Seven Tears Into the Sea
Phantom Stallion Series
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
My Cheyenne Sweetheart Dreamer
Dear Readers,
Do you remember a tiny wild filly with crooked legs trembling on the brink of death in November 2005?
I do.
She was taken in by Andi at the Last Chance Ranch in Oregon and nursed day and night, tirelessly and expensively through a harsh winter.
Time-travel back to that month by reading my blog archive to see the amazing ups and terrible downs of her recovery, and how my readers rallied together to give this baby a name!
my old blog
Then, look at this beautiful young mare romping in the snow in her Washington home.
CHEYENNE AT HOME
Enjoy!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:17 AM 7 comments
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Urgent!
President Obama's Transition Team is taking suggestions and votes on America's "top ideas". With only 2 days left, YOU can call for a Congressional Investigation of BLM's Administration of the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
A proposal for the investigation has been submitted but it needs to get at least 1,000 votes to move up to the "next round"! The deadline is December 31st. That's tomorrow, and this is one of the most greatest opportunities ever to help our wild horses and burros.
PLEASE DON'T LET THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY SLIP BY!
VOTE NOW ; Here's how:
1. Go to CHANGE.ORG and register yourself, or have your parents register.
It's quick, simple and you will get an email in under a minute (I did!) on which you have to confirm you really do want to sign up.
2. Then, log back into CHANGE.ORG and go to:
http://www.change.org:80/ideas/view/investigate_the_blms_admin_of_wild_horse_and_burro_program
and click on the box in two shades of brown on the left side of the page. When I clicked it, I only made 47, so GO FOR IT!!!!
3. After voting, you may also leave a comment as to why you support this idea.
2 DAYS - 1,000 VOTES
WE CAN DO IT!
(feel free to email this to anyone else -- or post on your MySpace, Facebook, etc)
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:58 AM 1 comments
Reader Review of FARAWAY FILLY
Dear Readers,
I just had to share this enthusiastic review of my latest WILD HORSE ISLAND book!
It made me laugh & smile!
Best,
Terri
------------------------------------------
"I read Faraway Filly!!! And, of course, it's AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!When we went to Barnes & Noble for the second time, I walked into the kid's section and the WHI section, and the I saw Faraway Filly and GRABBED IT!!!! Then I started jumping up and down and squealing and generally acting like a six-year-old. After a few minutes of that I calmed down enough to start actually reading it. On the way back home we went to a chocolate factory and got some chocolates, and I got to read FF while eating the innards out of chocolate cremes...*drools*
Then when we got home I sat down and read some more (no duh) but when I got to an exciting part I started flailing my legs around. Carefully the last few times, because I had nearly knocked over a lamp...and a tissue box...and the chair I was in...and nameless other things..., LOL! I LOVED the part where Patrick ...(SPOILER) ... I didn't recognize the name ...(spoiler) until ...They got him good anyhow!!(muahaha)
I'm SOOO sad that the next book is the last, but I'll read ANYTHING you write, so as long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading!!:D"
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:53 AM 5 comments
Monday, December 29, 2008
Note from the Lead Mare
Dear Readers,
Many of you are fans of the Girls Horse Club website and if you've visited lately, you know that the barn doors are closed.
Never fear, though. I've heard from Lead Mare -- an amazing Internet whiz with those hooves :) -- and she'll have things back up and running again, soon.
Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:54 AM 2 comments
PhantomStallion.com
HI!
If you haven't already placed yourself on my map, I hope you'll do it now!
To the Map!
While you're there, why not cruise around and see all of the readers from countries other than your own, too?
And if you're still waiting to sign up for my newsletter, here's a link that will take you where you can do it! To Sign Up
Best to you,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:57 AM 2 comments
Sunday, December 28, 2008
3 Q & A
Are any of your book characters modeled on real horses or people?
Ace is almost exactly the same as the little bay mustang I rode on the cattle drive which inspired the first PHANTOM STALLION book. Nike was on that cattle drive, too, and so was Buddy the calf,and Pepper the cowboy. In fact, Pepper's real name, PETE slipped past me and the copy editor and made it into one of the books!
Popcorn is a lot like Dyna-might, an albino Quarter Horse I knew when I was a child.
Wyatt is a lot like my Texan grandfather and Brynna is named after Bryan, a BLM wrangler who came up with an idea to keep my fictional Phantom from being branded and adopted.
In several PHANTOM STALLION books, you mentioned something called POGONIP. Is there really such a thing?
Yes! Pogonip is a fog made of ice crystals (instead of water droplets) it is sparkly and beautiful and based on a Shoshone word. Wouldn't Pogonip be a great name for a sassy Appaloosa filly?
In WILD HORSE ISLAND, you have a guide to all of the characters' names, with descriptions. Why don't you put it and one for PHANTOM STALLION on your website?
Hmmmm, I have no good answer for this one ; I've never thought of doing this. So, dear readers, what do you think of the idea?
Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:45 PM 13 comments
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Isn't he a big beauty?
Big Duke: The 6ft 7in Shire horse that keeps getting bigger
He tends to thunder or rumble past rather than canter or trot. Can you imagine trying to saddle this huge horse? Oh, wouldn't he make a magical horse for a medieval knight? I'd love to write this story!!!
