(The fifth novel in the series finds Luke Williamson and h...)
The fifth novel in the series finds Luke Williamson and his ship under quarantine as yellow fever passes through Memphis in 1873, along with a card sharp due to stand trial for murder.
James Donald Brewer is an American officer, writer and journalist.
Background
James Donald Brewer was born on November 19, 1951 in Tiptonville, Tennessee, United States to William D. and Nellie Virginia (Vance) Brewer. He grew up in west Tennessee, attending Jackson High School. He married Jan Caylor in 1972. He spend 30 years in service to his country as both an active duty soldier and a government civilian. He taught at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, and has spent over 40 years as a freelance writer. In 2019 he reached the 50-year mark in training and teaching martial arts.
Education
James studied at the Union University and received B.S. in 1972. Then he graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1975. He received M.A. from University of South Carolina in 1989.
Career
While an officer in the U.S. Army, James D. Brewer began a second career as a freelance journalist. Writing nonfiction magazine articles led to his first book, a self-help title on protecting oneself titled The Danger from Strangers: Confronting the Threat of Assault.
Shortly thereafter, he found his "voice" as a fiction writer, drawing upon his heritage as the son of a third-generation Mississippi River family and his interest in historical legends, particularly those centering on the Reconstruction period. Brewer's work includes a series of mysteries in which two men forge an unlikely alliance to bring justice to the post-Civil War South.
Turning to fiction, Brewer penned No Bottom, the first in a series of historical mysteries. Then he wrote the second - No Virtue, the third - No Justice, and the forth - No Remorse. Brewer continued his successful series with a fifth book, No Escape.
Quotations:
"I enjoy researching and writing about people and events often overlooked by general historians."
"When I write fiction, I seek, first and foremost, to tell a good story. If the reader happens to learn some history from the work, then that is an added value."
Membership
Historian Britton Lane Battlefield Association, Jackson, Tennessee, since 1990. Instructor Safe Citizen Seminar, Young Men’s Christian Association, Columbia, South Carolina., 1987-1988. Member Sons Confederate Veterans, Tennessee Civil War Commission, United States Karate Association, United States Armor Association (executive director since 1992), Mystery Writers American, Phi Kappa Phi.
Interests
He is interested in martial arts, travel, music, public speaking, civil war reenacting.
Connections
James married Jan Caylor on August 6, 1972. They had two children: Bethany and Shannon.