Donna Gilbertson Andersen

Donna Andersen draws strength from her Norwegian roots and the quiet resilience of her Nordic heritage. Raised in Montana's north-central wheat fields, she has always cherished the state's landscapes—from a summer spent working in Glacier National Park to family ties at beautiful Flathead Lake. At fourteen, her father’s pastoral calling moved the family to a Lutheran parish in California, where she still resides today.

A lifelong lover of the outdoors, music, and language, Andersen holds a degree in French and remains an enthusiastic Francophile. Her path through life included years on the East Coast, as well as struggles with addiction and two difficult marriages. Now retired and living on California’s Central Coast, she finds joy as a mother of two and grandmother of six.

Her love of words naturally led to writing. Before this memoir, she self-published Sermons for Everyday Living (Lulu Press, 2007), a collection of her father's sermons.