About Andrea

One Writer's Dreamcoast: Sail Away With Me

Have you ever shoveled snow off the sidewalk for the tenth time, or finished a day at a job you don't particularly like and then daydreamed about escaping to a desert island on a sailing adventure?

You're not alone.

I taught sailing for over 20 years -- on Lake Lanier north of Atlanta, in the British Virgin Islands, in the Greek Islands, in Charleston, and on Lake Dillon at 9,017 feet about an hour and a half west of Denver.

The first question I always ask prospective sailors is this one: Why do you want to learn to sail? And do you know what their answer is at least half of the time? They want to sail away, around the world.

I applaud and celebrate their motivation, and then give them the bad news. It isn't easy. And the ocean does not suffer fools. Even the most skilled of sailors are bested by the sea every year.

Leaving the dock is a little like leaving Earth for outer space on a shuttle. You have to have everything on board to sustain life for an indeterminate period of time. And everything has to work. If you're the type who calls a plumber when the drain clogs, maybe the oceangoing life isn't for you.

Some couples' coping styles may not be suited to long passages. There's just the two of you. You have to get along. Each one has to trust the other with his or her life.

Oh, and romance? If you decide to enjoy an afternoon interlude below deck, that cuddle session could be your last. Freighters. Whales. Huge chunks of floating junk. Gotta have a 24-7 watch while you're at sea.

So, what I propose here is a way to escape without all the expense, hassle and hairy moments of life at sea. Come armchair sail with my characters across the miles and the centuries. Sit back, relax and let me take care of the helm.

Fair Winds & Following Seas - Andrea

  • My Roots

    Daddy was a trucker, Momma was an artist, and I'm a scribbler. The stories just spilled out—the pony escaped, the window magically shattered. Not my fault.

    Twenty years as a journalist couldn't stifle the yarns. Yacht delivery up and down the Caribbean only increased the flow. Now those tales celebrate romance on the high seas.

    I am a professional captain living in the Rocky Mountains, about an hour away from the Continental Divide. I spent 12 summers teaching sailing on awesome Lake Dillon at 9,017 feet in Summit County, Colorado. I also captained tours for my business, Sails in the Sunset.

  • On Writing

    My writing is shaped by a love of history, a life at sea, and a fascination with characters who rise above their circumstances. I’m drawn to the untold stories of courageous women and the complexities of men who grow into unexpected heroes. I aim to ground every story in solid research while leaving room for emotional truth—especially when facts are scarce. My style is immersive and character-driven, with a focus on transformation. With a journalist’s eye for detail and a sailor’s instinct for navigating the unknown, I write with heart, grit, and deep respect for the power of story.

  • On Me

    My grandmother taught me two things I live by: there’s nothing I can’t do, and never let anyone else’s opinion dictate my choices. That mindset carried me from dancing barefoot on Port Clinton beach as a rebellious teen to becoming the first woman to manage a Thomson newspaper in my twenties. I’ve lived boldly—whether falling in love with a younger man at 34 or weathering 60-knot winds and 25-foot seas off Cape Fear while delivering a boat to the Bahamas. Sailing, like writing, has taught me to trust my instincts, prepare for anything, and let go when the storm rolls in. I love celestial navigation for its magic and mystery, and I’ve learned to read the sea with all my senses. My biggest wish? To keep writing stories about extraordinary women—like Eleanor Creesy—and to reach as many hearts as I can for as long as I’m able.

About MUIRGEN® Publishing Cover Models

Heart-thumping, real-life heroes

The cover models that grace my first two releases, Fortune's Horizon and Secret Harbor, are two very good natured gentlemen: Chris, an Oregon fire chief and dog search and rescue specialist; and Drew, a snow safety specialist in Colorado. I have had the pleasure of working with both of them over the years and wanted to give something back to the search and rescue community

So, two percent of all sales of both books go to their favorite causes. For Chris, that is USAR, a FEMA group with which he and his rescue dogs volunteer. Drew chose the Kees Brenninkmyer Foundation which financially assists alpine guides, patrollers or instructors who require surgery in order to continue their careers.

Resources used to research naval history

Texas A&M has a very helpful research site for The Denbigh, the Confederate blockade runner I used to create The Kate in Fortune's Horizon — here.

As a jumping off point for further research, the main site for Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University is great.

Other sites:

One of the terms I use in my novels which gets the greatest amount of grumbles from my critique partners is the capstan - a variously designed shipboard accoutrement which slips the anchor into the depths and then cranks it back aboard. A great model of the capstan here at Texas A&M's ship model lab.