Author Ramona Hammel Signs Copies of Historical Family Saga ‘Rate’ at the 2026 London Book Fair
Oct 4, 2026
Canada, October 4, 2026 -- Explora Books was proud to present Donna Gene Stankey and Ramona Hammel’s historical family saga, Rate, at the 2026 London Book Fair. The nonfiction narrative was featured at the Explora Books exhibition booth, where Hammel also held a book signing event that drew readers and book lovers to discover this sweeping saga of small-town Midwestern life.
Set in rural Elsie, Michigan, at the turn of the twentieth century, Rate is a richly detailed work of historical nonfiction inspired by decades of real family history. The story centers on the English/Canadian immigrant Setterington family, who built their lives in the American Midwest, and follows the young Ralph “Rate” Setterington from infancy through boyhood into the early 1900s.
Drawn from decades of family stories, handwritten records, and oral histories painstakingly gathered by Stankey, the novel brings to life a world of farm labor, community bonds, and generational tension that will resonate with readers of American historical narrative and family saga novels alike.
At the heart of the novel is the complex web of family dynamics that shapes Rate’s coming of age. His mother, Mina, who never quite warmed to having a son, and his father, Milford, a hardworking and stubbornly proud farmer cut from the same cloth as his formidable patriarch father Horatio, together create an emotionally rich portrait of a household where love is expressed through labor, discipline, and unspoken loyalty rather than easy affection. Rate’s spirited older sister, Blanche, the household’s undeniable favorite, gives the novel much of its warmth and wit, while the tension between parental favoritism and a young boy’s quiet perseverance forms one of its most enduring emotional threads.
What makes Rate stand apart from other works of American historical nonfiction is its extraordinary depth of period detail. Stankey renders nineteenth-century rural Midwest life with the precision of an eyewitness—the rhythms of lambing season, the politics of horse trading, the social rituals of cheese factory deliveries and Decoration Day parades, the slow creep of electricity and the automobile into skeptical farming communities, and the quiet grief of families weathering drought, disease, and personal loss.
The first book in a planned four-part series covering the Setterington saga from 1893 toaround 1920, Rate lays the foundation for a multigenerational portrait that is both deeply personal and broadly American.
Donna Gene Stankey grew up on a small farm in rural Elsie, Michigan—the very community at the center of her narrative. A lifelong learner, she graduated as high school co-salutatorian at just sixteen years old. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University, majoring in group science with a minor in English. It was there, under the dedicated encouragement of her professors, that she began writing in earnest. Stankey spent years gathering, sorting, and verifying the family stories and historical records that form the backbone of Rate. Her daughter, Ramona Hammel, co-authored and published the work, ensuring this labor of love reached the readers it deserved.
For those who love meticulously researched historical narrative, multigenerational family sagas, and stories rooted in the authentic textures of American rural life, Rate is an unforgettable introduction to a family and a world that once was.
Readers can find Rate through Amazon and other major retailers.
About Explora Books
Explora Books is a book marketing firm located in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company specializes in self-publishing and marketing, taking pride in its exhaustive research and creative strategies that provide wider avenues for aspiring authors to gain recognition for their works. Explora Books aims to guide authors through the complexities of self-publishing, offering convenient solutions to navigate this process. The firm fosters and redefines creativity and innovation, setting new industry standards. Explora Books is dedicated to empowering authors globally.
Contact Info:
Name: Zia Miller
Email: Send Email
Organization: Explora Books Ltd.
Address: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Phone: (604) 330 6795
Website: https://explorabooks.com/
Release ID: 89205049
If there are any deficiencies, problems, or concerns regarding the information presented in this press release that require attention or if you need assistance with a press release takedown, we encourage you to notify us without delay at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our diligent team is committed to promptly addressing your concerns within 8 hours and taking necessary actions to rectify any identified issues or facilitate the removal process. Providing accurate and trustworthy information is of utmost importance.
SCMP Best Bets: Patch a Grand prospect for punters at Sha Tin
Jay Rooney GRAND PATCH - R6 (2) Had plenty of excuses first up and looks well placed to atone here Owen Goulding HELENE SUPAFEELING - R11 (1) Trialled well leading in, has drawn a good gate and will get a strong gallop to chase Paul Lally CONGHUA GALAXY - R10 (9) Terrific third on his local debut up the straight and should strip fitter Phillip Woo GRAND PATCH - R6 (2) Resumed a badly held-up fourth and has since won a trial Trackwork Spy SOLID STATE - R11 (2) Looks far better placed back...
Asian Games: Hong Kong’s men make it a hat-trick of rugby sevens golds, women win bronze
There are very few certainties in life, although Hong Kong’s men winning rugby sevens gold at the Asian Games could well be one of them. A 26-0 win over China on Saturday sealed a third consecutive title for the city’s team at the Games, and it is now 12 years since they last lost a match at the multi-sport event. Their mainland opponents had already been beaten 22-0 in a Pool A game on Friday, and a first-half double from Harry Sayers ended any threat of an upset. Bryn Phillips added a third,...
