Skipping Stones by Gloria Koll Kari takes three strides to the edge of the fjord. Like a slingshot, her arm whips forward, and she releases the flat stone. It skims the water's surface as she counts: en, to, tre, fire, fem, seks, sju. Seven, that lucky number in America. Vowing to make herself lucky, Kari travels alone by ship and train from the mountains of Norway to the flat plains of 1880s Dakota. With a man who intrigues her, Kari shapes a prairie life, encountering grasshoppers, blizzards, bankers who steal, and sons who love baseball. A different sort is neighbor Gustav. From his flinty Swedish homesteading mother and his fourth-grade education, he learns to figure profit and loss. He chooses his wife for her ability to milk a cow and trains his children to ceaseless farm work. Unavoidably in this tight community, the two mismatched families become entangled. Scandinavian mass migration, influenza, the Great Depression, dust bowl, and the home front of World Wars I and II create a wide-angle sweep across South Dakota and Montana. The camera lens tightens for tender moments: women helping women, older siblings caring for younger, and energetic families making it through happy and hard times.
About the Author: I live on Whidbey Island, surrounded by the waters of Puget Sound, with my husband, William Koll. Close family ties to Norway, Sweden, South Dakota, and Montana, as well as travels to those countries and states, inspired my affection for the people, my wonder at their landscapes, and my fascination with the history of each place. Questions followed: What were the hardships that impelled Scandinavians to make their daring and difficult migration in the 1880s? What ideals and customs did they bring with them? Who helped them to survive and adapt? How did they interact with the ethnic mix of people around them? As the immigrants' children grew up American, what new attitudes and skills did they acquire and what valuable traditions did they leave behind? Coupled with my legacy of family stories, these persistent questions provoked the creation of the characters and narrative of Skipping Stones. I am a member of The Authors Guild and Whidbey Island Writers Association. Previously published work includes the nonfiction book Daughters Arise! coauthored with Donna Humphreys and Sally Windecker. My articles and stories have appeared in national and regional magazines and newspapers.