Take a look at Duke
Let him stride through your imagination and enjoy!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:53 PM 7 comments
Friday, December 26, 2008
Books (and Zito says HI!)
Greetings Dear Readers,
Let's try something a little different.
If you've received any books for gifts in the last week or two :) please tell the rest of us what they are, k? And tell us how you feel about receiving them -- excited, unsure, dumbfounded -- that sort of thing. I love sharing your love of books, and this is one way I can do it!
Have a wonderful day,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:56 AM 7 comments
Thursday, December 25, 2008
for you
little tree
by E. E. Cummings
little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy
then when you're quite dressed
you'll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they'll stare!
oh but you'll be very proud
and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we'll dance and sing
"Noel Noel"
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:42 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Great Article
Dear Readers,
Here's an excellent article with cool photos of Nevada's wild horses. Click here NEVADA MAGAZINE and if you think you'll ever do a report about mustangs, this is an article to save.
It has up-to-the-minute facts and some great information about the history of the horse. So many people insist that all of the wild horses are descended from tame horses which have gone feral, but check this out:
"According to Jay Kirkpatrick, director of the Science and Conservation Center in Billings, Montana, ancestors of modern horses started evolving in North America about four million years ago. The most recent ancestor to exist on the continent, Equus lambei, went extinct about 12,000 years ago. Kirkpatrick goes on to say DNA analysis shows that this extinct species is the genetic equivalent of the modern horse that was reintroduced into North America in the 1500s by Spanish explorers, and that modern horses, E. caballus, could have evolved nowhere else but North America. Kirkpatrick’s findings point to wild horses deserving consideration as indigenous, not feral—as common belief for more than a century suggests—animals."
Love it!!!
Talk with you soon,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:31 PM 0 comments
Wild Horse Island cyber-trip
Dear Readers,
I had to pass on this chance to have some fun and day dream about wild horses galloping through the sand dunes.
The friends of Assateague's wild horses are having a cool fund-raiser. And though the ebay auction for the right to name two foals is getting pretty expensive, there's no harm in site-seeing here!Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:56 AM 4 comments
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Loco Weed or Just Plain Greed?
Dear Readers,
The BLM is running crazy. When BLM staffers have less than a month to work under the Bush administration, why don't they SHOW A LITTLE BACKBONE?
BLM is rushing to auction off 164,000 acres of open land, much of it in the roadless canyon lands of Utah, before President-elect Obama comes into office.
And, oh yeah, this IS the same BLM which is saying that they don't enough land for horses to roam. And no, they're not swapping oil land for grazing territory. It's being sold to corporations and businesses. No mention of where the money's going.
So, am I going to trust BLM or my own eyes and experiences?
Seems like the same corporations BLM employees were caught socializing with (and I'm not talking about watching TV and eating popcorn; start with cocaine and use your imagination or Google BLM scandal), yes, those same business buddies are lining up to bid before the new president's Secretary of the Interior comes in and mucks out the BLM barn.
Can you sing..."This land is your land, this land is my land..."
But for how long?
Keep your eyes open, amigas!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:10 AM 3 comments
Monday, December 22, 2008
NOT Blaming
Dear Readers,
Sorry about the late notice on the chat. Yesterday WAS the shortest day of the year, but I don't think I can blame my tardiness on that.
How about...we STILL don't have water in our house & running a family without it is tougher than you think. My summer weeks on Shackleford Banks trained me how to use the big plastic jugs with some agility, but I'm longing for Matt the Plumber to work his magic (second try!). Good thing is that he found no cozy wildlife under the house. I wouldn't want him to disturb them, or vice versa!
I have fun doing online chats and I know I'll be doing another one soon.
Fingers crossed I'll get the news to you much earlier!
Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:02 AM 4 comments
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Want to talk?
HI --
In about an hour, I'm chatting at PHANTOM STALLION PARADISE HERE
We'll be starting at 1:00 Pacific Time, today, Sunday.
Hope to see you there!
And here's a message from the site manager:
Phantom Stallion's Paradise presents the I love Phantom Stallion/Wild Horse Island contest! Featuring an very special prize from Terri Farley herself! Terri will be announcing our winner and their prize at PSP's forum ( http://thepsparadise.proboards51.com/index.cgi )
today at 4:00pm EST (3:00pm CST, 2:00pm Mountain, 1:00 PST) If you need help determining what time Terri will be there, email [email protected]
See you in Paradise!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:59 PM 4 comments
Saturday, December 20, 2008
FARAWAY FILLY
Dear Readers,
FARAWAY FILLY should be in your bookstores sometime between today and Tuesday! Keep your eyes open, because my December books usually disappear quickly.
More later,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:00 AM 4 comments
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Five Quick Notes
Dear Readers,
Lots going on around here.
1. I was able to get my chilly hands on three plush Phantom Stallions, so there are three winners. I'm waiting to hear from them, now.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO ENTERED! You sure know your Phantom & Wild Horse Island book covers!
2. Some of you know that I do most of my writing away from home, in the old part of Reno, because I'm not good at resisting playing with my animals, or answering your emails when I'm home. And, I'm in the midst of moving from one office to another by the weekend, so please, if you write to me & don't get a quick answer, that's one more thing in the mix.
3. It snowed, then froze, and all the joys of country living (an old well, old water pipes, blanketing old horses) are in effect.
