Upcoming Novel: CRADLE OF STORMS

“People come and they say, that’s in the middle of nowhere. But really it’s in the middle of it all.”

    ----Aquilina Lestenkof, Unangan (Aleut) writer and community advocate, in People of the Seal

CRADLE OF STORMS is a dual-timeline historical mystery inspired by one of the least-known episodes of World War II: the 1942 Japanese invasion of Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands and the disappearance of forty-two villagers from Attu. In the tradition of Kristin Harmel’s The Book of Lost Names, it explores the lingering mysteries of war, the secrets families keep, and the devastating consequences of a past that refuses to stay buried.

When Halley Seacrest arrives in the Aleutians to teach school, she expects a quiet life in one of the most isolated places in America. Instead, the death of an elderly Japanese tourist, Taro Kawashima, draws her into a mystery involving a missing notebook and Annasi Simenof, an elderly Aleut woman who seems determined to keep it hidden. When Halley discovers that Annasi has the notebook, she reluctantly agrees to protect her secret. But what does the notebook contain, and why has its owner’s death unsettled the fragile peace of this remote community?

In 1942, Japanese forces invade Attu, and Annasi is torn from her home and deported to Japan with her entire village. In the chaos of occupation and imprisonment, she makes a desperate bargain to protect her younger brother, Nicolai. As the war strips away everything familiar, Annasi is left with questions that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

As the past and present begin to converge, Halley must piece together the truth behind the disappearance of Attu’s villagers and the terrible events that followed them across the Pacific. The answers lie buried in memories, family secrets, and a notebook whose contents may change everything Annasi believes about her past.

Shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger in 2023 and the Historical Novel Society’s Historical Mystery award in 2026, CRADLE OF STORMS is a standalone novel with series potential. Its title evokes both the Aleutian Islands, known as the cradle of storms, and the grass cradle at the heart of Annasi’s story—a haunting symbol of loss, survival, and the secrets that endure across generations.