‘HAVEN: Veiled Threat’ is by Calvin Cahail.

Calvin Cahail just keeps making up stories.

The North Coast author’s newest book, “HAVEN, Veiled Threat,” like his last, uses the region’s settings as backdrops for thriller novels.

“Being familiar with a place piques my interest,” Cahail said. Having moved to Astoria seven years ago, he’s inspired. “An idea will come to me and then the plot and characters,” he said.

For instance, “Edge of Darkness,” his 2021 thriller, focuses on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, following a set of local survivors as they navigate the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami. “HAVEN, Veiled Threat” is a timely, dystopian political thriller featuring a woman seeking peace in the Northwest after two stints in the Middle East. However, she suddenly finds herself at the center of a biological threat.

“Although both novels have very different plots, I like the concept of how diverse people can all struggle for same thing, how to survive,” Cahail said. “The coast has a lot of different types of people and I like imagining how different lives intertwine and deal with conflict, whether it’s a natural disaster that brings them together or ideological peril,” he added.

“HAVEN, Veiled Threat” is Cahail’s ninth book, and he’s also proud of his cover design for it. “I’ve spent most of my life in the restaurant business,” Cahail said, “ but I guess I’ve always been a visual person. I’ve been into photography and studied graphic design, so when I began creating books, it was natural for me to have control of how they looked.”

“The writing, though, all started with a dream,” Cahail said. He recounts a dream sequence, which began in a coffee shop. “Everything around me started to shape shift and dissolve. When I woke up, that dream was clear as day. Even though I was busy running restaurants, through the years, that dream stuck with me. I kept thinking, ‘I’ve got to write that down,’” he said.

Cahail began to dedicate mornings to writing before busy afternoons, but was limited on time. Then, hoping to fit in more time to write, he took a chance. “On a visit to my brother in Costa Rica, I started thinking that maybe I could live there too. It would be cheaper and definitely less stressful. I might finally have the time to write. I set a goal so I could afford to do it, then took a leap of faith and retired at age 59. I’ve never regretted it.”

That long-ago dream became Cahail’s opening chapter of his first novel, “Prophet Quest,” which later became a two-part sci-fi series, “Atlantis: The Jump Point Saga.”

After nearly six years living and writing in Costa Rica, Cahail had a heart attack on a trip to Oregon. The event made he and his wife rethink medical access, and eventually start searching for a new home. Through the magic of online maps, they became enamored with Astoria. A trip to experience the town in person left them with no doubts. This was to be home.

“I’ve lived in interesting places throughout 40 years of my former restaurant life,” Cahail said. He’s also sampled Texas, California, Hawaii, Arizona and Australia. “I’ve always felt that travel and living in different environments among different types of people gives me perspective, and inspiration. Essential for a writer,” he said.

Now he’s thinking about a new Astoria setting, Tongue Point. “A friend took me around town and out to Tongue Point’s former naval air station when we first arrived in Astoria,” Cahail said. “At the time, I thought, ‘There’s a story there,’ but I became so charmed and distracted by the colorful Victorian houses and the waterfront that I put the thought away. But you know what? I’m thinking about Tongue Point again. Yes, I think there’s a story there,” he added.

Readers might have the chance to find out more about that adventure in a year or two. Meanwhile, Cahail will make appearances with his latest works at both the Astoria Sunday Market and Ilwaco Saturday Market through the summer season. His books are also available online and at local bookstores.