The London Years of Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins was a hurricane and shipwreck survivor, Jamestown settler, psalmist reader and adventurer who yearned for the freedom to live life on his own terms. His pursuit of this ambition is explored in this imagined look at the four-year period in which Hopkins lived in London, aligning himself with the oppressed Puritans and their escape from persecution. Although not a follower of the Puritans' vision of Christianity, he became a leader and an envoy for their expedition across the Atlantic on the Mayflower.

Stephen Hopkins was a hurricane and shipwreck survivor, Jamestown settler, psalmist reader and adventurer who yearned for the freedom to live life on his own terms. His pursuit of this ambition is explored in this imagined look at the four-year period in which Hopkins lived in London, aligning himself with the oppressed Puritans and their escape from persecution. Although not a follower of the Puritans' vision of Christianity, he became a leader and an envoy for their expedition across the Atlantic on the Mayflower. After living in Jamestown Settlement for six years, Hopkins returns to London to reconnect with his orphaned children, but soon longs to return to America. In the four years between his departure from America in 1616 and his boarding the Mayflower in 1620, he meets the people and has the experiences that guide him toward his position at the helm of the Mayflower expedition. An ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life, Stephen Hopkins has been analyzed throughout history for his contributions to the pilgrim settlement in what was to become Plymouth, Massachusetts. Today, with over a hundred thousand descendants, genealogists and historians look to fill the four-year gap in his life prior to setting sail back to America.

Michael McCarthy is a retired police investigator and served thirteen years on the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT). In June 2013, he retired a second time as the Director of Safety and Security for St. John Fisher College (Rochester, NY) after 15 years of service. He published his first historical novel, From Cork to the New World, in 2009, and in 2011 published his second book, The Flight of the Wretched. In 2016, Borealis Press (Ottawa) released his third book, The Children of Michigan Street. He has published numerous articles for NorthEast Colleges and Universities Security Association's (NECUSA) The Clipboard and served as editor for six years. He has a Master's Degree in Human Resource Development from St. John Fisher College and is the current President of the Irish American Cultural Institute, Rochester Chapter, and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.