Cynthia Williams

Cynthia Williams was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a masters degree in Counseling and Psychology, she moved to Northville, Michigan, where she worked providing therapy to families for thirty years. Cynthia is a 2014 Ford Foundation, Ford Motor Company, Ford Freedom Award honoree. The Ford Freedom Award acknowledges those who have demonstrated the power of perseverance and their unwavering commitment to their community. In addition to writing, Cynthia is an accomplished professional artist specializing in nautical and seascape oils & acrylics.

In "The Whispering Pines Inn" Cynthia takes the reader on a journey to a simpler time.

In her new book you will travel to a northern Michigan town that is still charming and rustic, and brilliantly captures lives that have been marked by loss, perseverance, an abiding faith and the love of friends and family as it sojourns between sentiment and satire. You will hear an unaccustomed rhythm in the voices of the Whispering Pines Inn as it is recounted here in loving detail. Cynthia Williams delivers an unforgettable story about an unforgettable boy and girl coming of age pre-World War II America in East Jordan Michigan along the shores of Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan. It’s 1963 now, and Maggie inherits the ramshackle Inn.

Cynthia Williams gives her readers, and her characters, precisely what they crave--excitement, insight, joy, humor, hard reality, surprise, loyalty, hope, closure and a sweet but uncompromising view of human nature.

Passionate long-lost loves, war, hard times, Burt’s short-lived career as a bra fitter at Lane Bryant’s, Zoshia’s confidence game, Johanna the geologist and the Nystrom bar scene, Louie's riveting Shuttle service, a high spirited 4th of July parade, no questions asked smelt dipping, classic cars, uplifting fishing folklore, a tormented chef, wild escapades at a Venetian Festival, frantic adolescents and college students whose brazen and covert late night activities teach them the sobering aspects of young adulthood, quirky guests and locals with complicated but redeemable characters and Maggie and Burt, who stand in the center of it all.

In Maggie and Burt we recognize the best and hardest aspects of youth, the fascination and fear of unrequited love, and our own first loves. The author leads her heroine and hero into adulthood while inspiring readers with deeply moving history, plot twists and inexhaustibly entertaining characters in a fantastically imagined world.

In "Growing Up in the D: My Grandfather, My Mother, and Me" Cynthia tells the true story of how she struggled through a childhood and adolescence of seemingly insurmountable troubles including a mentally ill and frequently hospitalized mother and an emotionally absent father. She perservered and ultimately thrived with the continous help of a compassionate, devoted grandfather, a close-knit neighborhood in Detroit and an irrepressible faith in God. Woven seamlessly through her account are her personal memories of the Detroit attractions of the 1950s, and 1960s as seen through the eyes of an awe-struck child.

Prominently featured in her book are the historic, never seen before, photographs of national award winning Detroit photo-journalist, Alan Deneau. Alan dug into his photo archives to find images which capture the robust spirit of the city of Detroit during its rise as it became known for its Motown sound, automobiles and the momentum of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. Alan worked for the Detroit News, WWJ-TV, and WXYZ-Channel 7 News. Alan is the recipient of the Michigan Photograph of the Year and Newsreel Cameraman of the Year awards, as well as a Look magazine Sports Photo of the Year Award.

Cynthia's books will appeal to young people, adults and history enthusiasts.