4. Tomorrow, with luck, I'll tell you how to do some holiday shopping and help the Wild Horse Sanctuary, home of the real Phantom!
5. To my Australian & other readers living in warm climates right now -- ENJOY!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:23 AM 9 comments
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Contest closed (more coming!)
Dear Readers,
The Plush Phantom giveaway contest ended yesterday at midnight. The random drawing from the 300+ of you who gave correct answers will take place today and I'll be writing to ask for your mailing address if you won!
Several of you have asked if the PhantomPhanclub website name is available since it closed. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
Here's one more peek at the plushies before they fly off to new homes!
Best to you,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:44 AM 2 comments
Monday, December 15, 2008
Mustang Madeleine
Dear Readers,
I know lots of you, like me, have great admiration for Madeleine Pickens for her rescue of thousands of wild horses. Want to see her website? Click HERE to visit.
While you're there, why not tell her she's appreciated? :)
Rescue Rocks, too!!!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:21 PM 5 comments
Sunday, December 14, 2008
from Andi at Last Chance Ranch
Dear Readers,
I thought you'd enjoy this note from an Oregon horse rescuer--
Last Friday, I took one of the EMM trainers, Tracey, and her daughter Katie and my neighbor Judy, up on the Steens to see the wild horses. They were about a mile off the road, up on a ridge. We parked and proceeded to walk up the mountain to see how close we could get ...These horses are from the South Steens HMA (Herd Management Area) and are known as the "Hollywood Herd", because they are some of the most photographed wild horses in Oregon. The herd area is around 150,000 acres and there are probably around 300 horses out there. We spotted this herd up on a ridge about a mile from the road. We parked and decided to see how close we could get to them before they ran off and take some photos. There were at least 3 mature stallions in the bunch, which indicates to me it's likely 3 bands hanging out together. We spent probably 45 minutes to an hour amongst them, taking their pictures and watching them. We were the ones to leave first, not the horses.
Visit Andi: HERE!
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:39 AM 6 comments
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Round-Up News
BLM will round up 1,480 wild horses near Battle Mountain, Nevada area next week.
A second round-up is set to gather hundreds more horses near Gerlach, Nevada. Gerlach is the town I modeled Alkali on, and it has Bruno's, a coffee shop much like Clara's.
BLM says that snow will soon cover the forage horses eat, but with the corrals filled, the euthanasia "solution" is sure to be raised, again.
Keep your eyes open, you all!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:48 PM 3 comments
Thursday, December 11, 2008
RSS Feed -- Really Simple for Some !
Dear Readers,
A common theme in my books is: THERE IS NO SAFETY AT THE EDGE OF THE FRONTIER.
Frontiers could be unusal friendships (with a selkie, for instance) or the actual range, or gentling a wild horse. I'd rather try any of those than what I've been doing today.
Lots of you have told me that I should put a RSS feed on my blog, so that you can be notified each time I post one. I didn't know that stood for Really Simple Syndication, or how to apply it. To give you a hint, my first try came out in a different language, Hindi.
So, now I do have an RSS feed on my blog and sometime this weekend or early next week, my website designed the Winged Willa (she's a goddess with angel wings)will install a button to help you with this. If you look up at the top of this page, for instance, you should see a little icon next to the word SUBSCRIBE. The icon looks like, maybe sound coming out of a speaker? Two little curved lines coming diagonally up from a dot in the lower left corner? I know you see it :)
More later as I figure it out!
Happy computing,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:23 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Talk about versatile!
Dear Readers,
Imagine running wild, capture, transport to a prison in Colorado where you meet humans up close, then working as part of America's Border Patrol AND marching in the inauguration parade for the new president!
Who's doing all this? America's mustangs, of course!
If you'd like see some of them on patrol, click this link to go for a ride!
Talk with you soon,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:58 PM 4 comments
Monday, December 08, 2008
WHAT GOOD ARE AMERICA'S WILD HORSES?
Dear Readers,
I've been working on this blog since you sent me comments to address directly to BLM last month. Now I'm sharing it with you. Feel free to post it anyplace. Be aware it's about 500 words long & check to see if the place where you want to post it requires a shorter word count.
It belongs to all of us, so please make sure you include the signature at the end. Hugs, Terri
WHAT GOOD ARE AMERICA's WILD HORSES?
WHO: The federal Bureau of Land Management
WHAT: is considering killing thousands of wild horses
WHEN: about the time fiscal mismanagement comes home to roost
WHERE: across the Western United States
WHY: the Bureau was assigned to protect America’s wild horses in 1978
Thousands of children worldwide have asked me, in letters, emails and in person, to point something out to the government and other adults: killing is not protection.
As the author of "The Phantom Stallion" a series of books about wild horses, I've taken these young readers' requests to heart and tried to sum up their five best reasons that wild horses are good for kids.
1. We identify with mustangs-- We know how it feels to be innocent and free. Though we don't want to give up food, parents and a warm home to be free, we admire them for it.
Wild horses are part of our hearth language. Since humans first sat around campfires telling stories, they've told of wild horses' defiance in the face of capture. Do you want us to forget those stories?
2.Show us that MIGHT doesn't always make RIGHT -- BLM keeps saying it has the right to slaughter wild horses, but it hasn't felt like it yet. But now they might, because of money, and the horses don't deserve it, especially when the federal government, BLM's boss, is giving tons of money to the people who make our parents fight over money every single night.
