Maggie Blackbird

Now that I finally have a connection faster than dial-up, I thought I’d start something new for my blog–Author Alert.  Every time you see the alert badge to the right, it means I’ve come across an author I’ve discovered and wish to share with the world.  My hope?  To introduce you to the writer who drew me into her/his imaginary world and turned words into reality as I devoured page after page until sadly seeing “the end.”

The first alert is for Vella Munn, a writer of historical and contemporary romance.  I found her by accident after searching and searching for Native American/First Nations historical romances with an indigenous heroine in the lead.  I was fortunate to hit pay dirt with Vella Munn’s Soul Survivors and Soul Searchers series.  Yes, I’m quite unorthodox when it comes to hunting down books because I scour the ‘Net until I find what I want.  My approach may be “needle in haystack,” but I locate that needle each and every time.

Anyhoo, I finished Ms. Munn’s Soul Searchers series and can’t stress enough the flow of her prose, the life she breathes into characters, and the realism of the indigenous people she crafts.  Her research is bang on, and she sprinkles this knowledge throughout the novel to capture the time, essence, and setting.  Books in the Soul Searchers are:  Soul of the Scared Earth (Hopi/Navajo), Blackfeet Season (Blackfoot/Cree), Cheyenne Summer, and Daughter of the Forest (Tillamook).

I’d have to vote Blackfeet Season as my favourite.  The book starred two heroes and two heroines.  The setting was before the Europeans boated over; I found this a bonus to see the characters in their natural environment when only the indigenous people roamed the continent.  Each hero and heroines was uniquely crafted.  The biggest tension was the two enemies bent on vengeance–Blackfeet against Cree.  One of the heroines is Cree and captured by a Blackfoot warrior.  I won’t give away what happens but the battle had me on the edge of my seat.

Vella’s books can be found at the usual buying places, such as Kobo, Amazon, etc.  If you love historical romance about the First People of North America, be sure to check out her novels.