I am excited to tell you that author Alan Jordan has featured Mists of Darkness on his site: Launch Party. I appreciate his kind words! Here is just a part of it:
"In the near future, we will be interviewing the author, and you'll be able to hear that interview by returning to this page. Here's a brief summary of the plot, but be aware, the plot is not the important thing here, it's the writing that you'll enjoy:..."
Mr. Jordan his since interviewed me twice, once about Mists of Darkness (that will be coming out in print before the holidays!) and once about life as a writer...writing/publishing/marketing. If you are interested in writing, whether about horses or fantasy, or whatever, you might find the second interview particularly informative.
Enjoy the beautiful book trailer made for Behind the Mist. If you are looking for a fun book to read for yourself or to give as a gift, get Behind the Mist. It is the first book of the Mist trilogy. The second book, Mists of Darkness will be out soon.
All copies of Behind the Mist that are ordered from the website will be autographed!
This is not my typical post but it was too funny to pass up!
All of you know about those chain letters. The only one I ever tried was a children's book letter. Send a child's book to the top name on the list and within a few weeks you should receive 36 children's books. Well, I sent the book and got the grand total of ZERO books back. So, I wrote off chain letters... until this one!
Dear _________________ (Fill-in the Blank,)
Are you experiencing too many reserves and lower-place finishes due to inferior performance by your horse?
Does he forget his own name in the arena?
Well, this simple chain letter is meant to bring relief and happiness to you.
Unlike most chain letters, it doesn't cost money. Simply send a copy to six other horse owners who are dissatisfied with the way their horses are working and showing.
Next, bundle up your horse and send him/her to the horse owner at the top of this list, and add your name to the bottom of the list. Do not use a return address or the postal service may try to contact you.
In one week, you will receive 16,436 horses, and one of them should be a real dandy. Have faith in this letter. Do not break the chain. One owner broke the chain and got her own horse back!
Isn't that a hoot?! That is your laugh for the day.
Sometimes surprises happen...even in the world of big-time horse racing. When they happen there, a few brave souls actually make a lot of money! The winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby was one of those profitable surprises.
No one expected the beautiful dapple-gray thoroughbred, Giacomo to win that day. Mastis, one of the star unicorns of Behind the Mist and Mists of Darkness is a dapple-gray. That is my favorite color although I don't buy a horse for color. Anyway, his sire, Harry Bull failed to live up to his reputation in the 1994 Derby and came in 12th instead of the expected winner's circle appearance. Not only that, but the same jockey rode both father and son! So, of course everyone was thinking "like father, like son." But, surprise, surprise. The son vindicated the father and zoomed across the finish line first! It was also the first win for jockey Mike Smith after 12 Derby tries.
Don't you love it when the underdog wins!
I found an interesting fact on www.horse-races.net. They said on that site that "Giacomo is owned and was bred by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss. They live in Los Angeles and have been active in Thoroughbred racing and breeding for many years. Moss is the co-founder of A & M racords along with partner Herb Alpert of the Tijuana Brass. They sold A & M to Polygram in 1990 but Moss remains active in the music business today. This is shown by the fact that Giacomo is named after recording artist Sting's 9-year-old son." He is now at stud and loves to show off for his many visitors. He loves people and they love him! And he loves red peppermints as do my horses!
Share the story of your noble and great horse. Write to me at: mjevansbtm@gmail.com
Go to the Behind the Mist Facebook page and "like" it.
The Print version of Mists of Darkness will be out soon!
Above, you will see the fantastic show jumping of team Canadian Ian Miller on Star Power. Of course, you will not be surprised to learn that the equestrian events are my favorite Olympic sports and I was only able to see a little. I get tired of the track and swimming events, sorry. I want to share with you some information on the Olympian who has been in the most Olympics...Ian Miller, the 65 year old rider from Ontario, Canada. Ian has been an Olympic competitor for 40 years. The only Olympics he has missed was in 1980 when the Canadians and many other western countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics for political reasons. In Canada, Miller is known as "Captain Canada." He is a national sports hero. He has won the jumping world's World Cup twice but only one Olympic Medal...that was in China where he rode a clean round with a broken hand and still came home with a silver!
Speaking of broken hands. Did any of you read that stupid article by the woman who calls herself a journalist. She argued that Roller Derby should be in the Olympics but Dressage should not. She claimed that the most you could get hurt in Dressage was to break a fingernail. She continued to show her ignorance when she wrote that she didn't know much about Dressage, only that you have to jump over "little puddles without getting a foot wet and jump over little fences without knocking down a board." Well, she said one thing right...she doesn't know much about dressage...I would venture to say that she knows NOTHING about Dressage or any other equestrian sport for that matter!
Enough of my ranting. Back to Ian Miller. When Ian Miller competed in the Olympics this year, he did so as one of the oldest Olympians. As I mentioned before, he is 65 years old...and he isn't quiting yet. He still has his eyes set on Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He says he just keeps getting better. The key will be how his horse, Star Power, is doing. I want to nominate Ian Miller to become a Unicorn Rider. He certainly deserves the title. He is an inspiration to all of us and proof that Equestrian sports are a life-long sport.
Once the Olympics are over, read
Behind the Mist and Mists of Darkness.
If you love horses and fantasy, you will love the first two books of The Mist Trilogy.
I, like most equestrians, always figured if the horse loses a leg, the owner loses a horse. While that is true 99.999999999999999999999999% of the time, there is a pony who beat the odds.
Molly was a victim of Hurricane Katrina. She was rescued by Kay Harris. That should have been a happy ending but, alas, Kaye also rescued a pit bull who attacked the pony and mauled her off-front leg. The vets at LSU amputated the leg and fixed her up with a prothesus. Now, this precious pony brings hope to children who have also lost a limb. Watch the news story below.
OTHER NEWS:
Neville the Devil (see the post on June 25, 2012) made it on the Olympic Team. I seem to be focusing on horses (and, therefore people,) who overcome the odds. Most of us are struggling right now. Let us look to our animal friends for good examples of rising above and reaching our potential!
My beautiful state is on fire! Between the damage to the trees from the pine beetles and the dry winter and spring, we have fires buring all over our beautiful mountains. Most, but sadly not all were started by lightening. I am including a notification I received from the US Equestrian Federation about a fund they have started to help take care of the hundreds of horses that are now without homes.
USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund
From the USEF Communications Department
Lexington, KY - Fires blazing across the Colorado landscape have together burned more than 100,000 acres in the past few weeks. The Waldo Canyon and High Park fires near Colorado Springs and Fort Collins respectively have ravaged the natural beauty of the area, destroyed nearby homes, and left many displaced people wondering what to do next. For horse owners that uncertainty is even greater. Hundreds of horses have already been displaced and, while local Horse Parks, Fairgrounds, and Equestrian Centers have graciously opened up to evacuated horses, the cost of caring for those horses magnifies the stresses of an already trying time. Efforts to help are already underway but outside assistance is badly needed.
With the support of CEO John Long, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) asks that equestrians, equestrian fans, and all people who share a love for horses make a donation to the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund. Cooler weather and calmer winds are helping firefighters in Colorado contain the blazes, but the cost of relocating, feeding, and caring for horses is a burden that local residents and humane societies will carry long after the fires have ceased to burn. With luck, many horses will be returning home soon, but some will have no home left to return to. With your help we can ensure that all affected horses are well cared for and help Colorado's devastated communities re-build.
