A novel of love and obsession set in the American west, A Song for Monahsetah is a completed novel that is ready for literary agent representation. It tells the story of a southern Cheyenne woman who was taken captive by George Armstrong Custer during his attack on Black Kettle’s village on the Washita River in the winter of 1868.
The completion of this important work of historical fiction is very timely. To date, the portrayals of Monahsetah have often been as side-notes in other’s stories, and have fallen victim to unfortunate stereotypes. She was a strong, remarkable woman who lived in one of the most violent and turbulent periods in American history. She was a teenager drawn into a brutal series of events not of her choosing. Yet she persevered, survived, and left a legacy that deserves to be understood and told.
Monahsetah was not the only person swept up the events of that troubled time. To tell her story, A Song for Monahsetah must also tell the stories of her people, and of Custer and his soldiers. Tightly researched over almost a decade, it will not be an easy read, and it will not be for everyone. But its time has come.