Hi! I’m Cindy. Here’s a little about me so you’ll know what kinds of things to expect here.
For as long as I can remember I’ve made up stories. When I was a teacher I thought about writing books for children. However, when I finally began writing a novel, I turned to my genealogy research and wrote a fictionalized story of my ancestors. That novel is still unpublished, but my interest in my roots, which go back to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, sparked an interest in Irish history.
The Ellis Island historical fiction series was released beginning in 2013 by Tyndale House Publishers. Set at the turn of the 20th century in New York City, the Ellis Island Series follows the lives of new immigrants as they struggle to find their place in America. Along the way they will find friendship, love, and renew their faith in God. Each focuses on an important icon introduced at that time. The first book, GRACE’S PICTURES, features the Brownie camera, which opened photography to the masses. The second, ANNIE’S STORIES, focuses on the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which changed children’s literature. The third book is SOFIA’S TUNE, and features the theme of the advertising icon, His Master’s Voice and its look-a-like, a street-smart dog named Luigi. Another historical series is set in ancient Ireland, Brigid of Ireland and Pages of Ireland, and Enya’s Son, based on ancient legends.
My first novel, BRIGID OF IRELAND, was pubished by Monarch Books in 2006. At the same time my family history research led me to co-author a different kind of book. My cousin Scott Brown and I wrote the only full-length biography on baseball Hall of Famer Mordecai Three Finger Brown, THREE FINGER: THE MORDECAI BROWN STORY. My family and I are baseball fans and root for the Cincinnati Reds. I am also a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and I’ve done some writing for this group’s projects. Read my biographies of professional baseball players here…SABR’s Bioproject
Visit the Mordecai Brown Legacy Foundation here.
Going back to my love of all things Irish, my non-fiction book, CELTIC WISDOM: TREASURES FROM IRELAND was released in the UK in 2008 and the US in 2009. I re-released it in 2016 with a new title: The Roots of Irish Wisdom: Learning From Ancient Voices. Then I finished a book that I’d begun long ago, Celtic Song. In 2020 I published Finding Your Irish Roots, a collection of articles I’ve written along with some new information. And in 2021 I published a devotional titled Celtic Wanderings.
Historical fiction is my main writing interest but I have also written magazine articles, mostly on the topic of genealogy, and I’m a past mentor in the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, which closed in 2015. I still mentor other writers when the opportunity arises and I have been a frequent teacher of kids with the Thurber House creative writing programs. I do a bit of genealogy research for hire as well. I write from my loft office in my home in Central Ohio.