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PRESS ROOM Press Q&A Children's Books On America's wild horses . . . Q: How do wild horses play a part in your actual day-to-day life? And how does living in Nevada, the state with the largest number of wild horses, influence your writing?
A: On any given day, I can drive a half hour from home and see wild horses. Palomino Valley
Wild Horse and Burro Center is a short drive north. There, horses are kept after being captured
and before-with any luck - they are adopted. Driving south, I am able to visit the Virginia Range,
where wild horses wander among the homes in a place called Hidden Valley. Just above that
neighborhood, they run free in natural herds.
On kids and real life issues . . . Q: Tensions are strong between ranchers who use the range for their livestock and wild horse advocates. How do you handle that in your books?
A: It's no accident that I decided to make Samantha's dad a rancher who places the welfare of
his cattle above everything else. It's also no accident that I chose Brynna Olson, who works
for the Bureau of Land Management (a federal agency charged with overseeing the West's wild
horses), to be Sam's stepmother. This creates conflict among members of the family.
I think it's important for kids to see opposing ideas coming from sympathetic characters who,
in the context of the books, love each other. I hope this forces readers to consider their own
values and opinions.
Q: How do your readers feel about the recent changes in the Wild Horse and Burro Act, which makes it legal, for the first time in 40 years, to sell wild horses for slaughter?
A: I'm lucky to hear from hundreds of readers every week. Their letters and emails definitely clue
me in to what really attracts kids to my books. And the overall attraction, I think, is the freedom
embodied in wild horses.
Q: Your main character Samantha is very aware that her family is not financially secure due to the hazards of ranch life. Do you think most kids worry about such "adult" issues?
A: My books are honest. I've taught 7-12 grades for half my life and I know children are aware
of conflict and unfairness. Children worry about things perhaps even more than adults do. Though
Sam and Jake come out ahead emotionally in every book (because caring adults provide them with
guidance), they have disappointments, too.
On reading . . . Q: In a marketplace filled with video games, cartoons and action figures, how do your books compete for kids' attention? A: There's something about holding a book that's very personal. You are the one doing the creating-seeing the characters in your mind, hearing the thunder of galloping hooves, imagining the dust and chaos of a stampede. While you're reading, you don't have to worry about where you'd keep your dream horse, how much it would cost to feed him, or the fact that you've never put your foot in a stirrup. When you read, you own that dream. Q: Why do children connect with Sam and the Phantom? A: Taming a wild horse is a mythic and wide-spread fantasy-even before Pegasus, I'm sure. Having a friendship with one is even better, especially if it's your secret and you're a kid! In my books, the weakest and least likely characters ultimately win through intelligence, intuition and kindness. On writing . . . Q: What made you want to write? A: I've loved reading as long as I can remember and I'm sure my writing grew from that. When I was eight, my mother gave me her old electric typewriter and I immediately started writing. Q: Where did the idea for the PHANTOM STALLION series originate? A: Part of it was born in that old Selectric. According to my parents, my first story told the tale of a wild pinto stallion and the girl who loved him. I remember trying to "fix" the fact that most adventure stories I'd read had boys as the main characters. The idea fully came to fruition, however, in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Working as a magazine reporter specializing in gritty stories, I rode along on a ten day cattle drive. I lagged behind the herd, daydreaming. One day, after a storm, I thought I saw a white horse in a canyon, but then it vanished. It must have been a low-lying cloud or mist, but my imagination just took off. It was only later that I discovered many cultures-as far-flung as Native American tribes and villagers in Japan's river valleys-tell stories about wild white horses with mystical speed. Q: What do you like best about writing?
A: Writing fulfills my wildest dreams.
Q: Young readers aren't reluctant to give their favorite authors advice. What do you think of your readers' online skirmishes over the relationship between Jake and Samantha? A: Most of all, I'm delighted that my characters are real to my readers, and it's true that some readers are clamoring for a romance. I blame this on Jake. He's quiet, cool, and a Native American natural with horses. Given Sam's volatile nature and his calm one, they drive each other crazy, but Jake will remain a solid male friend Sam can trust. Q: What advice would you give to would-be children's writers?
A: Write what you would have loved as a child and don't try to fit into a niche. I was lucky
that HarperCollins wanted to publish what I wanted to write, but that "luck" took ten years
o happen. My first agent read the beginning of WILD ONE and sent it back to me, but I loved
the idea and kept writing and making notes.
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