Lilly's blog 

The Kindle edition of my book, The Abused Wife, is now available.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX32K8W1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17DIO86I0MLBC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L6lKRoIY0eQlyVSevWUtyQ.ZIXJW2em3xsGghJy-hRw8BJhDFKKb4B

Swedish Days in Geneva

Book Signing

June 27, 1.00 - 3.30

Gift Box, 310 W. State St.

The prolific Swedish-born local author

Lilly Setterdahl

will be present with her latest series

“Pioneering Women”

The Pioneer Woman, The Good Stepdaughter, The Abused Wife

Press Release April 9, 2026

THE ABUSED WIFE CONFRONTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THROUGH A STORY OF SURVIVAL AND STRENGTH

Lilly Setterdahl delivers a powerful historical novel following a young woman’s escape from abuse and her journey toward independence and justice.

New York, NY, April 8, 2026 — In a compelling and emotionally charged new release, The Abused Wife, author Lilly Setterdahl presents a gripping story that examines the enduring realities of domestic violence through a historical lens. As part of the Pioneering Women series, the novel highlights how struggles faced in the late 1800s continue to resonate in modern society. Readers new to the series may also wish to begin with the earlier installments, The Pioneer Woman, in which the heroine is abused by her husband, and The Good Stepdaughter, where Sophie’s abuse is first introduced.

The story centers on Sophie, a seventeen-year-old determined to escape life on her family’s farm. Drawn by promises of a better future, she elopes with her boyfriend, only to find herself trapped in a relationship built on deception and abuse. What begins as hope quickly turns into a harsh reality as Sophie faces physical and emotional harm while raising her children under constant fear.

Setterdahl does not shy away from the difficult truths of abuse, portraying its impact not only on Sophie, but on her children. As the cycle of violence begins to affect her son, Sophie is forced to confront painful decisions that test her strength and resilience. Her journey reflects the complex emotional and practical challenges faced by those seeking to break free from abusive environments.

Support comes from unexpected places, including strong women within her family who offer protection, guidance, and the opportunity for a new beginning. Through education and determination, Sophie begins to rebuild her life, discovering a path that leads her toward independence and the possibility of a future in law.

Brightkey PR

The third book in my trilogy, Pioneering Women, went live on Amazon March 30, 2026. See "The Abused Wife."  https://www.amazon.com/Abused-Wife.../dp/B0GR5VTJ1P... 

The Pioneer Woman with Lilly Setterdahl

Storytelling at the Geneva Senior Center, on Friday, May 1, at 10 a.m. Address: 400-Wheeler Drive, Geneva, Illinois (off Route 31 and Stevens Street in Wheeler Park. Follow signs). Local author Lilly Setterdahl will portray Kristina, a Swedish immigrant woman who came to Illinois in 1847, joined a utopian colony, and was subsequently expelled.  The story is based on the author’s book, The Pioneer Woman (2024), inspired by a true story. Autographed books will be available. Get free raffle tickets at the door to win books. The Senior Center would like to know if you plan to attend. Ph. No. 630-232-3602. You don’t have to be a member to attend.

Portraying Kristina in The Pioneer Woman

My name is Kristina Forsell. I was born in Sweden in 1826. I married a miller, and we had a son. I was happy until my husband was killed in a mill accident. At that time, there was a religious awakening in my area. A farmer-turned-preacher told us to read the Bible only and not to listen to the book-learned ministers. Our leader experienced severe opposition. Eventually, he was chased out of Sweden, fled to Norway, and emigrated from there to America. He said we should do the same because America had religious freedom. When my siblings said they would follow in his footsteps, I decided to leave with my son. Unfortunately, he died on the ship and was buried at sea. When we arrived in the wilderness on the prairie, our friends, who had come a year earlier, slept in dugouts in a ravine. There was hardly any food. Hundreds had died the previous winter. I slept in a sod house, but most of us newcomers had to sleep in the dugouts. Hundreds more died that winter of 1847. Later, when new, healthy people had arrived from Sweden, we began to make bricks and build sturdier houses. I was a brick maker. Women had to do men's work because there were more women than men in this settlement, which we called Utopia, although it was far from perfect.  During a cholera epidemic in 1849, the dead were buried in a mass grave. We got new leaders, and in 1855, they issued a new rule. There would be no more marriages, and those who were married must live as if they were not.

