Mirna: A Life of Her Own: A Heroic Homestead Tale

by Mae Schick, Janice Kooiker (Editor), Isaak Winkelman (Illustrator)

Danger awaits Mirna outside the door of her homesteader’s shack in Montana. She is on her own except for Dog who lies near her feet . . . and the cocked rifle in her lap. Mirna is one among the more than 150,000 single women trying her luck in the West, living on land opened up by Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Homestead Act. Alone, she faces fears of wild animals and men who don’t always behave as gentlemen. As dawn breaks, Dog begins a steady low growl. Is it the secret from her past that has come to threaten her safety? What is in store for her now?

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2014

About the author

I was born in Missoula in 1946 of parents who were ethnically Germans from Russia whose families left their farming communities north of the Black Sea in the early 1900s to escape the harshness of Czar Alexander, and resettled in and around Harried and Eureka SD. My father was a first generation immigrant, as were my mother’s parents. These farmers spoke German before English and were instilled with German values of hard work, which still persist in the Dakotas. Although the Homestead Acts came to a halt before I was born, I grew up among the “ancients” who had a part in this fascinating era of settling the West. Still today, on my morning walks on a farm road I occasionally meet up with a homesteading descendant who has a story or two about growing up on the ”old place.”

At the heart of my stories are relationships. Family, friends and lovers all have their parts to play. Some are problem-makers, others are gentle and loving, and some are fearful and abusive. As the characters reveal themselves in the stories, our protagonists discover ways to tap into unacknowledged strength and courage, and to seek the lives they are meant to live.

The stories I write arise from my passion to discover how my characters can lead me – and perhaps you, too – to empowerment with vulnerability, to a spirited independence, and to that place we each can call "our own". I love accounts of people who haven’t discovered their strength, and when confronted with challenging circumstances find their voice and power. I call them Hero Stories and believe a hero lies within each of us.

Reviews

[Steve Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, single-sitting read. It took me a few pages to settle into the author's cadence of present-narrative and flashback during Mirna's life. I liked it. Mirna was as odd a character as possible yet fascinating. You had to be a might hearty (and odd) character to homestead in Montana in the 1860-80s. A fun and adventure filled read.

[rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storytelling

I actually loved this book. The character was so well written, she fit in her role perfectly. I didn't give it a five simply because I wasn't ready for the book to end.