Gilded Breeze

If you love HBO’s The Gilded Age,
meet the real people who lived it.

(Coming November 10, 2026)

Gilded Breeze begins at the height of America’s Gilded Age. Born into a prominent New York family, “Jimmie” Breese was an architect, Wall Street broker, inventor, and pioneering fine-art photographer whose life intertwined with presidents, industrialists, celebrated artists, and society’s elite. From glittering mansions and exclusive salons to his infamous Carbon Studio, he seemed destined to leave an indelible mark on American history.

But the Breese story did not end there.

As the old order crumbled, a new generation rejected privilege and forged a different legacy through engineering, aviation, and innovation. James Lawrence Breese Jr., disinherited for following his own path, rose through talent and determination to help make history as navigator of the U.S. Navy’s NC-4, the first aircraft to successfully cross the Atlantic, years before Charles Lindbergh’s celebrated flight.

Richly researched and vividly told, Gilded Breeze follows three generations of an extraordinary American family whose lives mirror the nation’s transformation from Victorian excess to the Machine Age. Filled with larger-than-life personalities, forgotten pioneers, spectacular triumphs, and heartbreaking failures, this compelling work of narrative nonfiction reveals how one family’s rise, fall, and redemption helped shape the birth of modern America.

GildedBreeze.com

Captured Freedom

Captured Freedom tells the extraordinary true story behind one of the most iconic Civil War photographs ever taken. What began as a simple question about the identities of twelve Union prisoners of war evolved into a sweeping narrative of survival, escape, resilience, and forgotten history.

Drawing from diaries, military records, newspapers, and firsthand accounts, the book reconstructs the journeys of men who escaped Confederate prisons and crossed hundreds of miles of dangerous territory seeking freedom.

Winner of the Independent Press Award for Historical Nonfiction, Captured Freedom has been praised by historians, reviewers, and Civil War scholars for its emotional depth and original research.

“The Civil War is chock full of remarkable true stories… Captured Freedom tells one that beats them all.”
– Dr. Lorien Foote, Texas A&M University

CapturedFreedom.com

Rebel Correspondent

Rebel Correspondent resurrects the long-forgotten Civil War memoir of Confederate cavalryman Arba Shaw, whose serialized wartime account disappeared into obscurity for more than a century.

The book combines Shaw’s firsthand experiences with extensive modern historical research, providing rare insight into the daily life, hardships, and realities faced by an enlisted Southern soldier during the war.

Recipient of the Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite honor, the work has been recognized for preserving an important firsthand voice from the Civil War era.

“A gifted researcher, Procko chased down names and events mentioned by Shaw, adding additional context and detail to the already-rich narrative.”
– Dan Roper, Georgia Backroads

RebelCorrespondent.com

There’s History Around Every Bend

Co-authored by Steve Procko and Kathy Thompson, There’s History Around Every Bend explores the rich local history of the North Georgia mountains through railroads, folklore, forgotten landmarks, and regional storytelling.

The book investigates the origins of the North Georgia Railroad in the 1870s before it became a tourist attraction known today as the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, examines the long-disputed Georgia/Tennessee state line, and uncovers the stories and local legends behind historic bridges, and the history of the town of Blue Ridge.

Part regional history collection and part visual storytelling project, the book reflects the same philosophy that drives The History Around Every Bend series itself:

That history still exists all around us, often hidden in plain sight.

About the Author

Steve Procko is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and historical nonfiction author whose work blends documentary storytelling, archival research, and cinematic presentation.

His books and visual history projects focus on overlooked stories, forgotten individuals, and the emotional connections that continue to shape communities and historical memory today.

Through There’s History Around Every Bend, he continues to expand this work across books, short films, historical reels, documentaries, and future media projects.