Olof and I wanted to get married, but we were not allowed. We broke the rule of celibacy, but only once. When our leaders found out, they punished me but not Olof. All the leaders were men. I was taken to a meeting in one of the brick buildings and placed in the chair of shame. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, but I can still hear the chairman saying, “You, Kristina Carlsdotter, have sinned against our holy doctrine. You are hereby expelled from our congregation, and you must leave immediately.  Two strong men pushed me out the door. Where would I go? What would I do? I had no money and no food.  I knew no English. I was dressed in my dirty work clothes.

I thought of my siblings, who were still in Utopia, as I walked through our village, shunned and shamed. I walked to the woods where Olof and I had our secret meeting place, hoping he would be there. I listened and waited, but he didn’t come. I shivered in my thin work clothes. When it got dark, I sat down on a tree trunk and fell asleep. I woke up when I heard a voice calling my name, “Kristina, Kristina, where are you?” The voice sounded familiar. It was my sister Lisa. I was so happy to see her. We fell into each other’s arms. Her fiancé, John, stepped forward and said, “When I heard what had happened to you, I decided to leave, too, and Lisa agreed to come with me. I know of a town called Moline. I can get a job as a tailor there, and you women can get jobs in American homes.”  We walked all night. In the morning, I was tired and stepped into a rabbit hole in the road, and I fractured my ankle. Now, what would we do? I limped to the nearest farm. The farmer was an Englishman, Ted Walker. He recognized us as being from Utopia because he had seen many people dressed like me walking past his farm.  He pointed to Lisa and me and said we could go into the house and meet his wife. John made himself useful by chopping wood, while Mr. Walker went to fetch a doctor for his sick wife.  Lisa and I found the missus bedridden. She was Swedish, and we could converse. I helped her to the chamber pot and back into bed. We saw that she was pregnant. When the doctor came, he said that the missus had typhoid fever, but we didn't have to be afraid of her because we couldn't catch it that way.  Mr. Walker had to work in the field, and he wanted Lisa and me to stay while John went to Moline to find work. I would take care of his wife, and my sister would take care of the household and milk the goats. Mrs. Walker’s name was Sara. When she was ready to give birth, the midwife had not yet arrived, so I had to deliver the baby. It was a healthy baby boy, and everything went well. Sara could not care for her baby, but I swaddled him and changed his diaper. I brought him to his mother to be nursed, and I cradled him when he cried.  

After two months, Sara’s breast milk dried up. I tried to feed the baby goat’s milk, but he still cried. I told Sara they had to get a wet nurse, or their baby would die. Mr. Walker was able to find a woman whose baby had died, and she came and kept little Davie alive.  I was so relieved. Soon thereafter, Sara died. Mr. Walker begged me to stay.  Now that we didn’t have Sara to interpret for us, Mr. Walker and I had to use hand signs to communicate, along with the few English words I had learned at the time. One day, Mr. Walker acted strangely. It looked like he proposed to me, but he didn't give me a ring, and he didn't say the word marry.  I knew that word. I thought I had said yes only to staying, but then I heard from my Norwegian neighbors that Mr. Walker and I were going to be married as soon as his year of mourning was up.  I didn't dare to protest. I thought it would be better to be a farmwife than to work as a servant in Moline.  We went to the Swedish Chapel to get married. It was not a happy marriage. It was a marriage of convenience for both of us. I gave birth to three daughters, and they all died one after the other.  Ted, my husband. accused me of being incapable of giving birth to sons and went to the barn to sleep. He said he did not want any more daughters.

When the war between the states broke out, he enlisted without telling me.  I hoped his absence would repair our marriage. My brother Jonas, who was a little slow but a strong worker, came to stay with me. Jonas played and sang, and the house filled with laughter. Davie loved it.  Things went well until an insect, the cinch bug, came and ate my wheat in the field. I ran out of wheat flour, but we had corn, so I shelled it by hand in the kitchen. I remember we had eaten cornbread in Utopia, but I had never made it myself. I shelled corn for a long time before I had enough to be ground. I used the coarse meal to make biscuits, but they were as hard as rocks. We dipped them in coffee until there was no more coffee or sugar at the general store.    

