AUTHOR'S BIO/CONTACT INFO

Victoria "Vicki" Ramirez was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Massapequa (Long Island), where her novel takes place. After teaching English in Great Britain, Nigeria, Algeria, and Japan, Vicki settled down and got her Ph D, joining the English faculty at Weber State University, Ogden, Ut, in 1999. From 2010 to 2013 she directed the Creative Writing Program at Weber State, during which time she published a book of collected poems, Love Among the Yearlings. Her inspiration for writing The Mistress of Fort Neck Inn is the historical saga of Fort Neck’s (now Massapequa, New York) most illustrious Tory, Judge Thomas Jones. Jones's prominence made him a target for the Sons of Liberty, but also for the British army occupying Long Island during the war. Vicki attended Massapequa High School on the former site of Jones’s manor, Fort Neck House.

A mother, herder of cats, and a singer-songwriter, she currently lives on the south Oregon coast, but prefers the white sands and warm waves of Long Island's Jones Beach. To reach Vicki: you can use the CONTACT page on this website (www.victoriaramirez.net); you can reach her via cell phone at (541) 290-9014, or via email at vramirez@weber.edu. To reach her publicist, Richie Kaye: (917) 887-0409, email at nyinformer1@aol.com.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

When the sea takes young Flora Vernal’s husband in 1769, she returns to her family’s inn at Fort Neck, on Long Island. The inn, built by her great-grandfather on land Major Jones wrangled from local Massapeag Indians, is in shambles. Flora vows to save it for the sake of her mother, children, and sister’s family. Help comes when Jones’s grandson builds a manor at Fort Neck. And, when Flora meets gentleman privateer Riordan Coyne, who supplies Flora with goods from the West Indies, gladdening her heart with his love.

 But fearful of marrying—and losing—another husband to the sea, Flora jilts Coyne to wed Jem Oldfield, a carpenter she believes will help run the inn. When the Revolutionary War breaks out, Jem conspires with the Sons of Liberty to kidnap Jones, a renowned Loyalist, despite Flora’s pleas that Jem remain neutral. Upon learning of the plot, and fearing what the British occupiers will do to her family if they hear of it, Flora demands Jem call off the kidnapping, or lose her forever. Ultimately, she cannot prevent history’s course, or the personal loss that follows, but gains a love she has denied herself for years.

PRODUCT INFO

Title: The Mistress of Fort Neck Inn
Author: Victoria Ramirez
Publication Date: 2016
Available at: www.victoriaramirez.net
ISBN: 978-1-5323-1466-7
Retail Price: $17.00
Page Count: 291 pages
Genre: Historical Romance; New York/Long Island History; Revolutionary War History

PRESS RELEASE

The Mistress of Fort Neck Inn Comes To Town!

MASSAPEQUA, NY — The Tea Party? Divided government? Political factions taking sides? If this sounds like America in the 21st Century, Victoria Ramirez’s The Mistress of Fort Neck Inn is here with a story showing how these challenges were with us right from the start of the nation.
The novel’s set in late 18th Century New York, in the town of Fort Neck—now Massapequa—on the Island’s south shore, where the author grew up. Its heroine, Flora Vernal, a beautiful and plucky young widow, must struggle to keep her family’s inn from bankruptcy, and during the long war years, from occupation and ruin by King George’s troops. As one reviewer puts it, “This is the Gone with the Wind of the Revolutionary War.”
Flora’s tale is intertwined with that of Judge Thomas Jones, Massapequa’s most illustrious historic figure. In 1779 the Sons of Liberty kidnapped Jones from his Fort Neck manor to swap for colonial generals held by the British. According to the author, “This is awesome stuff they left out of the history textbooks when I was in school!”
Ms. Ramirez will be on Long Island in April, 2019, giving readings and signing books. Check out her website www.victoriaramirez.net for contact info and her appearance schedule.
Buy your own copy before supplies run out!

S T A F F: Richie Kaye, Publicist
(917) 887-0409
nyinformer1@AOL.com

Victoria Ramirez, Author
(541) 290-9014
vramirez@weber.edu
www.victoriaramirez.net