Allow me to indulge in a bit of shameless self-promotion. With the overwhelming support I’ve received for my short stories, I’m excited to offer you a glimpse into the world of my latest novel, the intriguingly titled Labyrinth of Ruin.
As the saying goes, ‘Write what you know.’ This advice resonated with me, and I decided to infuse my novel with the authenticity of my personal experiences. Having dedicated over two decades to the horseracing industry, starting from the humblest of beginnings and culminating in the prestigious Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown, I’ve genuinely earned my stripes.
With that in mind, I combined my love of horses with my love of fantasy. It seemed simple: let the horses take to the sky and spread their wings. Who remembers Pegasus? Yep, no. Too cliched for my liking. As an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and having read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings more than once, and we don’t have time to talk about how much I love the movies, I decided on dragons as a theme. This is where my real-world experience in bringing up young horses from pasture to racetrack came into play. Throw in overlooked and marginalized, along with a bit of ridicule, and I could write about that, too.
Now, for a look into the world of pari-mutuel dragon raging, here’s a small excerpt from Labyrinth of Ruin. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Labyrinth of Ruin
NO ONE PAID JACKSON ANY MIND as he wound his way to the back of the encampment. He didn’t know how he knew where he needed to go. Jackson didn’t question it. He just knew it was where he had to go.
He stopped before an older, barrel-shaped caravan, the type commonly seen hitched to a pair of the distinctive black and white Irish Cobs that the Travellers preferred. Jackson didn’t see the horses around, but he heard a commotion coming from the far side of the caravan.
What he found when he rounded the end of the wagon stopped him in his tracks. The children he’d seen earlier playing with wooden swords had cornered a strange-looking creature. Shrieking with laughter, they took turns poking the cowering animal with their sharpened sticks.
“Hey. What’s going on?” Jackson called out. The kids stopped and turned on him.
“None of your business, Towny.” The apparent leader of the pack stepped up to confront Jackson, eyeing him up and down. “What makes you think you can sashay in here . . .” The sneer on the boy’s face was far from friendly. “Sportin’ them fancy, girly boots?” The bully pushed further into Jackson’s personal space.
Even though he should’ve considered protecting himself, Jackson couldn’t take his eyes off the dark creature huddled against the spokes of one of the wagon’s wheels.
“What’ve you got there?” Jackson ignored the boy’s insults and pointed toward the creature.
“Like I said, it ain’t none of your business.” Several inches taller than Jackson, the kid shoved him. “We don’t like no Townies in our camp. You best get on home to your mommy, Girly Boy.”
“Not until you tell me what you lot are tormenting.” Jackson clenched his fists.
The boy raised his sword.
“Stop,” a gruff voice announced the arrival of an adult. “What do you think you’re doing, Toby? We don’t start no trouble with Townies. You know better.”
“He,” Toby waved his sword in Jackson’s face, “just waltzed in like he owned the place and started interfering in our business.”
“Is that so?” Big and swarthy, the man put his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “What do you want, boy?”
“Him.” Jackson pointed toward the creature.
“Him?” The man wasn’t just big; he was massive and didn’t look to be the forgiving type. But Jackson was beyond caring.
“Yes, I want him. How much?”
“How much you got?”
Jackson pulled a crumpled five-pound note from his pocket.
“That ain’t gonna buy you no dragon.”
~~~
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Labyrinth of Ruin. It is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and ebook. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it as part of your subscription.
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