Postcard For Reader

Guest Post: Alison Hart

Because who doesn't love a good guest post? Stopping by today is Alison Hart! Alison has written two fantastic horse mysteries (and many other books) that I can't wait to get into reading!

What is one of the books, Shadow Horse about?

Jas Schuler, 13, knows that attacking Hugh Robicheaux, owner of the High Meadows Farm, after the death of her favorite horse was a serious offense. However, she never expects for the courts to place her under house arrest in a foster home, not even allowed to visit her grandfather after his stroke. Slowly Jasmine finds herself returning to a reasonably normal life by helping to keep Second Chance Farm running and finding comfort in caring for Shadow, an ill-treated horse bought by her temporary guardian, Miss Hahn. As the horse improves, Jas grows suspicious about Mr. Robicheaux's secretive actions surrounding the death of several other horses on his farm and is determined to bring him to justice.

And most importantly, I'll be giving away a copy of Shadow Horse and it's sequel, Whirlwind, tomorrow!

But that's tomorrow. For today, click Read More and enjoy the fantastic guest post Alison Hart has written!

Murder and Mayhem

I write mysteries, suspense and historical fiction. Those of you reading about vampires and shapeshifters have probably never picked up one of my novels. Because unlike authors of paranormal or fantasy, I find enough blood and horror in real life.

In Shadow Horse and its sequel Whirlwind, Jas must prove that Hugh Robicheaux killed two horses for insurance money. The mystery revolves around true scams that can happen in any sport or hobby that involves

One of the worst cases of fraud happened in the early 1990’s,” Miss Hahn told Jas. “Some of the top paid riders and wealthiest owners in the business paid a lowlife named Tommy Burns to kill their horses.

In one case, a horse named Empire was galloped until sweaty. Then he was put in a clean stall and electrocuted. Based on the sweat and clean stall, the vet ruled colic.”

There were worse details in the magazine and news articles that I read for research, details that turned my stomach. I wisely left them out. An author continually makes choices about the amount of research and reality needed. Too little can result in a bland story, too much can make it gruesome.

I definitely had to make choices when I created the setting for both Shadow Horse and Whirlwind. Second Chance Farm is modeled after the many rescue farms in the United States, so needed because of the ugly reality of animal abuse and neglect. I visited several, and the stories I heard were, well, gruesome. Humans versus vampires? No contest. Fortunately, rescue farms were created to give shelter and hope, and so Second Chance Farm became a hopeful place as well.

I’ve written over sixty books. When people ask me where I get my ideas, I tell them, “Just pick up any newspaper. Or read a history text. Murder and mayhem are everywhere.”

And they make terrific stories.