Beyond Haviland

Please join me in congratulating Deborah Rafferty Oswald on the re-release of Beyond Haviland with a brand new cover designed by me! Here's the book description:

On September 21, 1919, fifteen-year-old Jay McKenna returns to Haviland Seminary for Girls to begin her junior year, only to discover that her bed has been taken by her obnoxious former roommate, Evangeline, due to a post-war surge in enrollment. With the dormitory filled to maximum capacity, the only lodging available to Jay is at the Fowler House, home to the eccentric sisters Miss Hazel and Miss Tillie. Jay’s new dwelling turns out to be nothing more than a drafty attic, crammed with students under a leaking roof. Jay’s best friend, Florence, insists on joining her in these abysmal living quarters.

Well after midnight on Jay’s first night at Fowler House, the girl in the bed next to her, who slept through the day, sneaks out and returns shortly before daybreak. Jay learns in school that her name is Olive Moody. Olive is secretive and snarly, due in part to her nocturnal nature. Jay becomes increasingly suspicious of Olive’s unpredictable mood swings and her increasingly haggard appearance.

Jay is shocked to receive an invitation to pledge one of the more prestigious, sorority-like guilds at Haviland. She gets swept up in the grueling pledge process. After a particularly brutal pledge challenge, Jay ends up in the school’s infirmary, where Ruth Lefkowitz, political advisor to Governor Al Smith, presents her with an exciting opportunity.

After Jay recovers, Ruth introduces her to the world of Manhattan’s settlement houses, where women work to improve life for immigrants and the city’s poor population. There, Jay meets a surprise visitor from her past. Together they plan for Jay to work undercover to expose an unscrupulous manager in a cigar factory in Brewster. During this daring adventure, Jay discovers Olive’s secret.

The Girls of Haviland is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Add them to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Deborah's website for the inspiration behind the series and her posts on historical research.

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