Sandra Freels joins the Author Spotlight this week to discuss her historical novel
Author Name: Sandra Freels
Book Title: Anneke Jans in the New World
Book Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 1/6/2026
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome, Sandra! How would you describe Anneke Jans in the New World?
Based on real events, Anneke Jans in the New World tells the story of a young mother who, in 1630, fled from the Old World to the fledgling colony of New Netherland in search of a better life for herself and her children. Her story is one of courage, determination, and wit.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I first encountered Anneke Jans (pronounced Yans) while studying family history—I believe she is my 11G Grandmother—but I really got to know her while reading the court records of New Amsterdam. Reading English translations of those long-ago quarrels, which are now available online, is like eavesdropping on people who lived four hundred years ago. Their stories simply beg to be told.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took about five years from first keystroke to publication. Before I ever had any thought of writing a novel, I did quite a bit of genealogical research, and then after I became interested in Anneke Jans, I read everything I could get my hands on regarding the history of New Netherland and seventeenth-century Dutch culture.
What drew you to writing historical fiction?
Historical fiction permits me to engage with history on the level of the individual. Anneke Jans was a woman just like me, but she lived in a very different world, and her experiences were shaped by very different practices and beliefs. Trying to understand her world helps me make better sense of my own.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I think with my fingers, so I love finishing a scene and discovering the characters did something I wasn’t expecting. I find endings difficult. Some stories should just go on and on and on.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Anneke Jans in the New World?
Seventeenth-century New Amsterdam was a wildly wonderful frontier town that later became today’s New York City. Even in its earliest days, it drew people from many different nations and walks of life, and Anneke was one of them. Together, they created one of the most diverse and vibrant societies the world has ever known.
Fans of which authors or books might gravitate toward your book?
Although the time frame is very different, I suspect that fans of Elizabeth Graver’s Kantika (Metropolitan Books, 2023) might also be drawn to this tale of a displaced woman making difficult decisions as she struggles to adapt to an alien environment.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
I want readers to come away feeling that they’ve witnessed the dawn of our own multicultural, multilingual, multiracial society with all of its strengths and problems. Most of all, I want them to perceive Anneke Jans as a real person, to rejoice in her victories and mourn her losses, and to learn to love her as much as I do.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
How much remains to be done after typing the words “THE END.”
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
There are no shortcuts. I made some false starts while trying to figure out what worked best for me, but I learned from my mistakes. Next time, I’ll get to make new mistakes.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
My first love has always been foreign languages. For many years, I taught Russian at Portland State University and loved every second of it. I also very much enjoy playing Celtic fiddle music.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I’ve started a fictional biography of Anneke’s daughter, Sara Roelofs. I hope in time it will become the second volume of a New Netherland trilogy.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
I just finished Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan. Glorious language.
Where can readers find you?
I hope readers will visit me at www.sandrafreels.com. I’m always happy to meet with book clubs, both in person and virtually, and have posted some discussion questions there they might enjoy using.
On January 6 at 7:00, I’ll be giving a reading at Annie Bloom’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon.
Thank you, Sandra! Anneke Jans in the New World is out TODAY.
Anneke Jans in the New World
Timed perfectly to publish just as New York celebrates its 400th birthday, a riveting story of a spirited young mother who faces the unknowns of seventeenth-century New Amsterdam after fleeing the Old World in search of a better life.
It’s 1630, and Anneke Jans has just arrived in the fledgling colony of New Netherland with her husband, Roelof, and their two young daughters to create a new life for herself and her family. One of very few women in the colony, Anneke quickly realizes that she will need to make her own rules if she is to survive.
When Roelof dies, Anneke marries Everardus Bogardus, the flamboyant minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. With this marriage, Anneke joins the elites of the colony—but when the colony’s new director provokes war with the region’s American Indians and her new husband emerges as the head of the anti-war opposition, she also finds herself in the midst of political turmoil. As difficulties mount, she must rely more than ever on her quick wits to protect herself and her growing family.
Based on real events, Anneke Jans in the New World tells the story of an ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life.
Author Bio:
Sandra Freels majored in Russian at Indiana University and completed a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures at Stanford University. The author of three textbooks, she headed the Russian program at Portland State University for many years. An interest in genealogy led her to the Council Records of New Netherland and the delicious stories of the people who once lived there. She claims descent from Anneke Jans and sixteen other major and minor characters in Anneke Jans in the New World. At present, Sandra lives with her husband Joel and their two cats in Portland, Oregon.