Dream of the White Stallion
by Julia Oliver
Publisher: Page Publishing
Kathryn Alexander, writing in her personal journal, describes her coming of age while dealing with childhood bullies and a dying mother. She is a shy teenager living in 18th century England, the era when Thoroughbred racing and breeding became the rage among the aristocracy. She has always loved horses, and even though her Irish father is an exceptional, but nontraditional, equine trainer and healer, her humble working-class family could never afford one of the beautiful animals. Although a commoner herself, Kathryn secretly loves William Stanley, the handsome young viscount who shares her passion and affinity for horses. Kathryn and her father save a crippled, young foal and raise it only to have the filly stolen the night her father is killed. This horrific event spirals Kathryn into a nightmare of desperate destitution, destructive choices, and eventually a spiritual journey that will change her life forever. Will she solve the mystery of her father’s murder, find forgiveness for her crushing guilt, and overcome the class differences that separate her from the man she loves?
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“The massive stallion, silvery in the moonlight, was rending the air with his screams. From my vantage lying helpless on the ground beneath him, it appeared as if he was trying to claw a hole in the sky, his front legs thrashing above me. Any moment now he was going to return those hooves to the earth, most likely crushing my skull. I shrieked and tried to roll out from under the giant, white beast. I could feel the ground shake below as his feet pounded back to earth- had he missed me by inches? I kept rolling as I heard another blast from his nostrils, and then he was rearing again. I had the sensation of several men struggling and shuffling around me, hauling on ropes, shouting, and trying in vain to control the colossal energy of the maddened animal. I could smell their rank sweat and my own fear. But none of their faces or voices seemed clear. My only focus was on the piercing scream of the stallion and avoiding those stomping, flailing hooves.”
About The Author
Julia Oliver, like her heroine, has also loved horses from an early age. With her veterinarian husband, they have raised and trained jumpers, eventers, and carriage animals ever since their marriage in 1970. In her younger years, Julia was a high school teacher, but in the last decade has dedicated her life to Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center where she provides riding lessons to children with disabilities and also directs equine psycho-therapy for adult clients from a residential addictions program. Julia has previously written two non-fiction books that have gained wide acceptance in her field of therapeutic riding and carriage driving. She and her husband have lived on their Meadowstone farm for 43 years and are active members and teachers in their non-denominational church.
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Then I went in to confess.
