Lisa Mueller and her sister Joan Mueller are debuting their first novel this summer. 

Lisa and her sister Joan are the great-great-granddaughters of Christian Mueller and grew up on the farm Christian and his family homesteaded, Rose Valley Farm, in Turner County of South Dakota. In their youth, they played and explored the woods around Turkey Ridge Creek and the gulches mentioned in their books.

Attending the church Christian helped establish, they received a strong foundation in their faith through the Mennonite principles. These principles can be found throughout the story of Katy and her family.

They grew up hearing stories of their ancestors from their father, Bruce, and his love of history spilled over into their lives. They became intrigued with the stories of their family’s history, which prompted them to dig deeper into these stories and began imagining what it would have been like living through the challenges and adversities their family members experienced? Would they have been tough enough? 

Joan and Lisa’s mother, Elva, instilled a love of reading into their lives, and their home was filled with books. This strong background in literacy helped pave the way for the writing of this book. She always encouraged her children, which gave us the courage and confidence to undertake this project.

Older sister, Joan, teaches 8th grade reading at West Central Middle School in Hartford, South Dakota. She has a master’s degree in reading and is passionate about instilling the love of reading in her students each school year. She always has a book in her hand or in her purse.

Lisa, who has a fascination for genealogy, has traced her father’s and mother’s families back to the 1400s and 1500s. She is the principal researcher for this book series. Lisa is a Certified Personal Trainer and runs the Rock Steady Boxing program for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Joan and Lisa are looking forward to bringing their family’s story to life in future books about the children of Christian and Anna Mueller and how they navigated their new lives in the Dakota Territory.