Crown of Dust Author:Mary Volmer "Volmer has written a new story of the California gold rush that is as believable and transporting as any I have ever read. . . . Volmer's characters are wonderful and the story is tense and engaging."?Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book ClubThe Gold Rush has taken hold of the Wild West. Pioneers from around the country congr... more »egate in makeshift settlements like Motherlode in hopes of striking it rich. It's here that Alex, disguised as a boy and on the run from her past, is able to blend in among the rough and tumble prospectors living on little more than adrenaline and moonshine.Emaline, the formidable proprietor of the Wayside Inn, provides food, drink, and other forms of bodily comfort for the men who pass through. She knows there's something different about Alex, the shy, slight boy who doesn't talk much. For some reason, Emaline likes him, which is crucial for survival in Motherlode. It's here, in this lawless outpost, that Alex is finally able to find friendship, love, and even redemption. But once she strikes gold, buried secrets are revealed and danger surrounds her.Mary Volmer was born in Grass Valley, California, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She completed her master's degree at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, as a Rotary Scholar. She is currently the Agnes Butler Scholar at Saint Mary's College, California, where she is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and is lecturing in English and composition. This is her first novel.« less