The first in James Spurr's Great Lakes, Great Guns Historical Series, Sworn for Mackinaw begins in pre-war Detroit with business and family man Oliver Williams and his brother-in-law, Captain William Lee. Both men stake their futures on a new venture: the fast sailing sloop Friends Good Will. When war erupts, it causes tension between friends, strains on blood bonds, and the unforeseen peril of carrying a secret cargo that may change the entire course of history.
Sworn for Mackinaw
Book 1 Great Lakes Great Guns Historical Series
James Spurr
292 pages - Soft Cover

List: 21.95

Discount Price: 12.07
Quotes:

Sworn for Mackinaw is a dramatic tale told with a seaman's voice that is clear and strong. James Spurr writes with the confidence of one who knows first hand what it means to make landfall after a hard passage.
-Gordon Laco, Historian and Lead Technical Advisor on Russell Crowe's film Master and
Commander, the Far Side of the World as well as all three of the Pirates of the Carribean movie series.

James Spurr gives flesh, sinew and blood to the bare bones historical facts of a little known period of naval warfare on the North American Great Lakes. His attention to detail and knowledge of the larger context of world events will delight history buffs. His lively descriptions of action and adventure will grab lovers of stories from the days of fighting sail. His sensitive rendering of the relationship between the characters will appeal to the hearts of all. Readers may put the book down, but they will carry Oliver and Mary, William and Be-mo-se with them wherever they go.
-Fred Neuschel, Vice President and Chairperson for Research and Publication for the
Association for Great Lakes Maritime History.
James Spurr was appointed by the Governor of Michigan to the Commission for
the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 because of his in-depth
understanding of the subject. He has begun to share his knowledge, and his
unfaltering writing style, in his Great Lakes, Great Guns Historical Series in 2006.

James Spurr received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1978,
majoring in Philosophy, and received his Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State
University Law School in 1981. He has since graduated from law school and practiced
law with the same firm, with offices throughout the state, while resident as a Senior
Partner in southwest Michigan. He specializes in trials and dispute resolution for
commercial clients.

James Spurr is active as a volunteer and serves upon the boards of numerous charitable organizations, including as a Director of the Michigan Maritime Museum and Board Secretary for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. He is also a member of the Maritime Heritage Alliance and the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History.

He enjoyed creative writing in college and as an attorney writes for a living for the benefit of his clients. He has written numerous articles published in newsletters focusing upon maritime history. He holds a United States Coast Guard Master's License and crews aboard Friends Good Will as First Officer when not sailing his own boat, skiing or playing tennis. He is married and enjoys all such activities with  his wife and two children.
James Spurr continues the saga of two strong-willed men, related through marriage, bound by friendship, separated by war, as they face the challenge of battle on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

In One Sloop and Slow Match, Captain William Lee and Oliver Williams
become embroiled in the cauldrons of the greatest battles to ever take place on the inland seas. Join them and a young Master Commandant Perry, initially in command of only tiny gunboats, as the struggle with Great Britain intensifies into a grueling game of wits, bloodshed and perseverance, and Perry rises to become one of our greatest American Heroes.

“We have met the enemy. . .”

From the Chicago Massacre to the blockade of U.S. Naval forces at Presque Isle on Lake Erie, James Spurr recreates the action with unerring historical accuracy while conveying the emotion of perilous uncertainty.
Quotes:

One Sloop and Slow Match is a captivating and spellbinding masterpiece. The reader is transported back to a time when Great Britain’s naval forces were locked in a desperate struggle with the United States’ rag tag fleet of commandeered sloops and schooners for dominance of North America’s Great Lakes region.  James Spurr’s uncompromising attention to detail vividly captures the personal sacrifice and hardships endured by those involved in the dramatic maritime events that ultimately changed the territorial boundaries of our nations Inland Seas.
~Tom Farnquist, Executive Director, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society
One Sloop and
Slow Match
Book 2 Great Lakes Great Guns Historical Series
James Spurr
292 pages - Soft Cover

List: 21.95

Discount Price: 12.07
The challenges of war continue long after the last shot is fired. . .

Wary of the very peace he seeks, Captain James Lee struggles with the circumstances of his father's death. Marie LaPointe struggles with her past and fears trusting the future. Oliver Williams embraces his future, but was it bought with the life of his old friend? And Bemose wishes for nothing but the healing of the rift between her adopted son and the son of her flesh. None will find the answers until Friends Good Will gives up her final secret even from the burning timbers of her hull.
Reflections in
the Wake
Book 3 Great Lakes Great Guns Historical Series
James Spurr
280 pages - Soft Cover

List: 21.95

Discount Price: 12.07
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