February 2026
Cover Art Coming soon!
Spider web in wilderness. Photo
by Annie Spratt Hobbyist photographer.
It is still a mystery to me, but I wait with excited anticipation.
I don’t think my publisher (At Bay Press) will be using the red roses because the book talks about the Wild Rose, which is sometimes called the Prairie Rose (pink or fuchsia coloured). Either way, it is a flower with thorns. The current rose is a placeholder. I did send some image ideas, and a few that reminded me of Clarence Westcoup’s style (an Indigenous artist from Western Canada). I gave my publisher lots of ideas, so we will see what they do.
With that said, I’ve reduced the appendices from around 200 to under 100, but did not reduce the 500 endnotes; for the editor &/or book designer, these details can be daunting, but it does show extensive research. This is like looking at a beautiful yet complicated and silky spider web.
Continue reading of find out why the spider web image is here.
My attentive and conscientious publisher, with their dedicated team, is working hard on the final and intricate copy. Using their spidey senses, they are proofreading edits as we speak. I expect their innovative artistic talents and imagination will result in a unique book design.
My publisher has pushed the publication date to February, which is only 3 months away, to ensure the finished book is extraordinary. The team needs to carefully navigate my alluring spider web of information (appendices and endnotes).
The reason I went to such lengths with secondary research is to cut off the deniers or racists before they can get started. Mary and her Metis Grandma is composed of my personal experiences, my Grandma’s memoirs, historical events and facts. All of which I backed up with secondary research, hence all those 500 endnotes. While this is an engaging auto and historical fiction novel, it is a good resource for encouraging young adults and some of us old fogies, to do our own research.
I thank each and every one of you for your much-appreciated patience.
I am excited to soon be sharing the cover art. Heads up — I’m sure the cover is not a web. I liked the photo of the spider web for the analogy of the situation.
ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/
I am Indigenous Cree/Metis. Main accomplishments:
1) Mary and her Metis Grandma: a coming-of-age story. Based on true stories, this is a gripping work of auto-fiction / biography and memoir that results in historical accountability.
Filled with wisdom, grit and honesty, this is the journey of a Métis teenager overcoming personal grief, family traumas, witnessing the pain of others, and experiencing the healing power of a Grandma’s love.
Instead of succumbing to self-pity, Mary rises above her presumed narrative with courage and love as her Grandma takes Mary under her wing to guide her into the mature woman she will become.
and
2) Moon Water: a documentary about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Moon Water was distributed primarily to educational institutions throughout N. America.
My childhood was spent in Jasper, Alberta, surrounded by nature. My amazing mother encouraged me to write stories and paint or draw pictures for her; she was my first teacher.
https://ritajasperart.com/
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