Steele and Curry Publishing
Steele and CurryPublishing

Stories built to be read to the last page.

An independent press for fiction that keeps readers up at night, in print, digital and audio.

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Cover of Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation by Eric Halstead with co-author M.L. Curry

New release: Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation
by Eric Halstead & M.L. Curry

Our Series

Start reading

Three series from our authors. Pick where you want to begin.

Eric Halstead

Shane Alexander

Military thrillers following Specialist Shane Alexander, from the courtroom to the combat zone. Start with Into the Dark.

See the books →

Eric Halstead & M.L. Curry

Shadows of History

Start with Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation.

See the books →

Eric Halstead

The Mike Chisholm Saga

Legal drama. A defense attorney comes home to Fayetteville and takes the case that splits the town. Start with Truth and Consequences, available for pre-order.

See the book →

Meet the writers

Authors

The people behind our books, and the series they write.

For writers

Submit a manuscript

Open to submissions. See what we publish and send a query.

Who we are

About the press

Our story, what we do for each book, and how to reach us.

Home / Books

The List

Books

Military thrillers, legal drama and historical suspense, in print, digital and audio.

Cover of Into the Dark

The Shane Alexander Series · Book 2

Into the Dark

Pulled from selection, thrown into the shadows.

Haunted by past betrayals and desperate for redemption, Specialist Shane Alexander is thrust into the shadows of a rescue mission in Colombia. American students have gone missing, the cartels are at war, and the extraction will test every loyalty he has left.

A story of resilience under pressure and the private battles fought by the people sent into places the rest of the world never sees.

Paperback
Trade paperback
Ebook
All major stores
Audiobook
Written and narrated by Eric Halstead

Book 2 of the Shane Alexander Series. Start with Book 1, The Final Verdict, on the series page. See the series →

Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation, book cover

Shadows of History series

Shadows of Liberty

The Start of a Nation

By Eric Halstead, co-author M.L. Curry.

Meet M.L. Curry
Truth and Consequences: The Mike Chisholm Saga by Eric Halstead, book cover

The Mike Chisholm Saga · Book 1

Truth and Consequences

Available for pre-order

Defense attorney Mike Chisholm comes home to Fayetteville, North Carolina, looking for a quieter life. Then a teenager named Jamal Watson is arrested for the killing of a convenience store clerk.

A malfunctioning camera, blind spots in the aisles, a statement taken without counsel. As Mike digs in, the case splits the town along lines of race, class, and memory, and the threats start arriving.

Pre-order on Amazon

Home / Books / Shane Alexander Series

A series by Eric Halstead

The Shane Alexander Series

Military thrillers about duty, fairness and the weight soldiers carry home. Specialist Shane Alexander's story runs from a court-martial to a rescue mission in the shadows of Colombia.

The Final Verdict: A Shane Alexander Novel by Eric Halstead, book cover
Book 1

Military courtroom drama

The Final Verdict

One decision in a combat zone. One court-martial. One life turned over.

Specialist Shane Alexander faces a court-martial that will change everything he thought he knew about the Army he serves. As the case unfolds, the pressure reaches past the courtroom and into his family.

An exploration of duty, fairness, and accountability, and of the consequences soldiers carry home from the decisions they make at war. For readers of military fiction and courtroom drama alike.

ISBN 979-8-9941322-7-2Audiobook narrated by the author
Buy on Amazon Audiobook on Spotify
Into the Dark: A Shane Alexander Novel by Eric Halstead, book cover
Book 2

Covert rescue thriller

Into the Dark

Pulled from selection, thrown into the shadows.

Haunted by past betrayals and desperate for redemption, Specialist Shane Alexander is thrust into the shadows of a rescue mission in Colombia. American students have gone missing, the cartels are at war, and the extraction will test every loyalty he has left.

A story of resilience under pressure and the private battles fought by the people sent into places the rest of the world never sees.

ISBN 979-8-9941322-1-0Audiobook narrated by the author
Buy on Amazon
Book 3 · Coming Summer 2027

Espionage thriller

The Hunt

Nine dead in Astana. One fingerprint on the bomb. It belongs to a Marine buried eight years ago.

When a dead Marine's fingerprint turns up on the van that bombed a U.S. embassy, CIA operative Shane Alexander leads a covert team into Algeria to bring him home, and to learn whether he is a victim, a traitor, or something in between.

Release: Summer 2027Cover reveal coming soon

The author

Written and narrated by Eric Halstead

Twenty years in the Army and Coast Guard, told from the inside. Book 3, The Hunt, arrives in summer 2027.