No draw fears for Jamie Richards as Lahore bids for a straight-track hat-trick at Sha Tin
Jamie Richards thinks an inside draw could actually help rather than hinder Lahore as he goes for a straight-track hat-trick in the Class Three Shing Mun Handicap (1,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The son of Hellbent has had his share of issues, requiring throat surgery in July 2025 and then bleeding from both nostrils in February of this year, but he roared back to life when returning in May, decimating a Class Four field by two and a half lengths. He backed that up with a gutsy success from a...
Asian Games: windsurfers’ golden double takes Hong Kong to record medal haul
Hong Kong windsurfers Wong Tsz-ho and Cheung Tsz-yuet both won Asian Games titles on Saturday, taking the city’s gold medal count into double figures for the first time since its athletes started competing in the multi-sport event in 1954. With Coleman Wong Chak-lam’s triumph in the men’s singles little more than an hour earlier securing a record-equalling eighth gold, victory on the water made it nine and 10 for the delegation in Japan. Not even a lack of wind at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor could spoil...
David Eustace bids to continue momentum with strong Sha Tin team on Sunday
Still basking in the glow of Group Three glory on Thursday, David Eustace is keen to continue his momentum with a strong team of eight runners at Sha Tin on Sunday. The British trainer claimed his second Group Three success in Hong Kong when Colourful King cruised to victory in the National Day Cup (1,000m) under Zac Purton. Bidding to add to that success, Eustace is confident in his dirt representatives on the mixed 11-race card, which include Loch Tay and Definitive in the feature Class Two...
Asian Games: cool, calm Coleman Wong says winning gold akin to ‘unlocking an achievement’
Siobhan Haughey called “pressure a privilege” on her way to adding yet more Asian Games gold to an already glittering resume – anyone watching Coleman Wong Chak-lam win his historic men’s singles title on Saturday might have been left wondering if he even knows what pressure is. The Hongkonger needed just one chance to wrap up a straight sets victory over China’s Wu Yibing, and for all the world looked as though he was just firing down aces on the practice court, and not on the verge of doing...
Fifa president Gianni Infantino in Hong Kong with city team set for Cambodia Asean final
A Hong Kong team “in transition” will battle upwardly mobile and ambitious Cambodia on Saturday for the unremarkable honour of being crowned Fifa Asean Challenge Cup champions. Although the city team copped some flak for their performance in a 2-0 victory over Brunei on Wednesday, having trounced the same opponents 10-0 three years ago, Roberto Losada and his players should be cut some slack after the head coach made nine changes from the 4-0 victory over Laos three days earlier. Equally, Hong...
Gianni Infantino brings global goodwill tour to Hong Kong ahead of Fifa Asean final
Hong Kong has become the latest stop on Gianni Infantino’s global tour to shore up support ahead of next year’s Fifa presidential election. The under-fire boss, who is still recovering from the fallout of his ill-fated plan to sell off the World Cup, arrived in the city on Friday and is expected to stay for the inaugural Fifa Asean Challenge Cup final between Hong Kong and Cambodia at Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday. While Eric Fok Kai-shan, chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China...
Manchester City lodge ‘comprehensive’ appeal against verdict in financial-rules scandal
Manchester City have filed an appeal against an independent commission ruling that found the club guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, seeking to overturn the verdict and avoid potentially severe sanctions. The league said on Tuesday that City had used “sham” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million (US$1.19 billion) over nearly a decade. City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches...
India and Pakistan cricketers set for firecracker clash in ‘inspiring’ Hong Kong Sixes
India will clash with Pakistan in a blockbuster opening-day clash when the “unique and inspiring” Hong Kong Cricket Sixes gets under way later this month. The city team, meanwhile, currently nursing the deep frustration over being eliminated from the Asian Games after their quarter-final with Pakistan on Monday was washed out, will slug it out with Australia and England in an intriguing group. This 2026 edition will be the third iteration since the Sixes was removed from cold storage in...
Hong Kong mile division changes shape with Zac Purton on My Wish and Little Paradise transferred
A week is a long time in racing. In that period, Hong Kong’s mile division has seen dramatic changes. Zac Purton is the new rider of Group One Champions Mile winner My Wish, hopping off Little Paradise who has been transferred from Jimmy Ting Koon-ho to Danny Shum Chap-shing after his disappointing defeat in last Sunday’s Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m). Invincible Ibis stamped his Group One Hong Kong Mile credentials with victory in the Celebration Cup and while Romantic Warrior’s...
Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Antonelli aims to bounce back from ‘worst weekend’, faces rain test
Kimi Antonelli will have to deal with an unfamiliar track and potentially heavy rain as he aims to recover from the “worst weekend” of his 2026 Formula 1 title challenge. The unusually named Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes Antonelli and his rivals to a track Formula 1 last visited in 2017 – when he was 11 – in a race hurriedly added to the calendar because of the disruption caused by the Iran war. It will take place at the Sepang International Circuit, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south...
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.