FAQ

More detailed answers on policies and common questions can be found in this Google Drive document. If your question isn't answered here, please do check that out. I have tried to cover everything there.

Lone Prairie Creative LLC is a North Dakota-based business that celebrates creativity and originality through a love of the tangible in a digital world. I, Julie R. Neidlinger, work as an artist and freelance writer in many different media (art) and formats (writing). My degree is in art and art history, though I've worked in many industries. 

I've been blogging since 2000. For personal blogging and writing, topics often include:

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• North Dakota + rural life
• Faith (Christianity)
• Humorous everyday experiences
• Online life
• Work experiences + observations
• Creative+ writing life

Books, magazines, email subscriptions, etc. that you purchase or receive will be of this nature.

For clients, I've written blog posts, magazine articles, books, etc., often as a ghostwriter. These topics and styles vary based on the client's wishes, though tend to stay in the realm of leadership, content creation, Christianity, personal growth, biography, and humor. Some clients prefer casual, friendly writing tones, while others ask me to tap into my newspaper reporter background and write more factually and detached.

Here is a brief summary:

• I never sell copyrights to my work.
• I never drop ship.
• I might license or give use permission to my work depending on the scenario.
• I only sell wholesale to proven retailers located within the United States.

Please read the detailed document in Google Drive for the specifics pertaining to this list.

Currently, you can purchase my products at:

• The Dog Shop (Aberdeen, South Dakota)
• Mighty Missouri Coffee (Sanford Hospital gift shop, Bismarck, North Dakota)

These products range from fine art to stationery, books, handmade papers, junk journals, and reading supplies like bookmarks or bookplates. To purchase physical copies of my books, simply search my name in online booksellers, and you will find them. I do sometimes have copies on hand as well. Digital versions can be purchased and downloaded on this site. Please contact me if you have questions about purchasing something not available on this site.

If you are a subscriber to my Substack Blog and need to make changes to your subscription or payment methods, you can do that here.​

To make changes to your payment information (e.g. update your credit card, etc.), visit this page.

To make changes to your Substack subscription (e.g. cancel or adjust plan), your latest email from Substack should contain links in the footer. You may also follow these steps:

1. Go to your Substack account at https://substack.com/settings
2. Under "Subscriptions" find Lone Prairie and click on it.
3. Scroll down to "Account Actions" and find the option that fulfills what you'd like to do. You may be taken to another page to confirm that action.

You can also email me if you have any difficulty with these steps.

All items are baked in a home kitchen and sold under the North Dakota Cottage Food law, known as the North Dakota Cottage Food Act of 2017. Recent changes to the cottage food law during the 2025 legislative session allow for orders to be taken over the internet.

I am functioning as a "cottage food operator" producing baked goods, jams, jellies, and other food and drink products in a private home in accordance with that law. I must inform customers that the food is produced in such an environment, using language and placards accordingly:

"This product is made in a home kitchen that is not inspected by the state or local health department."

Food items are not produced in an allergen-free kitchen and therefore, anyone who is sensitive or allergic to food ingredients should not purchase or consume those items.

This is a series of chapter books for youth who enjoy mysteries, learning about new topics, and challenging their reading skills. They are not written down to the reader, but written up.  

These stories are set in a realistic setting (circa mid-1980s) without the use of magic, witchcraft, fantasy, New-Agey Star-Wars-type "force" or other special powers, superheroes, or anything but what a real person could do in a real situation. Though not overtly in North Dakota, the settings may be recognizable to those familiar with the state even if other names are used. Similarities, places, and place names reflect the state, though not in a way way requiring familiarity with North Dakota to enjoy the stories.

Readers may be confronted with new words, old technology, and challenged to learn about topics and hobbies that might not be as common in today's digital and fantasy-focused world. Readers will discover regular kids using their heads to make a difference in their community, solving mysteries to help people and in the process, learning how to be a good friend and follower of Jesus Christ. 

As to what kind of books inspired them...imagine if you mashed up the following books:

• The Hardy Boys
• Nancy Drew
• Tom Swift
• The Dana Twins
• The Bobbsey Twins
• The Happy Hollisters
• Chesapeake Charlie
• Brains Benton
• The Mad Scientists Club
• Elizabeth Gail
• Trixie Belden
• Joy Sparton
• Crystal's Mysteries series
• Teddie Jo
• The Peppermint Gang
• The Thorne Twins
• Bro-Kee series

Those are the books I read as a kid, and that's where my influence comes from.

These are books in which the characters have a Christian faith. Families are traditional, and the common ethics of gratitude, politeness, self-control, obeying parents, and honesty are at work. When the characters make decisions contrary to what God wants, they experience the end result. However, while the books aren't going to be made into movies any time soon, they are not "sappy" in that the Christian elements are woven into the way kids would really think, talk, and behave. 

I am often asked what grade level the books are. I am not an educator, and I don't know what level your children or grandchildren are reading at. I've included samples to help you gauge the nature of the books. These are chapter books, without pictures. They would likely be appropriate for ages 9-14, depending on the reading abilities and interests of the child. I don't use small words or basic sentence structures all the time. If you want kids to be good readers, I would encourage giving them something challenging, even if it means you read it to them. 

Both the ebook and paperback print version are available on this website as well as online wherever books and ebooks are sold. Search using the title of the book or the author name (Julie R. Neidlinger). Some books are run serially on my Substack blog and available to paid subscribers. Book One, The Crossword Puzzle Mystery, has an audiobook you can purchase on this site or wherever audiobooks are available. It is read by a young woman about the age of the characters in the story. 

For the most detailed and up-to-date policies, please review this document in Google Drive.

In general:

• Physical items are only shipped to U.S. addresses.
• USPS is most often used as the shipping service, though others may also be used.
• Bakery orders are in-person pickup only, and are not available for shipment.
• Unique and handmade art items can be returned if they are defective, but imperfections and variations are part of the handmade quality and not a reason for a return. Please contact me first.
• If an order is damaged in shipment, please let me know, and take a photo of the shipping box.
• Sale and digital items that are downloaded are not returnable or eligible for a refund.
• Unless noted, all downloads are for individual use only and are not to be shared, published, disseminated in any format, or used commercially or in the classroom unless you have received written permission from me to do so.

I am currently only available for writing or virtual assistant work at this time.