I am especially pleased with Voice of Freedom: a Story about Frederick Douglass. It is my fifth Carolrhoda Creative Minds series biography.

When Jill Braithwaite, my editor, first suggested the idea, I wasn’t entirely enthusiastic. Now I’m glad I listened to her advice. I had a fabulous time researching the book.

Frederick wrote three autobiographies and two of them are on audiotape. So I could literally hear his voice in his writing—not his actual voice, of course. But I think hearing his words on tape helped me translate his feelings onto the pages of my book. He was a powerful speaker, and his strength came through his written words. Frederick must have been a very determined person to run from slavery as he did. I cannot imagine the courage it took, knowing he might be captured and killed at any time.

Also, my editors at Carolrhoda have always been good at encouraging me to weave information about the time period into the story. Sometimes I get carried away with the history part and they have to rein me in. At any rate, readers of Voice of Freedom will learn about slave conditions in the early 1800s and about the Underground Railroad.

Plus, I am so happy with the illustrations. Jeni Reeves did a great deal of research and it shows in her work.