Award-winning author William Speir was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1962, attended the University of Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1984. He spent over 25 years in corporate America, serving as a management consultant, consulting practice leader, IT executive, and HR/Payroll executive for top tier consulting firms and Fortune 100 companies. His specialty was helping people and organizations change (new systems, new processes, new regulatory compliance, new products and services, new markets). He has worked for companies and with clients across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom. He has lived in Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Connecticut, and Florida. William has also helped start and manage a number of non-profit corporations, holding officer and director positions in several cultural and historic organizations. He is a Civil War Artillery expert and is involved with battlefield and historic site preservation. William lives in Central Florida with his wife, Lee Anne, and his daughter and son-in-law. His son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live in Connecticut. He is a member of the Florida Writers Association, as well as several historical organizations. Publishing Experience: During William’s corporate career, he published several articles on leadership and the human impact to change. His first experience with book publishing was with a series of ten textbooks he authored about the types, nomenclature, capabilities and deployment of field artillery in the 19th century. These textbooks became the source material for his "Muzzle-Loading Artillery for Reenactors" (PRPP 2015). In 2009, after William retired from the corporate world, he began writing fiction. His first works, "The Order of the Saltire Trilogy," were published in 2010 and 2011. A second trilogy soon followed ("The Sentinels of the Saltire Trilogy"). After a few years, William heavily revised his first two trilogies into a 7-book series, he wrote his first two historical novels (both of which won Royal Palm Literary Awards for unpublished historical fiction), he wrote his first fantasy novel, and he began writing his first science fiction novel. He also consolidated his ten artillery textbooks into a single manual. In April 2015, William signed with Progressive Rising Phoenix Press (PRPP). His artillery manual, his first two historical novels ("King’s Ransom" and "The Saga of Asbjorn Thorleikson"), his fantasy novel ("The Kingstone of Airmid"), and his 7-book action-adventure series ("The Knights of the Saltire Series"), were the first works published. William has since published his first science fiction novel ("The Olympium of Bacchus 12") and finished two additional historical novels that are awaiting publication ("Nicaea - The Rise of the Imperial Church" and "Arthur, King"). William's major influences are the classics (Tolkien, Hurbert, Eddings, Clavell, Van Lustbader, Dumas, Foote, Shakespeare, Clancey).

2014 Winner: Royal Palm Literary Award (2nd Place) for pre-published Historical Fiction.

2015 Semi-Finalist: Royal Palm Literary Award for pre-published Historical Fiction.