I'm excited to announce this book should be ready for release in the summer of 2027. Coal & Iron: Baseball Brutality and Brotherhood is set in the volatile 1920s coalfields of Yatesboro, Pennsylvania. The story captures the gritty reality of immigarnt patch-town life, company store monopolies, and the intense labor struggles that shaped our communities.  When a brutal strike shuts down the mines, the infamous, company paid Coal & Iron Police are brought to enforce order and restore production, by any means necssary. Frank Marken must decide if he should risk joining the UMWA with his brother immigrants, or play it safe to protect his nine children. 

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This isn't just a novel I made up, it's my family. The main characters are my actual Great Grandfather, my Grandmother, and her eight siblings along with some real characters of that era. All of my great-uncles mined the Yatesboro pits and four of them played for the Yatesboro baseball team.

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My father grew up there and became a coal miner to support his family. I too lived in the company home for a short period while attending college and it's why I'm so excited to tell this story. 

 

Come back and check on my progress and more information about this exciting story!