Who Are Sam and Allie Foureyes?

If you follow my social media posts on Facebook, “X,” or Instagram, you may have noticed a number of posts with the banner, “Sam and Allie Foureyes…” Perhaps you saw the original post, “Sam and Allie Foureyes are the official spokespersons of the Backcountry Conservation Angler,” and you wondered, “who the heck are Sam and Allie Foureyes?” Well, let me tell you.

Many, if not most, of you don’t know that I am a rather prolific self-published author. I have written sixteen epic Christian fantasy novels, two steampunk adventures, two Christmas novellas, and, in a change of genre, four, soon to be five “Sam and Allie Foureyes Mysteries” starting in January of this year. To date, they have been the best-selling of my literary efforts. Sam is dubbed, “the fly-fishing P. I.” And his RAM pickup even bears the license plate, “FISHIN PI.” His real last name is Forsythe, "Foureyes" is an LLC.

Sam considers himself to be a hard-boiled gumshoe, in the Mike Hammer/Sam Spade tradition. He's an Army veteran, Military Police. In the first book, “Sam Foureyes, Private Eye,” he’s sitting in his Bronx office one day, casting casual bets on the ponies and considering going down to the deli on the corner for a pastrami on rye sandwich, when a beautiful woman, Theadelinda Cartwright, comes into his office and hires him to help find her missing father.

Thea Cartwright

Thea, as she is known, is good-looking babe. (I’m not being sexist here; I’m describing her of the way Sam does.) She is an attorney, a former assistant district attorney, an adjunct court justice, and filthy rich. She is a Hamptons trust fund baby in addition to her legal career, and lives in a sumptuous mansion on the south shore of Long Island with her cook and housekeeper, Carlotta. Her father, Madison Cartwright III, has vanished leaving a string of clues that will take Sam and Thea across the country. He is also a collector of classic vehicles including a Bentley Bentayga Mulliner fly fishing edition. Thea, having no desire to cross the country in a pickup truck (she drives a Maserati) allows Sam to pick from the vehicles in daddy’s garage, and he picks the Bentley with four custom fly rods and a tying bench in the back.

In the Independence, Missouri, a place not renowned for trout fishing, Sam encounters Alistronia Archer, and her two “assistants” Brandon and Leo. Alistronia is a college professor, and the two guys are students who are helping her in exchange for passing grades to keep them on the football team. To make a long story short, Alistronia, or Allie as she prefers to be called, is actually Iphigenia Cartwright, Thea’s identical twin sister and Madison’s estranged daughter who received a cryptic letter from her father about Thea’s quest and now wants to be part of it.

Allie Foureyes

Despite getting off to a rocky start, (Sam threw Leo and Brandon into the lake after Leo pulled a gun on him.) (The gun was empty.) Sam and Alistronia/Iphigenia take an instant liking to each other, much to Thea’s dismay since she has been flirting with Sam ever since Long Island. Both women are fly anglers, however, with Thea it’s just a hobby, while Allie is almost as passionate about the sport as Sam is. She is also an Army veteran, still in the reserves. Like her twin, Allie also has a trust fund even though her father had disowned her after she exposed one of his shady schemes in court. Their mother, Arabella, who we meet later in the book, had stipulated the funds be set aside for her daughters when she divorced Madison.

By the end of the book, the case is resolved, the sisters and their mother are reunited, and Sam and Allie are married and head out on a flyfishing honeymoon.

Why then did I make them my spokesmen? Twofold: First, as I said, the mysteries are my best-selling books thus far, but that doesn’t mean they are bestsellers by any stretch of the imagination, so using Sam and Allie to highlight things like the importance of carrying the “10 Essentials” with you every time you go into the backcountry, or the importance of water temperature when fishing, or the importance of carrying a first aid kit, also publicizes the Sam and Allie Foureyes Mysteries. Second, through the magic of Grok, Sam and Allie (and Thea) have faces. Whether it’s advocating for stream access, encouraging anglers to get first aid training, or congratulating the World Champion Flyfishing Team USA, Sam and Allie do it better. I’m still the “man behind the curtain,” but I let my book characters talk for me.

Besides, they are better anglers than I am, or at least more successful.

The books can be purchased on Amazon or at gewellynchronicles.com

And Madison let Sam keep the Bentley as payment.

National Public Lands Month

 

Fly Fishing, First Aid, and Sam Foureyes

If you've been following this blog, or my YouTube posts (hopefully both!) you know that I am a HUGE advocate of the "10 Essentials" (Warm clothing, Hydration, Navigation, Illumination, Food, Knife, Shelter, Environment Protection, Fire, and FIRST AID) anytime you head into even a short excursion into the backcountry. Every trip, every time, every day. What you may not lnow is that I am also the author/publisher of 25 books, including four where the main character is Sam Foureyes, the Fly-Fishing Private Eye. (with a 5th on the way for October. Link in the graphic.) You've probably never heard of me or Sam, but my fictional character (and his angler wife, Allie) have become my educational spokespersons for things like the 10 Essentials, warm water fishing, and most recently, first aid preparedness.

Link in photo

Recently, several of my fishing friends, including my granddaughter and an e-friend (Is that even a term?) who is a pro bass angler, have gotten hurt while fishing. The e-friend fell while launching her kayak and suffered a nasty laceration and bruise a half inch from her left eye. Fortunately, there was a game warden at the boat launch who supplied a first aid kit and care until EMS arrived. Then, last week, she jammed a treble hook bass lure into her hand. A few weeks ago, my grandkid (she's in her 20s, also a bass angler) did something very similar with a double hook, and I've had several friends in BHA who've caught ears, fingers, and face with trout flies. Accidents happen. I've been a first aid instructor since 1971, an EMT, river park ranger, and licensed guide. I don't know that I've seen it all, but I've seen a lot. This recent spate of injuries had me thinking, how many of us carry a first aid kit while fishing? I do, a small one for day trips that fits in my fishing pack, and a larger one for multi-day trips and groups. I would strongly encourage you to consider carrying one too. (And take a first aid/CPR class on how to use it!) There are a number of good brands out there. I use Adventure Medical Kits. They don't cost a lot, and the expense is easily outweighed by the benefits when you need one. 

I used to feel that I could do better than most commercial kits, and I still carry a kit I built years ago in my winter snowshoeing/backcountry skiing pack. But everything changes over time, and the kits you can buy at REI, Cabela's, and other outdoor retailers are much better than they were 10-20 years ago. First, the technology has grown with the need. Clotting bandages, CAT tourniquets, burn gel bandages (all products of military origin) chemical heat pads didn't even exist. Now, they're in any good first aid kits. Sawyer, Med-Pac, Adventure Medical Kits/NOLS, produce quality kits with supplies you will actually use. After 40+ years of building my own, I landed on Adventure Medical Kits for three reasons; AMK was founded by the late Dr. Paul Auerbach, past president of the Wilderness Medical Society, and considered by many to be "the Dean of Wilderness Medicine." 2. Specific kits for specific activities, Sportsman, Canoe/Kayak (Waterproof!), Mountaineering, etc. 3. NOLS endorsement. NOLS kits are rebranded AMK kits. I took my first Wilderness First Responder course from NOLS years ago, after taking my Wilderness EMT in 1979. I learned a TON more in the WFR class than that early WEMT session. I trust NOLS for medical knowledge.

I'm not saying that homemade kits aren't good, but why go through the effort when you can buy the same thing at Cabela's?

Stay safe,

Hans