Cindy Vallar

Author, Editor, & Pirate Chronicler
P. O. Box 425, Keller, TX  76244-0425

Thistles &
                    Pirates Logo



Home About Me Appearances & Book Signings Editing Services
Excerpts of My Stories Gallery: Clan Cameron Gallery: Rebel & Spy Gallery: Scottish Highlands Workshops
Gallery: Thistle's Scotland 1 Gallery: Thistle's Scotland 2 Historical Fiction vs. History My Interviews & Other Writings
My Research Resources My Reviews & Website Awards Pirates & Privateers Recommended Books to Read
Recommended Research Links Workshop Offerings & Schedule





Contact Me Sign My Guestbook Subscribe to my T&P Newsletter


Teddy
                          bear, cup of morning tea, and a book to readWelcome!

Books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. In fact, my dad once described my first library when I was a year old: Her library contains a multitude of magazines, some beginning on page six or ten, others on fifteen or twenty-one, except the newest which not only begins on page one but still possesses its blue and yellow cover. My mom shared her love of reading, especially historical fiction, as well as her writing. Among my many keepsakes is one of my earliest attempts at creative writing -- a description of a photograph from a Girl Scout calendar.

I continued to write short stories and poetry and made several attempts at novel writing in high school and college. My first publishing credit came from my senior English class when I wrote "The Traveller," a poem in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer, which appeared in my high school literary magazine, Soliloquy. In college, I majored in library science and later went on to get my my master's degree while working as a school librarian.

Having retired from library work, I now pursue my dream. My passion for research and a desire to make history more interesting inspires me to write historical novels and articles about pirates and privateers. Within these pages I invite you to explore my writing and research, my editing services, my workshop offerings, reviews of books I recommend for your reading pleasure, and many other treasures.

 
Once again, welcome and enjoy your visit!



Sláinte or Fair Winds and Following Seas,

Cindy Vallar


GoodreadsView Cindy Vallar's profile on
                              LinkedIn    Professional Reader     NAIWE
                              member button

(updated 18 September
2024)
My Historical Novels & Short Stories
The Scottish Thistle

Cover Art: The Scottish
                                    Thistle
Cover Art by Trace Edward Zaber


Loyalty and honor. A Highland warrior prizes both more than life, and when he swears his oath on the dirk, he must obey or die . . .



Visit Book's Page

Read an Excerpt

Learn about the Rising of 1745

Listen to an Interview

Visit Thistle's Scotland

Read the Reviews

Order the Book

Odin's Stone

Sketch by Elizabeth,
                                  Marchioness of Stafford
Sketch by Elizabeth,
Marchioness of Stafford

Long ago on the Isle of Skye, Alexander,  Lord of the Isles, tires of the feud between two clans and invokes an ancient Norse rite involving the Stone of Odin . . .
 

Read the Story

Read the Reviews


 

Rumble the Dragon

Artwork by Lian
Artwork by Lian


When Ingvar Skullsplitter plunders the dragons' sacred chalice, a young, intelligent misfit ventures into the dangerous world of men to  prevent . . .

The Rebel & the Spy

Drawing of Jean Laffite
Engraving by R. Telfer


Alexine You lives in two different worlds -- Barataria and New Orleans -- but when a stranger enters her life, she must finally choose between  being a privateer or loving a spy . . .


Read an Excerpt

Visit Rebel & Spy Gallery



What's New & Forthcoming
Workshops & Appearances
Articles & Interviews
Book Reviews


If you or your organization are interested in having me present a workshop, please contact me.

Presentations are done via Zoom, in-person, or by e-mail.



Under the Crossbones Interview
Podcast:
Under the Crossbones, August 2015
(my segment begins at minute 7:00)


Podcast: Craft of Writing/Publishing
and Writing about Pirates

Latino Role Models Success, 16 February 2017

Red Pencil: Christmas at Carnton
Historical Novels Review, May 2018
(My final Red Pencil column)

Gold and Gunpowder Interview
September 2021

Who Wrote the First Pirate Blockbuster?
A 300-year-old Mystery

Wreckwatch, Summer 2024

Just Desserts
Pirates & Privateers, 18 September 2024


The Longest Spring
by P. D. Sherrard
Historical Fiction: World War I

Anywhere but Schuylkill
by Michael Dunn
Historical Fiction: 1870s

Some Murders in Berlin
by Karen Robards
Historical Fiction: World War II

Portsmouth Point
by C. Northcote Parkinson
Nautical Fiction & Naval History

The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower
by C. Northcote Parkinson
Nautical Fiction

The Sugar Storm
by Lyle Garford
Historical Fiction & Historical Mystery

Curse of the Templars
by C. Wayne Dawson
Historical Fiction & Historical Mystery



Sitemap

Read a sample issue of my Thistles & Pirates Newsletter.

Join the Mailing List
Enter your name and email address below:
Name:
Email:
Subscribe Unsubscribe

If you're interested in receiving my other newsletter, Pirates and Privateers, click here.


E-mail Button
Click on the Thistle to Contact Me

© 2000-2020 Cindy Vallar

All artwork and photographs are copyrighted and may not be used without permission of the owner.
If I don't own the copyrights, I have legally acquired the rights to use the artwork.



Home About Me Appearances & Book Signings Editing Services
Excerpts of My Stories Gallery: Clan Cameron Gallery: Rebel & Spy Gallery: Scottish Highlands Workshops
Gallery: Thistle's Scotland 1 Gallery: Thistle's Scotland 2 Historical Fiction vs. History My Interviews & Other Writings
My Research Resources My Reviews & Website Awards Pirates & Privateers Recommended Books to Read
Recommended Research Links Workshop Offerings & Schedule





Contact Me Sign My Guestbook Subscribe to my T&P Newsletter