Andrew Ranson: St Augustine's Pirate

When his mother, the duchess, dies in childbirth, Andrew Ranson is abandoned by his father, the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who provides the black wet nurse funds to raise him as her own in Jamaica. After he goes to sea, Andrew learns of his heritage and collides with his father's upper-class world in England and America. While a captive in Spanish St. Augustine, Andrew saves the town from the 1702 invasion by English forces from Carolina. Andrew Ranson: St. Augustine's Pirate intertwines international intrigue as European powers battle for control of Florida and its all-important shipping lanes. Lust, piracy, financial ruin, and unrequited love also play their part in behind-the-scene views of events that established America, including the purchase of Mt. Vernon by the father of George Washington. Andrew Ranson: St. Augustine's Pirate received a medallion for being one of the ten historical fiction finalists in the Florida Writers Association's 2014 Royal Palm Literary Awards.