Join us for an open house to celebrate the launch of local author Cynthia Elder’s Tales of the Sea Series on Thursday, May 29, 6 PM. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. The event is free and open to the public. Please register at info@inkfishbooks.com We can’t wait to see you!
A look behind the scenes of her new historical novel, Tales of the Sea. Based on hundreds of pages of original ship's logs, letters and journals, the book reveals the true story of a seafaring family from West Barnstable, Massachusetts, during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and the tumultuous years of the Civil War.
Tales of the Sea...
is the true story of a seafaring family from West Barnstable, Massachusetts, during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and the tumultuous years of the Civil War. The story reveals the inner thoughts of a lonely shipmaster as he traverses the vastness of the sea, writing to the woman he loves. The two-book series elevates the experiences of women who braved years-long sailing voyages to keep their families together and intersects with stories of soldiers and slaves as our country was torn apart at the seams.
Tales of the Sea series, A well-developed novel that uses copious historical sources to vividly bring its characters and setting to life. - Kirkus
Tales of the Sea: Book OneThe Journey Begins
Young James Jenkins leaves the family farm to follow the sailor’s life, rising to become a merchant ship captain who transports trade goods around the world. He finds his match in Ruth Fish, the daughter of a ship’s captain who bristles with passion to escape the confines of her small town.
Tales of the Sea: Book Two The Drumbeats of War
As the United States marches toward war, James and Ruth Jenkins must decide to brave the oceans together or be forever separated by the sea. Ruth’s brother is swept into the Union Army, while her father spirals into mental illness. Together, Ruth and James circle the globe in a dangerous and changing world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cindy’s poetry has appeared in many literary magazines over the last four decades, including recent editions of The Last Stanza Poetry Journal, Frost Meadow Review, Blood & Bourbon, Blue Heron Review and elsewhere. She received the Grand Prize in Notable Works’ 2023 Voices of the Earth anthology.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and career writing from Roger Williams University and a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. Cindy is working with both universities to research a freedom seeker born in 1816 whose remarkable narrative of flight from slavery and life as a ship’s cook was found in her husband’s family records.
Cindy serves as executive director of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, a local nonprofit dedicated to preserving open space and educating the public about our natural resources. Her long history in nonprofit service includes roles as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Rhode Island and Coggeshall Farm Museum. She also served as communications director for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and Hospice of Central Florida.
Cindy and her husband, Bob, have sailed the waters of Narragansett Bay and elsewhere for 30 years, along with their children, Emily and Elizabeth. They live on the edge of Hundred Acre Cove in Barrington, Rhode Island.