ADVENTURE FINDS HORSEWOMAN LOST IN HISTORY

Book Two continues ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’

BOSTON, MA April 5, 2011 | Micron Press is pleased to announce publication of The Golden Spark, the 2nd book of the award-winning time-travel trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse by John Royce. The book continues the journey of a modern-day teenager lost in history, delivering an entertaining adventure for horse-lovers … and those who don’t know a saddle from a bridle!

A fun and unique “creative non-fiction” story for adults and teens (Ages 14+), The Golden Spark follows the struggles of a young woman carried unwillingly through the time of the Renaissance through early 1800’s, who uses her knowledge of modern horsemanship to survive.

Book II: The Golden Spark is the sequel to Eclipsed by Shadow, John Royce’s debut title which won the Eric Hoffer Award and a top recommendation by Library Journal. This well-informed, wholesome series illustrates the importance of horsemanship in our past and offers a positive message for today.

Available through bookstores and major online booksellers. For more information, please visit TheGreatHorse.com.

The Golden Spark and other books of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy offer an exciting adult-level “horse story” for the kid in all of us!

History teaching fails to give pupils proper view of the past, says watchdog:

The Ofsted report said many primary and secondary pupils are being let down by a curriculum which does not give them a “chronological understanding” of the subject …

Schoolchildren fail to grasp how events in history are linked because the subject is taught in “episodes”, an official report has warned….

A “fundamental weakness” in primary schools was that some teachers “did not teach to establish a clear mental map of the past for pupils”.

One reason “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy is a worthwhile read is its exploration of history in chronological order — with time lines before each new era — as it traces the development in horsemanship in civilization.

The books of the trilogy convey accurate history in a fun and engaging story …  the books give readers solid overview of history as they ride along with an exceptionally well-written and intelligent literary tale. (For ages 14 and up)

The Three (3) Rules of The Great Horse (aka “3 Great Rules”) are derived from legends and (possibly apocryphal) history associated with the supernatural equine manifestation herein and heretofore described as “The Great Horse.”

-

* Available information is admittedly scant, being virtually (and actually) limited to words the above, and no ascertainment of its validity or usefulness will be described. – The Bridgestone Institute Law Office

For new folks stopping by, a new page is up for Eclipsed by Shadow!

First, the BEA was a networking dream/nightmare, a drinking-from-a-firehose experience of shaking hands and fumbling out “pitches” while exchanging business cards with smiling strangers. It took me several days to recover from the shock of being serially nice and cheerful, and will take me several weeks to follow up with everyone I met. I never thought being a writer would be such a social calling. I’m learning.

Second, it was fun! There aren’t many venues in which authors are the main attraction, and participating as the winner of the 2010 Mom’s Choice Award for YA Fantasy (for “Eclipsed by Shadow”) gave me a place to be and experienced veterans to learn from.

Third, and what surprised me most, was that the BEA was a readers’ event. The excitement coming from the public crowding the author signings and book giveaways gave the event an almost rock-concert atmosphere. It was not the usual thing for the book events I’ve been to, and a sign that perhaps the reports of the decline of reading might not be, if not greatly exaggerated, at least illumined with hope for the future.

That is what we’re after, isn’t it?

I’m very much in the hope business myself, though I lose sight of it. The BEA gave me a valuable reminder that reading is still a love – and alive! – for so many.

“Why are they jumping that?”

“Is that a boy or a girl horse?”

“Why do they go one at a time?”

“What’s on the horse’s legs?”

As intensely as she watched, my niece didn’t care about the teams or the scoring. She just loved seeing the horses.

We humans have had a long fascination with watching horses. Chariot racing, dressage, jousting, polo, flat racing are spectacles of past ages, and today newer sports like show jumping, reining and eventing reflect the athletic and humane partnership we’ve developed with the horse.

(This sport with cross-country jumps is still figuring out what to name itself, having been called the Military, horse trials, 3-Day, combined training, and — the name that seems to be winning — Eventing.)

Of course, horses are not part of our everyday lives as in the past. The challenge for equestrian sport today is to explain itself, to welcome the public to enjoy the beauty and excitement of horsemanship.

Probably few people could have guessed 100 years ago, as the horse was being released from the plow and carriage, that a future generation would be still be watching horses — on a box of moving pictures, no less — asking the same questions they had once asked.