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Niamh McAnally, known as The Writer On The Water, is an Irish-born award-winning author, guest speaker on Celebrity Cruises, and former TV director. As an avid explorer with a penchant for volunteerism, many of her stories are inspired by her world travels on land and at sea. In 2016 she was selected as a volunteer for one month to crew for Captain Gary — a solo sailor who later became her husband. They spent six years cruising the Bahamas and the Caribbean on their sailboat. In Antigua, she photographed two middle-aged men’s moment of triumph after they arrived in a 20ft wooden boat having rowed 3,000 nautical miles from the Canary Islands across the Atlantic Ocean. She wrote their inspiring story Flares Up: A Story Bigger Than The Atlantic which was shortlisted for The Sunday Times Vikki Orvice Award and won the Independent Press Award for Action Adventure. That iconic photograph became the front cover. Her memoir, Following Sunshine: A Voyage Around the Mind, Around the World, Around the Heart, for which she won an American Writing Award, International Impact Book Award and received the Literary Titan Award, takes readers on a global journey to remote islands and exotic locations, and into the depths of profound love. In 2025 she edited and contributed to Stories of Place: ///zinc.level.blindfold, a collaboration of short stories from her international writers group based on the geocode app what3words. A Page From My Life anthology (2021) features her memoir short, Haul Out, and her whimsical series Falmouth Freddy and the Cruising Kanes appears in Caribbean Compass Magazine. Niamh has also been published in The Journal, Sail, The Irish Times Abroad, Writing.ie and Subsea magazines. Niamh believes we all have a story to tell and offers writer’s workshops in person and online to encourage emerging talent. A lover of dolphins, whales, and all things maritime, Niamh and her husband, Gary, still love living on the water. When they are not giving talks on cruise ships they call Southwest Florida home. www.thewriteronthewater.com

★★★★★ "An incredible story of courage and adventure!" - Reader review
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Flares Up is the true story of adventure, tenacity and the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity!

Firefighter Paul Hopkins, 55, survives a brain haemorrhage. The experience motivates him to undertake the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge - to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.

He teams up with entrepreneur Phil Pugh, who is aged 65 but renowned for undertaking extreme physical challenges in honor of his disabled son.

They encounter major financial and physical setbacks, which cause years of delays and put a strain on both their marriages.

Finally, on December 12, 2019, in a fourth-hand 20ft wooden boat, they set off from the Canary Islands.

Violent storms, 30ft waves and equipment failure leave both men seasick, dehydrated and sleep-deprived.

Alone on the ocean, they are forced to examine their lives.

Was the decision to undertake this challenge brave, selfish or foolish?

After 70 days, nine hours and 11 minutes at sea, they cross the finish line, two changed men. Will either of their wives be there to greet them? Order your copy to find out!

With a foreword by Jeremy Irons.

Kindle Price: $12.99

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

“A truly brave, enriching memoir that will take you on a global adventure.” –Liam Neeson

In her honest and heart-warming memoir, writer and adventurer Niamh McAnally shares the story of her liberating journey from being unemployed, homeless, and divorced in her fifties, to embarking on a global quest to find purpose through volunteering and ultimately finding a profound love that changed her life.

From volunteering for marine conservation projects on remote islands in Belize, Vanuatu, and Tonga, to exploring exotic destinations like Bora Bora, Palau, Fiji, and St Barths, Niamh takes readers on a captivating journey where each destination unveils a layer of her self-discovery. An encouraging read for the dreamer in each of us, you’ll learn about unique cultures, dolphin research, turtle conservation, and coral reef protection. And be prepared for the most unexpected love story when she is selected as crew for a solo sailor in the Bahamas—a project that was only supposed to last a month but will now last a lifetime.

While telling the story of one woman's quest for meaning, Following Sunshine also serves as a roadmap for the rest of us, inspiring us to awaken to the potential that lies within and choose a path truest to our being. Perfect for fans of adventure travel, romance, and anyone seeking meaning and fulfillment through giving back.

Kindle Price: $5.99

Category: Travel

“A varied and eclectic collection, showcasing new writers of promise. There are voices here I hope we’ll be hearing more from.” –Mick Herron, author, CWA Steel and Gold Dagger winner, creator of Slow Horses

Edited by the award-winning author, Niamh McAnally, Stories of Place will take you on a whirlwind journey across the globe courtesy of nine international writers whose tales span the genres of thriller, adventure, mystery, coming-of-age, LGBTQ+, young adult, and literary fiction, as well as the vast spectrum of the human experience. Each story is titled using the innovative geocode system What3Words, which uses three words to identify a precise location on Earth.

From the bustling streets of Tokyo and the rugged landscapes of the Australian bush to the Mexican-American border and the Dublin suburbs of Ireland, this anthology offers a unique perspective on a variety of stories: teenage passion, familial love, the cruelty of war, and the quiet tragedies of later life. Readers will find themselves immersed in a rich tapestry of emotions that will linger long after the final page. Let your journey into this eclectic collection begin.

Kindle Price: $4.99

Category: Literature & Fiction