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E.Michael Helms

Goodreads Author

Born

in Marietta, GA, raised in Panama City, FL, live in Westminster, SC, The United States

Website

http://www.emichaelhelms.com

Twitter

EMichaelHelms

Genre

Memoir, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Influences

Erich Maria Remarque, Sloan Wilson, Ross Macdonald, Robert J. Ray

Member Since

February 2013

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Maybe I should start by saying a few months ago (early 2022) I went up to the pearly gates of heaven.

And now I’d like to say how much I’ve enjoyed, and tormented on some, writing my books. The Proud Bastards and The Private War of Corporal Henson took some real gut-wrenching facing my feelings from the Vietnam War. As an 18-year-old in the Marine Corps I saw and did things that that no one should have to. After being traumatically wounded and returning home, the Vietnam War followed me. It remained with me all my life. And as I grew older, the memories, nightmarish scenes of carnage, flashbacks, and PTSD seemed to increase.

Having an interest in history, my next books, Of Blood and Brothers, Book 1 and 2, based on a true story of two brother Maybe I should start by saying a few months ago (early 2022) I went up to the pearly gates of heaven.

And now I’d like to say how much I’ve enjoyed, and tormented on some, writing my books. The Proud Bastards and The Private War of Corporal Henson took some real gut-wrenching facing my feelings from the Vietnam War. As an 18-year-old in the Marine Corps I saw and did things that that no one should have to. After being traumatically wounded and returning home, the Vietnam War followed me. It remained with me all my life. And as I grew older, the memories, nightmarish scenes of carnage, flashbacks, and PTSD seemed to increase.

Having an interest in history, my next books, Of Blood and Brothers, Book 1 and 2, based on a true story of two brothers serving on opposites sides in the War Between the States, was a challenge to write because of all the research and time it took to make it as authentic as I could. And I was very pleased and satisfied with the result.

After those four books, I wanted to try writing something lighter. I lit upon the Mac McClellan mystery series. Set in Florida near where I grew up, Mac, a recently retired Marine, happens to become a private investigator. And all kinds of things just seem to happen to him, or he becomes involved with. Starting with Deadly Catch, then Deadly Ruse, Deadly Dunes, and lastly Deadly Sprits, it was a series I had fun writing. The next in the series, Deadly Verse, was left half written.

Along the way I was also busy writing blogs, mentoring inspiring writers, and critiquing and editing for others. I enjoyed all of it as writing was one of my passions. And I so much appreciated my wife, Karen, for all of her support, encouragement, and love.

And that is where the stories end dear friends and readers.

***********
I was born in Georgia way back in the last century but grew up and lived most of my life in Panama City, Florida. In 2004 my wife and I moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadows of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a land of stunning vistas, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, and numerous grand waterfalls.

I’ve been traditionally published since 1990 when my Vietnam War memoir, The Proud Bastards, was published. It’s about my time as a combat U.S. Marine in 1967-68. It’s still in print after all these years, currently with Simon & Schuster/Pocket. I’ve since written a few novels in different genres. I’m currently writing the Mac McClellan Mystery series which is set along the coast of the Florida Panhandle where I grew up. ...more

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E.Michael Helms’s books

Average rating: 4.3 · 440 ratings · 210 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Proud Bastards: One Marine's Journey from Parris Island through the Hell of Vietnam 4.23 avg rating — 143 ratings — published 1990 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deadly Catch (Mac McClellan, #1) 3.99 avg rating — 127 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deadly Dunes (Mac McClellan Mystery, #3) 4.38 avg rating — 55 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deadly Spirits 4.55 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Of Blood and Brothers (Of Blood and Brothers, #1) 4.47 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Private War of Corporal Henson 4.68 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Of Blood and Brothers: Book Two (Of Blood and Brothers, #2) 4.70 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by E.Michael Helms…

125 posts
E.Michael Helms's Blog: Michael's Musings

My review of Kalorama Road, by E. Denise Billups

“Do you remember what happened at 1414 Kalorama Road?”

Having recently lost her dream job as an editor at a major New York publishing house, Allison "Allie" Bertrand reads once again the mysterious email that appears on her mobile phone like clockwork the same time each month. This disturbing message has been delivered for over a year, beginning soon after the night Allie--against her better judgm Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 1 comment • flag

Published on July 26, 2018 14:02 • Tags: intrigue, mystery, paranormal, suspense, thriller

View all 125 posts »

Series by E.Michael Helms

Of Blood and Brothers (2 books)
by

E.Michael Helms (Goodreads Author)

4.55 avg rating — 66 ratings

Quotes by E.Michael Helms (?)

“Nothing is impossible. The word actually says it itself: “I’m possible!”
--Sherill Harvey (from Pinterest)”
― E.Michael Helms

1 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Stress Free Readi...: This is Jackie's Brain on BOOKS!	1	7	May 02, 2016 02:29PM
Cozy Mysteries : When you're not reading a cozy....	5946	2739	May 22, 2016 02:10PM
Nothing But Readi...: The Twelve Towers Challenge	444	1477	Mar 26, 2017 11:13AM
Hooked on Books : Marathon to 500,000pgs	412	402	Aug 12, 2017 10:51AM
Aussie Lovers of...: Currently reading/Just finished! CLOSED	7094	739	Dec 31, 2019 07:03PM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author game, Round 5	7285	326	May 14, 2020 09:14PM
Happily Ever Afte...: Pete & Repeat	92	454	Aug 25, 2020 10:52AM
The History Book ...: VIETNAM WAR	320	871	Feb 20, 2025 01:23PM

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E.Michael’s Quotes

“Ignorance is curable. Refusing to learn is not.”
― E. Michael Helms

tags: bigotry, ignorance, learning, willingness-to-change

0 likes

“[Yankees] are pretty much like southerners except with worse manners, of course, and terrible accents.”
― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

tags: humor, rhett-butler-to-scarlett, southerners, yankees

32 likes

“Union means so many millions a year lost to the South; secession means the loss of the same millions to the North. The love of money is the root of this …. The quarrel between the North and the South is, as it stands, solely a fiscal quarrel."
--Charles Dickens, 1861 article on the cause of the American Civil War”
― Charles Dickens

tags: american-civil-war, charles-dickens, northern-aggression, reasons-for, secession

1 likes

“… the South is the land of Washington, who made our Nation – of Jefferson, who shaped its direction – and of Robert E. Lee who, after gallant failure, urged those who had followed him in bravery to reunite America in purpose and courage.” --President John F. Kennedy”
― President John F. Kennedy

tags: american-history, american-patriots, patriotism, statesmanship, the-south, truth

0 likes

“The consolidation of the states into one vast empire, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of ruin which has overwhelmed all that preceded it.”
― Robert E. Lee