Arviat (Feb 21/05) - An Arviat-based author has published her first work of fiction, after writing three religious books.

Last year, Norma Budden-Aningat completed a trio of non-fiction Christian books with the release of Crossing the Bridge.

Her self-published trilogy began with 2003's Standing at the Door of Your Heart, which was well received by Kivalliq readers.

Budden-Aningat said the first book she ever wrote was a work of fiction.

The book was never published, but she decided to dust it off and take another look this past year. She polished it up and turned it into an almost completely different story.

"Writing fiction and kids material have always been interests of mine," she said. "I don't want to get caught writing in just one genre and have people thinking I can't write anything else. I didn't want to get trapped like that, so the time was right to release something different for my readers."

With her first fiction effort, Emotional Impact, out of the way, Aningat is now collaborating with a fellow writer in Virginia. The partnership was formed shortly after she noticed a guest book entry onto her Web site this past summer.

"The man (Michael T. Ingram) said he wouldn't mind collaborating on an effort and sent me a few chapters of a book he was working on," she said. "I absolutely loved it and asked if I could edit the book for him."

Ingram took her up on the offer and the two teamed up to finish the book.

The international tandem is now trying to free up the time to work on other projects together.

"There don't seem to be enough hours in the day any more," said Budden-Aningat.

"If the writing ever got me to the point where it was my full-time job, I don't think I'd ever leave the house."