About The Author

Steve doesn’t golf or fish, and is a below-average hunter, but his love of history and writing compelled him to pick up his pen and tell the little-known stories behind the people that founded the republic.  After years of extensive research, Steve wrote his first book Becoming George Washington.  He enjoyed that process so much, that was drawn to learn and write about America's greatest battlefield general and its greatest traitor in Becoming Benedict Arnold.

Steve lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his supportive wife. They have two wonderful sons who have left the nest. He graduated with honors from Boston College and the University of Minnesota Law School. He has enjoyed the last 30 years practicing law in the Twin Cities helping individuals and businesses solve complex problems. 

Additional Reading

Additional Reading
An Excerpt: July 10, 1778 – Bartram’s Gardens, Philadelphia

Gone was the young woman poetically commenting on beauty and war; instead, I was met with searching eyes with probing intelligence. “I want to know everything about you. I have lived a sheltered life, but you have seen and done so much. Tell me about where you grew up, tell me about your parents, tell me about your sons, tell me about life at sea, tell me about you.”

An Excerpt: October 11, 1776 – Battle of Valcour Island

A successful ship captain in battle does not stand next to the wheel with his hands behind his back. I slipped on the bloody deck as I moved from one end of the ship to another, giving firing instructions as I shifted from gun to gun. I barked orders to be relayed to my flotilla. For hours I never stopped moving, encouraging my men and wreaking havoc on the enemy. Everywhere I went, I heard the sweet whoosh of balls shooting wide and the terrible smack of those hitting their target. A cannonball struck a man near me, covering me with blood and gore. I tried to wipe it off. The salty taste of another man’s blood always finds its way into your mouth.

An Excerpt: July 9, 1755 – The Battle

At about 2:30 p.m., George, still at Braddock’s side, was surprised to hear the unmistakable pops of muskets, followed a couple minutes later by the crash of mass-directed fire. The column shuddered to a halt, and Braddock immediately ordered messengers ahead to determine what was happening. Within a couple of minutes, he received confused reports from young officers indicating that the vanguard had run into French and Indian troops, with volleys erupting directly in front of Gage’s men and resulting in an indeterminate number of casualties.