Katrina Hoover Lee, Elkhart, holds her Brady Street Boys Adventure Series books and her adult novel “From the White House to the Amish.” She has written 16 books, both for children and adults. Her Brady Street series earned both a Reader’s Favorite and Christian Indie award. Photo provided by Katrina Hoover Lee.

By Laurie Lechlitner
InkFreeNews

ELKHART — “I’ve always enjoyed writing and telling stories, even when I was young,” stated Katrina Hoover Lee, Elkhart. “When I was growing up and we were doing chores, I used to entertain my brother with stories about Terry, Gary and Larry.”

Lee has now written 16 books, both for children and adults. In 2024, Lee received both a Reader’s Favorite and Christian Indie award for her Terry, Gary, and Larry books, officially the Brady Street Boys Adventure Series.

Lee was raised attending church. Her father was a pastor in a Mennonite church in Wisconsin. She gave her heart to Jesus when she was around 8 years old and was baptized a few years later. Although she dedicated her life to Christ at a young age, Lee admits that experience has caused her to redefine her walk with the Lord as she discovers more areas to surrender to Him.

She, her husband, Marnell, and daughter, Anina, attend Cornerstone Chapel, Elkhart. “It’s actually an outreach church that was started in 2016. Marnell is an elder and I have various roles, including teaching children’s Sunday school class.”

The church is situated in an area where the people are often struggling. “We continually look for ways to join God’s work of helping people without hurting or enabling. Sometimes this is very practical, like installing storm windows for someone who has attended our church.”

Lee and others from the church also volunteer at a soup kitchen through Guidance Ministry. “Next Thursday we are going to serve the evening meal there and Marnell will supply the inspirational talk.”

Being a schoolteacher for eight years opened Lee’s understanding of young people to a greater degree. She enjoys helping people of all ages. Lee has a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

“I started writing books for Christian Aid Ministries, a Mennonite and Amish aid organization, when I was doing volunteer work in Haiti. My first book was titled ‘Blue Christmas.’ The book that sold the most, ‘Kidnapped in Haiti,’ the account of the Mennonite missionaries who were kidnapped for 62 days, was published in 2022.”

Lee also wrote a fiction book for adults called “From the White House to the Amish.”

“That book is about a man from Southern Indiana who served at the White House in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. But he’s eventually drawn to the simple life of the Amish. It’s based on a true story.”

The main character in Lee’s Brady Street Boys Adventure Series is Gary, a boy with an artificial leg. Lee’s husband Marnell had cancer when he was a child and lost a leg because of it. The story is not about his life, but Lee likes to use familiar subjects and settings in her writing. The children’s series is set fictionally in Northern Indiana.

“I mention Elkhart in the books. Each book has its own adventure, and also a Fruit of the Spirit background theme. The first book has a theme of love, the second of joy, the third of peace and so on. I’ve completed eight books and am working on number nine now.”

Although these books are written for children, they have an appeal for people of all ages. “They’re great for grandparents to read to their grandchildren. Each book has its own mystery, but it is best to read them in order.” Lee’s website is katrinahooverlee.com.