**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**  

Join us for an unforgettable experience as we chat online with Vanessa Riley about her newest book, "Fire Sword and Sea", based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. Don’t miss out on this exciting discussion! Register now to embark on a seafaring journey of self discovery and reclamation of personal power.

Register directly on Zoom HERE (a link through our host, the Chelmsford Public Library)

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

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.

Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d'Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.

For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.

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..

Please register for this event and you'll receive the link in the confirmation and reminder emails - make sure to check your spam folder for them, the email will be coming from Zoom.

This program is hosted by the Chelmsford Public Library, is brought to you in collaboration with the Groton and Tewksbury Libraries, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library.

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