Johnny Neil Smith, a retired educator in Mississippi and Georgia, taught Mississippi, Georgia, American and World History. Smith has written three previous novels, "Hillcountry Warriors" which received praise from "Publisher's Weekly," "Unconquered" which was a finalist in the Georgia Writer Association's Author of the Year, and "Beyond His Mercy" with Susan Cruce Smith. Four of his great grandfathers served in the Confederate Army, and he has long been fascinated with the Civil War. His knowledge of that war and Federal prison Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois has made "Beyond the Storm" true to the times. The main character, John Wilson, was named after his grandfather and many of the accounts of battle and prison life relate to his great grandfather, Joseph Williams, who lost an arm in the battle for Atlanta and was sent to Camp Douglas. Susan Cruce Smith, also a retired educator, has given the book a woman's perspective and added many of the Biblical and scriptural insights. Susan Cruce Smith, also a retired educator, has given the book a woman's perspective and added many of the Biblical and scriptural insights.