Horse people form extraordinary, loyal, and sometimes
contentious communities. The same is true for readers (and writers!) of science
fiction and fantasy. (And for martial artists, and musicians, and . . .) When
two or more of these interests coincide, the results can be magical.
The second volume of The
Seven-Petaled Shield, titled
Shannivar, touches many of the areas of passion in my life. A strong woman
hero, a martial artist, a horsewoman, her wonderful horses, a love story (me
being a romantic at heart), a quest . . . One of the people I’ve shared a love
of horses and adventure with is my friend Bonnie, about whom I’ve written in
the last few posts.
Bonnie and I became fast friends over folk dancing and wild
adventures during our college student days in the 1960s. Later, when she
fulfilled her dream of owning horses, she carried me back to my own high school
years, when I rode my own horse over the golden hills. When I’d visit, we’d
ride together, clean stalls together, talk endlessly about horse temperaments
and training, and swap tall tales “in the saddle.”
