Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
Please help me welcome Anita Daher! She’s stopping by for an interview as part of her blog tour for WONDER HORSE. Learn more about it below, check out her Q & A, and then be sure to enter the giveaway!
Wonder Horse by Anita Daher
Publication Date: May 8, 2015 | Publisher: Rebelight Publishing
Fitting into a new school in a new city isn’t easy, but dreams come true for Sera with a gift from her parents: a gorgeous and spirited American Paint horse. Sera’s bubble bursts when a mean girl, Brittany, tells her that neither she nor her less than well-trained horse belong with the rest of the “reiners” in their riding class. As Sera sets out to prove Brittany wrong, she risks losing her passion for training and the friendship of Dev, another girl who truly understands her.
An earlier version of this story was originally published by Stabenfeldt (Stavanger, Norway) in 2011 as Wager the Wonder Horse and distributed in six languages: Norwegian, Hungarian, Czech, German, Finnish and Swedish.
Q & A with Anita Daher
In the length of a tweet (140 characters), tell us about your book.
Thirteen-year-old Sera learn truths about friendship, commitment and fitting-in through her relationship with her “wonder horse,” Wager.
What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve looked up in the name of research – or what do you think the government has flagged you for?
Exsanguination
Are you working on something new? Can you tell us what’s coming next?
Yes! My next novel, A Pinch to Make It True will be published by Capstone in January 2016. It is about 13-year-old Tia, and her younger brother, Tag. Recently placed with a foster family near a Manitoba Icelandic community, Tia has landed her dream job as helper at the Ice Pony Ranch and Animal Rescue Centre. But Tia is haunted by what the question of what happened to their mother, who would never, ever abandon them, no matter what other people think. That is all I will say for now!
What inspired you to want to become a writer?
I’ve always loved stories, but had a very special teacher when I was in grade seven, living in Baker Lake, a small Arctic community in what is now Nunavut. Mr. MacDonald would fire our imaginations by holding up photos, and asking us to imagine a story, showing short films without sound, and asking us to imagine conversations, playing music, and asking us what images came to mind. I began writing, and writing, story after story, well beyond what we were assigned. He read everything I wrote, told me I was good at it, and inspired me to keep at it. And so I did. Not because he told me to, but maybe because he was the right voice, at the right time, one that gave me permission to chase my heart’s biggest dream.
What’s your favorite quote?
I have many! Right now I am thinking of this one from the novel, Fastyngange, written by Tim Wynne-Jones: “If you think you have nothing to learn from a hole, I suggest you have not examined your life closely enough.”
As a kid, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?
Writer/horse-trainer/bus-driver/actor/vet/lawyer
Do you have a hidden talent?
Yes! I can untie any knot. Maybe I should have been an escape artist!
If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
Slow Down!
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?
Apart from looking for an oubliette in an abandoned castle in Wales, I would like to, and plan to, walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago through (primarily) northern Spain. I will walk alone, spend time contemplating life, people, hopes, fears, dreams…all the big questions. I figure six weeks or so is enough time for a good think.
Who or what inspired your last book?
Wonder Horse was inspired by the real life relationship between my daughter, Sara, and her incredible, big-personality American Paint gelding, Wager.
Are you a social butterfly or a wallflower?
Definitely a wallflower. All the better to listen and observe.
What is next on your to read list?
The Truth Commission by Susan Juby
About Anita Daher
Anita Daher has been entrenched in the publishing industry since 1995, and is (thus far) author of fourteen books for children and teens. Aside from short stints as grave-plot seller, tour guide, and children’s party clown, she’s worked in aviation, publishing and broadcasting. When not word wrangling, she enjoys inhabiting characters on stage and screen.
Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Many thanks to Anita for stopping by, and Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours for having as part of the tour! Readers, be sure to follow the WONDER HORSE Blog Tour, and enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter below.
Giveaway
Looks like a great book!
Teen girl, horse, friendship all make for great read.