Ted had been in the army for three years when he came home on furlough. I had made a nice dinner, but Ted complained about having to eat cornbread. I wondered if they had wheat bread in the army. He claimed my body every night. He had nightmares about the war and hit me in his sleep. When I tried to get away, he held me down like I was an enemy soldier.  I hid my bruises during the day. Davie loved his soldier father, but I saw another side of him, and I couldn't wait for him to return to the army. When he left, he said, “You’d better give me a son this time.” It was a command. I knew I was pregnant when he left, but I didn’t tell him.  

Before I gave birth, I got a letter from the army written by his captain but dictated by Ted. He said he was ill from a stomach ailment, and he didn’t think he would make it.  Therefore, he had dictated his last will, giving his farm and everything he owned to his son, Davie.  But Davie was only nine years old, and I was supposed to stay and take care of the farm until he was 21. Just after I had given birth to little Paul, I received another letter from the army. It said that my husband had passed away and that his body would be sent home in his uniform with full regalia. I was supposed to bury him with full military honors.

I was weak from just having given birth, but I thought it was time to tell Davie that I was not his real mom. He was very surprised. I said I had taken care of him since he was born and loved him as my own. He said I was still his mom and I would always be. We both cried.  In time, I received a widow’s pension, and my sons received children's benefits from the army. But we couldn't eat money. The grasshoppers had devoured most of my crops. There was hardly any food to buy. The grasshoppers were not the only disaster we faced. A tornado hit and blew the roof off my stable. It injured my horse, and he had to be put down.  I feared starvation.  I knew what it was like because I had experienced it in Utopia. Now, you’ll have to read my book to find out what happened next.

November 1, 2025

Author Fest at Geneva Public Library, Geneva, Illinois, sponsored by the library, 1 pm to 4 pm

About 20 local authors will be present. We will each get a few minutes to present our latest books. I will wear my Swedish costume and portray Kristina Forsell in The Pioneer Woman and The Good Stepdaughter. These two books are available at The Gift Box, 310 W. State Street, Geneva.  Kristina was Swedish and experienced a hard life in America until she married Tom Forsell. Tom had an 18-year-old daughter, Margaret. Having buried three infant girls of her own, Kristina is happy to finally have a daughter. She gets along well with Margaret until something unexpected happens. Kristina never knew how to fight for her rights, but Margaret finds a way to help women. 

August 2025.  

Book Signing. On September 6, 2025, from 1 to 3 p.m., I will be at The Gift Box, 310 W. State Street, Geneva, IL, signing The Pioneer Woman (2024), The Good Stepdaughter (2025), and a few other books. The Gift Box has beautiful decorative items and food products from the Scandinavian countries.  

New Project: I have learned that a large group of immigrants from the parish of Veddige, Halland, Sweden, settled in Batavia, Illinois, and I would like to know what motivated them, meet descendants living in the area, and learn if any letters from them have been preserved in the home community of Veddige. 

Batavia is part of the Tri-Cities (St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia in Kane County, IL) located on Route 31 along the Fox River to the west of Chicago. Having begun preliminary research, I learned that about 200 of the immigrants joined Swedish American churches in Batavia. I'm in contact with organizations in the province of Halland. It's a good beginning.    

2025 Swedish Days in Geneva.

 Swedish American author Lilly Setterdahl will be present with a variety of her books about Swedes in America, nonfiction, contemporary, and historical fiction, including her two latest books: The Pioneer Woman (Book 1) and The Good Stepdaughter (Book 2) in the series "Pioneering Women." Book 3 will be "The Abused Wife." Come early for the best selection and a signature by the author.  

April 10, 2025. The second book in the series, Pioneering Woman is The Good Stepdaughter, to be released on May 1, 2025. The third book, "The Abused Wife" will be the most dramatic in the series. You don't want to miss these historically enlightening books set on the Illinois frontier in the last part of the 19th Century. 

Book Launch and Signing

The Good Stepdaughter

Historical Fiction

A PERFECT GIFT FOR MOTHER’S DAY

May 3, 2025, 11 to 3 p.m.

The Gift Box

310 West State Street, Geneva, IL

Meet the author and get an autographed copy.

