Inuvik (Feb 28/05) - Crawl into that comfy armchair and relax, there's another soon-to-be Northern classic awaiting your attention.

Three years after the release of his ill-fated yet well-reviewed first book, Porcupines and China Dolls, self-taught writer Robert Arthur Alexie has offered fans his second novel, a tale partially set in the wilds of the Mackenzie-Delta.

Inuvik author Robert Arthur Alexie autographs a copy of his newly released second novel, The Pale Indian, now available at Amazon.com, Indigo or Chapters. - Chris Hunsley/NNSL photo

The Pale Indian, released by Penguin Canada this month, is distinctly different from that angry and honest account, interspersed with satire and humour, of the experience of Gwich'in children in a residential school, said Alexie.

"This is a love story. A love story with a secret," he said of the novel based on a small town and the secrets that it carries.

"There are also much more graphic sex scenes," he said laughing. The Inuvik resident, originally from Fort McPherson where he served as chief of the Tetl'it Gwich'in band in the 1990s, hopes this will not be the only dissimilarity of his novels.

Porcupines and China dolls was widely acclaimed and drew international interest, he said. But only two weeks after its release, it was sidelined by the bankruptcy of its publishing house, Stoddart Publishing in Toronto.

"There was nothing I could have done about it, it was just another stumbling block," Alexie said.

Wants to be full-time

This book, however, and the re-release of Porcupines and China Dolls by Penguin later this year, could help attain his dream of being a full-time writer and secure his place among the top ranks of Canadian novelists.

"I'm hoping for the Governor General's (Award), I'm hoping for the Giller (Award). I'm hoping for everything every author ever wanted," he said.

It was on the advice of a friend that Alexie decided to begin work on his first book in 1996, shortly after he completed his second term as vice-president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, where he is currently executive director.

"I thought it should be done in a month," he said laughing of the epic experience that would take him five years to complete.

He would write, then leave it alone and continuously go back and forth, he said.

It wasn't until the summer of 1999 that he completed the bulk of the work, leaving him with a manuscript that would be cut by more than half by the time publishers would bind the copy in 2002.

"It was a good learning experience for this one," he said. "I felt I had to tell the story of every character. I tried to tell their entire history, but with this book I learned to focus on the two or three main characters and stick with that."

Reviewers are expected to begin printing their opinions of his work, but so far he's only had one comment on The Pale Indian.