Why I Wrote a Book Set in Nebraska

Since A Time of Proving released just two days ago, it begs the question . . .

Why a book series set in Nebraska?

Honestly, I think Nebraska is the best of all fifty states, so of course I have to write about the area. (Yes, I grew up here, and yes, I’m unashamedly biased😊.) 

Nebraska is an interesting state for many reasons. I only recently discovered a few quirks about the state that I had always assumed everyone did. Including:

• Pairing chili with cinnamon rolls (perfection!)
• Eating runzas regularly (some people outside Nebraska evidently never heard of such a thing . . . I’m so sorry)
• Regularly visiting a big zoo like Henry Doorly in Omaha (rated among the top zoos worldwide. My family has visited often enough that we know the best paths to take so that we have to push the stroller downhill during most of the trek–very important if you don’t want an exhausted family halfway through the day)

Unique as those things are, I had a different interesting fact to focus on.

Nebraska is set in the center of the country, yet we’re often forgotten by the rest of the nation. The interstate swings people through one end of the state and sends them right out the other end. We’re so used to being a “flyover” state that our tourist slogan is, “Nebraska. Honestly, It’s Not for Everyone.” 

Quite the marketing, isn’t it? If nothing else, we specialize in dry humor over here.

Being passed over happened throughout Nebraska’s history as well. During the settling of the west, neighboring states tended to create more of a stir, including Colorado and South Dakota with their gold rushes and Kansas with its violent contentions (it’s not a bad thing to have a quiet history). Thousands trekked through Nebraska in covered wagons, following the Platte River and the Oregon Trail on their way ever westward. And yet few stayed. Most considered Nebraska a step in the journey to other destinations.

But those who did make the state their home came to love the land deeply. I wanted to write a book to share some of that love.

As you read the Home to Osceola series, I think that between the humor and the heartache the characters experience, you’ll catch little glimpses of Nebraska. You’ll catch hints of why I love this place so much. 

And who’s to say? You may end up like me and begin reading every historical fiction book you can find set in Nebraska. There are a few of those books out there, and I hope to keep adding to the number. After all, Nebraska might not be for everyone, but for those who do get hooked, there’s no taking the state out of their blood.  

Journey to Nebraska through a book