Diary of a Mad First Mate

“What a fun book! It felt like I was there hiding in a corner. And even though they obviously made it home safe and sound, the tension during storms was palpable. Highlights and the joys and frustrations of living your dream.”

“Good book. Love the fact that she took the honest approach to cruising. To read most books on cruising, you would think it's all calm waters and fair winds. It's not, as this book will attest. But for the dreamers among you, a little advice. Make preparations to get underway and let go your lines.”

“Easy read ... a real page turner...”

The author of the Kate Brown Journals YA series shares her first sailing voyage, a misadventure that takes you on a colorful tour of the Bahamas and other islands. This idyllic journey was far from what she expected as she serves as first mate on “The Ella McQuaid.”

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Leah Benner majored in English. Between raising her children and making a living, she had little time for writing until she and her husband uprooted and took off in their boat. Their travels led them from Maryland to Florida to the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos. Leah and her husband now live with their two cats in Key West. If you Google "write what you know," you'll find that no one really knows where the phrase originated, but Leah believes it is sound advice. The Kate Brown series of tween books are set in Florida and the Bahamas. The main character, Kate, is a tall-for-her-age, slightly awkward teenager who likes to write poetry and so was Leah. Leah went to music camp, Kate goes to poetry camp. Leah doesn't know yet where Kate's next adventure will take her, but she is anxious to find out as she starts to write the third in her Kate Brown series.