Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

Teens

synopsis

Synopsis

A half-wild horse, a Celtic legend, and a teen trying to escape… Regina Hamilton has three months to prove to the courts she can earn a living on her own and avoid going home to her abusive mother—a tall order for a teen with only her riding skills to rely on. Desperate to prove herself, Regina lands a job at an exclusive dressage barn. But when workers start to mysteriously disappear, she becomes ensnared in a web of lies and deceit. With time running out and unsure who to trust, Regina turns to an unlikely trio: an unusual boy who trains hawks, a reclusive professor of Celtic history, and a half-wild red mare. Together they form a bond that will be tested when a long-held secret exposes a much greater threat—and Regina’s the target. To save her horses and her life Regina may have to trust her enemies and betray her friends.

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

Conveying Fear Through Sound

Authors have to use senses to convey emotion. Can certain sounds give you chills like cold water running through your veins? In this short passage which ends with, "The soft but unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked," Regina stands helpless listening on the other end of a phone. Does the escalating sound clues ramp up the reader's fear, anxiety, or anticipation that something awful is going to happen on the other end of the line? The sounds are the only hints. Hints that paint a picture. A picture of potential disaster. Please read the passage and let me know: Did I succeed in making you nervous? Hope so!

Book Excerpt

Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

I stare at the screen. My heart’s hammering against my chest. There are seven more messages. I tap the most recent one, hoping he’ll tell me everything’s okay.

His voice slurs. “It’s Rosie’s fault. She’s trapped. Screaming to be free.” He isn’t making sense. I hear banging in the background, like a door slamming. “I’m freeing her.”

“What are you talking about?” I yell into the phone, knowing he’s not there.

Another noise like a lock clicked open. He curses softly at the sound of something dropping like a million coins hitting the hardwood floor. A dog barks, probably Buck. I’m trying to picture what’s going on while I stare at Tucker. I need to call him back, but his voice rattles on. “Hawks are messengers of death, sent from the other world. The Celts knew it. Now I know. I’ll free her, so she’ll free Declan.” The next sound sends a wave of bile from my empty stomach burning up my throat. The soft but unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

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L R Trovillion

Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Conveying Fear Through Sound

Book Excerpt

Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

Comment on this Bubble