Book Title: The Swan Bonnet
Author: Katherine L. Holmes
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Publisher: GMTA Publishing, LLC
Introducing The Swan Bonnet and its characters.
The Summary
Unbeknown to Dawn, her grandfather has shot an old swan out of mercy. In their coastal Alaskan town, her father buys the swan pelt, preventing her Uncle Alex, a fur trader, from selling it for export. Dawn’s father surprises her part-Aleut mother with a hat she helped to make and also with an idea to catch poachers. Shooting swans has become illegal but Alaska is a territory and Prohibition occupies the sheriff. Dawn and her mother become involved with the suspicious effects of the swan bonnet besides its haunting effect.
Because Dawn’s grandparents see the swans first, Dawn agrees to secretly watch the migration with the deputy sheriff’s son. But after she and her mother encounter women from a ship and find out about a hunting party, they ride to the inlet. There are townspeople roving the shore too but who is the vigilante and who is the poacher?
The Characters
Dawn is more than 14-years-old. Brought up in a south coast Alaska town, she is of mixed heritage with some Aleut Indian from her mother's side. Since childhood, Dawn has known the resident swans at the inlet where her grandparents live.
Fen and Glenda, Dawn’s grandparents, were Irish immigrants. They journeyed to Alaska during the gold rush and afterward, bought land on the south coast.
Petra is Dawn's mother. She had a difficult youth because her parents died in an avalanche when she was a teenager. She is devoted to her family, earns extra money making Alaskan clothing, and is somewhat wary of men and other strangers.
Young Fen is Dawn's father. Having been a salmon fisherman like his father, he runs a smokehouse in town.
Alex Tuskoffey, Dawn's uncle, is a fur trader, trapper, and guide. He stays at their home while selling fur to merchants in port, usually on their way to Anchorage or Sitka.
Frances works for her father at the Snow Clothing store. She is a friend of Petra's while they handcraft articles of clothing. Frances came to Alaska from Manitoba with her parents.
Davy Shamison, the deputy sheriff's son, is somewhat of a braggard, claiming to be along with his father during his track downs and arrests. Dawn usually sees him at school.
Deputy Sheriff Shamison is involved with Prohibition besides his other duties.
Mrs. Helsunk is the wife of a retired ship captain and merchant. She has the only parlor in town and is active in starting a Prohibition Society.
Captain Helsunk has the first motorcar in the small port town. Retired from his ship, he maintains his shipping interests.
Kenny is the son of Smokehouse Jon, an Aleut man who works with Dawn’s father.
Oscar, a fisherman’s son, often misses school during the salmon runs.
BLURB
Swans are endangered in 1920s Alaska. Unbeknown to Dawn, her grandfather has shot an old swan out of mercy. In their coastal Alaskan town, her father buys the swan pelt, preventing her Uncle Alex, a fur trader, from selling it for export. Dawn’s father surprises her part-Aleut mother with a hat she helped to make and also with an idea to catch poachers. Dawn and her mother become involved with the suspicious effects of the swan bonnet besides its haunting effect. But after they encounter women from a ship and find out about a hunting party, they ride to the inlet. There are townspeople roving the shore too but who is the vigilante and who is the poacher?
Katherine L. Holmes’ first published book was The House in Windward Leaves, an MG fantasy which became an E-book Finalist in the 2013 New Generation Indie Book Awards and a Juvenile Fiction Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Book Awards. Also, she won Prize Americana for her short story collection, Curiosity Killed the Sphinx and Other Stories, published by Hollywood Books International. In April 2013, The Wide Awake Loons was released by Silver Knight Publishing. The Swan Bonnet, a historical novel, will be published in July, 2013, by GMTA Publishing. Katherine has worked with used and rare books in the last years. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
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