Celeste Anchor, Author

I have chosen a name for my book I've been working on, set to release in 2026!

QUEEN OF SALT & IRON is a story based on historical facts but fiction for entertainment purposes, of a strong-willed, brave woman pirate.

You might know her by the name of Grace O'Malley.

Three weeks in the doldrums. No wind. Water turning green. Crew turning desperate. She divided the last rations fairly, including her own. Respect is earned in scarcity. #CelesteAnchor

Mary Lacey survived by being better than the men who never knew she was woman. When revealed, they couldn't deny what she'd built. #CelesteAnchor #Undeniable

Julie d'Aubigny, 17th century: Opera singer, sword fighter, duelist. Kissed a woman at a ball, got challenged to duels by 3 men, beat them all. Then joined a convent. Queen behavior. #HistoricalWomen

Mary Brewster whaled alongside her husband for decades, documenting species and navigation routes. Science remembers the men. We remember her. #CelesteAnchor #Whaling

Sayyida al-Hurra ruled as pirate queen of the Mediterranean in the 1500s. She answered to no man and no nation. Her ships controlled the strait. #CelesteAnchor #QueenOfTheSea

Love letter written in the log: "Wind favorable, course true, heart yours. Longitude: wherever you are." #CelesteAnchor #Romance

Rationing water: 3 ounces per person per day. She took 2 ounces. The crew noticed. Loyalty is built in tiny sacrifices. #CelesteAnchor #Leadership

The splice in the rope saved their lives. The knot she'd tied in darkness held when light revealed certain death below. Details matter. #CelesteAnchor #Precision

They promised to meet at the same port every year, no matter where their ships sailed. Forty years later, they never missed once. #CelesteAnchor #Faithful

Jacquotte Delahaye faked her own death to escape captivity, returned as a pirate captain with red hair like flame. They called her "Back from the Dead Red." #CelesteAnchor

Becalmed for weeks. She taught the crew to fish differently, to collect dew, to stay occupied. Idle hands sink ships. #CelesteAnchor #Morale

That’s amazing!!

Ching Shih commanded 80,000 pirates and 1,800 ships. She negotiated her own amnesty and retired wealthy. The most successful pirate in history was a woman. #CelesteAnchor #PirateEmpress​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The salt spray tastes like freedom. The horizon promises adventure. Every woman who ever stood at a ship’s helm knew this truth in her bones. #CelesteAnchor #SeaAdventure

Grace O’Malley commanded 20 warships off Ireland’s coast in the 1500s. Pirates feared her name. Queens negotiated with her. She ruled the waves when women weren’t supposed to rule anything. #CelesteAnchor #WomenOfTheSea