On August 3, 1990, President George W. Bush declared November as National American Indian Heritage Month. This is, indeed, a busy month for me. I tend to have several dates lined up for book signings, and am in and out of schools. Most of them pick the month of November to have me come in as it is a curriculum requirement to teach one week of Native studies...or so I've been told.

As much as I love my culture, I wasn't born into it. My mother was an Irish-catholic girl from Minneapolis, Minnesota. My father is Ojibwa, but died right after I turned a year old. I grew up not knowing my Ojibwa roots, and it wasn't until I re-discovered my father's side of the family in 1986 that I ever got the chance to stand next to family members who looked just like me.

It's been an adventure ever since to discover my Native American heritage. And what I've discovered, I gladly share with others. Being Native American affects every part of my life, how I think and feel, and sometimes even what I eat!

All this culture seeps into my writing. It's the backbone of every book that flows from my mind to the page. So if you pick up a book by Kim Sigafus, it's sure to have some Native culture in there. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's who I am.