Cara Curtin got her B.A. in English and promptly found a job as a copywriter at an advertising agency in Norfolk, Virginia. It took her three years of writing billable copy to discover that she was starving to death. She joined the Navy when the recruiter promised her a living wage. When she completed Officer Training School, the Navy first sent her to Public Affairs School in Indianapolis and then to Pensacola, Florida, as a public affairs officer.

She met her future husband there. Andrew is still a helicopter pilot, but when he met Cara, he had just come back from Viet Nam, where he had served as search and rescue pilot. They were to marry at their next duty station in Rhode Island.

She retired from the Navy 20 years later and opened The Sailor’s Wife Book Exchange in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and began to write about her community. Her by-line appeared regularly in local magazines Amelia Now and Amelia Islander Magazine, and she became active with the Nassau County Writers and Poets Society.

Cara writes a regular newspaper column, entitled “City Sidebar,” featuring her whimsical and irreverent observations about life in Paradise.

Cara’s book writing career began when David Tuttle led the Writers and Poets Society in its project of producing a group novel. Murder in Fernandina was an instant success, and soon people were asking for more adventures of Lieutenant Wilson. David wrote the second book, The Leopard of Fernandina, and asked Cara to edit it. The Tuttle/Curtin writing team collaborated on the third book, Fernandina’s Lost Island. As they worked on Lost Island, they wondered what would happen next to the intrepid lieutenant. Wilson’s latest adventure is showcased in Fernandina’s Finest Easter, and introduces his young protégé, Jon Stewart.

"Cara captures the mood of our city, old and new residents alike. Through her memories and current adventures she helps us know where we have been, are now, and where we are going. She is a treasure!"
-Bill and Susie Birdsong, volunteers and board members, Amelia Island Museum of History

Need a Speaker?

Cara Curtin gives informal talks for book clubs, community groups, libraries, senior groups and other organizations. She also conducts workshops to share her writing tips.
(Click here to contact her)