It is so cool that Madeleine Pickens is rescuing thousands of horses by using her might for right.
3. Wild horses are good for keeping a "home on the range" -- Mustangs eat brush which could otherwise be fuel for wild fires. After eating those plants, wild horses spread the seeds in their poop. Anyone who sees or dreams about a herd of wild horses running free knows learns that not all land should be covered with houses, malls and highways.
4. Where mustang herds have to be smaller, use smart solutions --Don't let BLM bury its "mistakes." BLM knows contraception works on horses. There's a catch and release program for trout, so why not wild horses? Catch them, give them the contraception shot, and then turn them loose. Where the range is damaged by mining and sloppy recreational users, make them clean up their mess, just like we have to do.
5. Teach us that there's a good side to payback -- Horses carried us on explorations. They gave us wings, taking us places we could never have gone on our own two feet. They pulled our plows to help us eat. They fought our wars, running into swords and gunfire just because we asked them to, and we even used their bodies as barricades against our enemies.
When you ask us to be loyal to our families and friends, then tell us not to get emotional when they’re killing horses, remember that.
Sincerely,
Terri Farley on behalf of her readers
BIO: Terri Farley is the author of the PHANTOM STALLION series by HarperCollins, which has sold over a million copies in 27 countries. Phantomstallion.com, TerriFarley.com, [email protected]
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:45 AM 11 comments
FUN for you & the horses
Dear Readers,
I just opened the new issue of the WILD HORSE AND BURRO NEWSLETTER. This newsletter is for anyone who loves equines and is aimed at "helping people help people to help animals."
I hadn't read very far before I knew I had to share something cute with you.
There's an article featuring horse owners' answers to the question, DOES YOUR HORSE OR BURRO PLAY WITH TOYS?
Here's a sample answer:
****I gave my gelding a big rubber ball. He doesn’t seem to play with it on his own. I do go out grab up the ball and play games with him, kind of like soccer. He loves the attention, and gets excited about it. I went out early one morning and I saw him playing with a teddy bear on his own. I think he took it from the dogs, he loved it a lot. Some years ago, we had another gelding who loved to play with empty milk jugs. He would kick them about, grab them up and toss them across his pen, just to keep him entertained. ***
If you'd like to read the entire article or get a FREE subscription, click
HERE.
And if you have a horse buddy with a scraggly mane, you'll want to read about detangling, too.
I may have to try some of those techniques on Whiskey, my mustang pal, since he looks like he's wearing dredlocks.
Have fun,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:09 AM 2 comments
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Tickle Your Imagination
What would you name this mustag foal if you adopted it?
Reading Rocks,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:29 AM 18 comments
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Do you like my Avatar?
HI,
I wanted to cut and paste it here, 'cause I've never had one, but I can't seem to do it. Soooooooooooo if you'd like to see it, check out BN.COM and look at the reviews for FARAWAY FILLY. I didn't really want to put up a rating -- I mean, it's my book and I did the best I could, but still -- but I had to do that to get the CUTE cowgirl avatar!
I'd like to put it on my other books on BN when I'm over there checking out reader reviews (by the way, if you post one on any of my books, PLEASE let me know so that I can go read it!!!), so tell me if you like it!
Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:01 AM 1 comments
Friday, December 05, 2008
Cameo Teaser :)
Dear Readers,
You know how some actors have a cameo role -- small but special -- in TV shows and movies? There's one in FARAWAY FILLY that might make you smile.
Since there are no excerpts from the book online yet, thought you'd like to see this bit :
Darby had only met Sam's stepmother once, but when they got to the Hapuna Airport she immediately recognized the trim woman in a gray-green suit with with her red hair in a tidy French braid as Brynna Forster.
What she didn't expect was her companion.
"Sam!" Darby rushed away from Aunty Cathy and past a security guard.
The Nevada cowgirl laughed as Darby almost knocked her off her feet.
Happy trails,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:06 AM 14 comments
Thursday, December 04, 2008
American herds
Dear Readers,
For great, up-to-date information about wild horses the world over, check out this site.
AMERICAN HERDS
Best,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:10 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Authoring Change: for animals
Dear Readers,
Some of you know that I've been doing booksinging with a theme of "Authoring Change." I try to help humane and literacy causes by doing events that benefit people and animals.
Since most of you couldn't attend last weekends event, thought I'd share a few photos!
The kitten, Midnight, was adopted, but little Randy, the dog, is still looking for a home...hint. :) Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:19 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
You guys filled up my email account!!!
HI
So, AOL is sending back your email entries for my PLUSH PHANTOM because hundreds of you have entered since this afternoon, when the email newsletter dropped into your accounts.
Here's what I'll do: open up the political account for your contest entries, for a limited time, k?
The address is -- [email protected]
You guys rock!!!!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:26 PM 3 comments
Monday, December 01, 2008
Prize Horses
Dear Readers,
These are the two plush horses you can win this month. Details for the contest are in my December newsletter!
I know you wanna cuddle them,
Terri
p.s. Even though the PhantomPhanClub website has closed, these two horses have purple kerchiefs showing that site. Winners can replace them with something you like better, or start your own PhantomPhanClub!
