AUTHOR INTERVIEW: KATHI WALLACE

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: KATHI WALLACE

Kathi Wallace, a native of Maryland, has had her first YA novel, Assiniboin Girl published in an e-book format by Drollerie Press.

As she says, "Assiniboin Girl is about a young Sioux girl who knows nothing about her heritage when an unhappy set of circumstances force her to come to terms with who she is and where she comes from. A blend of contemporary mystery, history and a touch of the supernatural make this a hopefully intriguing read."

Assiniboin Girl will be reviewed on Literary Life later this week.

Kathi says that she writes because, “It’s something I can’t imagine not doing. Even when I’m not putting words to paper, I’m constructing worlds and populating them in my head.” She is a member of the speculative fiction writer’s group, Ripcot, and credits them with helping to fine tune her skills. “They are so encouraging and willing–reading over everything from picture books to YA to fantasy,” she says.

Assiniboin Girl is Kathi’s first novel. Her second will be Keeper of Memories and will be released later this year. Other stories of hers can be found in the following magazines: Blade, Blood & Thruster, Alienskin, and Flash Me magazine.


1. Tell us about your background

I've been married 28 years and have five kids and two grandchildren - darlings, all! My day job is as a Technical Specialist, supporting the Navy and in my copious spare time, I write. Writing is something I've done for as long as I can remember, but only in the last five years or so have I begun to seriously pursue it.

2. What's your novel about?

Assiniboin Girl is about a young girl, Mary Two Dogs, who happens to be Sioux. To Mary, race has always been a non-issue. It isn't until she is forced to move to a small town that she has to come to terms with that fact that racism exists and it's not easy to handle. Her aunt, who works for the FBI, decides for Mary's safety to send her to the reservation where her parents grew up. Mary hates it ... at least until she begins to dream of the past.

3. How did you research your novel?

I've always been interested in Native American culture and I had several Sioux friends growing up, so felt I had a fairly good foundation on which to build, but I read, read, read until I felt I had enough historical data to flesh out the details and make them seem real for readers. It was time consuming but so fascinating!

4. Will it ever be released in print?

I'm not sure if Drollerie Press ever plans to release Assiniboin Girl in print. I suppose it's like anything - if demand were great enough, it would probably happen. In the immediate future, it's not in the cards.

5. What's happening next for you? Any plans for a follow up?

I'm not sure Assiniboin Girl will have a follow up - I'd pretty much planned for that to be a stand alone story, but you never know; Mary may start knocking on my mental doors asking to be heard again! For my future, I have a book in print being released in November called Keeper of Memories - it's about a shy, lonely young woman who gets hit by a car and thrust into another world. I have another book under contract to Drollerie called Summer's End about a teenaged boy who gets more than he bargains for when the carnival comes to town and I'm currently working on my fourth novel, Sin Eater, about a young man who is apprenticed to his grandfather as someone who eases people into death by taking their sins onto himself. There's a host of other ideas in my head, it's just a matter of time until they escape onto paper!


Thank you, Kathi!

You can check her blog,
and keep reading for a review of Assiniboin Girl up later this week.