Novel Travels

I am headed back to the land of the rising sun in five more days! This time I will be in Tokyo as a vagabond writer as I search for the story of a horse. Or should I say stories? There are several ideas flowing through my brain. One novel idea simply will not go away: horse racing.

Japan has been purchasing some of the best stock in the racing industry in the past years. America's almost Triple Crown Winner, I'll Have Another (IHA), was sold to Big Red Farm. He arrived to his new home on Hokkaido Island on August 7, 2012. The area of Japan I will be staying in is home to prominent racetracks such as Tokyo racetrack and Nakayama in Chiba.

Growing up, I was introduced to the word of racing through the Black Stallion novels by Walter Farley. Since then I have enjoyed reading books, both fiction and nonfiction, about the heroes of racing. A year and half ago as I was reading Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven while researching Japan's racing industry.

I had a writerly epiphany. The kind where you jump up and say out loud, "I must write you!".

One of the best things about being a writer is the research. I have never been to racetrack in my life. I have only seen Thoroughbreds flying down the track on the television. There is nothing better in my life than being part of the equine world both in reality and fantasy. I am looking forward to seeing where my passion for horses and writing leads me in Japan.

Meanwhile, Skye will surely miss me, but she has her friend Hairy Potter to keep her company! Actually, my friend Maria and I call him Skye's husband as they are always together. They are simply adorable. Regardless, I am happy my horse is happy in her home and her herd.

Book Review: The Kingmaker's Daughter

The Kingmaker's Daughter
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2012,Touchstone
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

After struggling to read Gregory's first YA novel Changeling I thought about waiting a bit to read her newest release The Kingmaker's Daughter. However, I found myself unable to resist as I have loved all her other The Cousins' War novels. My temporary lapse in my adoration of Gregory's work was quickly restored after consuming the first few words of this novel.

Anne is the daughter of the Earl of Warwick, "The Kingmaker." He has placed Edward IV on the throne but begins to fall from King's ear as Edward's beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, enchants her husband to her will. Anne and her sister, Isabel, soon find themselves the political pawns of their father as he tries to replaced Edward IV with a new king. When her father is beheaded and his children are left in disgrace, Anne escapes the ruins she is left in by marriage to Richard Neville, brother of Edward IV. While Anne is loved by her husband his connection to the royal house sends their lives on the crash course of ambition and power. In the end, power will destroy all that Anne has.

What I loved about this novel was how beautifully Gregory wove the plot together with her novel The White Queen. Throughout this whole novel I was reminded of powerful scenes that took place in The White Queen. The reader learns how the two lives of these royal women were paralleled through the misunderstandings and tragedies of the royal house. While The Kingmaker's Daughter can be read as a stand alone novel I would recommend reading The White Queen for the dual experience I enjoyed.

(#22 of the 100 Book Challenge)