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Bill Hammond is the 2011 Gold Medal recipient for “Historical Fiction Protagonist” as awarded by the Military Writers Society of America for his novel  For Love of Country.

This third novel in William C. Hammond's nautical fiction series is set in the late 1790s during the Quasi-War with France and offers readers a thrilling look at the new American Navy during the Age of Fighting Sail. Following in the wake of his previous novels, A Matter of Honor and For Love of Country, it features the adventures of the seafaring Cutler family of Hingham, Massachusetts, and an ever-expanding cast of characters—some real, some fictional—that includes Lt. Richard Cutler along with Capt. Thomas Truxtun, Capt. Silas Talbot, and other naval heroes personifying the best of American honor and courage as they confront French pirates off the coast of Nantucket and heavily armed French frigates in the Caribbean.

Hammond packs his book with electrifying sea battles and daring challenges to French colonial rule in Haiti and the West Indies. He also offers fascinating glimpses into everyday life of the era, from the bedroom of the Cutler clapboard home in Hingham, to the family's sugar cane plantation in Barbados, to Adm. Sir Hyde Parker's flagship in Jamaica. And at the center of all the excitement, passion and intrigue are two of the finest frigates ever constructed, USS Constellation and her sister ship, USS Constitution.  Lauded for his careful research, attention to detail, and thorough knowledge of the ways of the sea, Hammond brings history alive while telling a rollicking good tale.

William C. Hammond is a novelist, literary agent, and business consultant. A lifelong student of history and sailing enthusiast, he lives in Minneapolis, MN, and frequently sails on Lake Superior and off the coast of New England. His first novel in the Cutler chronicles, A Matter of Honor, was published in 2007. His second, For Love of Country, followed in 2010. Check out the author's blog.

View the trailer ~  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTI-o64MWsg

Click here for an interview with Bill Hammond.

Praise for  THE POWER AND THE GLORY

“Two previous books covered the Cutlers’ naval service during the American Revolution, but Power is a fine stand-alone read. Hammond offers a deft blend of fictional and real characters which range the American coast from Massachusetts to Barbados, as Lt. Richard Cutler rises in the new American Navy. Hammond’s meaty tale climaxes in 1800 with a splendid ship duel between the newly-built U.S.S. Constellation and La Vengeance. This battle alone is so thrilling that I am now eager to look up Hammond’s previous works, and I heartily recommend The Power & the Glory.”

— The Historical Novels Review, February 2012

“The Power and the Glory skillfully spins a story of an adventurous era, as real people lived it. Bill Hammond’s third book in his series makes you part of the dramatic events leading to the War of 1812, including venues reaching from New England to the Mediterranean waters sailed by the emerging American naval professionals who would stun the world in the War of 1812. The book’s characters match the real actions of those whose courage and determination lifted the United States onto the world stage at the beginning of the nineteenth century.”

—JOSEPH F. CALLO, author of John Paul Jones: America’s First Sea Warrior

“In the finest maritime tradition William Hammond's seafaring novels sail boldly in the wake of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester. You can feel the sea roll beneath the keel, hear the wind in the rigging and the almighty crack of the canvas sails—an epic and exhilarating adventure series.”

—HELEN HOLLICK, bestselling author of The Forever Queen and the Sea Witch Voyages

“A superb story featuring ship duels and a thrilling raid ashore, wreathed in gun smoke and the clamor of men fighting desperately. Richard Cutler's return to the sea as Captain Truxtun's first lieutenant in USS Constellation during the infant American republic's odd war with France is a must-read sequel to Hammond's exciting For Love of Country.”

—ANDREW C. A. JAMPOLER, author of Horrible Shipwreck! A Full, True and Particular Account of the Melancholy Loss of the British Convict Ship Amphitrite

“Once again Bill Hammond returns us to the founding days of the U.S. Navy, when such doughty captains as Rodgers and Truxtun set our standards for courage and seamanship. Well done!”

—DAVID POYER, author of Ghosting and The Towers

“I highly recommend this historical fiction series. It’s as good as the novels of Patrick O’Brian. Start with the first book and read all three—then wait, as I must, with great anticipation for the release of book IV and other novels in the series. Bill Hammond is a master writer of nautical fiction whose literary gifts are yours to enjoy.”

—KAREN LARSON, editor, Good Old Boat Magazine

"As I eagerly raced through the pages, I found myself comparing Hammond’s work to two other, well-known books: Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander and Michael Crichton’s Pirate Latitudes. I can honestly say that Hammond’s book merits the comparison… and comes out on top in many areas."

— JOHN CATHCART, Reviewer, Military Writers Society of America, author of Delta 7