After a lengthy literary journey that included more than two decades of exhaustive historical research and three more years of writing and editing, Grayland resident, Lois Arnold, recently published her first full-length book.
Coming in at 788 pages, “Cape Flattery” is a can’t–put-it-down historical novel loosely based on the true story of the sinking of the Saint Nikolai in the early 1800s on the north coast of Washington State.
“It was a Russian naval ship and my story involves the captain’s wife who was the first white woman reported to have stepped onto the shores of the Pacific Northwest,” said Arnold. “I also intertwined a fictional slant on the story of my great-grandmother from Russia into the novel. She left our family a very informative personal journal about her life in a Mennonite village in the Ukraine,” she said.
The male lead in this sweeping saga that will immediately draw you in and keep you reading is a rugged and dashing Irish-American ship captain.
Rich with historical references and information, “Cape Flattery” takes readers from the steppes of the Ukraine to the palaces of St. Petersburg, and from the poor Irish tenements of Boston to the grandeur of Russian Alaska along the Pacific Northwest coast at a time when the fur trade was king.
Various plots intertwine among a multitude of characters with each building to a dramatic climax after a shipwreck off Cape Flattery where readers learn the ultimate fates of the work’s main characters among the Quileute and Makah tribes living near Cape Flattery on the Olympic Peninsula.
Initial inspiration
Arnold says the initial inspiration for her novel came from two sources. A lover of history with a huge interest in ships and the sea, when she and her family first moved here, Arnold spent time on the Westhaven Drive Esplanade. There she enjoyed not only the boats moored in the Westport Marina, but also the then newly-installed large oval porcelain plaques along the Esplanade railing featuring historical vessels that plied the waters of Grays Harbor.
The Port of Grays Harbor placed the 29 pieces of art drawn by well-known northwest artist and longtime Tokeland resident, Bob McCausland, as a Washington State Centennial celebration project between 1987 and 1989.
“One of those plaques features an early 1800s Russian fur trader, the SV Nikolai. That particular sailing vessel struck a strong chord with me,” said Arnold. “My great grandmother lived in a Mennonite village in southern Russia for many years before immigrating to the U.S. and settling in Minnesota.
“I started to mull over the idea of somehow combining my interest in nautical history and my ancestral Russian connection, and “Cape Flattery” is the result,” she said.
Family matters
Born and raised in Seattle, Arnold and her husband Rob moved to the Grayland area in 1988 to fulfill their desire to raise their two boys in a rural area. Rob has worked for Allstate Insurance in its Claims Department for nearly 38 years, and plans to retire in December. Following college graduation with a music major in Piano, Lois developed a long career as a piano teacher that allowed her to also be a stay-at-home mom.
Both sons are college graduates and now successfully pursuing fulfilling careers. Matthew graduated from Ocosta High School in 1996. Married, he and his wife Sarah reside in Mukilteo with Rob and Lois’ first grandchild, Robbie, who is three.
Todd graduated from OHS in 2000. A standout runner throughout high school, college and beyond, he earned a record-breaking four state medals his senior year here, one in cross country and three in track. Todd and his wife Malia reside in Portland, Ore.
Arnold has had short stories published in the past for children and teens, but says that it has been a long-held dream to write a historical novel. And now, 25-years after seeing that porcelain plaque on the Westport Esplanade, her dream has come to fruition.
“I hope that my journey inspires others to never give up on their dreams, as well,” said Arnold.
Books available
“Cape Flattery” currently is available at www.Amazon.com, priced at under $25. Arnold also will sign and have copies of her book for sale at the second annual ‘Bundle Up and Write!’ writers conference that will be headquartered at the Tokeland Hotel February 27 and 28.
Lois Arnold may be reached at:
