Author Spotlight: Swashbuckling Heroines and High Seas Adventures with Novelist Vanessa Riley

Swashbuckling Heroines and High Seas Adventures with Novelist Vanessa Riley, Award-Winning Author of Island Queen and Murder in Westminster

Join us for an unforgettable experience as we chat with Vanessa Riley about her newest book, Fire Sword and Sea, based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye.

The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.

About the Author: Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author and proud recipient of the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Fiction Author of the Year. She writes Sagas and Book Club Fiction that brings to life the hidden narratives of Black women and women of color in novels like Island Queen and Queen of Exiles. Her stories celebrate strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and resilience across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her work has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Times.

Vernon Area Public Library showcases a virtual author talk series each month featuring bestselling, award-winning, and highly acclaimed authors from around the world.  The featured writers and thought leaders will cover a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.   All programs are recorded and available for later viewing. 

All events are free and open to the public.  For more information or to register for the author talks, visit  https://libraryc.org/vapld