​Praise for Cynthia Neale's Writing

"Make no mistake, although at times the language is breathtakingly lyrical, Cynthia neale tells it like it was, grit and all."
​- Deborah Swift, author of The Lady's Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and The Poison Keeper.
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"This story is filled with so much intrigue, mystery, and beauty, that you'll cling to every word while watching Norah grow into a strong, courageous, and brilliant woman, who ends up truly proud of her Irish blood."
​— Review, Feathered Quill
​"The Irish Dresser is an exciting, entertaining, and highly recommended story of taking risks and facing new challenges for the sake of hope." 
​— Midwest Book Review

Historical Fiction

Catharine, Queen of the Tumbling Waters

"I'm not like your white women who lose their tongues and wits in a house full of men."

So says Catharine Montour to her white captive during the Indian depredations of the 1750s. Catharine Montour, a Métis, born during Pennsylvania's Long Peace, is nurtured by her grandmother, the celebrated Madame Montour, an interpreter for the British colonies.

Read more about Catharine, Queen of Tumbling Waters

Norah McCabe
(Previously Published 1st edition (2015): The Irish Dresser Series)

Book 1 - The Irish Dresser
​When thirteen-year-old Nora McCabe crawls into the old dresser that sits next to the hearth holding a few pieces of her mother's china, she dreams of luscious cakes and fairies as hunger pains grip her. It is in the dresser that Nora finds hope when her father declares they must leave their beloved Ireland for America.

Read more about The Irish Dresser


​Book 2 - The Irish Hope
​
This sequel continues the saga of Nora McCabe and her family now dwelling in New York City where they encounter poverty and racism as Irish Catholics and immigrants. Injustice and violence are a matter of course in this mysterious and alluring city filled with strange languages. 

Read more about Hope in New York City


​Book 3 - The Irish Shopkeeper

Scant historical attention has narrowly defined the Irish immigrant woman. And yet the rate of economic and social progress of Irish women far exceeded other immigrant women ethnicities. Norah McCabe heartbreakingly and quixotically stumbles and falls into her real self in this coming-of-age, adventurous, romantic, historical novel.

Read more about Norah


​Book 4 - The Irish Millner
​
It is New York City and the Civil War is brewing. Norah McCabe, an Irish immigrant who escaped the Famine as a child, is now a young widow with a daughter. A milliner, struggling to survive in tumultuous times, Norah meets Abraham Lincoln, befriends the extraordinary African-American woman Elizabeth Jennings, and assists the Underground Railroad creating hats for runaway slaves.

Read more about The Irish Milliner

Cook Books

Pavlova in a Hat Box: Sweet Memories and Desserts

​A pithy collection of stories and meditations accompanied by recipes, all of which have been wrested from a country childhood and a writing life. Accompanying these vignettes are classic and new sumptuous dessert recipes redolent of the comfort of old-fashioned fare, but with an organic twist.  The book is full of fanciful and whimsical illustrations in a fun to read format.  Enjoy!

Read more about Pavlova in a Hat Box

Laughter In the Kitchen.  (Coming Soon!)

To be Published Spring, 2026

SAMPLE SOME OF MY RECIPES

Not all recipes make it into one of my cookbooks.  Due to popular demand, I have added additional recipes here on my website.  If you try one - send me a message through my Contact Me page and let me know what you think!  And if you have variations to share, or another recipe that you like, send it to me.  I'll try it, and if I like it - I will share it on my website, and give you full credit (with your permission, of course).