Welcome to our guest author Marianne Curley. Who has taken the time out of her busy book tour to join us for a guest post.
In the Avena Series, Ebony has a special relationship with her horse Shadow. It began when Ebony was two years old and, not knowing who she was, or that she had the ability to heal, unwittingly assisted in Shadow’s birth. The bond grew and the two became as close as any two living beings could.
Ebony and Shadow’s relationship may be a work of fiction, but the special bond a horse can have with its “owner”, though I hate to use that word, is not unusual. A horse can tell when its human caretaker, or special person, is experiencing pain or sorrow, or is in trouble or danger. It will comfort you and listen to you when you off-load your worries by standing still and quietly beside you, and horses show you their ability to feel joy when they nicker excitedly as you approach.
Horses are magnificent creatures that give us enduring pleasure. It doesn’t matter what we look like, how we talk, the colour of our skin, or how able bodied we are, a horse will love us unconditionally. There is nothing more enchanting than to ride with your horse through a meadow, or meander through a forest, or race across an open field with the wind in your face and your imagination taking the reins. And they give us the speed that allows us to feel as if we’re flying.
I’ve always wanted to feel that, but have never had the opportunity to own or even ride a horse. And that is what is so great about a book. You can use your imagination to experience almost anything through a character’s viewpoint.
While I’ve never owned a horse, I have had the pleasure of knowing many pets in my life. My first was a kitten when I was ten. He was a beautiful grey cat with white ‘socks’. I called him Kitten. (Clearly, I was not so creative in my younger days.) Kitten slept on my bed or on my window sill, soaking in the sun, or afternoon shade. We were great mates until he passed away, unfortunately from an illness he picked up from another animal on the farm where we lived at the time. When I was sixteen I bought myself a puppy that I called Ben. Ben grew into a strikingly handsome tri colour collie dog that I loved to bits. He was smart and protective of his family and loved to run. Since I still lived on the farm in those days, it was the perfect place for him.
Some of the other pets I shared my life with over the years included ducks, hamsters, mice, birds that we kept in a large aviary because I couldn’t stand to have a bird in a small cage, and two dogs named Chippa and Missy. They were great mates and passed away of old age at 17 and 15 respectively. Today I have a young dog named Pixie, a Chihuahua cross Pomeranian. When Pixie was a puppy I had to put a cat’s collar on her with two bells so I wouldn’t trip over her around the house. Thankfully, she’s bigger now, but still weighs in at only three and a half kilograms. Pixie gives me companionship and so much more. When writing my books I spend many hours a week isolated from human contact, but I’m not alone. Pixie is great company. I only have to look at her and can’t help but smile at her adorable antics.
Thank you for hosting the third stop on my blog tour for Fearless. It’s been a pleasure.
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