The Good Stepdaughter is a brand-new book by the prolific Illinois author Lilly Setterdahl

Collect the series!

Book 1, The Pioneer Woman (2024) 

Book 2, The Good Stepdaughter (2025)

Book 3, The Abused Wife (upcoming)

The Good Stepdaughter continues the family saga of Kristina in The Pioneer Woman. The protagonist is the young and beautiful Victorian woman, Margaret Forsell, whose Swedish roots go back to New Sweden, Delaware, founded in the 17th century.  She sets her goals high and is determined to make a difference in a man’s world. She gets along well with her stepmother, Kristina, until something unexpected happens that creates a conflict between them. Margaret wants it all—marriage, children, and a meaningful occupation. Will the laws of the time permit her to compete with professional men?   

 The royalty-free image, "Young Victorian woman in a blue dress," is from Dreamtime. The Good Stepdaughter continues the saga of my well-received novel, The Pioneer Woman (Book 1, 2024). The protagonist in Book 2 is the young and beautiful Margaret Forsell. Her Swedish roots go back to New Sweden, Delaware, founded in the 17th century. She gets along well with her Swedish stepmother, Kristina, until something unexpected happens that creates conflict between them. The family supports Margaret in her pursuit of an education as she competes with men, breaks barriers, and falls in love.

Posted February 13, 2025

British Broadcasting Company Interview

Last Monday, I was interviewed for almost one hour by a producer of the program, "Wall to Wall" in the UK which produced the popular program, "Do you know who you are."  The company wanted to do a program about the Swedes on the Titanic and had learned that I wrote a book entitled Not my time to die: The Swedes on board, published by Nordstjernan, New York, in 2012 for the 100th anniversary of the Sinking. The book was endorsed by the president and founder of the Titanic Historical Society, Edward Kamuda, as well as the International Titanic Society. I researched each of the 123 Swedes on board, who made up the third-largest ethnic group on the ill-fated ship. The survivor stories cover some 100 pages. My sources include the American, Swedish, and Swedish-American Press. Descendants and good genealogists have made it possible for me to learn more about the individuals I described in the book. I'm still gaining knowledge about living relatives in Sweden. At this point, I don't know if funding can be obtained for this ambitious project, but I'm ready for it! 

April 17, 2023

On Saturday, April 15 (the date of the Titanic sinking), I had the pleasure of giving a presentation at Karpeles Library and Museum in Rock Island about Swedes on the Titanic.  The museum showed a small but interesting exhibit about the passenger liner that foundered on its maiden voyage in 1912. Visitors could get a ticket to "board" that showed the name of an actual passenger. Then they could also find out if they had survived or not. At 5.30, I spoke about both survivors and victims and how two Swedish families had to decide what to do when they found out that  the husband and father had to stay behind and go down with the ship, according to the marital rule of the time, "Women and Children First." Unfortunately,  there weren't lifeboats for everyone and if there had been enough, there wasn't time to launch them before the Titanic sank. The liner Carpathia arrived several hours later and picked up about 700 survivors shivering from the cold in the lifeboats, rowing toward the distant lights of a ship. Carpathia's Captain Rostron was born in London to Swedish parents. If he hadn't decided to come to change his course and come to the rescue, no one had been saved. The images below show the sign outside Karpeles, me in my Titanic outfit, and my four Titanic books. See more about these books on my blog, http://lillysetterdahl.blogspot.com and amazon.com, and my Facebook page.

Titanic presentation and book signing: East Moline Public Library, May 8, from 2 pm. to 4:00 p.m., 745 16th Avenue, East Moline, IL, 61244. 

July 30, 2023

Current work in progress: Pioneer Women, which I hope will become a trilogy. 

After reading a draft of Volume I, one evaluator wrote: Pioneer Women by Lilly Setterdahl is an epic journey that recounts the struggles for survival from the pre-civil war era of utopianism to the years after when men and women fought the ravages of nature to maintain their foothold on the midwestern prairie. The story spans generations and bridges the hardscrabble past to the coming of age in more modern times. Hardships abound but so does the resilience of the pioneer spirit of those who came looking for a new life. Hard work becomes second nature for these immigrants on their way to becoming Americans. (Mary Davidsaver).

