ELSANOR, Ala. — For local Elsanor author Bert Brun, his many life experiences and a vivid imagination have given him much inspiration for the books he has written since his college days in New York.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, New York, Brun received his B.S. in Biology from Syracuse University and his Master’s degree in Geology from the City College of New York.

And with those degrees, Brun has had some exciting jobs as an oceanographer with the U.S. Navy for six years, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in Annapolis, Maryland for 12 years on the Chesapeake Bay Program and with the U.S. Corp of Engineers in Seattle with their environmental projects.

He even spent time in New Zealand for three years working in their fisheries and in Indonesia at a rubber plantation. "I loved New Zealand. Such a scenic place and full of history. I have had some really neat experiences with my jobs,” Brun said.

Combine those adventures with a passion and interest for writing and you have the makings for some good books.

Published in 2009, Brun’s book “Mystery of Olsen Island” is a work of juvenile fiction and based on a visit he made to see his nephew, who lives in British Columbia, and uses Brun’s knowledge of oceanography to create the plot.

“Where he lives is so beautiful and mysterious. I thought it would be the perfect setting for a children's mystery novel ,” Brun said.

Describing his writing style as “relaxed”, Brun said he has many projects going at one time and tries to set up some sort of routine when he writes. “It takes a lot of time and energy. I like to do research about setting and other elements when I write but I keep plugging along until I finish.”

Right now he is working on a trilogy about his family, who is from Norway, and published the first in the series in 2003, “Cold Coffee”.

“I grew up during the Depression and the first book is about my parents and how they survived during that time and the traditions they brought with them from Norway. I tried to weave in setting and period when writing it.” Brun said.

“The second book will be about my family and the third will be about my three daughter’s families. We will see how it turns out,” Brun explained.

Brun retired in 1993 and moved to Baldwin County in 2006 to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren who live in Grand Bay. It was after he moved here, he met and married his wife, Ann.

It was also here he got familiar with the southern culture, which gave him the idea for his current book, “Murder in the Pulpit”, published this year.

Set in the fictional town of Riverton, the plot revolves around a pastor and a number of church members who die after drinking arsenic-laced coffee at a church fellowship meeting and the investigation that follows it.

Brun said the novel is purely fictional but is based on a real-life event that happened in a Maine church in 2000.

“I have been working on this for about three or four years and thought it was really interesting. I based it in a Southern town because the characters are so controversial with the minister being a lesbian and the church being very liberal in its beliefs. I wanted the reader to know what could happen in a southern town,” Brun said.

In addition to novels, Brun has also written five pays and had three (“Ashes to Ashes”, “Yalta” and “Betrayal”) produced.

“My books and plays are about life and I write to keep my brain active and my curiosity up. Those are the most important things,” Brun said.

Brun and his wife have lived in Elsanor for the past two and a half years and are members of the Fairhope Unitarian Church. Brun also has two other daughters who live in Virginia and West Virginia.

Brun’s books are available online at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and virtualbookworm.com. They are also available at Page and Palette Bookstore in Fairhope.

Brun can also be reached at bertbrun73@centurytel.net.