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The Cigar Maker

The Cigar City. The year is 1898. Young Cuban rebel Salvador Ortiz and his family have escaped the hardship of war-torn Cuba, but the union halls, cigar factories, and dark alleys of Tampa are filled with violence and vendetta. Salvador must defy constant labor strife and deadly corruption in a one-industry town known for backroom cockfights, street thugs, late-night abductions and mass production of the world’s best hand-rolled stogies. An ideological battle for control of the cigar industry tests Salvador’s self-respect and love of hard work as he fights to abandon his rambunctious, outlaw past and lead his proud Cuban family into a colorful immigrant society. His wish for a peaceful life as a husband, a father, and a man of dignity is threatened by a lawless underworld and a cultural conflict with a dangerous, bloody history. Based on true events.

Mark Carlos McGinty is a descendant of Cuban cigar makers whose work has appeared in Maybourne Magazine, Cigar City Magazine, Cigar Advisor and Montage Magazine. He grew up on ropa vieja, Cuban sandwiches, café con leche, and fresh-squeezed orange juice from his grandfather's tree in West Tampa. His favorite cigar is the Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8. Mark lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter.

“Equal parts history and fiction The Cigar Maker captures the true spirit of Ybor City. You can practically hear the crowds, smell the tobacco and taste the café con leche.”
-Rodney Kite-Powell, Curator, Tampa Bay History Center

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