Six Questions with Kate Rietema

Kate Rietema is the author of Cheetahs Return to India: The True Story of Aasha and Pavan (Tilbury House, 2025), When God Makes Scribbles Beautiful (B&H Kids, 2024) and All the Babies: A First Book About Adoption (B&H Kids, 2024). She has nearly 100 published stories, poems, and articles in magazines like Highlights, Cricket Media, Clubhouse Jr., The School Magazine, and many more. Aside from writing, Kate is a nature enthusiast, registered nurse, amateur potter, and mother of five extra fun girls. She lives in a happy red house in Michigan.

 Website: www.katerietema.com

Instagram: @KateRietema

Twitter: @KateRietema

Facebook: Kate Rietema – Children’s Author

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/katerietema 

1. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Of course! I have three more picture books releasing in the next two years, so I’m at various editorial stages with each of those. My agent and I have one manuscript out on submission, two manuscripts that are close to submission ready, a couple that I might need to retire, and a few in the can’t-stop-thinking-about-it idea phase. In addition to picture books, I love writing for magazines. These shorter projects are a great way to keep my mind active when I have smaller windows of time for writing.

2. Once you’ve created a first draft, what’s your next step? Critique group? Check in with your agent? Tuck it away to let it age?

My typical process looks something like this:

·       Write a first draft

·       Revise

·       Set it aside

·       Revise again

·       Send it to my two critique groups

·       Compare notes and revise

·       Set it aside

·       Revise again

·       Send it out for a professional, paid critique

·       Revise

·       Send to my agent

3. How many revisions did this manuscript go through before it became the story we can now read it?

I have about twenty versions of this manuscript saved on my computer over the span of 18 months. Some of them were small revisions, and some were pretty major. My first draft was only 190 words, and my final manuscript is 520 words (excluding backmatter).

4. Where did you get the idea for this new book? What was your inspiration?

My brother lives in Namibia—an African country known as the cheetah capital of the world. A few years ago, he posted a news article on social media about plans to reintroduce cheetahs from Africa back into India. I knew this would be groundbreaking work and I had to know more!

5. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book?

This story was tricky because my research and writing was happening in close succession to the actual events. In fact, my agent submitted this manuscript to Tilbury House before Aasha had her cubs—so it wasn’t until after the book was acquired that I added the spread about her litter. Then, after final edits were complete, I learned the sad news of Pavan’s death. Although we couldn’t add his death into the story, we included the event in a timeline as backmatter. It was also challenging that the story took place in other countries. In particular, I struggled with a language barrier while connecting with primary sources in India. However, I was fortunate enough to travel to Africa for research and to observe cheetahs in the wild.

6. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?

Last fall, I visited the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. While there, I had dinner with the head cheetah keeper, Lea Petersen, and I asked her what she wanted readers to know. Lea said, “Even if our work is really tough, and even if we don’t get the results we hoped for, we still need to try.” Reintroducing cheetahs into a country where they’ve been regionally extinct for 70 years is an enormously bold move. Even now, there is no guarantee this plan will work, but there are conservationists who have dedicated their lives to saving cheetahs—and they’re not afraid try. Like Lea, I want kids to feel inspired to try new things—even if it’s hard, and even if it might not work.