Description
Historical Fiction Love Story Set in the Coal Mining Town of Roslyn, WA
Kittitas County Connection: The backdrop of Roslyn, WA plays a significant role in this book. Alisa Weis’s husband Justin grew up in Roslyn and introduced Alisa to the region and its rich history.
Soon after Callie Rushton begins work as a tutor for a prominent businessman’s children, she meets his right-hand man, Gabe Ward, and is undeniably drawn to him. She has every reason to believe her feelings are mutual. But she lives in the small, coal mining town of Roslyn, WA, and it’s the 1930’s, when racial tensions are high. Callie knows that a relationship with a man of color would jeopardize her standing in the town and compromise Gabe’s position. Though Gabe insists they maintain their distance from each other, the two keep meeting by accident. When their employer’s young son touches on a mystery pertaining to the first African Americans to arrive in Roslyn, they are brought together again. Through their search for the truth of the past, Gabe and Callie are made aware of unspoken societal boundaries and the cost of love across color lines. The Emblem, while fiction, draws its inspiration from events of the Roslyn strike of 1888/89 when more than 300 African Americans arrived to town, not knowing they’d be made strikebreakers. Written with compassion and heart, this story invites readers to consider the hardship and decisions placed upon its characters.
Reviews:
“Weis weaves in a delightfully accurate description of Roslyn (WA)― its peoples, homes, businesses, churches, and surroundings. Having lived in this area all my life, I found her descriptions of the area to be spot on! I found the many levels of her story compelling and believable and, in fact, impossible to put down until I’d read the last page.” – Charlene Kauzlarich, Northern Kittitas County Historical Society
“It would be hard to imagine a more timely new book than The Emblem. With warmth and passion, Alisa Weis, transports readers to the early years of Roslyn, Washington, a coal mining town where tensions between white miners and black laborers have reached a breaking point that alters the lives of many. Though the town quiets in following years, a spark is about to reach the powder keg when a young white woman falls in love with a black man―decades before Loving vs Virginia and the widespread legalization of interracial marriage. As long as there are racial tensions in the world, this book is a must-read.” – Douglas Bond, author of thirty books of historical fiction and biography
“A delightful read full of nostalgic history from an area I personally love. Roslyn, Cle Elum, and the Cascade mountains are a perfect setting for the storyline Alisa crafts. She plunges us back in time to an area where relationships had more challenging class issues, race differences, and the obstacles to love were extremely pronounced. She artfully tells the depth of the characters’ personal history and intrigue draws you in. Read and enjoy!” – Charity Rattray, founder of United by Love
About the Author:
Since she was a little girl, Alisa Weis has filled pages with words, feeling the need to keep a record of her imagination. She also lost herself in libraries, often savoring the stories of others. Her love of the creative arts led her to pursue a BA in Literature/Writing from Whitworth University (2003) and a Masters in Secondary Education (English) from the University of Phoenix (2007).
Weis says, “When I’m not working on my handful of as-yet unpublished novels, I am often working in the South Kitsap School district, running, trying out a new coffeehouse or spending time with my husband Justin and our two wonderful children, Trenton and Josie.”
Article from the Northern Kittitas County Tribune reprinted with permission …
November 26, 2020 issue, page B2
Weis pens a historical fiction love story based in Roslyn
Local Author’s Second Book
UPPER COUNTY – We’re all familiar with the popularity of fictional works based on true stories and the special appeal they have to audiences around the world. The same applies to the books local authors have written about this place we call home. Alisa Weis, a wife, mother and NKC Tribune contributor with familial roots in Roslyn is one of those writers, and once again she has created another way to bring Roslyn to the world stage.
Since publishing Swiftwater in September 2017, she’s come out with a new book titled The Emblem, a historical fiction and love story set in the early 1930’s version of Roslyn, back when it was a small coal mining town. In her promotional literature, Weis describes the story.
“Callie Rushton, who begins work as a tutor for a prominent businessman’s children, meets his right-hand man, Gabe Ward, and is undeniably drawn to him.
“She has every reason to believe her feelings are mutual. But she lives in the small coal-mining town of Roslyn, and it’s the 1930’s, when racial tensions are high. Callie knows that a relationship with a man of color would jeopardize her standing in the town and compromise Gabe’s position. Although Gabe insists they maintain their distance from each other, the two keep meeting by accident.
“When their employer’s young son touches on a mystery pertaining to the first African Americans to arrive in Roslyn, they are brought together again.
“Through their search for the truth of the past, Gabe and Callie are made aware of unspoken societal boundaries and the cost of love across color lines.”
As a work of historical fiction The Emblem draws its inspiration from events of the Roslyn coalminer’s strike of 1888-89 when more than 300 African Americans arrived in Roslyn not knowing they’d been framed as strikebreakers.
Written with compassion and heart, this story invites readers to consider the hardship and decisions placed upon its characters.
Cle Elum’s Charlene Kauzlarich, who for years has supported the Northern Kittitas County Historical Society, had this to say about The Emblem.
“She weaves in a delightfully accurate description of Roslyn – its people, homes, businesses, churches and surroundings.
“Having lived here all my life, I found her descriptions of the area to be spot on! I found the many levels of her story compelling and believable and, in fact, impossible to put down until I read the last page.”
Excerpts from reviews
Douglas Bond, author of 30 books of historical fiction and biography: “It would be hard to imagine a more timely new book. As long as there are racial tensions in the world, this book is a must-read.”
Author E. Hank Buchmann: “Alisa Weis has constructed a brilliantly written tale of the unfortunate division of classes by color in a small 1880s mining town and the secrets they hold close.
“Never a writer to flinch from revealing the truth, Weis takes readers through the realities of hard labor in the coal mines and the disputes between ownership and labor. But The Emblem knows about love, too. Open to page one and you’ll be along to the finish.”
Author’s bio
Alisa’s love for words began when she was a little girl. Her stories filled many lined journals and took center stage at Thanksgiving family plays.
When she grew up, she pursued a BA in English Literature and Writing from Whitworth University (2003) and a Masters in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix (2007).
She’s drawn to historical fiction and love stories the most. Elements of both are displayed in her work.
When she isn’t writing or researching, she is most often found spending time with her husband, Justin, and their two children, Trenton and Josie. She also enjoys running, dance classes and visiting coffee shops throughout the Pacific Northwest, where she makes her home.
…[purchase] locally at Tribune Office Supply’s “Book Nook” (aka KittitasBooks.com).
- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Inkblots Press (November 15, 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1945062142
- ISBN-13: 978-1945062148
- Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 5.3 inches