A valuable horse is dead, and it’s all her fault, which is why 14-year-old Kate McGregor has banished horses and riding from her life … forever!
But her new summer job as a companion to Holly Chapman, a former riding star who’s now confined to a wheelchair, takes her back to the barn—the last place Kate wants to be.
Can Kate keep her terrible secret from Holly, who is fast becoming her best friend? And, more important, can she keep her secret from Angela Dean, a teenage bully who lives for only two things: winning ribbons and causing trouble?
Kate manages to keep her secret hidden until an accident forces it into the open … and it’s just the moment Angela has been waiting for.
Targeted Age Group:: 9 to 14
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
As a kid who loved horses, I couldn’t devour enough books about horses and riding, and about struggling to win that elusive blue ribbon … and learning that the blue ribbon wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Then I had a daughter who loved horses as much as I did. She had a hard time finding horse books she liked and begged me to write one. So I did … four, to be precise. They were originally published by Troll (now part of Scholastic) back in the 1980s, and when the copyright reverted to me a few years ago, I rewrote and republished them as the Timber Ridge Riders series, and then added even more books to the series. There are now nine, with more to come.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
My characters are composites (good and not-so-good) of all the girls I rode with as a kid, plus a few more I’ve collected along the way. I was a little worried that Angela Dean, the barn’s resident princess, might be a bit too awful, but I’ve been assured by several young readers that their barns have girls who’re even worse! Hard to believe, but that’s the truth!
About the Author:
Maggie Dana’s first riding lesson, at the age of five, was less than wonderful. In fact, she hated it so much, she didn’t try again for another three years. But all it took was the right instructor and the right horse and she was hooked for life.
Her new riding stable was slap bang in the middle of Pinewood Studios, home of England’s movie industry. So while learning to groom horses, clean tack, and muck stalls, Maggie also got to see the stars in action. Some even spoke to her.
Born and raised near London, Maggie now makes her home on the Connecticut shoreline where she divides her time between hanging out with the family’s horses and writing her next book in the Timber Ridge Riders series.
Links to Purchase Print Books
Link to Buy Keeping Secrets Print Edition at Amazon
Links to Purchase eBooks
Link To Buy Keeping Secrets On Amazon
Social Media:
Author Interview on BookGoodies
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