E. H. Casteele was born and raised on a small farm in White House, Tennessee, and her dream was to travel the world as an award-winning archaeologist after she graduated in 1993. Then reality set in, and she decided to pursue a degree in American History. Always an avid reader, she was a frequent library patron and knew that someday she wanted to see a book she wrote on the shelves! She married her high school sweetheart in 1996, and then he joined the Air Force, where writing was challenging between stations in remote locations and eventually children.

While stationed in Charleston, South Carolina, she obtained her BS in American History/Secondary Social Studies and teaching certification in 2006. Her studies there gave her access to primary and secondary resources and a renewed longing to dig into the past and discover why people made decisions. Charleston was unique and rich in culture and pirate lore! She could take field trips and visit local areas of interest and history to build on her knowledge of the world where the pirates and their crew lived and played.

Her husband retired from the Air Force in 2018 at their last duty station, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Alaska, and they decided to stay in the frozen north even after their children graduated. You couldn’t ask for a more remarkable and beautiful environment in which to write!