Books

Ruler Of The Seas

Some military heroes do not fight battles but assure combat personnel the sinews of war. Chronicled in the Tidal Pool Trilogy, of which Ruler of the Seas is the first volume, is the life of Eric Dykeman from Naval Lieutenant to Admiral. Three times in his career, Eric Dykeman sacrificed his career prospects to ensure the supply needs of America's armed forces are met, thwarting Nazi or Communist cabals, and, finally, destroying Nazi war criminals selling stolen Holocaust artwork to venal American families.
Peppered with many historical figures every character in the book is based on an actual person and that all events portrayed actually happened.
After marrying a Venezuelan notorious teenage heiress, Lieutenant Dykeman became Naval Attaché in Caracas. Soon after identifying his expertise in solving operational problems, British and American intelligence agents enlisted him to battle Nazi spies disrupting Allied shipping from South America to Europe before America’s entry into the conflict. So successful was Eric, a price was put on his life..
Brought back to Washington, he eases allied shipping on the Atlantic Ocean while his tempestuous Venezuelan heiress cut a celebrated path through World War II Washington society. To ensure American docks remained open, he allied with the Mafia chieftain who controlled the East Coast dock, but his wife was killed by one of the mob's enforcers. Forced to Changing his life forever.
Later volumes will detail his successful career, but with each success, he was held back from promotion by opposition from entrenched navy bureaucrats. When still secret documents are released 2026, they will prove that not all heroes are found on the battlefield

An American Family Sampler: The Founding Generation

Set in the American Century from 1806 to 2003, An American Family Sampler chronicling five generations who built and ultimately destroyed a great company. This book is the first volume tracing its first three generations from a semi-criminal enterprise to acceptance in New York City society.
Although based on a real life events, a story about a company is boring. What will keep reader interest are the stories of the family, its members, workers, spouses, friends and enemies.
Pictured in this volume are:
•    Peter Prescott---an English immigrant who did not disclose his past but built an illegal enterprise for his son.
*   Henry Prescott---founding son who drives it to early success with the help of his wife, Rebecca. Their marriage is one of partnership and passion.
•    William Prescott---their only child to live to maturity he builds on his civil war experiences to create a community banking empire.
•    Samuel Gilbert---born the son of a manumitted slave, he rises with tPrescotts to be its de facto operations leader and the founder of his own family wealth.  
•    Sarah Strassman Prescott---determined to be a doctor, she succeeds and marries a man she loved but who ultimately betrays her.
•    Rebecca Prescott---married to continued the dynasty but continues a forbidden love affair most of her life.
•    James Camaron Prescott---sacrificed even his name to lead the Prescott empire and loved a woman and son he could not publically acknowledge.
•    William Prescott Jr. whose secret life ultimately killed him.
•    Cynthia Basford Prescott---married to keep a secret and lived her life for herself never thinking of the consequences to others.
•    Thomas Beatty---a New York City policeman who served the Prescotts for three generations and saw his nephews rise to great leadership roles.
•    Mary Patricia Donovan---nurse, nanny, confidant to three generations of Prescotts.

In later volumes, a rich cast of characters will drive, fight, live off of the Prescott name:
•    William Prescott III---despite overwhelming success on Broadway and Hollywood never achieved his life-long goal of running Prescotts.
•    Jasmine Gilbert---a success in Paris, came home to America and was propelled into the civil rights movement but caused heartbreak for others.
•    William Prescott IV---became a major force in the movies and television, married the only woman he truly loved.
•    James Prescott Jr---devoted his life to the company and lived to see it almost destroyed.
•    Daphne Ward-Howell Prescott---an English aristocrat who overcame a secret life to marry a man she truly cherished.
•    James Prescott III---sacrificed the continuance of the family dynasty to marry the woman he loved but led it to its greatest glory.
•    Blake Middleton---thought himself as smart, clever and above others and almost destroyed the company with his hubris.
•    Michael Guarino---used Prescotts for his own ends and ultimately paid a heavy price for his efforts.
•    Thomas Anthony Licatta---served the company and his country to his utmost and got a surprising person for his wife.
•    Simon Ben-Levi---am illegitimate Prescott and Mossad agent who found out a secret and ultimately destroyed Prescott.
•    James Van Simpson Prescott---loved two women and in dying broke both their hearts.
•    Jonathan Gilbert Howard---world renowned journalist who suffered a family tragedy he never fully recovered from.
•    Douglas Prescott Torne---achieved his grandfather’s ambition of running Prescott but was destroyed by the woman he loved.
•    Sabrina Gilbert Howard Torne---a achieved her lifetime ambition of Broadway stardom but lost the only man she loved.

Frankie, If You Get Hurt, I'll Kill You!

An Italian discovered America on his way to someplace else.
Since then, millions of Italians came to America deliberately.

Frankie if you get hurt I'll Kill You! Is a warm, loving yet sometimes painful memoir to a time, place, and people who came to America in search of a better life. They found it on welcoming shores but not without trials and tribulations but also with laughter and joy. For mutual support, comfort these immigrants settled in urban enclaves across the country. One such enclave was the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. At mid-20th century, major changes were happening to these enclaves and the nation.
More than a memoir for and about Italian-Americans, the book is an ode to era when America came together in a more homogenized society fostered by television and other forces. The author draws on his memories and a long reporting career to fill these pages with observations and examples about how America changed in mid-century and in the process wrought asunder the traditional fabric of our institutions.
Like many other urban Italian-American enclaves, multi-generational families lived in the same house in his childhood. He witnessed the exodus that saw sons and daughters joining the movement to the suburbs. Elder generations were left alone in lonely apartments. Television took Americans off their front porch and kept them in front of their TVs. Gone too were the village-like atmosphere where neighbors looked after neighbors. Local merchants lost out to bigger chains. Local factories no longer existed. Crime grew as watchful eyes disappeared. All this and more is chronicled through the eyes of a veteran newsman.
As a reporter and editor, the author worked for NBC News, Newark Evening News, international, national wire services, Essence Magazine among other publications. He has written for and appeared on many national media outlets covering some of the major events of the past 55 years. He holds BA, MA degrees in American History along with an MBA from NYU.
The author draws on his memories and a long reporting career to fill these pages with observations and examples about how America changed in mid-20th century.