Book Spotlight & Excerpt: A Wolff in the Family by Francine Falk-Allen

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.

EXCERPT

A Wolff in the Family  

Chapter 21                   

 

Naomi was sick to death of arguing with Frank. It seemed like every time he came back from Evanston, they had an argument. She couldn’t imagine why that town seemed to set him on edge.

            When he had come in from his last run, she’d rushed to hug him and had detected perfume. It was that new one, “My Sin.” Ha! Pretty funny. She recognized it because Frances liked it and had bought a tiny bottle of it. And she wasn’t going to ignore it.

            “What’s that perfume I smell?” she asked as she pulled away from him.

            “Perfume? Ha! You’re imagining things. It’s probably yours from the last time I left.”

            “It’s definitely not mine,” Naomi responded, a chill in her voice. Hers was cheap, besides.

            “Well, I have no idea how it got there, if it’s even there at all. Maybe one of the maids at one of the boardinghouses had a lot on and moved my jacket or something.”

            Naomi decided to let sleeping dogs lie—for now, in any case. She couldn’t prove it, but she was suspicious and decided to be on her guard the next time he came home.

The thing was, men did this kind of thing. He may have gone to a dance with a woman or something. But he wouldn’t have worn his denim jacket to a dance, she reasoned. And he doesn’t even like to dance!

She had heard women at church gossiping about how railroad men had a floozy in every town where they stayed overnight. Would Frank sleep with another woman, though? Naomi just didn’t have the time or energy to worry about that. She didn’t like it, though.

            “Well, if you’re out there doing things you ought not to, I will never know for sure,” she said flippantly. “But that isn’t my perfume. Frances wears that—but you haven’t seen her today, have you?”

            “Matter of fact, I was by Mrs. Birch’s on my way here and Frances and I had a hug. It was on my way home, so I stopped in to say hello.”

            Naomi bit a fingernail and looked at the floor, then back at Frank. “Well, you’re gettin’ off easy this time, Mister,” she said, and forced a smile. She didn’t want to spend the few days he was home in a snit.

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FRANCINE FALK-ALLEN: was born in Los Angeles and has lived nearly all of her life in northern California. She had polio in 1951, and has lived her life as a disabled person making an effort to be a “normie.” 

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