What have your characters taught you?
In Racing Savannah, Savannah had very little money while growing up. Her father makes minimum wage, her mother died of breast cancer, leaving the family with large medical bills, and now her father has a new pregnant girlfriend. Her father takes a new job at fancy Cedar Hill Farms in order to try to make a better life for his family. Savannah doesn't have college aspirations - all she wants is a steady job where she can make some money, so she tries out to be an exercise rider for the farm. She doesn't want to end up working as a maid at a hotel.
This book was difficult for me to write. I grew up with little means myself, but I always had dreams of college. Now that I'm adult with a steady career, it's hard for me to remember what it was like not having enough food to eat and always having to wear hand-me-down clothes. A lot of people in America live like Savannah and her family do - they have large debts and worry about where they'll get their next meal. What happens if a family member gets sick and they don't have health insurance?
In the book, the main guy character Jack urges Savannah to consider college, knowing it will open more doors for her. Part of her character development involves her learning to think outside the box.
While writing this book, I wondered who my audience is. (Every author should know who their audience is before they start writing.) I wrote this book for the girls and boys who have big dreams but worry about how they'll accomplish them. But I wondered if libraries would carry my book and if it would get into the hands of those underprivileged kids. Conversely, would the kids who could afford my book relate to Savannah?
I ultimately decided that if my book encourages even one kid to think in a different way, I would be happy. I will also be happy if kids who come from more prosperous backgrounds begin to understand how parts of America live. Writing this book reminded me that the dreams of every single teen are important.
About the Book
They’re from two different worlds.
He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.
With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…
About Miranda
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