Welcome to the world of Esther Warren
Historical fiction and narrative nonfiction rooted in Sweden, family memory, emigration, folklore, and the quiet lives that history so often forgets.
The stories move between rural Dalsland, old cottages, country stores, forests, lakes, ships, Ellis Island, Chicago, Minnesota, and all the places where people have carried their homeland inside them.
The very best part of being a writer and an artist is the connection with people. Getting to share my stories — whether they come in the form of words or images — and getting to hear other people’s stories and life histories in return.
My art has given me the gift of new friends, new knowledge, and a window into so many lives through the people who’ve reached out with stories of their own. So often I hear them say they wish they’d asked to hear more of what their own family members had to tell — and I believe deeply in the idea of telling the stories of our own lives to others.
My monthly letter is my way of doing just that. I spent 25 years as a psychiatric nurse. I’m the parent of neurodivergent kids. I live in the Swedish countryside, with forest and a lake on my own land. I spent a year living in a monastery in France. I started painting at 39, and I wrote my first book at 46. Today I have more than 20 books with readers all over the world, and over 100 paintings across 5 continents. This is parts of me, parts I use and draw inspiration from when I write and paint.
In my monthly letter I share pieces of my life — my own story, the ground and soil that everything I write and paint grows from. I hope you’ll join me. And I hope to hear something from you, too.
The Dalberg Saga
One family. Three generations. A name worth everything.
In the famine years of nineteenth-century Dalsland, a young woman named Signe holds together what is left of her family and sets out to find the man she was never allowed to keep. What she carries out of those woods, a secret, a child, and a will that will not break, becomes the inheritance of everyone who comes after her.
Her daughter Kerstin learns to bring life into the world with her own two hands. Kerstin’s own children cross an ocean and carry the Dalberg name to a country that has never heard it.
From a stony croft in Dalsland to the quays of Gothenburg and the far shore beyond, The Dalberg Saga is a story of hunger and love, of what a family loses and what it will not let go of, and of the long road toward a whole name, honestly earned.
The story begins with Signe.
The books inspired these songs — listen to the full playlist on YouTube.
Where history breathes, and memory speaks.
”Wonderful book explaining the history of Ellis Island and
Tales of Memory is a lyrical, emotionally rich series that blends carefully researched fact with intimate, character-driven storytelling. From immigrant journeys and ocean crossings to ancient homesteads and forgotten firesides, each book captures the quiet moments that shaped the world — and the people who lived them.
Told in two parts — accessible historical background and evocative fictional vignettes — these books bring the past to life through ordinary voices with extraordinary courage. Whether set on Ellis Island, the deck of the Titanic, or deep in the Ice Age woods, every story is rooted in truth, framed by fiction, and told with heart.
Perfect for readers who love history told with soul — and for those who believe that memory is the most powerful story of all.
amazing stories of immigrants coming to America, a must read”
Welcome to Dalberg—Where Every Heart Finds a Home
Tucked away in the breathtaking Dalsland countryside of Sweden, Dalberg is a small town brimming with charm, where life flows as gently as the sparkling lakes that surround it. From lush pine forests to rolling meadows, every corner of Dalberg invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and feel at home.
In Tales of Dalberg, you’ll step into a world where neighbors become family, traditions run deep, and every season brings a touch of magic. Each standalone story takes you on a journey of love, friendship, and the little moments that make life extraordinary. Whether you’re sipping coffee at the local café or celebrating Midsummer by the lake, Dalberg will capture your heart.
Start anywhere in the series and discover why Dalberg is the perfect place to escape, dream, and fall in love. In Dalberg, there’s always a story waiting to welcome you.
Coming soon
Hulda & Georg: An emigration love story
Frankfurt, 1904. Two brothers. One ticket to America. And a girl who was never supposed to stay.
When Georg Kaufmann arrives at Ellis Island as an immigration officer’s assistant, he has learned to read people quickly. Where they come from. Whether they’ll survive. What they’re hiding.
He has never met anyone like Hulda Lindqvist.
The young Swedish woman arrives alone, fearless, and immediately quarantined for suspected trachoma — held back while the rest of the world moves on without her. She loses her connection. Her contact in New York doesn’t exist. And somehow, against every instinct he has, Georg keeps showing up.
He tells himself it’s duty. It isn’t.
Hulda has no plan, very little money, and an extraordinary ability to make anyone smile — which turns out to be worth more in New York than she ever imagined. What she doesn’t have is someone steady enough to hold things together when she can’t.
Georg is the steadiest person she has ever met. She finds this both reassuring and deeply irritating.
Set against the teeming streets of Lower East Side Manhattan, the thundering halls of Ellis Island, and the restless hope of a city built by people who arrived with nothing, Hulda and Georg is a story about two people who were never supposed to fit — and what happens when they do anyway.
It was like it was written about my family, my Swedish ancestors and family still in Sweden, my American Swedish family. It also answered questions of “why” and “when” for me and my family. This was a true blessing to read. (And I will read it again!)
This author knows her Swedish people very well. She expressed their feelings, traditions, needs with passion. I will read more of her work.
Readers on Amazon
The Tale of the Journey:
Swedish Migration to America
My best read in a long time. Characters live on the page and story is so real, both beautiful and sad.
This emotional and enticing book is a work of poetical art. Many descriptions that touch the soul or warm the heart.
The writing settled my soul and warmed my heart. This story is a blessing. Thank you Esther Warren for this gift.
Readers on Amazon
Elin: The complete journey
