Today we are very excited to share a special interview with author Rosanne Parry (A HORSE CALLED SKY)!
Read on to learn more about her, her book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Rosanne Parry
Rosanne Parry grew up in Oregon loving its rainy days, wild places, and fabulous libraries. She is the author of many novels and picture books for young readers, including the NY Times bestselling Voice of the Wilderness books which include A Wolf Called Wander , A Whale of the Wild, and A Horse Named Sky. Rosanne is a bookseller at the legendary Annie Blooms Bookstore. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Portland and writes in a treehouse in her backyard. You can find her at www.rosanneparry.com
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About the Book: A Horse Named Sky
A stand-alone companion to the acclaimed national bestsellers A Wolf Called Wander and A Whale of the Wild.
Exiled from his band, a young, wild horse must find his way across treacherous terrain to reunite with his family after being captured for the Pony Express. A fast-paced animal survival story about wild horses, family bonds, and a changing environment. Illustrated in black-and-white throughout.
~Author Chat~
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Well, a sensible person would say the main character Sky is my favorite and I do love his big heart and bold ambitions but to be honest it’s the mules that stole my heart. They are not so much a single character as a Greek chorus of equine pessimism and grouchiness. Sky encounters them in the Pony Express where they haul stagecoaches and act as snowplows. They are NOT happy about it. They complain every step of the way, and yet they are kind and gentle to the Paiute stable boy who is treated so badly by the stationmaster. And when Sky and his best friend Storm are in the worst trouble of their lives those sour tempered mules rally in spectacular fashion. They’ll make you stand up and cheer.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
The thing I keep learning over and over is that the only piece of the publishing journey that is entirely in the author’s control is the words on the page. The cover, the title, the distribution, the marketing plan, the reviews—all of that is not in my control. I relearn with each book to let go of my worries about that part and really hone in on the bit that nobody else can do for me. So now that I’m starting something new I’m really trying to set every other concern aside and write as whole heartedly as possible. This is not a profession for the faint of heart. And so even when I’m tired and full of doubt I light a candle on my work desk and try my best to write with humility and fortitude and joy.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I love everything about Kirbi Fagan’s art, not just on the cover, but throughout the book. Horses are not easy to draw and page after page she has these gorgeous horses that are not just anatomically correct but wonderfully expressive. She and the art director Sylvie Le Floc’h did a lot of research to make sure all the 1860 elements were accurate. A Horse Named Sky already has four translation deals and Kirbi’s art plays a huge role in making the story accessible world wide.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I took When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhall to the beach this summer and enjoyed it immensely. I’m also reading Deborah Hopkinson’s new book The Plot to Kill the Queen which will be out in October. (The best perk of being a bookseller is reading advance review copies.) It’s about a girl in Queen Elizabeth’s court who uncovers an assassination plot and does a little spy work on the queen’s behalf. She also longs to be a poet and playwright so the story is told in the form of a play. It’s great fun. Loads of historical detail, plenty of drama and an adorable dog called Mouse.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
My next book will be a nonfiction picture book called The Wolf Effect: a wilderness revival story. The art is by Jennifer Thermes. I’m such a fan! It’s about how wolves shape an ecosystem and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it came together. I care deeply about the environment and I believe it’s important to be clear eyed about the trouble the environment is in. But I firmly believe that you can’t just have the destruction story. In order to keep hope alive we need the rejuvenation story just as much. There is great resilience in nature and I love to celebrate that in stories.
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
In the beginning I just wanted to write about wild horses. I didn’t intend to write about slavery but because of the story’s intersections with the captivity of horses in the Pony Express and the silver rush at the Comstock mines, and because of the captivity of Indigenous children under the California Indian Act of 1850, the story does deal with slavery quite directly. It’s a lot to ask of a reader, to be in the point of view of an enslaved animal and feel all his pain, anger, fear and confusion. So those scenes were difficult to write and took lots of revision. I want to be honest without overwhelming my reader in grief. I want my reader to be hopeful enough to keep reading until my character’s circumstances get better. But I also want them to be horrified enough to do the hard work of fighting against slavery world-wide in their adult lives. It’s a privilege to help shape the world view of young readers but that comes with great responsibility to do so with compassion.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
The more I learned about mustangs the more I understood how much access to water means to them. Access to water is the cornerstone of every problem in the American West. One of my research sources said, “We are only as strong as our last drink of water and only as safe as our water is clean.” That truth came back to me many times in the course of researching and writing A Horse Named Sky. I hope that care for our world’s waters is something my readers will take with them their whole lives long.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
My list of favorite causes is long and far exceeds my purse. There is a charity devoted to the wild horses of the Virginia Range in Nevada. The founder of the Virginia Range Mustang Haven, Shannon Windley was a great source of information and encouragement as I researched and wrote this book. Both HarperCollins and I are making a donation to their wild horse sanctuary and I’m looking forward to seeing it when it’s complete. I hope the beautiful horses of the Virginia Range—the ones who inspired Wild Horse Annie to lobby for the Free roaming Wild Horses and Burros act of 1973—will be roaming free on their homeland for centuries to come. You can find out more about them here www.vrmustangs.org
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
The fabulous part about being at the start of a writing career is that you are free to write whatever you want in exactly the way you want to. I would encourage young writers to try writing lots of different things. Don’t worry too much about finishing a project. You can always come back to it later. Experiment with different genres. Find a safe place to put those writings so you can come back to things you didn’t finish when you are a stronger writer. I also think it’s important to find joy in the process of writing. Pick characters you really love. Chose a topic that you care about deeply and you will be a better writer just for having chosen well.
Book’s Title: A Horse Named Sky
Author/Illustrator: Rosanne Parry / Kirbi Fagan
Release Date: 8/29/23
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s / Greenwillow Books
ISBN-10: 0062995952
ISBN-13: : 9780062995957
Genre: Middle Grade, Animals & Horses / Survival Stories / Historical Fiction
~ Giveaway Details ~
Five (5) winners will receive a hardcover copy of A HORSE CALLED SKY (Roseanne Parry) ~US ONLY
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
Do you have a pet?
I’m excited that is going to be illustrated. I love a journey novel.
Looks great
The cover is beautiful. I love a good horse story.
Horses are my favorite animal and always have been. This cover is beautiful and I can’t wait to read this!
A great addition to a classroom library!