I Want to Die in My Boots

In 1920’s Saskatchewan, Belle Jane is a homesteader, a teacher and a mother. She’s also the head of one of Canada’s largest gangs of horse and cattle thieves.

From the twists and turns of Belle Jane’s wild youth emerges a charming and tenacious woman whose force of character leads her to brilliantly break taboos, take the name of five husbands and resist the tragic fate of her great hero, the outlaw queen Belle Starr.

Dark and daring, meticulously researched and mostly true, I Want to Die in My Boots is a lyrical, earthy tribute to an unsung heroine of the west.

 

Advance praise for I Want to Die in My Boots

“The gritty star of Belle Jane’s reimagined life bristles with the harshness of survival—as a horse thief, as a woman. It’s a story recounted in a poet’s lyrical language, in a galloping rush like horse’s hooves.” —DEE HOBSPAWN SMITH, Danceland Diary

“Across grasslands and hills, gulches and creek bottoms, Appleton’s soul-filled landscapes cloak the grit of a dark and daring plot.” —ANNE LAZURKO, What is Written on the Tongue

“Natalie Appleton demonstrates her ample talent as a writer as well as her scrupulousness as a researcher…an exciting new talent on the Western Canadian writing scene.” —SHARON BUTALA, Leaving Wisdom

"A lively, intricate, and passionate portrait of an unknown historical figure and her wild times--and such a good read!" —ALIX HAWLEY, My Name is a Knife