Ferry Tales

“Ferry Talessings a new, powerful song of ancestral memory, humor, love, travel, and identity. An ode to the Diaspora”–MK Asante, author ofNephew

Dank, drink, and d*ck are all Anana thinks she needs until she is yanked by an unexpected (and undeniable) invitation to her forgotten homeland that will send her across oceans, generations, cultures, and herself, or risk losing herself somewhere in the middle.

Ferry Talesis a debut novel by Abrea Armstrong that follows a black millennial woman on a transatlantic journey of self-discovery, blending travel, romance, humor, and cultural reclamation as she reconnects with her African heritage and confronts the legacies of diaspora, identity, and corporate America.

Born of a legacy forgotten over centuries, Anana Freedman has all the trappings of a Black Millennial dream–cash in her purse, smoke in her lungs, liquor on her lips, and lovers in rotation. But the one thing she lacks is herself. When an unexpected wedding invitation to West Africa arrives, it cracks open the illusion, thrusting her into the troubled waters of her birth. There, between sips of whiskey, puffs of smoke, sweat of romance, and tears of mud, she must reassemble her deepest truth–one that lies somewhere between the story she’s been told and the one etched in her soul–or drown trying.

Abrea Armstrongwas born and raised in North Carolina and is a proud descendant of enslaved Africans. She earned her BA in Spanish Language & Literature from St. John’s University in Queens, New York. While living in NYC, she contributed to publications such asXXL Magazine,Revolt TV, andHuffPost Live, and was awarded a private poetry grant. Her poetry is now part of the Special Collection at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University.

Throughout her career, Abrea has been recognized for her excellence in mass communications, receiving honors including the Triad Business Journal’s40 Under 40 Most Influential African-Americans,20 in their 20s, andLeader in Diversityin 2020. She was also namedMost Valuable Emerging Leaderby the National Urban League and received the2022 MLK Young Dreamer Awardfrom the City of Winston-Salem.

Ferry Talesis her debut novel, inspired by her own life experiences. Since her first journey to the Motherland, she has deepened her connection to her roots and officially became a Ghanaian citizen in November 2024. Abrea currently resides in her hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

• Publisher: Red Hen Press
• Publish Date: September 29, 2026
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• Type: Paperback
• EAN/UPC: 9781636285030
• Dimensions:8.5 in H | 5.5 in W
• BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction