False Gods: The Show Jumper's Challenge

Teens

synopsis

Synopsis

Cory Iverson's junior year is off to a lousy start. Publicly humiliated by the school's hottest guy and terrorized by a bullying band director, Cory flees sports try-outs and just about everything else she begins, earning a reputation as a loser as well as a quitter. But when her wandering dog leads her to the barn of a former Grand Prix rider, she finds a welcome refuge in the familiar world of horses. It's not too long before she starts dreaming of showing in one of the country's most prestigious shows--a totally unrealistic hope--until she rescues a mysterious horse with some unusual talents. But her road to success is littered with roadblocks as events spin out of control: prescription painkillers appear in her mother's purse; her ballerina sister wastes away before her eyes; her boyfriend is keeping secrets; and her normally opinionated trainer becomes strangely evasive. Worst of all, the horse show world is not what she imagined. It isn't long before Cory's winning spree attracts the attention of a brutal trainer with a string of unexplained horse deaths in her wake. When Cory lands in the crosshairs, she has to decide if she'll once again back down and flee or stand up for herself, her horse, and her dreams.

bio

Author Biography

Inspired by everyday miracles, L.R. Trovillion weaves magical stories of hurting people who find hope through horses in her Maryland Equestrian Novel series. Although she earned a degree in Russian and spent a career in government service, her real love has been caring for and working with horses. That love shines through in her series, focusing on the healing power of horses in the lives of teens facing complex and sometimes dangerous family situations. Believing there is more to this world than meets the eye, she adds a dash of the supernatural to each story. L. R. Trovillion lives on a small horse farm in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and several animals that really run the place. Her other works have appeared in Baltimore magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and various poetry anthologies.

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Author Insight

Accused of Being a Quitter

I quoted MacArthur who said "Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul," in my novel, but you have to read the story to understand the context of quitting. Is it giving up on yourself, or is it changing course for your own good? Outsiders seeing what they want. Someone "quitting" because of fear or lack of confidence, letting others down. I was recently accused by a reader in a review of being a quitter because I hadn't finished this series. What she doesn't know is that I have written two other books and am working hard to land book contracts for both. Much discussion and speculation has brewed over gymnast Simone Biles stepping down. No one can see into her soul and know what she's dealing with. She's not a quitter, she's simply chosen a new path.

Book Excerpt

False Gods: The Show Jumper's Challenge

I saw people chase after things they thought they wanted, but getting closer to their goals did not make them any happier. I watched my sister pursue a dream to dance that landed her in the hospital. My mother abandoned her talents while chasing a romantic ideal that didn’t exist. And I lost myself as I idealized other people, thinking they were all cooler, smarter, stronger—well, better—than me. Then I became a quitter. I had always figured it was better not to try at all than to be disappointed with not getting something you really wanted, worked for, or desired. The person I was gradually eroded away and was replaced by The Quitter. And what Douglas MacArthur said was true: “Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.”

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L R Trovillion

False Gods: The Show Jumper's Challenge

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Accused of Being a Quitter

Book Excerpt

False Gods: The Show Jumper's Challenge

Comment on this Bubble