A Long Road There chronicles the immigrant journey of Magdalena Mok, a young woman whose restless, yearning, and independent spirit guided her from Germany, across the Atlantic, to America. While Magdalena is the great-grandmother of the author, Pickett as a novelist imagines the vibrant details of Mok's audacious journey. Accompanying Magdalena are a colorful cast of characters, from a rodent stowaway on the SS See Falke to her plucky and determined travel companion Rosa. Whether by ship, wagon, or on foot, readers will appreciate A Long Road There both for its ties to the past and its endearing fictions.

Virginia Pickett grew up in Billings, Montana and attended Montana State University. After she and her husband graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1976, they remained in Spokane. This is her first novel.