“…the best counsel in all our distresses is the stout watchword, Never give up…” Martin F. Tupper, 1840
All About Me
Kat Christensen is a historical fiction author who is passionate about good reads. Rooted in a diverse heritage tracing back to the Revolutionary era, she is driven by a deep-seated curiosity to uncover remarkable stories of female ancestors that shape our modern identity. Kat honed her skillset in corporate information technology which she now passionately transforms into the art of architecting stories. Residing in the Pacific Northwest, she can often be found on urban and rural hiking trails, and of course, in cozy coffee shops.
My HP Books
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 York
On, on she speeds through bush and brake,
O’er log and stone and briar;
On, on, for many a lengthening mile
Might stouter footsteps tire
FOUR 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?
Book Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Fiction Gold!
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
"A Profitable Wife" by Kat Christensen was a very pleasant surprise for me! I loved this book because it not only had a great story of one of the toughest women I've read about, but the research that had to have gone into writing such a harrowing tale of the American Frontier from one woman's perspective was impressive. I couldn't put it down but didn't dare read to fast for fear of missing something important.
The years between the War of 1812 and the Civil War were all about the opening up of the Wild West. The west opened up huge opportunities for those willing to work hard under sometimes dangerous and dire circumstances. With the promise of prosperity Easter and her husband leave the comforts of their home to head out West to settle their own homestead. Land is plentiful and the Indians are being controlled, somewhat, but the challenges they encounter are sometimes horrendous and always scary. Easter though is one tough lady and takes her role as a pioneer woman seriously. She hunts, forages, cooks and keeps the farm running as her husband works the fields. While she was busy on the farm with morning to night chores she birthed 14 children, 13 of them living to adulthood. That alone is amazing, but to do so in the wilds of America was a feat to be honored. Easter was one of the hardest working, toughest ladies I've ever read about. I can't even imagine having the guts and will to head out to an undeveloped territory and set up a home. Women today would never have made it.
One of the best parts to me was how the author weaved Easter's story around what President and administration was in office at the time. Since the settlement of the West was determined by what actions the President took, with Andrew Jackson being the driving force behind the removal and relocation of the Indians he played a huge role in western expansion. But he was not the only early president who was instrumental in America's expansion west. I'm a huge fan of history and this book was an incredible recap of early America. Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, two American heroes make appearances in these pages but there's so much more. Love, jealousy, family and friendship and yes, even murder will rock this family in ways I could never dream of. It's a stunning story of a tougher than nails woman and her family with the added bonus of a recap of America's history of the pioneer, with an emphasis on the women of the frontier. It's historical fiction gold and I highly recommend this book! Happy Reading!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story with Historical Accuracies.
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
This novel is an amazing tale of one of the strongest female characters I have ever read about. Easter not only manages to birth 14 children, but also runs so much of her homestead and endures so much with grace and sheer determination. This novel has amazing historical details of the War of 1812 and the Civil War, amongst others. This novel is truly amazing, and I can't believe how attentive the details are to the era it is written about. I highly recommend this novel to any history fan who is looking for a good read.
