the daily dangers. She also does a delicious job
describing the idylls of Victorian-era Seaside from
her story is called “Shep,” led Myers to learn more a vacationer’s point of view.
about the many shipwrecks in the area and the men
“Two-thousand ships went down against those
who built and then manned the lighthouse that
rocks,” Myers said, wonderingly. She said it took
came to be known as “Terrible Tilly.”
her two years to research and write the novel. She
“Fog Coast Runaway” isn’t a story about dogs,
thanks Liisa Penner, the archivist at the Clatsop
however, or even men. Mostly it’s about the life
County Historical Society in Astoria, and the Soci-
and times of a handful of plucky women. A tough
ety’s Heritage Museum for providing a font of
Finnish lady runs an Astoria boarding house with
information. She called Elaine Trucke, executive
an iron fi st. A 16-year-old girl on her own starts up director of the Cannon Beach Historical Center and
a hairdressing business and
Museum, a “gold mine” of
masters the fi ne art of “keep
information.
”Fog Coast Runaway”
‘em separated” to serve
“If you want to know
her cheerful prostitute cli-
what
fl owers bloomed in
$14.95.
ents as well as respectable
Seaside in 1890, the Sea-
Available at Beach Books in Seaside and
matrons. Another Finn-
side Historical Society
Cannon Beach Book Company.
ish woman creates a niche
Museum is a must-see
Orders can be made online via LindaBMy-
as a hotel cook. A wealthy
visit,” Myers said. She also
ers@yahoo.com. For a complete list of this
married lady visiting Sea-
thanked the Seaside Pub-
author’s work, visit lindabmyers.com.
side from San Francisco
lic Library librarians who
becomes a benefactress
helped her dig for tidbits.
to the novel’s protagonist,
“Fog Coast Runaway”
Adelia, a 13-year-old runaway who left home after is a brisk, page-turning read. There are some saucy
her brother tried to rape her. A twist on the story is
scenes and the author mastered the slang of the
the secret that must be kept; the wealthy woman
day scattering throughout her characters’ dialogue
mistakenly believes she murdered her violent hus-
logger terms, sailor speak, and brothel language.
band in self defense when in fact Adelia killed him. She makes it crystal clear what it was like to be
“Fog Coast Runaway” doesn’t pull any punches a woman in Seaside and Astoria in 1890, which,
about what life was like on the north Oregon coast
amazingly, turns this historical fi ction into quite the
in the 1890s. The author skillfully brings to life
feminist story.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019 // 5