My Crazy Corner

I'm Linda Ulleseit, author of ON A WING AND A DARE, coming this spring from Briona Glen Publishing. This YA fantasy is set in medieval Wales, in a remote mountain town called Tremeirchson. In Tremeirchson, a barn leader’s children are expected to follow their parents into the sky, becoming riders of the winged horses that are the village’s legacy. Neither Emma nor Davyd, however, want to follow that tradition.

Sixteen-year-old Emma risks losing her family by following her heart. She not only loves a rival’s colt, but a rival’s son as well. Or perhaps both of his sons, since she can’t make up her mind between Evan, the exciting but insensitive brother, or Davyd, the dependable one. She is drawn to the love and support of their family, so different from her own, where nothing she does will ever be good enough.

Davyd, also sixteen, is plagued with a secret—he is afraid of heights. He cannot join his family aloft in the Aerial Games that provide the entire village with its livelihood. Risking public humiliation and his parents’ disappointment, he struggles to find a way to reveal his secret and still contribute to the family’s legacy.

Meanwhile, the winged horses begin to die. The death of the colt intended for Davyd fills him with guilty relief. In Emma’s barn, the colt her father wants her to ride also dies. Her father’s new plan involves an unborn colt and a three-year wait before Emma can be a rider. Emma has other ideas since the colt she longs for still lives.

As the winged horses continue to perish, Evan designs a plan to save the remaining herd by relocating them to a hidden valley deeper in the mountains. In a private discussion with Davyd, Evan further proposes to lead the riders, offering his brother leadership of the villagers. The adults hesitate, mired in politics and tradition, unaware of the details of Evan’s plan. It’s left to the three teenagers to work together to convince the adults to relocate before all the winged horses in the world are gone forever.

While waiting for this book to become available, I am working on the next one, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER. It follows the Owain, groom to Emma's horse, as he confronts a threat from his past. Follow updates on my road to publication as well as meet the characters of my novels on my novel page: http://flyinghorsebooks.wordpress.com

You can also find me on Goodreads and Amazon with my other works. Three volumes are stories written by my fifth and sixth grade students. I've edited them and are quite impressed with how well written some of them are! I also have a short story in the collection VISITOR TO SANDAHL.