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:36 AM 6 comments
My Cheyenne Sweetheart Dreamer
Dear Readers,
Do you remember a tiny wild filly with crooked legs trembling on the brink of death in November 2005?
I do.
She was taken in by Andi at the Last Chance Ranch in Oregon and nursed day and night, tirelessly and expensively through a harsh winter.
Time-travel back to that month by reading my blog archive to see the amazing ups and terrible downs of her recovery, and how my readers rallied together to give this baby a name!
my old blog
Then, look at this beautiful young mare romping in the snow in her Washington home.
CHEYENNE AT HOME
Enjoy!
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:17 AM 7 comments
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Urgent!
President Obama's Transition Team is taking suggestions and votes on America's "top ideas". With only 2 days left, YOU can call for a Congressional Investigation of BLM's Administration of the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
A proposal for the investigation has been submitted but it needs to get at least 1,000 votes to move up to the "next round"! The deadline is December 31st. That's tomorrow, and this is one of the most greatest opportunities ever to help our wild horses and burros.
PLEASE DON'T LET THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY SLIP BY!
VOTE NOW ; Here's how:
1. Go to CHANGE.ORG and register yourself, or have your parents register.
It's quick, simple and you will get an email in under a minute (I did!) on which you have to confirm you really do want to sign up.
2. Then, log back into CHANGE.ORG and go to:
http://www.change.org:80/ideas/view/investigate_the_blms_admin_of_wild_horse_and_burro_program
and click on the box in two shades of brown on the left side of the page. When I clicked it, I only made 47, so GO FOR IT!!!!
3. After voting, you may also leave a comment as to why you support this idea.
2 DAYS - 1,000 VOTES
WE CAN DO IT!
(feel free to email this to anyone else -- or post on your MySpace, Facebook, etc)
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:58 AM 1 comments
Reader Review of FARAWAY FILLY
Dear Readers,
I just had to share this enthusiastic review of my latest WILD HORSE ISLAND book!
It made me laugh & smile!
Best,
Terri
------------------------------------------
"I read Faraway Filly!!! And, of course, it's AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!When we went to Barnes & Noble for the second time, I walked into the kid's section and the WHI section, and the I saw Faraway Filly and GRABBED IT!!!! Then I started jumping up and down and squealing and generally acting like a six-year-old. After a few minutes of that I calmed down enough to start actually reading it. On the way back home we went to a chocolate factory and got some chocolates, and I got to read FF while eating the innards out of chocolate cremes...*drools*
Then when we got home I sat down and read some more (no duh) but when I got to an exciting part I started flailing my legs around. Carefully the last few times, because I had nearly knocked over a lamp...and a tissue box...and the chair I was in...and nameless other things..., LOL! I LOVED the part where Patrick ...(SPOILER) ... I didn't recognize the name ...(spoiler) until ...They got him good anyhow!!(muahaha)
I'm SOOO sad that the next book is the last, but I'll read ANYTHING you write, so as long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading!!:D"
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:53 AM 5 comments
Monday, December 29, 2008
Note from the Lead Mare
Dear Readers,
Many of you are fans of the Girls Horse Club website and if you've visited lately, you know that the barn doors are closed.
Never fear, though. I've heard from Lead Mare -- an amazing Internet whiz with those hooves :) -- and she'll have things back up and running again, soon.
Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:54 AM 2 comments
PhantomStallion.com
HI!
If you haven't already placed yourself on my map, I hope you'll do it now!
To the Map!
While you're there, why not cruise around and see all of the readers from countries other than your own, too?
And if you're still waiting to sign up for my newsletter, here's a link that will take you where you can do it! To Sign Up
Best to you,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 2:57 AM 2 comments
Sunday, December 28, 2008
3 Q & A
Are any of your book characters modeled on real horses or people?
Ace is almost exactly the same as the little bay mustang I rode on the cattle drive which inspired the first PHANTOM STALLION book. Nike was on that cattle drive, too, and so was Buddy the calf,and Pepper the cowboy. In fact, Pepper's real name, PETE slipped past me and the copy editor and made it into one of the books!
Popcorn is a lot like Dyna-might, an albino Quarter Horse I knew when I was a child.
Wyatt is a lot like my Texan grandfather and Brynna is named after Bryan, a BLM wrangler who came up with an idea to keep my fictional Phantom from being branded and adopted.
In several PHANTOM STALLION books, you mentioned something called POGONIP. Is there really such a thing?
Yes! Pogonip is a fog made of ice crystals (instead of water droplets) it is sparkly and beautiful and based on a Shoshone word. Wouldn't Pogonip be a great name for a sassy Appaloosa filly?
In WILD HORSE ISLAND, you have a guide to all of the characters' names, with descriptions. Why don't you put it and one for PHANTOM STALLION on your website?
Hmmmm, I have no good answer for this one ; I've never thought of doing this. So, dear readers, what do you think of the idea?
Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:45 PM 13 comments
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Isn't he a big beauty?
Big Duke: The 6ft 7in Shire horse that keeps getting bigger
He tends to thunder or rumble past rather than canter or trot. Can you imagine trying to saddle this huge horse? Oh, wouldn't he make a magical horse for a medieval knight? I'd love to write this story!!!
Take a look at Duke
Let him stride through your imagination and enjoy!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:53 PM 7 comments
Friday, December 26, 2008
Books (and Zito says HI!)
