Niamh McAnnally
Niamh McAnally is an Irish-born bestselling author, corporate and cruise line speaker, former TV director, and youngest daughter of the late award-winning actor, Ray McAnally, and actor, Ronnie Masterson. Niamh has traveled all over the world, working as a volunteer in many island nations in the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Many of her stories are inspired by her travels on land and at sea.
In 2016 she helped a solo sailor crew his boat from Florida to the Bahamas. Niamh soon realized she had not only found the life she loved but also the love of her life. She and Captain Gary have sailed as far north as Maine in the USA and to Bonaire off the northern coast of South America. With toes in the sand of Antigua, Captain and Crew became Husband and Wife!
Her memoir Following Sunshine: A Voyage Around the Mind, Around the World, Around the Heart won the 2024 American Writing Award and International Impact Book Award. Flares Up: A Story Bigger Than the Atlantic was conceived in Antigua when she witnessed Paul Hopkins and Phil Pugh cross the finish line after rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
To request Niamh as a keynote speaker for corporate or cruise: enrichment@blackburninternational.com
To request Niamh join your book club for an author chat in-person or over Zoom: thewriteronthewater@gmail.com.
Following Sunshine is available in all formats: Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and Audible.
Joan M. Griffin
Joan Griffin has always believed that stories have the power to connect people. Whether exploring mountain trails, traveling to new places, or disappearing into the pages of a good book, she believes curiosity. generosity, and community enrich our lives and our writing.
A native Californian and proud UCLA Bruin, Joan lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills. After careers in marketing and twenty-five years teaching middle school, she now teaches literature and history through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Sierra College. She is an active member of the literary community, regularly speaking to libraries, book clubs, writing organizations, and community groups, while supporting fellow authors through collaborative programs, literary events, and educational presentations.
Joan is the author of Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail, a bestselling adventure memoir, celebrating resilience, friendship, and the transformative power of stepping beyond one’s comfort zone. Her forthcoming memoir, Strangers in My Blood, explores the lifelong journey of adoption, identity, and family and is scheduled for publication in Fall 2027.
Watch for Joan’s annual Read Your Way through Earth Month in April for book recommendations with strong Earth-centered or natured-centered themes and are selected from across many genres.
To request Joan join your book club for an author chat in-person or over Zoom, visit her website.
Force of Nature is available in all formats: Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, hardcover, and Audible.
and experiencing the world. I admired Niamh’s ability—and her confidence—to live her life fully and on her own terms. Her sense of adventure, curiosity, and willingness to follow where life leads her make this a real page-turner. I loved her openness to looking for the good in people and situations while also recognizing when it was time to take off the rose-colored glasses and see things for what they truly were. Perhaps what stayed with me most was her appreciation for simplicity. Niamh seemed to have discovered the joy of owning less, needing less, and finding beauty in the ordinary long before the rest of us were talking about decluttering and the Marie Kondo way of life. A lovely, inspiring listen for anyone who enjoys stories about adventure, self-discovery, and finding beauty in the life right in front of you.
nces with scenes of serene beauty where a soul opens and nature’s majesty is embraced. The sense of accomplishment and the profound personal growth Griffin shares through her experience is palpable, leaving the reader inspired to face their own challenges with a can-do attitude. If Griffin could trek 200 miles by wrapping her feet in duct tape every morning and carrying an odoriferous WAG bag, swinging from her backpack, for miles upon miles, every reader will be inspired to persevere and discover their hidden strength and courage. All it takes is one step forward. And then another, and another, and another…
with a 