Embark on a captivating journey with Kat Christensen’s novel—a narrative that breathes life into the pages of American history.Set against the expansion of a nation, from the aftermath of the War of 1812 to the era preceding the Civil War, this story ushers you into a world teeming with romance, jealousy, murder, and the unyielding spirit of survival.Meet Easter, a formidable young woman who carves her homestead from the 1830s American Northwest frontier. With the fires of Manifest Destiny as a backdrop, Easter’s tenacity and resilience are tested amidst a young nation’s political turmoil and societal upheavals.This vivid tale transports you back to a time where the foundation stones of the modern United States were laid. Witness iconic historical figures such as Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Blackhawk, and many more, through Easter’s eyes—a testament to an era where politics, much like today, were intense and vehement.As Easter navigates through the unrelenting trials of pioneer life, readers are pulled into a world of passion and peril. Easter’s journey from the Mohawk Valley to the American Northwest is one marked by love, betrayal, and the haunting echo of murder.

BOOK EXCERPT
1819 – Rural Herkimer Township, Mohawk Valley, New YorkOn, on she speeds through bush and brake,O’er log and stone and briar;On, on, for many a lengthening mileMight stouter footsteps tireFOUR YEARS AFTER PHILO’S RETURN FROM THE WAR…Philo Hackley squinted as he watched the child sprinting from the forest. Something was off. He pulled his stout work horse, Ned, to a halt and watched curiously as the barefoot girl tumbled to the ground, scrambled to her feet, and continued her panicked race towards the farm. “Pa! Pa!” she called.Sooleawa and Easter had seamlessly blended into the family ever since Philo and Almira had taken them in following Cousin Robert’s death during the war. Philo could have easily turned his back on this Native woman and her daughter, but that simply wasn’t in his nature. Sooleawa had been a loyal companion to Robert and even fought alongside him in a few battles. She was a skilled hunter and an accomplished cook. When Philo returned from the south, fearing for his family’s fate, he discovered Almira and Soolee managing the farm and mercantile better than he could have himself.Soolee was a sturdy woman, as robust as any man, and her little babe had been no burden. Soolee simply kept her strapped to her back or the plow as needed. Her labor on the farm earned far more than the pair’s cost to keep. Besides, Easter was blood kin. Almira had even schooled Soolee to colonial ways, and she learned to cook in Dutch ovens at the hearth, sleep in a bed, and speak English rather well.As Easter grew, she took to calling Philo, “Pa” and Almira “Ma” just like their own children. Soolee had trouble wrapping her Algonquin tongue around Easter’s given name of Esther, so she had always been called Easter.Now seven years of age, Easter had gone into the woods that morning to forage with her mother. The herbs, wild rice, and Native staples Soolee brought home were invaluable to their farm, as was the wild game she sometimes snared. Easter was well on her way to being every bit as good a forager as her mother.However, Soolee and Easter had been gone a bit longer than usual this time, and for some reason Easter was now running towards Philo like a scared rabbit, yelling at the top of her lungs. Soolee was nowhere in sight. Philo frowned. He wanted to get this field done before the day ended. A dark sense of foreboding crept over him. He scanned the tree-line. Where was Soolee? What could be the reason for Easter’s panic?