Greetings Dear Readers,
Let's try something a little different.
If you've received any books for gifts in the last week or two :) please tell the rest of us what they are, k? And tell us how you feel about receiving them -- excited, unsure, dumbfounded -- that sort of thing. I love sharing your love of books, and this is one way I can do it!
Have a wonderful day,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:56 AM 7 comments
Thursday, December 25, 2008
for you
little tree
by E. E. Cummings
little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy
then when you're quite dressed
you'll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they'll stare!
oh but you'll be very proud
and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we'll dance and sing
"Noel Noel"
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:42 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Great Article
Dear Readers,
Here's an excellent article with cool photos of Nevada's wild horses. Click here NEVADA MAGAZINE and if you think you'll ever do a report about mustangs, this is an article to save.
It has up-to-the-minute facts and some great information about the history of the horse. So many people insist that all of the wild horses are descended from tame horses which have gone feral, but check this out:
"According to Jay Kirkpatrick, director of the Science and Conservation Center in Billings, Montana, ancestors of modern horses started evolving in North America about four million years ago. The most recent ancestor to exist on the continent, Equus lambei, went extinct about 12,000 years ago. Kirkpatrick goes on to say DNA analysis shows that this extinct species is the genetic equivalent of the modern horse that was reintroduced into North America in the 1500s by Spanish explorers, and that modern horses, E. caballus, could have evolved nowhere else but North America. Kirkpatrick’s findings point to wild horses deserving consideration as indigenous, not feral—as common belief for more than a century suggests—animals."
Love it!!!
Talk with you soon,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:31 PM 0 comments
Wild Horse Island cyber-trip
Dear Readers,
I had to pass on this chance to have some fun and day dream about wild horses galloping through the sand dunes.
The friends of Assateague's wild horses are having a cool fund-raiser. And though the ebay auction for the right to name two foals is getting pretty expensive, there's no harm in site-seeing here!Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:56 AM 4 comments
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Loco Weed or Just Plain Greed?
Dear Readers,
The BLM is running crazy. When BLM staffers have less than a month to work under the Bush administration, why don't they SHOW A LITTLE BACKBONE?
BLM is rushing to auction off 164,000 acres of open land, much of it in the roadless canyon lands of Utah, before President-elect Obama comes into office.
And, oh yeah, this IS the same BLM which is saying that they don't enough land for horses to roam. And no, they're not swapping oil land for grazing territory. It's being sold to corporations and businesses. No mention of where the money's going.
So, am I going to trust BLM or my own eyes and experiences?
Seems like the same corporations BLM employees were caught socializing with (and I'm not talking about watching TV and eating popcorn; start with cocaine and use your imagination or Google BLM scandal), yes, those same business buddies are lining up to bid before the new president's Secretary of the Interior comes in and mucks out the BLM barn.
Can you sing..."This land is your land, this land is my land..."
But for how long?
Keep your eyes open, amigas!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:10 AM 3 comments
Monday, December 22, 2008
NOT Blaming
Dear Readers,
Sorry about the late notice on the chat. Yesterday WAS the shortest day of the year, but I don't think I can blame my tardiness on that.
How about...we STILL don't have water in our house & running a family without it is tougher than you think. My summer weeks on Shackleford Banks trained me how to use the big plastic jugs with some agility, but I'm longing for Matt the Plumber to work his magic (second try!). Good thing is that he found no cozy wildlife under the house. I wouldn't want him to disturb them, or vice versa!
I have fun doing online chats and I know I'll be doing another one soon.
Fingers crossed I'll get the news to you much earlier!
Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:02 AM 4 comments
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Want to talk?
HI --
In about an hour, I'm chatting at PHANTOM STALLION PARADISE HERE
We'll be starting at 1:00 Pacific Time, today, Sunday.
Hope to see you there!
And here's a message from the site manager:
Phantom Stallion's Paradise presents the I love Phantom Stallion/Wild Horse Island contest! Featuring an very special prize from Terri Farley herself! Terri will be announcing our winner and their prize at PSP's forum ( http://thepsparadise.proboards51.com/index.cgi )
today at 4:00pm EST (3:00pm CST, 2:00pm Mountain, 1:00 PST) If you need help determining what time Terri will be there, email [email protected]
See you in Paradise!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:59 PM 4 comments
Saturday, December 20, 2008
FARAWAY FILLY
Dear Readers,
FARAWAY FILLY should be in your bookstores sometime between today and Tuesday! Keep your eyes open, because my December books usually disappear quickly.
More later,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:00 AM 4 comments
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Five Quick Notes
Dear Readers,
Lots going on around here.
1. I was able to get my chilly hands on three plush Phantom Stallions, so there are three winners. I'm waiting to hear from them, now.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO ENTERED! You sure know your Phantom & Wild Horse Island book covers!
2. Some of you know that I do most of my writing away from home, in the old part of Reno, because I'm not good at resisting playing with my animals, or answering your emails when I'm home. And, I'm in the midst of moving from one office to another by the weekend, so please, if you write to me & don't get a quick answer, that's one more thing in the mix.
3. It snowed, then froze, and all the joys of country living (an old well, old water pipes, blanketing old horses) are in effect.
