Creating Esther

After numerous submissions to publishers and agents, I decided to self-publish my second middle-grade historical novel. Once that decision was made, it took over a year to get it out there, primarily because of problems with the cover. The first cover designer I hired was over-committed. Then, after I found somebody else to do the front cover art, medical issues slowed the process down. But I’m happy to announce that Creating Esther is now available for purchase from Amazon and other retailers, and you can also read it on Kindle.

Here is the back-cover blurb.

Twelve-year-old Ishkode loves her life on an Ojibwe reservation, but it is 1895 and the old ways are disappearing. Can a boarding school education help her fight back, or will it destroy everything she believes in?

And don’t get confused when you see the author’s name. I use Kaye Page for my middle-grade fiction.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to repurpose former blog posts from when I was researching and writing Creating Esther. I’m not fool enough to claim that they aren’t intended to promote the book, but I’m also smart enough to know that my blog readers desire—and deserve—more. By giving you insight into my writing process, I hope to educate and inform my readers about some of the tougher decisions a writer has to make—especially when writing outside her culture.

Next week I’ll start by describing my reading research.