From author and historian Laura Vogt comes IN THE GREAT QUIET (Lake Union Publishing; April 1, 2026), a sweeping, atmospheric historical novel in the tradition of Cold Mountain and The Four Winds.
In our Authorlink chat with the effervescent author, we learn what inspired her to write about her homesteading great-great grandmother Minnie Hoopes during the Oklahoma land rush of 1883. Vogt (pronouncd Vote) uses subtle physical movement and the quality of light and shadow to convey the intense feelings of the characters in this remarkable debut novel. We examine Laura’s unique writing style and how she broke through today’s tough publishing landscape. She also shares some encouraging words for strugging authors.
IN THE GREAT QUIET brings the story of Laura’s ancester to life for contemporary readers. It is the autumn of 1893 on the border of Oklahoma Territory, and the strip has just opened to settlers hoping to claim land for themselves. Determined to stake out a claim of her own, Minnie Hoopes sets out alone with just her horse, Cricket.
Homesteading on the frontier is no friendly place for anyone, much less an unaccompanied woman. But Minnie has the required grit and determination, protecting herself and her land from fire and criminals. She becomes acquainted with her mysterious neighbor, the Lawman, whose presence annoys and unsettles her. Unyielding and fierce, menacing but honorable, he becomes a trusted companion as Minnie recognizes parallels with her own dark personal history. The consequences of their past desperate actions threaten their budding romance and their acceptance in the frontier community.
The story is intertwined with a scared respect for land. The earth itself assumes the voice of a narrator in short passages.
Minnie meets an Osage woman on her plot, Niabi, who is curious about her homebuilding and medicines. Through her friendship with Niabi, she comes to know and grieve the displacement that land grabbing has inflicted on the native people. Alone for long stretches as she makes her homestead habitable, Minnie sometimes hears women’s voices across time, and sees visions of them weaving a common thread of reverence for nature and the wild determination they all share.
Vogt’s background as a scholar of microhistories gives valuable perspective to her imagining of her ancestor’s journey to autonomy as a homesteader in an era where women had few choices available to them. She is clear-eyed and vocal about the limitations of her viewpoint as it exists alongside the experiences of indigenous people on the same land.
IN THE GREAT QUIET is a lyrical, immersive story about memory and perception, community and isolation, hope and extraordinary resilience, with an epic, enduring romance at its heart.
About the Author
Laura Vogt is a historian, storyteller, and poet. She studied literature and history in undergrad and graduate school, focusing on Shakespeare, folk tales, and the History of Mentalities. Her poetry & prose is published in various journals, including Fourteen Hills, Pleiades, The Cimarron Review, Enchanted Living Magazine, South Carolina Review, Chapter House, and Rust + Moth. She loves all things wild and beautiful. Laura lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband and three children. IN THE GREAT QUIET is her debut novel.
