New Projects

Books

November is the Cruelest Month - November is long considered the worst month for Great Lakes shipwrecks. Hundreds if not thousands of rotting hulls on the bottom give silent testimony to the "gales of November" and their destructive power. This book examines many of the great November wrecks. Some like the NOVADOC, WILLIAM H. DAVOCK, ANNA MINCH,  ALGOMA, MATAAFA and JOHN OWEN are well known. Others like the W.W. ARNOLD, MAPLEHURST and MILWAUKIE, less so. November is the Cruelest Month is due out in the spring of 2010 published by Avery Color Studios.

Haunted Lake Erie - This is a continuation in theme of the Haunted Lakes series. Haunted Lake Michigan was released in October 2006 and Haunted Lake Huron in June 2007. The release date for Haunted Lake Erie is undetermined but will likely be in 2012.

Lost on Lake Superior - Over 500 ships wrecked on the big lake.  Some like the EDMUND FITZGERALD are well known. Others, the S.R. KIRBY,  WILLIAM C. MORELAND, TIOGA, COMRADE, Barge No. 129 among others, are far less famous but in their own way, just as fascinating. Lost on Superior takes a close look at these less notorious shipwrecks. The publisher and release date are undetermined.

Gold Medal Rescues, True Tales of Heroic Rescues by the U.S. Life-Saving Service - Throughout the 44-year history of the old U.S. Life-Saving Service, 16 crews were awarded the Gold Life-Saving medal for heroic rescues against overwhelming odds. The medal is extremely rare. From 1874 to 1971, 566 Gold Medals were awarded compared to 3,408 Medals of Honor during the same period. Gold Medal Rescues  tells the dramatic story of the Storm Warrior's courage and guts.  It is the ultimate sea rescue adventure book. The Life-Saving Service lived by the motto, "Regulations say we have to go out. They say nothing about coming back." I am deep in research and  writing. My commitment to the old Life-Saving Service is profound. Of all the writing and research I do, that relating to the USLSS is easily the most personally rewarding (although the least financially remunerative). No release date or publisher has been determined. 

The Civil War on the Great Lakes – While the Union and Confederate armies bludgeoned each other on the battlefields what was happening on the Great Lakes? How did the lakes contribute to the ultimate Union victory? What Confederate plots were hatched to attack the unprotected Great Lakes? This program looks at this fascinating and largely ignored part of Civil War history. This is certainly a great topic and I have already accumulated a large amount of research material. Whether I finally tie it all together into a book or not is still undecided but I am giving it serious thought.

Articles

Death on the Lake, The Ships That Rest on the Bottom of the Great Lakes, Chicago Life Magazine, Fall 2009.