Chincoteague Ponies
When I was little (and actually when I was big as well) all I wanted was a pony. I begged and begged and argued, cajoled… But it never happened. We just couldn’t afford it.
One of my favorite pony books back then was Misty of Chincoteague. It’s basically about these kids getting their dream pony – I wanted that to be me! Here’s a little look at the book:
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her–that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can’t live without her. The frenzied roundup that follows on the next “Pony Penning Day” does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether.
But one of the wonderful things about being a writer is you get to travel vicariously. So when I was plotting Handle With Care and trying to decide where to set my fictitious town of Saddler Cove, I couldn’t resist a vicarious visit to the island of Chincoteague.
Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, a Spanish galleon was shipwrecked. The ship was carrying horses and some of them made it to the island of Assateague, off the Virginia Coast. There has been a herd there ever since, and each year, the ponies are rounded up and swum across the channel to Chincoteague Island where the majority of the foals are auctioned off to maintain a manageable herd size and to raise money for the local fire department.
Emily, the heroine of Handle With Care, got her pony, Beauty, from the annual auction when she was six-years-old, and her grandmother, Mimi, rides in the pony swim each year.
Chincoteague looks a really beautiful place, and I’d love to visit for real someday. Here’s what the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce has to say about it…
“Chincoteague Island, Virginia’s only resort island, is perhaps the most beautiful island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. World famous for its oyster beds and clam shoals, Chincoteague is the gateway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is located on the Virginia side of Assateague Island. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is also home to the world famous Chincoteague Ponies and an award winning beach at Assateague Island National Seashore.”
This year the pony swim takes place on July 24th, so if you’re in the area why not go along and watch? And each year, the first foal to come ashore is named King or Queen Neptune and is given away in a raffle drawing at the carnival grounds later in the day. You might get lucky and come away with a pony of your own.
Get Handle with Care by Nina Croft for just 99¢!
What if all you want is the one thing you can’t have?
First grade teacher Emily Towson always does the right thing. The sensible thing. In her dreams, though, she does bad, bad things with the town’s baddest boy: Tanner O’Connor. But when he sells her grandmother a Harley, fantasy is about to meet a dose of reality.
And then he goes and calls her “sensible”…
Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily is standing in his shop. Yelling and waving her hands and looking so god damn sexy he’s having trouble focusing. He’d spent two hard years in prison, with only the thought of this “good girl” to keep him sane.
He really should send her away…
Before either one thinks though, they’re naked and making memories on his tool bench with apparently the oldest condom in history. Now Tanner’s managed to knock-up the town’s “good girl” and she’s going to lose her job over some stupid “morality clause” if he doesn’t step up.
But can this bad boy teach his good girl they’re perfect for each other in time?
Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction. www.ninacroft.com And if you’d like to have learn about new releases sign up for Nina’s newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/rZ5rz
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