Tom O'Connor

Author of Historical Fiction and Children's Books

Welcome to the official website of Tom O’Connor, author of Steel and Honor: From Cadets to Captains and Brooks’ Bubble Adventure: Wonder, Discovery and Sibling Fun.

Tom writes stories that explore courage, curiosity, and the bonds that connect us—whether through the lives of soldiers shaped by history or the imaginative adventures of childhood.

From the Book

“Steel and Honor: From Cadets to Captains”

Before the nation was divided, they stood together as cadets—learning discipline, courage, and the meaning of honor. At West Point, young officers forged friendships that would shape their lives forever. They trained side by side, shared ambitions, and believed their futures would be united in service.

But history would test those bonds. As tensions grew and the country moved toward war, the same men who once marched together would face impossible choices. Loyalty to friends, loyalty to duty, and loyalty to country would soon collide.

Steel and Honor tells the story of a generation shaped by discipline and tradition, whose lives were forever changed by the coming storm.

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Steel and Honor Book 2 - launches April 13

from my blog

Fun with NotebookLM

This morning I was learning more uses for NotebookLM. I input the full manuscript for Cadets to Captains: 1848-1860. Then I assigned a group of experts to debate the book then crea

When the War Came to Collect

The Delafield Commission, Part 2: The Civil War Tests the Lessons On the afternoon of July 21, 1861, the Union Army broke. Soldiers threw down their rifles and ran. Congressmen and

The Reports Come Home

Five clear frictions. Three detailed reports. The Army had six years before Fort Sumter to act on them. The Reports Come Home Delafield’s Report on the Art of War in Europe in 18

What McAllister and Tanner Represent in Cadets to Captains

Nathaniel McAllister and James Tanner are not symbols. They are soldiers. They sweat through summer drills at West Point. They write letters home, bury friends, and lie awake in fr

Author Biography

Tom O'Connor first discovered the Delafield Commission officers as a West Point cadet. He graduated in 1973 and served seven years as an artillery officer, including airborne duty with the 82nd. He then spent thirty years in entrepreneurial sales. Those years raised questions that took fifty years to answer. He lives in Bolivia, North Carolina, with his wife of more than fifty years. Cadets to Captains is the first book in his Steel and Honor series.

STEEL AND HONOR

FROM CADETS TO CAPTAINS

Steel and Honor: From Cadets to Captains is a historical novel that follows two young men who train together at West Point before the American Civil War. Their friendship, rivalry, and sense of duty are tested as the nation moves toward conflict.

Brooks’ Bubble Adventure

Wonder, Discovery and Sibling Fun

A delightful children’s picture book for ages 3–9 that follows Brooks and his big sister Olivia as a simple bubble wand sparks a day of imagination, curiosity, and playful discovery, celebrating science, creativity, and the special bond between siblings.

“Tom O'Connor brings history and imagination together through engaging storytelling. His writing invites readers to explore the past while also celebrating curiosity and discovery for younger audiences.”

Johnson

Order a Signed Copy by Tom O'Connor

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