Scott Free Library in Merrill this Saturday to talk about his books, including the recent release of his second crime fiction novel.
The new book is called VERY Special Deputy and the main character and premise of the story might sound a little familiar: After a 30-year career as an FBI Special Agent, Thomas T. Thomas and wife Sophie retired to a home on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior. When the local sheriff of Gitche Gumee County was found dead of a gunshot wound, Tommy was drafted by the governor to fill out the remainder of his term. This term has ended and a new sheriff has taken office. One of his first acts was to swear in Thomas as a VERY special deputy to mentor and assist with investigations.
Dare I say it may be a little biographical?
Burg points out that the book is definitely fictional, but many of the crime plots and characters are based upon real situations he encountered.
As an FBI agent, Burg worked in Mississippi, Chicago, and Waukegan, Ill., before becoming Senior Resident Agent at the Wausau office of the FBI covering a nine-county area of north central Wisconsin in 1977.
In that capacity, he worked some very interesting cases, and some of them a bit notorious. One such case was in Merrill in 1980. “The Anson & Gilkey case,” as Burg referred to it, involved the owner paying “a group of Chicago outfit arsonists to come up and torch the huge plant on the East Side for the insurance.”
“They were interrupted by Merrill PD, and we worked for months to unravel all the ramifications,” Burg said.
There were many other interesting cases, as well, and now Burg is using some of them as fodder for his somewhat tongue-in-cheek crime novels. His first novel was titled Accidental Sheriff. Seeing a theme here? That’s not by chance. “Write what you know,” Burg said when asked what he would tell other aspiring writers.
Burg also writes what he is passionate about, including his long-time fascination with railroads and trains. His first book in 2003 was about the history of the railroad in Idaho, White Pine Route, which he began writing when he retired from the FBI. That led to a 10-part series of steam locomotive photo books for the Milwaukee Railroad Historical Association and then more railroad photo books he self-published through Merrill Publishing Associates (a partnership with Sharon Thatcher). Then came Nobody Walks Now-A-Days (a history of the Merrill Railway & Lighting Co. and Merrill’s streetcars), and now he’s enjoying writing fiction. “If you are a writer, your brain is always writing,” Burg said.
He has also written for various trade and railroad publications.
“Scott-Free Words Worth Hearing” presentation
The T.B. Scott Free Library will present a “Scott-Free Words Worth Hearing” presentation in the Carnegie Wing of the library this Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
The event will begin with a chat with Burg and an opportunity to learn more about him, his passion for railroad history, his FBI career, his writing and publishing, his non-fiction railroad history and photo books, his new crime novels, and his tips for other writers or aspiring writers.
Some of his books will be available for purchase at the event, including Route of the North Woods Hiawatha (a photo history of the Milwaukee Railroad’s Wisconsin Valley Line through Merrill), Nobody Walks Now-a-Days, and his two novels, Accidental Sheriff and VERY Special Deputy.
Burg’s new novel is also available locally at Sweeter Times (409 W. Main St.) and the Merrill Historical Society in Merrill; the Janke Book Store in Wausau; online at www.mainudesigns.com/veryspecialdeputy; and on Amazon Kindle.
New writers group to begin in Merrill: The Real Writers Group
Some of Burg’s other advice for aspiring writers? “Read a lot so you are familiar with good sentence structure, vocabulary, etc.,” he said. And then … “Just find somewhere to start. Do IT! Write and try to organize.”
“Check out the writers’ group T.B. Scott Library is forming to hear from other writers,” Burg added. “Learn some of their knowledge on how things work.”
And that is the perfect segue to the library’s announcement.
Following the author chat, a new writers group will gather at the library, and anyone with a passion for writing who would like to meet and exchange ideas is welcome to attend and join. Local authors, Rachael Waldburger and Jim Finucan, will lead the meeting, develop a loose schedule for future meetings, and plan to make the meetings enjoyable, fun, and low-pressure. Dubbed the “Real Writers Group,” the main objective of the new group is to share inspiration for the writing process and support those who enjoy the art of writing.
All writing interests/genres and all skill levels are welcome, group organizers said.