Chicago 1871: Young Readers Edition
James E. Merl, Patricia Merl
eBook
(James E, Dec. 1, 2018)
Chicago 1871 is a story about John Kirk, a firefighter from 2018 involved in a freak accident. When he woke up, he was in a Chicago hospital, and the year 1871. His world had completely changed.As John comes to grips that he had somehow traveled 147 years into the past, he is given a job with Engine Company 8 of the Chicago fire department. As he forges a bond with the crew and adapts to his new life, he realizes that he is falling in love with a lifestyle he had made fun of only days before.John’s life as a firefighter in the 1870s doesn’t go without its challenges, he has to adjust to a whole new way of firefighting. His arrogant attitude is quickly put in check as he learns that fighting fires in the nineteenth century was a lot harder than he ever imagined and the firemen were incredibly brave in their aggressive firefighting tactics, almost to the point of being insane.One day while at a fireman’s picnic, John spots the girl of his dreams, Lindsay, an actress from McVicker’s theatre. As he, and his closest confidant Joe struggle with their love interest, John has a secret weighing heavy on his mind.The date is late September of 1871, and if history repeats itself, then Chicago is facing one of the greatest disasters in American history. In a few days, major fires will begin to plague the city at an unprecedented rate and will lead to the great fire on October 8. Will John be able to warn his crew of the future? If so, how? What follows is two weeks of non-stop action that will keep you on the edge of your seat as the firefighters of Chicago fight against-all-odds to save the city they love.About the AuthorBorn in San Bernardino, California in the early 60s, James grew up in Long Beach, Just south of Los Angeles. At an early age, James was inspired by the hit TV show "Emergency" and became a firefighter and spent 16 years climbing the ranks of engineer, captain, and training officer until he suffered a career-ending injury. Since then, James has been driving trucks cross country and enjoys teaching new students.One passion he has had throughout his life has been telling stories and writing but has never had the time needed to invest in finishing a novel. When James is without a student, he has discovered that sitting behind the wheel for ten hours a day presented the opportunity to think about stories to write about. After running the scene through his head like a movie, James takes an hour each night after parking to write."My influences growing up were The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the Outer Limits. I've always enjoyed mystery and surprise endings."