E Dee Merriken, Author | Historical Novels including Dream Season and Shaping Heroes

E Dee Merriken, Author

I have difficulty writing about myself. I’d rather write about unique and talented people or create a cadre of colorful characters for a novel. But readers like to know something about the authors, so allow me to tell you a little something about me... (Read more about E Dee Merriken.)

Dream Season

Los Angeles baseball was thriving in the 1890’s. No Major League teams existed west of the Mississippi, but that didn’t stop National League players from participating in Southern California’s active winter ball season. It also gave young pitchers like my grandfather Walter Settle numerous opportunities to play with and against some of the nation’s finest players.

The addition of five feet to the pitching distance in 1893 marked the last major change to baseball’s infield. Unlike many National League pitchers, the highly competitive Walter Settle was ready for this new challenge. Settle’s determination to overpower and outwit batters with his pitching skills and his catalogue of their individual preferences and weaknesses caught the attention of the famous manager Edward Hanlon, who asked Settle to sign with two National League teams, the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers.

It would have been a wonderful dream come true if it weren’t for the fact that baseball was always played on Sundays, which conflicted with the teachings of Walter’s Methodist grandfather, the Reverend Marcus Settle.

Dream Season is a mix of baseball excitement, compassion, and heartbreak that traces Settle’s pitching years from his earliest playing days at age fourteen to his most notable game, when late in his career, he faced off against rising star Walter Johnson.

Shaping Heroes (New Release!)

While doing research for Shaping Heroes, I discovered that most of the rough carvers of Mt. Rushmore were baseball players, but this isn’t South Dakota’s only famous baseball claim. The state is also the birthplace of American Legion Baseball.

In my story, Legion player Ray Matthews is determined to use his baseball talents to catch the eye of a visiting Major League scout, but his cocky nature and a baseball accident nearly dash his hopes. Set in Rapid City, South Dakota, during the construction of Mt. Rushmore, characters struggle, strive, and dream in the shadow of the great monument. With tinges of humor and fantasy along with murder and suspense, this coming of age novel offers readers a truly inspiring, sometimes harrowing, yet always compelling story that I hope will stay with you long after the cover is closed.

Shaping Heroes also showcases the benefits of American Legion Baseball, which is not just about the sport. Coaches also use their time with these young players to teach sportsmanship values and build character. The foreword of the book, which was written by an executive with Major League’s Baseball Hall of Fame and who is also a lifetime American Legion member, Mr. William Haase, highlights the purpose and history of Legion Baseball and quotes the Legion’s code of sportsmanship which players recite before every game.

“Dream Season will wow your soul.” —Mark Victor Hanson, co-author Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Barnes & Noble | Amazon

NOTE: All royalties from
Shaping Heroes benefit American Legion Baseball.

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