4. Tomorrow, with luck, I'll tell you how to do some holiday shopping and help the Wild Horse Sanctuary, home of the real Phantom!
5. To my Australian & other readers living in warm climates right now -- ENJOY!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:23 AM 9 comments
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Contest closed (more coming!)
Dear Readers,
The Plush Phantom giveaway contest ended yesterday at midnight. The random drawing from the 300+ of you who gave correct answers will take place today and I'll be writing to ask for your mailing address if you won!
Several of you have asked if the PhantomPhanclub website name is available since it closed. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
Here's one more peek at the plushies before they fly off to new homes!
Best to you,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:44 AM 2 comments
Monday, December 15, 2008
Mustang Madeleine
Dear Readers,
I know lots of you, like me, have great admiration for Madeleine Pickens for her rescue of thousands of wild horses. Want to see her website? Click HERE to visit.
While you're there, why not tell her she's appreciated? :)
Rescue Rocks, too!!!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:21 PM 5 comments
Sunday, December 14, 2008
from Andi at Last Chance Ranch
Dear Readers,
I thought you'd enjoy this note from an Oregon horse rescuer--
Last Friday, I took one of the EMM trainers, Tracey, and her daughter Katie and my neighbor Judy, up on the Steens to see the wild horses. They were about a mile off the road, up on a ridge. We parked and proceeded to walk up the mountain to see how close we could get ...These horses are from the South Steens HMA (Herd Management Area) and are known as the "Hollywood Herd", because they are some of the most photographed wild horses in Oregon. The herd area is around 150,000 acres and there are probably around 300 horses out there. We spotted this herd up on a ridge about a mile from the road. We parked and decided to see how close we could get to them before they ran off and take some photos. There were at least 3 mature stallions in the bunch, which indicates to me it's likely 3 bands hanging out together. We spent probably 45 minutes to an hour amongst them, taking their pictures and watching them. We were the ones to leave first, not the horses.
Visit Andi: HERE!
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:39 AM 6 comments
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Round-Up News
BLM will round up 1,480 wild horses near Battle Mountain, Nevada area next week.
A second round-up is set to gather hundreds more horses near Gerlach, Nevada. Gerlach is the town I modeled Alkali on, and it has Bruno's, a coffee shop much like Clara's.
BLM says that snow will soon cover the forage horses eat, but with the corrals filled, the euthanasia "solution" is sure to be raised, again.
Keep your eyes open, you all!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 3:48 PM 3 comments
Thursday, December 11, 2008
RSS Feed -- Really Simple for Some !
Dear Readers,
A common theme in my books is: THERE IS NO SAFETY AT THE EDGE OF THE FRONTIER.
Frontiers could be unusal friendships (with a selkie, for instance) or the actual range, or gentling a wild horse. I'd rather try any of those than what I've been doing today.
Lots of you have told me that I should put a RSS feed on my blog, so that you can be notified each time I post one. I didn't know that stood for Really Simple Syndication, or how to apply it. To give you a hint, my first try came out in a different language, Hindi.
So, now I do have an RSS feed on my blog and sometime this weekend or early next week, my website designed the Winged Willa (she's a goddess with angel wings)will install a button to help you with this. If you look up at the top of this page, for instance, you should see a little icon next to the word SUBSCRIBE. The icon looks like, maybe sound coming out of a speaker? Two little curved lines coming diagonally up from a dot in the lower left corner? I know you see it :)
More later as I figure it out!
Happy computing,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:23 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Talk about versatile!
Dear Readers,
Imagine running wild, capture, transport to a prison in Colorado where you meet humans up close, then working as part of America's Border Patrol AND marching in the inauguration parade for the new president!
Who's doing all this? America's mustangs, of course!
If you'd like see some of them on patrol, click this link to go for a ride!
Talk with you soon,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 6:58 PM 4 comments
Monday, December 08, 2008
WHAT GOOD ARE AMERICA'S WILD HORSES?
Dear Readers,
I've been working on this blog since you sent me comments to address directly to BLM last month. Now I'm sharing it with you. Feel free to post it anyplace. Be aware it's about 500 words long & check to see if the place where you want to post it requires a shorter word count.
It belongs to all of us, so please make sure you include the signature at the end. Hugs, Terri
WHAT GOOD ARE AMERICA's WILD HORSES?
WHO: The federal Bureau of Land Management
WHAT: is considering killing thousands of wild horses
WHEN: about the time fiscal mismanagement comes home to roost
WHERE: across the Western United States
WHY: the Bureau was assigned to protect America’s wild horses in 1978
Thousands of children worldwide have asked me, in letters, emails and in person, to point something out to the government and other adults: killing is not protection.
As the author of "The Phantom Stallion" a series of books about wild horses, I've taken these young readers' requests to heart and tried to sum up their five best reasons that wild horses are good for kids.
1. We identify with mustangs-- We know how it feels to be innocent and free. Though we don't want to give up food, parents and a warm home to be free, we admire them for it.
Wild horses are part of our hearth language. Since humans first sat around campfires telling stories, they've told of wild horses' defiance in the face of capture. Do you want us to forget those stories?
2.Show us that MIGHT doesn't always make RIGHT -- BLM keeps saying it has the right to slaughter wild horses, but it hasn't felt like it yet. But now they might, because of money, and the horses don't deserve it, especially when the federal government, BLM's boss, is giving tons of money to the people who make our parents fight over money every single night.
