Joseph W. Michelsis a novelist who makes his home in San Francisco. His earlier works,OUTBOUND FROM VIRGINIAandBICYCLE DREAMS, tell the stories of men who reflect the independence and optimism of a rapidly changing America in the period from 1890 to the 1930's. His most recent novels follow the ongoing adventures of WILLIAM CHURCH, an ex-FBI agent turned freelance recovery specialist who uses his many talents to recover valuable objects or to rescue endangered persons. The first book in the series is entitledCHURCH, the second:THE KINGSTONE RANSOM.