November 1, 2023

I'm at the end of Volume III, so Pioneer Women is already a trilogy on my computer.  It still needs to be proofed and edited.  

Christmas Walk Book Signing at the Gift Box, 301 W. State Street, Geneva, IL 60134

One day only. December 2, 2023, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Come and browse the store, watch a demonstration of Rosemaling, and look at my books on display. I'll be glad to dedicate one to you or as a very affordable Christmas gift to someone else. Choose between fiction and nonfiction, Swedish-American history, the Titanic, drama, romance, or historicals, usually in a Scandinavian or Swedish-American setting. See my latest books on this site and a list of previous ones. Be entertained and learn something at the same time. I will be glad to chat with you in Swedish or English. Welcome!  http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG/.sv

January 2, 2024  I'm happy to report that my book, Elisabeth and the Nobleman, has been selected as the book-club-book for February, 2024, by the Swedish American Museum. Here's the link: 

https://swedishamericanmuseum.org/events/

It's an online event on February 24 so it should be easy to join wherever you live. Registration is not open yet. Topic: Book Club "Elisabeth and the Nobleman"
Time: Feb 24, 2024 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Here's  the link:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82168655630?pwd=SWxYNVRxYVovaVVQMFRGUUU1VHA2Zz09

THE PIONEER WOMAN features Kristina, a Swedish-American woman, who is expelled from a utopian colony. Shunned and shamed, her options are few. To be released by amazon.com on July 12, 2024. Will be available at the Gift Box, 310 W. State Street, Geneva, IL 

There was a nice article about my upcoming book in Henderson County Quill on June 26th, 2024.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iM-5LFdVUSOQXjFSNpQEVKze_WBT4_MI/view?usp=sharing

July 2014

THE PIONEER WOMAN is live online. 

Sep. 27, 2024

The Pioneer Woman E-Book is live online. 

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Woman-Lilly-Setterdahl/dp/B0D8P8GVD9/

Sep. 28, 2024 Announcement

"My Writing Journey"

 Published in the Geneva Township Center October newsletter:

"On Monday, October 14 at 11:00am Center member and accomplished author, Lilly Setterdahl, will share her writing journey. A native of Sweden, Lilly has authored 30 fiction and nonfiction books including a series of four (should be three) novels about the Titanic and more than 20 nonfiction selections related to Swedish immigration to America. Her 30th book The Pioneer Woman, was published this summer. Such an inspiration; don't miss this special member presentation! Bring your questions... A light lunch will be served to attendees after Lilly's talk. Call the Center at 630-232-3602 if you'd like to reserve a spot."  

THE ABUSED WIFE CONFRONTS DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE THROUGH A STORY OF SURVIVAL

AND STRENGTH

Lilly Setterdahl delivers a powerful historical novel following a young woman’s escape from abuse and her journey toward independence and justice. New York, NY, April 8, 2026 — In a compelling and emotionally charged new release, The Abused Wife, author Lilly Setterdahl presents a gripping story that examines the enduring realities of domestic violence through a historical lens. As part of the Pioneering Women series, the novel highlights how struggles faced in the late 1800s continue to resonate in modern society. Readers new to the series may also wish to begin with the earlier installments, The Pioneer Woman, in which the heroine is abused by her husband, and The Good Stepdaughter, where Sophie’s abuse is first introduced.

The story centers on Sophie, a seventeen-year-old determined to escape life on her family’s farm. Drawn by promises of a better future, she elopes with her boyfriend, only to find herself trapped in a relationship built on deception and abuse. What begins as hope quickly turns into a harsh reality as Sophie faces physical and emotional harm while raising her children under constant fear.

Setterdahl does not shy away from the difficult truths of abuse, portraying its impact not only on Sophie, buton her children. As the cycle of violence begins to affect her son, Sophie is forced to confront painful decisions that test her strength and resilience. Her journey reflects the complex emotional and practical challenges faced by those seeking to break free from abusive environments.

Support comes from unexpected places, including strong women within her family who offer protection,

guidance, and the opportunity for a new beginning. Through education and determination, Sophie begins to rebuild her life, discovering a path that leads her toward independence and the possibility of a future in law.