Before we embark on sharing this new series with you, Phil and I would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our friends, family, and colleagues. Your unwavering support, encouragement, and expertise have been instrumental in keeping our dream alive. As we begin this new adventure, we feel truly blessed to continue our passion for storytelling by intertwining the rich history of our home state with vibrant fictional characters.

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The Madman In The Shed, Book One of the America Comes of Age series, opens during a thrilling period of American history. This era—often referred to as the Industrial Age and the Age of the Robber Barons—was marked by the rapid expansion of railroads that interconnected the nation from north to south and east to west, fueling both commerce and culture. Innovations such as refrigerated boxcars transformed industry and reshaped everyday life.

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From the 1890s through the 1930s, the world experienced monumental change driven by innovation and ambition. This era was characterized by prosperity and complacency, excess and poverty, waves of immigration, political upheaval, global conflict, and remarkable economic growth. It was a time of contradiction—one that laid the foundation for the modern world.​​​