Who We Are
Paula and Myja are a mother/daughter-in-law team, co-founding their local writing group as well as Literature & Lattes - A South Dakota Book Event.
Paula Miller grew up with her parents reading Little House on the Prairie aloud by candlelight which inspired her to write a children's chapter book as a young mom. After a long hiatus due to family health issues, she picked up her pen again and is now a member of ACFW and FHL Christian Writers, writing faith-based, historical romance with a dash of intrigue and humor.
Paula is married to her high school sweetheart and is a homeschooling mom with three adult sons, three daughters-in-law, three still at home, and a granddaughter - all living in the wide-open spaces of South Dakota.
Myja is a doer, dreamer, and coffee-drinker. She fell in love with literature as a young child, and felt the pull towards authorship in her early teen years, both of which led her to study English at South Dakota State. During her university career, Myja served as President of SDSU’s English Club and worked for the South Dakota Humanities Council for two book festivals.
A lover of words, she is planning to publish her debut novel in 2024. In the meantime, she spends her time knitting, reading, and taking long walks with her husband.
Our Mission
Our mission is to cultivate a family-friendly book event
that encourages traditional values.
What do we mean by 'family-friendly?'
As Christians, we believe it is wrong to promote or give space for sin, and we want to create an event that has safe and appropriate materials for the entire family with limited violence and swearing, and no sexual content.
We want to cultivate an environment where parents can bring their young children and teenagers alike and won't have to worry about them picking up a book and flipping to a random page with inappropriate content. We want to create a space that is safe from any particular political agenda and get back to the roots of traditional values.
What do we mean by 'traditional values?'
To us, traditional values encompasses the 'old-fashioned' virtues that were commonly accepted until recently — values such as freedom of speech, honoring and upholding the family unit, marriage between one man and one woman, honesty, integrity, compassion, protecting the young, sanctity of life, equality, not judging based on the color of skin or physical attributes, and acknowledging God and His Word in a respectful way (even if one does not agree).
Things that others might assume are part of traditional values but are NOT are: racism, ableism, treating others (better or worse) based on their skin color or other physical attributes, and misogyny.
Why are we so keen to label our event as specifically having 'traditional values?'
As writers and creators, we’re well aware that liberal arts in America has become anything but liberal (check out the original meaning of that word).
We want to cater to families that lean more conservatively (or at the very least more centrist), to Christians, and to folks who might not identify as either of those, but who want a book event that’s not focused on bending a knee to a sexuality, a doctrine, an ideology, etc.
We are an apolitical event fostering wholesomeness, coziness, and encouraging the whole family to find stories that feed their hearts and educate their minds. Regardless of your personal convictions, we welcome you and hope you enjoy our cozy autumnal event!