The Horse Dreamer by Holly Surplice
We have a beautiful blog from Holly Surplice, author of The Horse Dreamer, about her story and characters.
The Horse Dreamer first appeared in a sketchbook over a decade ago. My youngest was just one at the time and I just knew I didn’t have the brain capacity then to write the story I knew these characters needed so Merryn & Sorrel sat patiently within the pages of other story ideas waiting for their moment.
I’ve spent over twenty years creating books for tiny readers, often inspired by my own so it was almost inevitable that I’d want to write for an older age range eventually. When the time finally came, there was a hesitancy, a faltering belief in myself that I could successfully achieve what I wanted for this story. I wanted to create something special, a story that the reader could fall into and become immersed in, it needed to be visual and capture the magic that I felt as a child when I was around our own horses.
Writing The Horse Dreamer leant into childhood memories of adventures on horseback and the equine friendships that made many years of school bullying (that I kept secret), survivable. I wanted to write about a young female protagonist who was brave and deep thinking yet needed someone to help her believe in herself again. We all need that from time to time. The strength to endure, survive and thrive is hardwired, but often we don’t see this in ourselves because circumstance or lived experiences have clouded that belief. It can take someone, or something truly special to shine a light back on our best qualities and that’s what Sorrel does for Merryn in this story.
Writing a chapter book was full of new challenges but it was endlessly enjoyable and rewarding. The hardest part for me, is the reading and re-reading and reading again that goes into the editing process. That in itself is a special feat of endurance! Although I was writing for an older audience, it was still hugely important to me to be telling a story in both words and pictures. I don’t think you’re ever too old for reading an illustrated story and I wanted The Horse Dreamer to be full of them! As I wrote, I also drew and the characters came to life vividly in my mind and on the page, it’s a lovely process.
As a mother of a neurodiverse child, I know how much a reading experience can be improved by considered touches such as, the body of text being broken up (in this case with pictures), shorter chapters and an easy to read, well spaced font. I also think the blue ink tone on words and pictures really enhances both the aesthetic and legibility of the story. The designer who worked on the page layouts for this book was an absolute magician! He understood how much all these factors meant to me and went out of his way to deliver the format I had envisioned.
Although The Horse Dreamer covers challenging topics such as grief and mental health struggles, I wanted the reader to be transported along with Merryn and Sorrel into joyful, uplifting experiences that are full of hope and optimism. I think it’s a really important message for young people to know that all these things can coexist together, life is rarely black and white, but a multitude of tones that colour our life experiences and with belief in yourself, anything is possible.
THE HORSE DREAMER by Holly Surplice is out now in hardback. Published by Chicken House for 9+ year old readers.
