Superior Tapestry: Weaving the Threads of Upper Michigan History” is a new book by Deborah K. Frontiera. The award-winning author has penned other books, including “Living on Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy.” (Photo courtesy of the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association)

MARQUETTE — Historical fiction about a region is as unique as the region itself.

Deborah K. Frontiera’s “Superior Tapestry: Weaving the Threads of Upper Michigan History,” published by Modern History Press, blends the natural and historical worlds in one book.

The award-winning author of several books, including “Living on Sisu,” Frontiera mixes natural science and geology into history to create a collection of stories that show the historical evolution of the U.P., according to the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association.

Written for general adult audiences, this collection of Frontiera’s short stories take the point of view of trees, rocks, rivers and artifacts such as a crosscut saw, a casino chip and even a sauna to create a unique experience of regional history and story-telling, the UPPAA said in a news release. Equal weight is given to both European settlers and native Anishinaabe timelines.

“I had the idea that events/things in history are connected together and the idea of weaving a tapestry was a good metaphor for that,” Frontiera said in a news release.

Frontiera believes nonfiction sometimes can be a dull read. So, she chose a narration that would let objects come to life and tell their stories is a fun way to draw in readers, especially young people, noting she had tried that with a previous short novel, “Midnight in the Pawn Shop.”

Growing up in Lake Linden, Frontiera said she feels deeply rooted in the land.

“As a young person, my father filled my head with U.P. history, which at that time I ignored — like most teenagers,” she recalled. “I lived away for many years, but my husband and I always returned to visit Grandma and Grandpa in the summer and I found myself telling them the same stories.”

The first chapter of Frontiera’s new book, “Birch Bark Canoe,” begins with this sentence: “The great sturgeon fish slides swiftly and gracefully through the water. Ojibwa legends say that it inspired the shape of their canoes. Using a canoe is very much faster than walking, so that’s how the Ojibwa liked to travel. Lakes and rivers were their highways because forest paths were hard to walk on, and went up and down mountains.”

According to www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera, Frontiera’s “Eric and the Enchanted Leaf: A Visit with Canis Lupis” won the North Texas Book Festival’s Award for a Children’s Book in 2007. “Eric and the Enchanted Leaf: The First Adventure” was named an Honor book for the Golden Spur Award by the Texas State Reading Association in May 2005.

Her book, “Living on Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy,” took first place for historical fiction in the Purple Dragonfly Awards given by the Arizona Authors Association and Five Star Publications on in November 2010.

Local author Tyler Tichelaar provided a review of “Superior Tapestry” on Amazon.

“Deborah K. Frontiera takes U.P. history and turns it into a fun story, told by its least appreciated players,” Tichelaar wrote. “Here, we have the perspective of the St. Marys River, the bell on the Edmund Fitzgerald, an early iron forge, a sauna, the Bishop Baraga statue and many, many more.

“Together, they make ‘Superior Tapestry’ a diverse and refreshing alternative to more straightforward historical narratives, while educating us in entertaining ways and, once again, displaying the creativity of Yooper culture.”

The book’s first chapter, “Birch Bark Canoe,” begins with this sentence: “The great sturgeon fish slides swiftly and gracefully through the water. Ojibwa legends say that it inspired the shape of their canoes. Using a canoe is very much faster than walking, so that’s how the Ojibwa liked to travel. Lakes and rivers were their highways because forest paths were hard to walk on, and went up and down mountains.”

Over the past five years, the Modern History Press has entered the publishing scene of U.P., the UPPAA said. It has featured leading U.P. writers, including historian and photographer Mikel B. Classen whose “Points North: Discover Hidden Campgrounds, Natural Wonders, and Waterways of the Upper Peninsula” won an award from the Historical Society of Michigan.

The annual U.P. Reader anthology serves as a unique venue for showcasing the talent of U.P. writers, including young writers in schools from grades 5 through 12.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net