James Keffer

Biography

James Keffer was born September 9, 1963, in Youngstown, Ohio, the son of a city policeman and a nurse. He grew up loving basketball, baseball, tennis, and books. He graduated high school in 1981 and began attending Youngstown State University to study mechanical engineering.
He left college in 1984 to enter the U.S. Air Force. After basic training, he was posted to the 2143rd Communications Squadron at Zweibruecken Air Base, West Germany. While he was stationed there, he met and married his wife, Christine, whose father was also assigned to the base. When the base was closed in 1991, James and Christine were transferred up the road to Sembach Air Base, where he worked in communications for the 2134th Communications Squadron before becoming the LAN manager for HQ 17th Air Force.
James received an honorable discharge in 1995, and he and his wife moved to Jacksonville, Florida, to attend Trinity Baptist College. He graduated with honors in 1998, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. James and Christine have three children.
Hornblower and the Island is the first novel James wrote, and it is the first to be published by Fireship Press. He has self-published three other novels. He currently lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife and three children.

Where to buy in print

Books

Brewer and The Portuguese Gold
Price: $5.50 USD. Words: 99,390. Language: English. Published: July 16, 2020 by Penmore Press LLC. Categories: Fiction » Adventure » War & military adventure, Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom
Newly promoted to captain, William Brewer is tasked to serve and defend British interests in the waters off Brazil. But who defines what constitutes Britain’s Interests? Portugal’s former colony is declaring independence, and an independent Brazil might better serve Britain’s economic development.
Brewer and the Barbary Pirates
Price: $5.50 USD. Words: 103,240. Language: English. Published: April 3, 2019 by Penmore Press LLC. Categories: Fiction » Adventure » Sea adventures
It is said that a man is grown by his past, and so it was with William Brewer. Before he took command of HMS Defiant in a hurricane and before he hunted pirates in HMS Revenge, Brewer endured a crucible of fire that molded him into the legend he became.
Brewer’s Revenge
Price: $5.50 USD. Words: 98,940. Language: English. Published: October 19, 2017 by Penmore Press LLC. Categories: Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom
Admiral Horatio Hornblower has given Commander William Brewer captaincy of the captured pirate sloop El Dorado. Now under sail as the HMS Revenge, its new name suits Brewer’s frame of mind perfectly. He lost many of his best men in the engagement that seized the ship, and his new orders are to hunt down the pirates who have been ravaging the trade routes of the Caribbean sea.
Brewer's Luck
Price: $5.50 USD. Words: 106,240. Language: English. Published: January 10, 2017 by Penmore Press LLC. Categories: Fiction » Adventure » Action, Fiction » Adventure » Sea adventures
After gaining valuable experience as an aide to Governor Lord Horatio Hornblower, William Brewer is rewarded with a posting as first lieutenant on the frigate HMS Defiant, bound for American waters. Early in their travels, it seems as though Brewer’s greatest challenge will be evading the wrath of a tyrannical captain who has taken an active dislike to him.