Hi - and thanks for visiting my Amazon.com author site! I'm glad you're here! As you will discover by doing an "Amazon Search" for my titles, I have authored and edited twenty-five books, ranging from textbooks to my nonfiction work. I love writing in all forms, but it is the area of literary nonfiction that currently has my "writing heart." Literary nonfiction is the art of putting true stories into the voices and actions of the people who lived those stories -- to help make their adventures jump from the page. Knowing simply that an event took place is one thing; knowing *WHY* the event took place is another world entirely. This *WHY* of a story, which is often the central focus of literary nonfiction, is what is most interesting and fascinating to me. In particular, I love finding the stories of important, and often little known, people in American history and bringing their amazing accomplishments to life for all to see. For instance, my last three books have been about:1). The incredibly important contributions made by a very special group of soldiers who served during WWII ("Inman's War"), 2). The story of a small band of brave souls who risked their very lives to help build one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the history of this land, a ruling that literally changed the face of America ("Olivia's Story"), 3). And the danger-filled adventures of a pioneer industrial spy who helped workers all across America gain safer working conditions and better lives in every way. Note: I also uncovered a "cold case" murder while researching this book, and I invite the reader to see if he/she can solve it! ("Shell Games" - which was an Amazon.com Best-Seller in Biography). All of these are available right here at Amazon.com. Continuing with this same theme, my next book, which will be published in the next year, is about a daring soul, John Fairfield (an early "James Bond" type of character), who risked his life daily to help slaves to their freedom in the decade before the Civil War. The book is titled: Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil: The Life and Legend of John Fairfield, Abolitionist for Hire. It will be released September 2014, and it can be preordered right here on Amazon (just type in the title in the search box). The people behind these stories, and *WHY* they chose to risk their very lives to help change the world, is at the heart of all my writing. At the same time, understanding more about their sacrifices just may shed a little more light on the world around us today. For me, this writing is so much fun, so enjoyable. I feel blessed to be able to bring these stories to life! A little about me: Like most writers I know, I also have a "day job" as well. I am a professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa, where I teach courses in children's/ young adult literature and the American short story. When not teaching or writing, I enjoy restoring antique vehicles (I currently have fifteen of all types and varieties), hiking in the mountains (especially the Smokies in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee), and traveling to do book readings and events (I've been pretty much all over the globe in the past couple of years). I absolutely love interacting with the readers of my books, and when I visit with audiences, I like to share the background related to how my books came to life - through as many pictures and film clips as I can include. If you see I'm going to be in your area for an event, please stop by. As an extra enticement, I usually bring cake or other special treats for everyone! If you'd like more information about me and my writings, please also check my author blog site, which I try to update regularly. The address is as follows (please copy and paste into your browser): http://jcopelandauthor.blogspot.com/ Additional information about me and my writings can be found at my author website. Here is the address:http://www.jscottcopelandauthor.com/ I also have some video clips on my author page at Paragon House Publishers, so please visit that site as well. I also always love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to send me an e-mail if you wish (the contact information is at my author website: http://www.jscottcopelandauthor.com/. I hope you enjoy my books!JeffreyUPDATE: I am happy to announce Amazon is now also carrying both of my new books: The first is Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil: The Life and Legend of John Fairfield, Abolitionist for Hire. The second is the "e-book companion to this book. It is titled: Finding Fairfield: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil: The Life and Legend of John Fairfield, Abolitionist for Hire. This second title is available in e-book form only, and it give the full background about the research and travel I did to get the information to write the main story. I think all will enjoy this special look at what writers go through in capturing a story. Please see each listing for additional information.