Meet Eric Halstead All books

Home / Authors

Our Writers

Authors

We work closely with a small group of authors, from first draft to the recording booth.

Eric Halstead

Author & narrator

Eric Halstead draws on twenty years in the Army and Coast Guard to write the Shane Alexander military thrillers, stories of duty, sacrifice and the weight soldiers carry home. He also writes legal drama in the Mike Chisholm Saga and, with M.L. Curry, co-writes the Shadows of History series. He narrates his own audiobooks, so listeners hear every line the way it was written.

Series

Shane Alexander

Military thrillers. Includes Into the Dark, Book 2: "Pulled from selection, thrown into the shadows."

See the series
View Eric's author page

M.L. Curry

Author

M.L. Curry co-authors the Shadows of History series with Eric Halstead. Curious and dedicated, he writes to inform, inspire, and encourage readers to think critically about the world around them.

Series

Shadows of History

Includes Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation, co-written with Eric Halstead.

See the books
View M.L. Curry's author page

L. David Taylor

Author · Army combat medic (ret.)

A former combat medical specialist, EMT and POST-certified law enforcement officer, L. David Taylor spent eight years in the Army before being medically retired. Now based in Corpus Christi, Texas, he is at work on his first novel, Escape.

View L. David Taylor's author page

Home / Authors / Eric Halstead

Author · Narrator · Screenwriter

Eric Halstead

Twenty years in uniform, across the Army and the Coast Guard. Now he writes the stories most people never see, from the inside.

20Years served
4Novels
3Series
11Festival honors
Author Eric Halstead
Eric Halstead

About Eric

Duty, sacrifice, and the weight people carry home.

Eric Halstead brings nearly two decades of military service to the page: sixteen years in the U.S. Army and four in the U.S. Coast Guard. After retiring from active service for medical reasons, he turned to the thing he had been carrying with him the whole time, the stories.

He writes with authority about duty, sacrifice, and the moral complexities of life in uniform. His Shane Alexander novels show soldiers from a perspective most readers never get: inside the courtroom, inside the mission, and inside the doubts that follow a soldier home.

Beyond the military thriller, Eric writes legal drama in the Mike Chisholm Saga and, with co-author M.L. Curry, historical suspense in the Shadows of History series. He narrates his own audiobooks, so listeners hear every line the way it was written.

Bibliography

Books by Eric

Military thrillers, legal drama and historical suspense. Start with the Shane Alexander series.

The Final Verdict book cover

Shane Alexander · Book 1

The Final Verdict

One decision in a combat zone. One court-martial. One life turned over.

Buy on Amazon
Into the Dark book cover

Shane Alexander · Book 2

Into the Dark

Pulled from selection, thrown into the shadows.

Buy on Amazon
Shadows of Liberty book cover

Shadows of History · Book 1

Shadows of Liberty

In the shadows of the American Revolution, history is being written in secret. With M.L. Curry.

Buy on Amazon
Truth and Consequences book cover

Mike Chisholm Saga · Book 1

Truth and Consequences

A small-town killing, a teenage suspect, and a defense attorney who came home for a quieter life.

Pre-order Pre-order on Amazon

Read by the author

Audiobooks

Eric narrates his own audiobooks: the cadence of the radio calls, the weight in a courtroom pause, the voices of soldiers he served beside.

On screen

11 festival honors in 2026

Eric adapts his novels for the screen. The Final Verdict screenplay is a three-time finalist, and more of his scripts are placing.

  • The Final VerdictLondon International Screenwriting Competition, Orlando Film Festival, Wild River Film Festival finalist
  • The HuntOrlando Film Festival finalist
  • Into the Dark · Alexander (pilot)Placing in 2026 festivals

Interviews, events & book clubs

Connect with Eric

Email info@erichalstead.us, or reach the press through our contact form.

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Home / Authors / M.L. Curry

Author · Historical suspense

M.L. Curry

Co-author of the Shadows of History series, where the American Revolution is fought in ink, rumor, and fear.

About M.L. Curry

History, written in secret.

M.L. Curry is a curious and dedicated individual who values growth, learning, and meaningful connections. With a strong appreciation for new experiences and fresh perspectives, he approaches challenges with determination and an open mind. His work reflects a commitment to authenticity, creativity, and the belief that every experience offers an opportunity to learn something valuable.

Through his writing, Curry hopes to inform, inspire, and encourage others to think critically about the world around them. Whether exploring personal insights or sharing knowledge on topics he cares about, he strives to create content that is thoughtful, engaging, and relatable. Above all, he believes that stories and ideas have the power to connect people and make a lasting impact.

