Moonlit by Jadie Jones
Paperback, 310 pages
Published April 16, 2013 by WiDo Publishing
Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods. When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t. But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?
"Virginia's trees look like they're burning. Most of them blaze crimson or gold, but some still have a chokehold on their green. I wish they'd give it up already. Leaves are more beautiful when they're dying." And so Moonlit begins. From here the story rolls from one twist to another with many vivid characters whose motives are hard to predict. I found myself being suspicious of everyone, wanting to tell Tanzy to be very careful. The deeper I fell into the plot, the more questions kept rising to the surface. But not to worry, all of my questions were answered. Appropriate for all ages, if you love paranormal fantasy mixed with suspense, mystery and other-worldly romance, you'll love this novel! ~Author Julie FordPrologue:
The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed. I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn’t say a word.
Welcome, Jadie Jones, to Colorimetry!! :-D I have a secret, long-time love of horses and I love this cover and premise. I'm excited to talk with you about your book!! Woop!
What horses were part of the inspiration to Moonlit?
Horses have always inspired me in one way or another. When I was younger, I attended an overnight horse camp in rural north Georgia, which was on hundreds of fantastically unkempt acres. We slept in an old farm house on metal frame bunk beds, and we ate and breathed horses for two solid weeks. What sticks out in my mind about this camp the most is what happened each dawn. We would walk down the hill to the weathered barn and then break the sunrise silence with the whooping call that let the +25 horses know that it was time for breakfast. There was always a following spell of quiet, and then a low rumble of distant hooves. One by one, flocks of birds took flight as the horses galloped towards us from all over the property. This moment was magic for me every single time, and I came to this camp five years running, staying a month or more in older years. The title horse, Moonlit, was inspired by a horse I had in high school and college, a gray Trakehner mare who I shared a once-in-a-lifetime connection with. Tanzy’s relationship with Moonlit, and Moonlit’s intuitive nature were certainly inspired by the time I spent with my own horse. I still have a picture of her on my desk.
*shiver* I love the scene at camp! That is very cool that you had such a connection with a horse.
Horses have always inspired me in one way or another. When I was younger, I attended an overnight horse camp in rural north Georgia, which was on hundreds of fantastically unkempt acres. We slept in an old farm house on metal frame bunk beds, and we ate and breathed horses for two solid weeks. What sticks out in my mind about this camp the most is what happened each dawn. We would walk down the hill to the weathered barn and then break the sunrise silence with the whooping call that let the +25 horses know that it was time for breakfast. There was always a following spell of quiet, and then a low rumble of distant hooves. One by one, flocks of birds took flight as the horses galloped towards us from all over the property. This moment was magic for me every single time, and I came to this camp five years running, staying a month or more in older years. The title horse, Moonlit, was inspired by a horse I had in high school and college, a gray Trakehner mare who I shared a once-in-a-lifetime connection with. Tanzy’s relationship with Moonlit, and Moonlit’s intuitive nature were certainly inspired by the time I spent with my own horse. I still have a picture of her on my desk.
*shiver* I love the scene at camp! That is very cool that you had such a connection with a horse.
Do you have a favorite scene with horses in 'em?
Well… I can’t share my favorite scene with a horse because it will spoil a big part of the book. But I will tell you about one of my top three horse-related moments in Moonlit. Tanzy has traveled in a dream-state to her first life, which happened about a thousand years ago. Her first body is in dire-straights, when a pack of wild horses intervenes. Let’s just say this moment is definitely inspired by those mornings at horse camp…
Well… I can’t share my favorite scene with a horse because it will spoil a big part of the book. But I will tell you about one of my top three horse-related moments in Moonlit. Tanzy has traveled in a dream-state to her first life, which happened about a thousand years ago. Her first body is in dire-straights, when a pack of wild horses intervenes. Let’s just say this moment is definitely inspired by those mornings at horse camp…
Wait... her first life? Lol. Pack of wild horses?! No wonder you can't share your favorite scene. I begin to understand the review quote above.
Please share something personal!! Tell us about the Team you coach! Funny stories? Quirks? Embarrassing moment?
This story will actually fit a all of these topics. In April, I flew to Syracuse, New York to promote Moonlit at the national championships for high school hunt seat equitation (horseback riding – Learn more at www.rideiea.org.) I also had a few students I help teach in the competition, so I was thrilled to be able to watch them ride.
Time out for back-story: I when I write or if I’m brainstorming, I have a very loose connection to reality.
Ok, now then. I hitched rides with parents and other coaches to and from the hotel and showgrounds, and would usually write in the back seat. So I wasn’t paying attention – at all – in regards to directions. Etc.
One night, a group of us went to a restaurant, but the wait was nearly an hour, and I really wanted to tackle an important scene in the sequel. Another coach didn’t want to wait either. We’d previously established that we were both staying at the Holiday Inn, so she offered to take us both by a grocery store, and then back to the hotel.
It was POURING outside – a mix of snow and rain, and dark. We grabbed groceries and then drove on to the hotel. I had a case of books that I didn’t want to get wet, so the other coach parked as close to an entrance as possible, which was one of the side doors you need a key to get in. The other coach held open the door, and we took the elevator to our respective floors. She got out first, and then I went to the fourth floor, got out, turned left, and walked down the hall to my room, which should have been at the end. Only it wasn’t. It wasn’t anywhere.
At first, I thought maybe there were two towers, and groaned at the thought that I’d have to cart my heavy box of books, laptop, etc, to the other side of the hotel. I took the elevator down to the main floor, stepped into the lobby, which is where I realized, to my horror, I was in the wrong hotel.
I know I looked like a crazy bag lady, standing there with a cardboard box, two bags of groceries, and a giant tote, muttering to herself: this is not my hotel. This is NOT my hotel. Even better: I was doing the trip as cheaply as possible, so the room I was staying in was not under my name, and had been booked by one of 35 parents, so I had no idea WHO had booked it, or even what street it was on. Genius. And all of the parents were at the Nationals banquet, which was at a noisy indoor amusement park. It took nearly half an hour to reach any of them.
During that time, the desk clerk looked at me like I might be completely off my rocker, but after I at last received a text message with the hotel address from one of my students’ parents (which was in a completely different city, just fyi) the clerk finally believed me enough to call the other Holiday Inn to confirm that one of my riding teams was indeed staying there. Once she established that, she called a cab, and I was on my way.
My cab driver turned out to be one of the coolest parts of my trip. He told me several stories about Hindi religion on the drive from Syracuse to Liverpool. By the time we got to my actual hotel, I considered him a friend. I was also entirely too spent to write that night, so I ate my grocery store sushi and called it a day.
Hilarious. I can totally picture you stranded with all your stuff and the clerk thinking you were trying to scam your way somewhere. Rain always adds a lot of atmosphere. It just wouldn't be the same story without pouring rain. Lol. Thank you!
Georgia native Jadie Jones first began working for a horse farm at twelve years old, her love of horses matched only by her love of books. She went on to acquire a B.A. in equine business management, and worked for competitive horse farms along the east coast. The need to write followed wherever she went. She currently coaches a hunt seat equitation team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and lives with her family in the foothills of north Georgia. When she's not working on the next installment of the Moonlit series, she is either in the saddle or exploring the great outdoors with her daughter. Moonlit is her first book.
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