Jeffrey Copeland

Hi - and thanks for visiting my Amazon.com author site! I'm glad you're here!

As you will discover by doing an "Amazon Search" for my titles, I have authored and edited thirty-six books, ranging from textbooks to my literary nonfiction work. I love writing in all forms, but it is the area of literary nonfiction that has kept me busy of late. Literary nonfiction is the art of putting true stories into the voices and actions of the people who lived those stories -- to help make their adventures come to life and jump from the page. Knowing simply that an event took place is one thing; knowing *WHY* the event took place is another world entirely. This *WHY* of a story, which is often the central focus of literary nonfiction, is what is most interesting and fascinating to me. In particular, I love finding the stories of important, and often little known, people in American history and showcasing their amazing accomplishments for all to see. For instance, some of my most recent titles have been about the following people and topics:

1). The "Other 15" baseball players who helped Jackie Robinson break the color barrier in Major League Baseball in the "Modern Era" - their trials, tribulations, and pioneering accomplishments are presented here (After Jackie: 15 Pioneers Who Helped Change the Face of Baseball).

2). The Army nurse who, during WWII, was the major pioneer and driving force behind MEDEVAC. Every time today we see an injured or ill person being transported by airplane or helicopter, we have Lt. Ott to thank (Lt. Elsie Ott's Top Secret Mission: The WWII Flight Nurse Pioneer of Aeromedical Evacuation (MEDEVAC)).

3). The last major outbreak of the Black Plague in the United States (in Los Angeles, 1924), which I wrote just about two years before the global Covid pandemic; the book shows how little we actually learned from the Plague experience of the 1920's (Plague in Paradise: The Black Death in Los Angeles, 1924),

4). The incredibly important contributions made by a very special group of soldiers who served during WWII, men who helped shorten the war and save countless lives (Inman's War: A Soldier's Story of Life in a Colored Battalion in WWII),

5). The story of a small band of brave souls who risked their very lives to help build one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the history of this land, a ruling that literally changed the face of America (Olivia's Story: The Conspiracy of Heroes Behind 'Shelley v. Kraemer'),

6). The danger-filled adventures of a pioneer industrial spy who helped workers all across America gain safer working conditions and better lives in every way. Note: I also uncovered a "cold case" murder while researching this book, and I invite the reader to see if he/she can solve it! (Shell Games: The Life and Times of Pearl McGill, Industrial Spy and Pioneer Labor Activist).

7). The amazing story of John Fairfield (one of America's first "James Bond" characters), who risked his life daily to help slaves to their freedom in the decade before the Civil War. (Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil: The Life and Legend of John Fairfield, Abolitionist for Hire).

All of these are available right here at Amazon.com.

The people behind these stories, and *WHY* they chose to risk their very lives to help change the world, is at the heart of all my writing. At the same time, understanding more about their sacrifices just may shed a little more light on the world around us today. For me, this writing is so much fun, so enjoyable. I feel blessed to be able to bring these stories to life!

In addition to writing the books, I've also made a few films, my favorite of which is "The Story of Shelley v. Kraemer," which is available through Amazon Prime Video. This documentary, which was created for the exhibit "#1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis," was viewed by over a million people during the run of the exhibition - and is still being shown today in select museums across the country. The film is based on my book Olivia's Story - and the milestone "Shelley v. Kraemer" U.S. Supreme Court ruling that got rid of "restrictive real estate covenants" that once said where people could, and could not, live based on such things as race, color, creed, religion, and national origin. The link to the Amazon Prime Video page where this documentary can be seen is as follows: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Shelley-v-Kraemer/dp/B07PDBT4NM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Story+of+Shelley+V.+Kraemer+Jeffrey+Copeland&qid=1637760896&qsid=145-9221241-8519514&s=instant-video&sr=1-1&sres=B07PDBT4NM&srpt=ABIS_BOOK

I'm also a collector of nonsport and sports memorabilia, and I have a YouTube channel, "Jeff's Nonsport Card Universe." Here is a link to one of my favorite videos. From this video, you can easily navigate to others I've produced through the years.This video is about the "!960 Leaf Foney Ads" cards that were so popular back-in-the-day and are quite collectible today.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnAuS7EY2P8

A little more about me: Like most writers I know, I also have a "day job" as well. I am a professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa, where I teach courses in creative writing and literature. When not teaching or writing, I enjoy restoring antique vehicles (from motorcycles to tractors), hiking and climbing in the mountains (especially the Smokies in Tennessee), and traveling to do book readings and events. I've been pretty much all over the globe through the years while doing close to three hundred and fifty book readings/events. I very much enjoy interacting with the readers of my books, and when I visit with audiences, I like to share the background related to how my books came to life - through as many pictures and film clips as I can include. If you see I'm going to be in your area for an event, please stop by. As an extra enticement, I usually bring cake or other special treats for everyone!

If you'd like more information about me and my writings, please also check my author blog site, which I try to update regularly. The address is as follows (please copy and paste into your browser):

jeffreyscopeland.blogspot.com

Additional information about me and my writings can also be found at my author website. Here is the address:

jscottcopelandauthor.com

I also always love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to send me an e-mail if you wish at the following address: jscottcope@gmail.com

I hope you enjoy my books! Take care -- and happy reading!

Jeffrey