Join author James L. Peters for the debut of his fourth novel, The Dancer and the Swan. Both historical drama and an exploration into the complicated lives of two strong, unique women–one who is dying, and the other still struggling with the regrets and trauma of her past. Peters 3rd book, Fortune Falls, was voted a Best Local Book Released in 2024 by the Volume One Best of the Chippewa Valley poll.

Deborah Deneaux is dying, but hospice volunteer Pauline Swanson won’t let DeeDee’s story die with her.

What drove DeeDee from her beloved 1960’s New Orleans Creole neighborhood to begin anew in turbulent 1970s San Francisco? What became of her brother after he joined the Black Panthers? How did she end up a single mother in Chicago and retire as a successful business owner?

And most of all—why is her relationship with her son, Raymond, so painfully broken?

As Pauline pieces together DeeDee’s remarkable life, she’s forced to confront her own. A recovering alcoholic haunted by childhood trauma, Pauline finds strength in DeeDee’s resilience—strength she’ll need when her own past resurfaces and she’s forced to face what has haunted her dreams.