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Listen as Hope reads selections from her books!

Against the Tide
My Little Book of Manatees
Isaac Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOPE IRVIN MARSTON

MULTI-AWARD WINNING BOOK AUTHOR


Congratulations to Hope Irvin Marston,
winner of the 2021 Charlotte Award (High School Ballot),
presented by the New York State Reading Association,
for her book
The Walls Have Ears: A Black Spy In The Confederate White House,
published by White Bird Publications.

Named for the main character in E. B. White's Charlotte's Web,
the purpose of the Charlotte Award is to encourage students
to read outstanding literature and ultimately become lifelong readers.

NYSRA (the New York State Reading Association)
presented the first Charlotte Awards in 1990.


 

Welcome!  I am glad you stopped by.  I'm Hope Irvin Marston, retired junior high teacher and library media specialist.  I live in Black River, New York, near Fort Drum and the Thousand Islands.

Since 1975 I have written a child's devotional book, a handful of photographic essays on large machinery, a local history for adults, two junior biographies, eight wild life picture books, an adult inspirational romance, an historical Scots book for young adults, and a local historical middle grade book that has been rewritten as a stage play.

I hope you will enjoy browsing my pages to get acquainted with me and my books.  Simply click on any of the links to the left to begin your adventure.

I'd love to hear from you.  Drop me a line using the form on the Contact Information page.


Rising from the Rubble:
The Restoration of Boldt Castle 1977-2002

BILLIONAIRE MOGUL OF THE WALDORF-ASTORIA AND BELLEVUE-STRATFORD HOTELS LEFT HIS LEGACY IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK.

In 1900, George C. Boldt, millionaire magnate of the Waldorf-Astoria and the Bellevue-Stratford hotels began building a multimillion dollar castle on Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River.  Constructed as a love gift for his beautiful wife Louise, it would take five years to complete the project.  However, devastated by her passing in 1904, Boldt ordered the work to stop immediately.

Thereafter, Mother Nature and vandals ravaged the venerable old landmark for more than 70 years.  During that time, summer boat tours brought as many as 200,000 visitors from around the world to Heart Island to view the legendary landmark.  In 1977, castle restoration began with the hiring of Dale Fikes.  Dale’s challenge was to remove the rubble, rebuild the deteriorated walls, and continue the work left undone when the 300+ workers were dismissed.

RISING FROM THE RUBBLE: THE RESTORATION OF BOLD CASTLE reveals the untold story of the first 25 years of rescuing it from its ruins and bringing it into the 21st Century.  Details of the work are enhanced with accounts of unexpected happenings and personal incidents known only to those involved.

Looking back, Dale considers his tenure at the castle as hectic days and sleepless nights.

 

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The Walls Have Ears:
A Black Spy In The Confederate White House

When Mary Jane Bowser is hired out as a kitchen servant in the Confederate White House, she has a golden opportunity to gather Southern war plans.  Passing those plans on to a spy for the North could help bring about the defeat of the Confederate troops.  But she will be risking her life each time she slips out after curfew.  She must always be on guard and stay hidden in the shadows as much as possible.

That is difficult. Richmond streets overflow with soldiers.  Make-shift hospital tents are everywhere because the hospitals don 't have room for all the wounded.  And bounty hunters are there with their vicious dogs pursuing runaways out without passes.

Mary Jane is no coward.  But if in just one unguarded move, someone discovers the secret she's been keeping since her childhood, she will be hanged.

THE WALLS HAVE EARS is a great way to help commemorate Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day), the holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.  This year, Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, 2021.

Specifically, Juneteenth commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free.

 

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Against the Tide:
The Valor of Margaret Wilson

My book AGAINST THE TIDE: THE VALOR OF MARGARET WILSON has been translated and re-published in the Dutch language.  The title in Dutch is TEGEN DE STROOM IN: De moed van Margaret Wilson.

AGAINST THE TIDE is my story of Margaret, a young Scots Covenanter and a stalwart in the faith, who was apprehended by the king’s forces.  When she refused to recant, she was tied to a stake at low tide and drowned.

The DUTCH company that purchased publishing rights for my book changed the cover to depict an older Margaret above the rising waters.  That will catch the attention of older readers than the original version.  The cover of the translation is stunning, and I am delighted.

My book was first published in English in 2007.  According to the inside blurb of the translation, it was published in Dutch in 2021.

 

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(English Language Version)



On June 8, 2018 my best friend Gerald Borland and I had the
thrill and the honor of rappelling together OVER THE EDGE of
the 155’ Mid-Town Towers apartment building in Watertown, NY.

Our families and friends sponsored us by donating over $3,000
to the United Way of Northern New York in this third annual
OVER THE EDGE event.  We had the honor of being first of
more than 80 participants during the two-day event.


The IDITAROD !

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual 1000-mile race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.  Mushers and their dogs tear through jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast.  At least 6 dogs must be on the towline at the finish line.

Bob Renaud, illustrator of my book Eye on the Iditarod: Aisling’s Quest, has compiled a gallery of his artwork.  Be sure to visit Bob's Art Studio Page at the following link:

Bob Renaud's Art Studio

 

To find out what it takes to become an Iditarod musher, read Eye on the Iditarod: Aisling’s Quest, the autobiography of ten-year-old Aisling Shepherd.

 


Recent Photos


Photo from the War of 1812 Symposium at
The Freight House in Ogdensburg on April 26, 2014.

This year I was invited to come and sell my book,
Sackets Harbor Powder Monkey.
It was my third year to attend.

Knowing the building is cold, I dressed in layers.
It was a busy day with seven informative presentations.

 I was impressed by this War of 1812 quilt.
 The man in the center is Major General Isaac Brock,
a key British officer during the early phases of the War of 1812.


My new friend Linda, a re-enactor at the
Sackets Harbor Bicentennial Celebration,
 and a fan of Sackets Harbor Powder Monkey – The War of 1812
August 3, 2013

 

See more photos...

 

 

     
   

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Contact me: Hope@HopeIrvinMarston.com

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