After nearly a year of planning, research, writing and re-writing, I have finally written the final chapter of Thundering Hooves! This book is the second in a series with these characters, a group of wildlife activists who embark upon many adventures as they try to preserve America’s wildlife. The first book, entitled Spirit of the Wolf was a historical fiction tale about the most famous wolf of all time, the wolf known as 06 who ruled over the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone for many years.
In Thundering Hooves, my characters move from Montana to Colorado and do their best to help save the Sand Wash Basin wild horse herd. The book is a gritty and raw tale, loosely based on the famous stallion Picasso who captured the imagination of mustang lovers and visitors for a quarter of a century.
Experience a touching story of love, loss and triumph as the main characters never shy from adventure, while at the same time learning the story of Colorado’s wild horses and the heartless treatment they receive at the hands of the government agency assigned to care for them.
Excerpt From the Final Chapter
“That’s a great idea,” said Caleb. “Maybe I’ll tailor my story to that end. I wonder if we can direct any of the funds we raised this summer to a new mustang sanctuary?”
Angie answered, “I don’t think the funds have been dispersed yet. I’ll talk to my agency when we get back.”
“I’ll talk to the running club and see if they will transfer the funds we raised toward a new sanctuary.”
After a few minutes of silence, Michelle asked Caleb, “Have you heard any more about the wolves?”
“No I haven’t. I know they are still gathering signatures to try to get a measure on the ballot. I guess I’ll get on that as well when we return. I wonder if it would be possible to use the same methods for fundraising that we used for the wild horses? Perhaps we could arrange some kind of signature signing event to get a bunch all at the same time. Maybe your agency would do some kind of show using faux fur or something.”
“I’ll ask them,” replied Angie.
After a long silence Caleb looked around the campfire at his friends. Michelle and Angie were both sound asleep in their camp chairs. The fire had begun to fade, and he shuddered a bit as the cold of night settled in. He wondered how many horses were feeling cold and afraid on this night, with so many of their mates and offspring missing. Even though his own companions were asleep, he wasn’t ready just yet to let the moment pass. Mesmerized by the flickering flames, he reflected upon the events of the last few months as he watched the glowing embers fade, along with the last vestiges of summer.
Looking Ahead
I don’t have a real cover designed yet, so I’ll be using the remainder of the summer to rectify that situation. I visited the Sand Wash Basin last year but without a rugged four wheel drive vehicle, I was unable to journey to the far reaches of the Horse Management Area. So besides writing and shooting pictures this summer, I have been working on acquiring an old Jeep and getting it ready for a trip to photograph the horses, in hopes of acquiring a suitable cover image. Naturally this will be the most exciting part of publishing this book and I’m so looking forward to it!
Photographer and author Steven W. Krull has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Visit his complete works on his website at swkrullimaging.com
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 