Jan grew up surrounded by books and storytellers. With pastors and teachers populating both sides of her extended family, we aren't surprised that she has always desired to be a first-class storyteller herself. Born and raised in Michigan, Jan is the descendant of Amish, Mennonite and Brethren immigrants who settled in Berks, Somerset and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania in the mid-1700's. The descendants of these immigrants pioneered in Maryland, Ohio, and finally Elkhart and LaGrange Counties in Northern Indiana in the 1850's. It is their stories, the "what might have happened," that inspires Jan to write Historical Fiction with Amish characters. Jan lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and their two dogs, Jack and Sam, where she enjoys hiking, reading, and needlework.