Sheep to Shawl

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In a processing center on a farm near Groton, SD,. Kelly Knispel owns and operates a wool processing business that provides “sheep to shawl” services for shepherds and fiber artists.

A story of women’s friendships

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A key storyline in Lone Tree Claim is the women’s friendships on the frontier. Throughout the book, there’s a recurring theme about the importance of women’s friendships.

Literature connects us

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The Outlander series describes a period of time that is foreign to most of us. It’s the literature that connects us to the events of that time.

Happy (?) Banned Books Week

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Banned Books Week sheds light on this unwarranted censorship. It’s an opportunity for readers to voice censorship concerns and to celebrate freedom of expression.

SD Festival of Books 2023

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What a difference a year makes. Last year, I attended the SD Festival of Books as a wanna-be author. This year, I’m attending the Festival in Deadwood as a published author with two Western romance novels to my name. Last year, I attended panel discussions and presentations by authors from all over the country. I connected with two authors […]

“On the Dakota Frontier” series continues

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I wrote Proving Her Claim: On the Dakota Frontier 20 years before it was finally published. But my second book took only (only!) a year to research, write, polish, and bring to readers. I write “only” because more prolific writers publish three, six, or nine books a year. I can’t imagine the pressure, but I’m […]

September is National Literacy Month

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During National Literacy Month, I’d like to thank the teachers and mentors dedicated to helping children and adults learn to read. Reading has always been one of my “favorite things.” As a child, my mother and father would read to my sister and me before bedtime. While my mother “stuck to the script,” my father would […]