WIND FOLLOWER by Carole McDonnell

I was glad when Carole McDonnell contacted me about her debut because it just looks so delightful. She has written WIND FOLLOWER (Canada) a multi-ethnic Christian fantasy. It is published by Juno Books, an imprint of Wildside Press. I will be posting more on Juno books in the next few days. Here is the blurb:

A fourth tribe has come to the land of the three tribes; the light-skinned newcomers are fated to change the tribes' way of life and religion. Satha, a dark-skinned woman from a poor Theseni clan, and Loic, her wealthy young Doreni husband, are too busy forging their new life together to pay much heed. But when Satha is dishonored and Loic must avenge her, they find themselves drawn into a cultural battle. Kidnapped and enslaved, Satha strives to retain her autonomy. Loic struggles against the Arkhai, spirits who fear his his quest will lead him to the true god whose place they have usurped. With the Creator's aid there remains hope they will be reunited and find their mutual destiny, even if it means losing the love and respect of their comrades, families, clans, and tribes.

Yes, I realize that I don't put cover art up for these announcements. However, I loved the art and could not resist.

Although the author calls it a Christian fantasy, it does not seem to take place in our world. Lots of fantasies on other worlds have Christian elements buried in the plot, both well-disguised and thinly veiled. Acacia is a recent example, but J. V. Jones's The Book of Words has a religion that appears to be based on Catholicism, and so does Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages. However, none of these overtly calls themselves a Christian fantasy. I am curious to see how Carole McDonnell handles this.

The author maintains a blog or three (thanks for the links, Carole!), plus a MySpace account. If you visit her website, be sure to scroll down; it looks like it ends, but it does not. There's an interview at Blogcritic's Magazine, a review at The Long and Short of It. You can read an excerpt here. I already read a longer excerpt (courtesy of Carole) and I'll be posting on it in a few days.

Update!
There is now a rather error-ridden review on WIND FOLLOWER in Publishers Weekly. Scroll almost all the way down. Also, during an email conversation with the author, she tells me that Juno does not accept overtly Christian fantasy, so if you've ever read Christian fantasy, this novel will not be typical of the genre. She also has a book trailer at YouTube.