It is so cool that Madeleine Pickens is rescuing thousands of horses by using her might for right.
3. Wild horses are good for keeping a "home on the range" -- Mustangs eat brush which could otherwise be fuel for wild fires. After eating those plants, wild horses spread the seeds in their poop. Anyone who sees or dreams about a herd of wild horses running free knows learns that not all land should be covered with houses, malls and highways.
4. Where mustang herds have to be smaller, use smart solutions --Don't let BLM bury its "mistakes." BLM knows contraception works on horses. There's a catch and release program for trout, so why not wild horses? Catch them, give them the contraception shot, and then turn them loose. Where the range is damaged by mining and sloppy recreational users, make them clean up their mess, just like we have to do.
5. Teach us that there's a good side to payback -- Horses carried us on explorations. They gave us wings, taking us places we could never have gone on our own two feet. They pulled our plows to help us eat. They fought our wars, running into swords and gunfire just because we asked them to, and we even used their bodies as barricades against our enemies.
When you ask us to be loyal to our families and friends, then tell us not to get emotional when they’re killing horses, remember that.
Sincerely,
Terri Farley on behalf of her readers
BIO: Terri Farley is the author of the PHANTOM STALLION series by HarperCollins, which has sold over a million copies in 27 countries. Phantomstallion.com, TerriFarley.com, [email protected]
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:45 AM 11 comments
FUN for you & the horses
Dear Readers,
I just opened the new issue of the WILD HORSE AND BURRO NEWSLETTER. This newsletter is for anyone who loves equines and is aimed at "helping people help people to help animals."
I hadn't read very far before I knew I had to share something cute with you.
There's an article featuring horse owners' answers to the question, DOES YOUR HORSE OR BURRO PLAY WITH TOYS?
Here's a sample answer:
****I gave my gelding a big rubber ball. He doesn’t seem to play with it on his own. I do go out grab up the ball and play games with him, kind of like soccer. He loves the attention, and gets excited about it. I went out early one morning and I saw him playing with a teddy bear on his own. I think he took it from the dogs, he loved it a lot. Some years ago, we had another gelding who loved to play with empty milk jugs. He would kick them about, grab them up and toss them across his pen, just to keep him entertained. ***
If you'd like to read the entire article or get a FREE subscription, click
HERE.
And if you have a horse buddy with a scraggly mane, you'll want to read about detangling, too.
I may have to try some of those techniques on Whiskey, my mustang pal, since he looks like he's wearing dredlocks.
Have fun,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:09 AM 2 comments
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Tickle Your Imagination
What would you name this mustag foal if you adopted it?
Reading Rocks,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:29 AM 18 comments
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Do you like my Avatar?
HI,
I wanted to cut and paste it here, 'cause I've never had one, but I can't seem to do it. Soooooooooooo if you'd like to see it, check out BN.COM and look at the reviews for FARAWAY FILLY. I didn't really want to put up a rating -- I mean, it's my book and I did the best I could, but still -- but I had to do that to get the CUTE cowgirl avatar!
I'd like to put it on my other books on BN when I'm over there checking out reader reviews (by the way, if you post one on any of my books, PLEASE let me know so that I can go read it!!!), so tell me if you like it!
Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 12:01 AM 1 comments
Friday, December 05, 2008
Cameo Teaser :)
Dear Readers,
You know how some actors have a cameo role -- small but special -- in TV shows and movies? There's one in FARAWAY FILLY that might make you smile.
Since there are no excerpts from the book online yet, thought you'd like to see this bit :
Darby had only met Sam's stepmother once, but when they got to the Hapuna Airport she immediately recognized the trim woman in a gray-green suit with with her red hair in a tidy French braid as Brynna Forster.
What she didn't expect was her companion.
"Sam!" Darby rushed away from Aunty Cathy and past a security guard.
The Nevada cowgirl laughed as Darby almost knocked her off her feet.
Happy trails,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:06 AM 14 comments
Thursday, December 04, 2008
American herds
Dear Readers,
For great, up-to-date information about wild horses the world over, check out this site.
AMERICAN HERDS
Best,
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 9:10 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Authoring Change: for animals
Dear Readers,
Some of you know that I've been doing booksinging with a theme of "Authoring Change." I try to help humane and literacy causes by doing events that benefit people and animals.
Since most of you couldn't attend last weekends event, thought I'd share a few photos!
The kitten, Midnight, was adopted, but little Randy, the dog, is still looking for a home...hint. :) Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 1:19 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
You guys filled up my email account!!!
HI
So, AOL is sending back your email entries for my PLUSH PHANTOM because hundreds of you have entered since this afternoon, when the email newsletter dropped into your accounts.
Here's what I'll do: open up the political account for your contest entries, for a limited time, k?
The address is -- [email protected]
You guys rock!!!!
Terri
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Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:26 PM 3 comments
Monday, December 01, 2008
Prize Horses
Dear Readers,
These are the two plush horses you can win this month. Details for the contest are in my December newsletter!
I know you wanna cuddle them,
Terri
p.s. Even though the PhantomPhanClub website has closed, these two horses have purple kerchiefs showing that site. Winners can replace them with something you like better, or start your own PhantomPhanClub!
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 5:36 AM 6 comments