The Book

This is the story of what happened after the Bear Flag revolt in California in 1846.

About fifteen years ago, I began writing the story of Commodore Robert Stockton, or Bobby as I came to call him. On the second draft, a secondary character shanghaied the story. I put Bobby’s project in an overcrowded file drawer. The clutter scared me every time I opened the drawer. I kept the drawer closed.

A year or so ago, I purged my entire office. Yup. The drawer, too.

After that, the story wouldn’t leave me alone. I soon realized that the only way I was going to get any peace was to tell the story. I messed around with who should tell the story.

Finally, I’ve settled on twelve-year-old Sven i Johansson, 1/2 Mexican and ½ Swedish. He does not remember his father; he died at sea before Sven was born. Sven’s Mexican mother takes Sven to live on her family’s land next to Rio Nueces. Though his mother tries to help him fit in, Sven, with his mother’s brown eyes and father’s fair skin and blonde hair, suffers beatings from the neighborhood kids in the small village.

Then the USS Congress sails into the Galveston Bay.

When the USS Congress leaves for California, Sven is onboard as the Commodore’s personal scribe. The Commodore wants the voyage documented. Sven is to record everything the Commodore says. Thanks to his mother, Sven can write English much better than he speaks the language. His penmanship is perfect. Plus, he is quick and knows how to fend for himself.

At first Sven loves life at sea. The air is always fresh. The crew is friendly. He has a box of beautiful quill pens and five bottles of ink. However, after they round Cape Horn, Sven becomes determined to escape the ship and find a way back home. The treacherous water and wind and storms and ghosts terrified all the joy of the sea right out of him.