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Taylor Anderson, M.A. Print bio

Taylor Anderson, M.A.

Taylor Anderson, M.A. is the New York Times bestselling author of the Destroyermen series. As a gun maker and forensic ballistic archaeologist, he has advised numerous museums, as well as the National Parks Service and the United States Army. He’s also a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries involving 18th, 19th, and early 20th century combat. He’s even done some acting. He is also a member of the National Historical Honor Society and the United States Field Artillery Association, which awarded him the Honorable Order of St. Barbara.

He is the author of the Destroyermen book series, about the USS Walker (DD-163), USS Mahan (DD-102), and USS S-19 (SS-124), and their fight against the Grik.

The novels of his series were listed in bestselling lists and this helped Taylor to establish himself as a well known writer. He has also won the Goodreads Choice Awards 2011 for his novel Rising Tides in the Best Science Fiction category.

Before becoming an author, Taylor attended the Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas and earned his Master’s Degree in the subject of history. After his graduation, he began teaching the same subject in the same university. He continued his job as a professor for a short period before leaving it to become a full-time writer. During his graduation days, Taylor used to write historical works along with some articles and short stories. For his excellence in historical work, he has won a number of awards under the Intercollegiate Press Association.

Several of his books sold well enough to be included on various bestselling book lists. Firestorm was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction in October 2011 and Iron Gray Sea was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction in July 2012. Iron Gray Sea was listed on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list in July 2012. His Into the Storm was nominated for Compton Crook Award 2009 and his Blood in the Water was nominated for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel 2016 Dragon Award.

He owns a collection of 18th and 19th century artillery pieces and fires them for movie sound, documentaries, competition, and fun. Taylor and his cannons have appeared in many films including: The Alamo (2003), Palo Alto, American Outlaws, Two For Texas, Time Tracers, and Rough Riders. He also consulted on The Patriot and Ride With The Devil. He knows precisely what cannons are capable of and that’s reflected in his writing.

As a sailor, he’s knows the capricious vagaries of the weather and the sea and as a historian, he’s trained to research what he’s unable to experience first-hand. Careful research was essential to writing Destroyermen because one of the main characters is, after all, the USS Walker. Over 270 “four-stacker” destroyers were built during and after WW I, but none remain today.

He loves old music, old trucks, old guns, and old dogs—but would give everything he has to go into space. He says he was either born a century too late or too early.

Fiction Series

  • Destroyermen

  1. Into the Storm (2008)

  2. Crusade (2008)

  3. Maelstrom (2009)

  4. Distant Thunders (2010)

  5. Rising Tides (2011)

  6. Firestorm (2011)

  7. Iron Gray Sea (2012)

  8. Storm Surge (2013)

  9. Deadly Shores (2014)

  10. Straits of Hell (2015)

  11. Blood in the Water (2016)

  12. Devil’s Due (2017)

  13. River of Bones (2018)

  1. Destroyermen: Unknown Seas (2011)

  2. Destroyermen: Fire on the Water (2012)

  3. Destroyermen: Rising Storm (2012)

  4. Destroyermen: Iron and Fire (2013)

Short Fiction

  • Distant Thunders (excerpt) (2010)

Essays

  • Author’s Note (Into the Storm) (2009)

Listen to his work at Audible. Read his Wikipedia profile. Follow him on Facebook. Visit his homepage. Read his profile at Amazon, at isfdb, and at BookSeriesInorder.com. Read about Taylor’s inspiration for the Destroyermen Series.

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