SAN RAFAEL, CA – Award-winning author Francine Falk-Allen’s two acclaimed memoirs have been featured by Buzzfeed and PopSugar, and have received a Kirkus star. A fan of genealogy research, Francine enjoyed uncovering her family’s history, and traced both her maternal and paternal ancestors back to the 1600s. She never imagined that one day she’d discover a jaw-dropping family secret.
Based on a true story, Falk-Allen’s “A Wolff in the Family”
(She Writes Press, Oct. 1, 2024) is a riveting saga of prejudice, passion, and
revenge, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s “The Four Winds.” What mysterious
scandals led a father to abandon his five youngest children—and the elder
siblings to keep their shame a secret for eighty years?
More about the book: Railroad engineer Frank Wolff and
Kansas farmgirl Naomi Sims were happily married in 1908. Naomi was excited to
take up her role as wife and mother and make a life with Frank in thriving
Ogden, Utah. Despite Frank’s almost-constant absence due to his job riding the
rails, their romantic relationship resulted in fourteen children. The young
mother’s life was consumed with caring for her brood, who became helpers as
soon as they could fold a diaper. Affection and conflict endured side by side
in the humble house, but the marriage ultimately faced insurmountable
challenges—just before the Depression took hold of the nation.
“A Wolff in The Family is an absolute page-turner! Immediately immersive, readers will be drawn
into the hardships and small joys of the Wolff family as they attempt to make a
living in rural Utah—Frank as a philandering “railroad man” and Naomi as a
suffering housewife and mother of ten children with little emotional support
from Frank. Falk-Allen paints a
realistic picture of the West during the early part of the twentieth century
with her vivid prose and realistic characters.
An intriguing story about social norms, gender roles, and, ultimately,
love. This is a fast, absorbing story
that will keep you up long into the night.
Couldn’t put it down!” —Michelle Cox, author of The Fallen Woman's
Daughter
—Michelle Cox, author of “The Fallen Woman's Daughter”
—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of “Eliza Waite”
About the Author…
Falk-Allen was originally an art major and later completed
her BA in Managerial Accounting, running her own business for over thirty
years. She has always sought creative outlets, such as painting, singing, and
writing. She began doing extensive family genealogy research in 1999, and has
traced both her maternal and paternal ancestors back to the 1600s.
Her first book, “Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a
Disability,” won gold and silver awards and was on several best books lists in
2018 and 2019, including Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, PopSugar and
BuzzFeed, and was nominated to 25 Women Making a Difference in 2019 by
Conversations Magazine.
Her second book, “No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from
a Wild Handicapper,” received a Kirkus star, given to “books of exceptional
merit” by Kirkus Reviews, and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of August
2021. “No Spring Chicken” was also a finalist in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards
in 2021.
Her third book, “A Wolff in the Family” is a riveting early
twentieth century saga set in the western United States and based on scandalous
family history.
Francine spends a significant amount of time managing the
effects of post-polio. She facilitates a polio survivors’ group as well as a
writing group, and volunteers on her town’s Americans with Disabilities Act
Accessibility Committee. She loves the outdoors, swimming, gardening, movies,
well-written literature, being with friends and sharing British tea and a
little champagne now and then. She resides in San Rafael, California, with her
husband. Learn more at: https://francinefalk-allen.com
A Brief Interview with Francine Falk-Allen
At a memorial service for one of my mother’s myriad brothers
and sisters, an aunt mentioned offhandedly, “When we were in the orphanage…”
and I was taken aback. My mother, long dead and the eldest child, had never
mentioned this. I said, “Aunt Dorothy, what orphanage? What are you talking
about?” She then gave me two or three more surprising comments which led me to
inquire with other family members, and meld it with what my mother had related…
and I thought it was just too juicy a
story to pass up. I’m the author in the family, so I felt that it fell to me.
How much of the book is true-to-life, and how much is fiction?
The main events of the story, including how the youngest
children ended up in an orphanage and some of the events that led up to that,
are factual, and most of the resulting repercussions are true as well. I had to
surmise how some of these things came to pass, and using census records and
family birth, marriage and death records, I pieced together where people would
have been, which led me to guess how some of the characters could have met in a
particular way or place; so some of that is made up but based on possibility. I
also included family vignettes which really happened. I made up nearly all of
the conversations, of course, which took place from 1918 through the early
1950’s, but I set everything in places that really existed. All of the
characters were real people, some of whom I knew, with most of the names
changed.
What advice would you give to readers who are interested
in doing research on their own family histories?
Start with what you know, and ask the people who are the
oldest in your life what they remember or know to be factual, such as the dates
of your ancestors’ births and deaths, plus any stories they can tell. There are
bound to be some myths which are not true (there were in my father’s family as
well). Then you can do internet research such as is available in Family Search
or Ancestry, but you have to be careful, because many people will insert things
they think are true without having seen an actual birth, marriage, christening,
baptism, military or death record. I originally went in person to the source,
the National Archives, twenty-five years ago, and some other locations, and
looked for copies of original documents, as did some of my cousins, especially
the Allen cousins, not as much the Mormons on my mother’s side; they have been
less careful even though they have a reputation for interest in genealogy.
Notation should be made for estimates and unverified stories, but many amateur
family sleuths do not do due diligence. In the process you may unearth written
newspaper articles or other stories, such as whether a relative’s death record
listed slaves as assets, or whether they owned a particular piece of property,
which can lead you to their location and more possible stories! Once you get
the bug, allow lots of time, because it’s a fascinating tunnel to pursue.
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