About The Author
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Born and bred in New Jersey but fond of traveling to new places (and eras). John has had a life-long passion for storytelling, growing up in a family of artists, musicians, and tellers of tall tales. He began writing his first stories starting as comic strips at age 8 and produced his first full-length science fiction story at 12. Since then, his love for the past has blossomed into historical fiction writing with a particular emphasis bringing both the famous as well as the obscure into living light. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a degree in Political Science and finds great inspiration in the events which shaped our world. With attention to historical detail having a place of pride, John is also known to embrace the whimsical, the mystical, and the mysterious in his writings.
Please check out John Van Vliet's Author Page on Amazon!
What's New?
I am honored to have been invited to be a judge for the Bergen Teen Arts Festival for creative writing once again! I'm looking forward to reading the submissions from the students: short stories, essays, poems, etc. My hope, as always, is that the students will continue to be inspired to write, follow their imaginations, and--especially in this time of Artificial Intelligence--keep (as well as demand) the "human" in the humanities.
Thornridge Series
Hell on the Hudson: A Thornridge Novella - 1776
(2023) Autumn of 1776 - The fate of New York hangs in the balance. Defeated on Long Island, George Washington prepares for a stand at White Plains. Meanwhile, Sir William Howe advances with British and newly-arrived Hessian troops. When a mysterious, supernatural force is unleashed, a ruthless Hessian officer becomes possessed, set on a murderous rampage. The Hudson Valley becomes a battlefield as British Lieutenant Arthur Thornridge and Captain Carl Hoffmann risk their lives fighting both Washington's army and the demonic enemy in their own ranks. Available in Paperback and Kindle |
Thornridge and the Boston Conspiracy - 1775
(2011) In the spring of 1775, the Massachusetts colony is in open rebellion against Great Britain. In April, a bloody clash at Lexington and Concord sends the redcoats reeling. Twenty year-old Lieutenant Arthur Thornridge sets sail from Ireland to tangle with events which will shape the course of history. In Boston, a hotbed of discontent, he finds irritable colonists making life difficult for the soldiers. While the authorities attempt to keep a tenuous peace in the city, a deadly plot is being hatched against the lives of the British. Racing against time, Thornridge embarks on a dangerous mission to get to the heart of the conspiracy as the countryside swarms with enemy militiamen. Meanwhile, rebel and redcoat prepare for a fateful showdown on an eminence overlooking the city called Bunker Hill. Available in Paperback and Kindle |
Thornridge and the Highwayman - 1774
(2010) The lonely highways of Georgian Ireland are the hunting grounds for robbers and thieves who strike indiscriminately. Nineteen year-old Arthur Thornridge joins his regiment to serve king and country but enters a gritty world where gentlemen and charlatans are often one and the same. When posted to Dublin, his career is nearly over before it begins. To see if he is worth redeeming, Thornridge is posted to an isolated village with a handful of dispirited soldiers. His mission: to bring to justice a notorious criminal preying on the roads and town. Thornridge will have to rely on his wits and judgment if he is to save not only his career, but his very life. Available in Paperback and Kindle |
Etruscus Series
Scorn of the Gods
(2016) It is the turn of the first millennium and Rome is master of the world. When an ambitious prince summons the supernatural to aid his overthrow of Roman Gaul, monstrous forces no one could predict are unleashed. Arminius, a trusted general, secretly plots and schemes to destroy three legions under the command of Publius Varus deep in the dark forests of Germania. Meanwhile, an even greater evil threatens all mankind. With the natural order disturbed, the angered gods are loath to intervene. Etruscus, a typical legionary guarding the quiet frontier, suddenly finds himself fighting to survive against hordes of vicious barbarian warriors and a demonic killer from whom there is no safe refuge. Available in Paperback and Kindle |
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