How To Drive A Horse

After being slammed last Friday with book request (Thank-you BookChatter) I decided that if I was going to get anything accomplished I was going to have to devise a plan.  So… welcome to Indie Week, where I will explore the wide variety of Indie works I have been emailed and tell you what to scoop up and what to dump.

First up is “Assiniboin Girl” by “Kathi Wallace”

Kathi emailed me a few weeks ago and asked me to check out her novel, and at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it.  I am a very visual person and the 1st thing that threw me off was the cover art.  To me it screamed Clip Art basics and as a result my expectations for the novel were instantly dwindled. Now, before you start in on the whole “Never Judge A Book By It’s Cover” spiel, let me explain myself.  I think it is VERY important for authors to understand that the visual appearance of their books is one of the MOST important things to consider when finalizing its publication.  For anyone who spends time walking through book stores, perusing their local library, or even surfing the Amazon wave, you know that the 1st thing to draw a readers attention is the look of the binding. If said binding (cover) is bland, unoriginal, or just plain sloppy, 9 times out of 10 a readers preconceived notions are going to lead them in the “Bet this has crappy writing” direction.

Now, all of that being said, I did take a chance (more because Kathi was nice than anything else) and I was happy when the novel turned out to be more than just a heritage lesson.

Mary is Sioux, but the ways of her people are foreign to her seeing as how she was raised in NYC and not on the “Rez.” After the death of her parents she is forced to live with her Aunt Janet who is a hate crime investigator for the FBI, but when things start to get heated and fist start to fly, Janet thinks its time to send Mary away…if for no other reason than to keep her alive.  Thrown into a world she doesn’t know, and surrounded by a language she doesn’t understand Mary struggles to understand not only herself but the customs of her people.

“Wallace’s” writing was surprisingly witty, but no amount of charm could keep me from being just a little thrown off.  The narration between 1st person and dream state was in some parts a little jumbled taking away from the flow of the plot,  and while the plot was actually pretty good (I found myself smiling at Mary’s cranky Granny) the book felt like a mad dash to the finish line barely clearing the 150 page mark.  I will give her credit for teaching me the Sioux culture in a charming way, and more than anything… I see loads of potential for future works.

Would I ever consider reading another novel by “Wallace?” Yes… absolutely, because when it is all said and done, the glimmer of greatness that I saw in just a few of her prose left me intrigued.  Isn’t that what it’s all about at the end of the day?

If you can find it… pick it up and give it a try, if nothing else you may learn how to build a sweat lodge.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Independent Authors need love too.

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