John Paul Jones- unsung hero
- Alan Collenette
- Nov 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 6
IMMORTAL: The Two Lives of John Paul Jones brings to life the extraordinary true story of the visionary Scotsman who founded the U.S. Navy and helped turn the tide in America’s fight for independence.
Born in a small Scottish village in 1746, John Paul Jones rose from obscurity to become a poet, a warrior, and a fierce opponent of slavery. Haunted by the loss of Scottish independence, he seized the American Revolution as a chance for both personal and national redemption-terrorizing England’s coasts, outwitting the Royal Navy, and becoming the first man in 500 years to invade England. His path intersected with figures such as Ben Franklin, Queen Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, and poet Phillis Wheatley, weaving a tapestry of intrigue, romance, and political upheaval.Yet Jones died in Paris, unappreciated and unfulfilled, his reputation tarnished by scandal. His dream of immortality came true more than a century later, when President Theodore Roosevelt exhumed him from an unmarked grave, transforming Jones into the celebrated founder of the U.S. Navy, now honored in Annapolis.
Told in the immersive, character-driven tradition of Master and Commander, Outlander, and Braveheart, IMMORTAL explores the mind of a brilliant yet insecure hero and reveals a gripping, little-known narrative as thrilling as it is true.
I am a dual UK and U.S. citizen, born in Scotland and from a long lineage of writers. My work has appeared in publications including Writer’s Digest, where I received Honorable Mentions in both the Genre and Literary Short Story competitions.
Alan Collenette
Alan Collenette is a writer and a Scottish expatriate. Alan's short stories, poems, essays and articles have appeared in Bust Out, San Francisco Business Times, The Registry and in Writers Digest where he received Honorable Mentions in the 71st Annual Competition in the Genre Short Story and Literary Short Story categories. He is currently working on a historical novel based on the life of John Paul Jones, the legendary Scotsman, and founder of the US Navy.