M.L. Curry co-writes the Shadows of History series with Eric Halstead, historical thrillers set in the hidden corners of America's founding. The series opens with Shadows of Liberty: The Start of a Nation.

Bibliography

Books by M.L. Curry

The Shadows of History series, co-written with Eric Halstead.

Shadows of Liberty book cover

Shadows of History · Book 1

Shadows of Liberty

In the shadows of the American Revolution, history is being written in secret.

Boston, on the edge of revolution. Printer's apprentice Thomas Hale finds a hidden language of symbols and ciphers threaded through the pamphlets passing under his hands. What begins as a curious discovery draws him into a world of secret meetings, silent allegiances, and a war fought in ink, rumor, and fear.

With sharp-eyed bookseller's daughter Abigail Mercer at his side, and shadowed by the enigmatic Elias Wentworth, Thomas must decide what to believe when every side is capable of lies.

Buy on Amazon Audiobook on Spotify

Co-author

Written with Eric Halstead

For interviews, events and book clubs, reach the press through our contact form.

Meet Eric Halstead

Home / Authors / L. David Taylor

Author · Army combat medic (ret.)

L. David Taylor

Combat medic, EMT, and law enforcement officer, now at work on his first novel, Escape.

8Years Army
EMTColorado
POSTCertified officer
1Novel underway
Author L. David Taylor with his wife
L. David Taylor and his wife

About L. David Taylor

From the front line to the first page.

L. David Taylor was raised mostly in southwestern Colorado, Northern California and western South Dakota. He now lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he finished his military career.

Before joining the Army, he worked as an EMT in southwestern Colorado and as a POST-certified law enforcement officer. He then spent eight years as a combat medical specialist, on active duty and with both the Colorado and Texas National Guard, before being medically retired from the Army.

A lifelong reader, he is an avid fan of Dale Brown and Tom Clancy, with a deep fascination for Gaelic and Nordic legend. He is currently at work on his first novel, Escape.

Bibliography

Books by L. David Taylor

His debut novel is in progress. Titles will be listed here as they're announced.

In progress · Debut novel

Escape

L. David Taylor's first novel is underway. Check back for news on its release, or browse the rest of our list in the meantime.

See all books

Interviews, events & book clubs

Get in touch

To reach L. David Taylor, use our contact form.

All authors

Home / About

Who We Are

About the press

An independent house for genre fiction, publishing in print, digital and audio.

Our story

Steele and Curry Publishing is an independent house for genre fiction. We keep our list small on purpose, so each book gets full attention from editing and cover design through launch.

Audio is part of every release from day one. When an author wants to narrate, we help make that happen, because nobody knows the voice of a book better than the person who wrote it.

Editing · Design
Print · Ebook · Audio

Get in touch

What We Do

Every book, start to finish

Each title moves through the same path, handled by one small team that knows the book from the first read.

Editing

Developmental notes, line edits and a final proofread.

Design

Cover art, interior layout and marketing images.

Print & ebook

Trade paperback and ebook editions for all major stores.

Audio

Audiobook production, with author narration when it fits.

Home / Submissions

For Writers

Submit your manuscript

We read every query. Send a finished, polished manuscript and follow the steps below so your work gets a proper look.

Open to submissions

  1. Finish the book

    We consider complete manuscripts only. Revise it until it's the best version you can make on your own.

  2. Prepare your query

    A one-page query letter, a one-page synopsis, and the first three chapters as a single .docx or PDF.

  3. Send and wait

    Use the submission form on this page. We reply to every query, usually within 8 to 12 weeks.

What we publish

  • Thrillers and suspense
  • Mystery and crime
  • Adventure and action fiction
  • Science fiction
  • Series with a strong lead character

What we don't publish

  • Poetry and short story collections
  • Children's picture books
  • Unfinished manuscripts or outlines

Manuscript format

  • 12 pt serif font, double-spaced
  • Word count in your query (70,000 to 110,000 is ideal)
  • Your name and title in the header of each page
  • Simultaneous submissions welcome; tell us if you get an offer
Do I need an agent?

No. We accept queries directly from authors as well as from agents.

Do you charge a reading or publishing fee?

No. We never charge authors to submit or to be published.

Can I narrate my own audiobook?

Yes. We encourage it, and we'll help you plan and produce the recording.

What if I haven't heard back?

If 12 weeks have passed, send a short follow-up through the form with "Follow-up" in the title field.

Send a query