I have been honored to join the Back To School Blog Hop for
Linda Ulleseit, author, teacher, mom, and everything else. The first of her
books that I read was Under a Wild and Darkening Sky. From the first line I was
hooked and promised myself to purchase all of her books. Linda is not only a
talented writer, but she gives us a look into a long forgotten world. The
winged horses carry the reader into breath taking adventures, the characters
pull at your heart, and the drama keeps you reading until the very last
page.
Under A Wild and Darkening Sky
Alyna is weary from traveling around; weary of working for her
parents in the bakery, weary of covering for her brother who always seems to
find an escape from work. And she is frightened of the winged horses which make
this town famous. This town was her father’s dream, not hers, but how can she
break away? By redefining herself. By finding her own identity. And by doing
what every teenager in history has done, rebel.
As her father finds his place among the elite and powerful barn
leaders, who control the last living herd of winged horses, he aligns himself
with the most powerful of these barn leaders. But Alyna makes friends with the
daughter of that same leader’s arch rival. Soon Alyna not only loses her fear
of the flying horses, but learns to love them and takes a job as a groom for
one special filly.
Soon, Alyna and her brother Ralf join a group of young people
bent on righting a terrible wrong of the past, and find themselves banished from
the town. Danger abounds with every revolution, but sometimes revolution is the
only answer.
When I finished reading this amazing adventure, I turned around
and read it again, then immediately purchased the other three books in the
trilogy. I give it five stars and if there were six, I’d give that as well. I
highly recommend this for anyone who can read; young or old, horse lover or not.
Author Bio: Linda Ulleseit was born and raised in Saratoga,
California, and has taught elementary school in San Jose since 1996. She enjoys
cooking, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her family. Her
favorite subject is writing, and her students get a lot of practice scribbling
stories and essays. Someday Linda hopes to see books written by former students
alongside hers in bookstores.
Her first novel, ON A WING AND A DARE, was published in 2012. It
is a Young Adult fantasy set in medieval Wales, complete with flying horses, a
love triangle, and treachery. It’s sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER, was released
March, 2013. The focus of that book is the misty past of a groom and the murky
future of a rider. The last book in the trilogy is UNDER A WILD AND DARKENING
SKY, May 2014. It follows a brother and sister, new to High Meadow, who become
involved in a plot to steal flying horses.
Linda Ulleseit
As a child, Linda always loved to write. She took her first
creative writing course in seventh grade, accumulating a closet full of stories
that she never showed anyone until 2007. At that time, she gave the first draft
of a flying horse book to a teacher colleague to read. ON A WING AND A DARE
began as a NaNoWriMo novel in 2009. It was revised with the help of reviewers
on thenextbigwriter.com over the next two years. For NaNo 2011, Linda drafted
the sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER. NaNoWriMo 2012 brought the first draft of
UNDER A WILD AND DARKENING SKY, and NaNoWriMo 2013 saw the completion of UNDER
THE ALMOND TREES. This last is a historical fiction that follows three women
who struggle for women’s rights in early California.
As with THE HOBBIT a story that will forever span the ages,
Linda’s latest book, is actually the introduction to the trilogy. I recommend
you first read: WINGS OVER TREMEIRCHSON, released as an ebook in Fall 2013. It
is the story of Hoel and Neste, parents of a main character in ON A WING AND A DARE.
Please visit Linda’s page: http://ulleseit.wordpress.com/
And, September 6: Angela Fristoe http://angelafristoe.blogspot.com
Be a part of the flight, and check these fabulous blogs. Indeed, I walk among
giants in this lineup. And don’t forget to comment.