Award-winning Yuma author pens another book
Award-winning Yuma author Claire Eckard has written another book called Gallant: The Call of the Trail. It is the first novel in a trilogy that follows the emotional journey of two teenagers and two horses as their lives converge.
“It is a saga of love, friendship, and the emotional bond that is made over many years between all four characters,” Eckard said. “I will warn readers that this book is a tear-jerker! It also has moments of incredible highs where I promise you will be cheering for the characters to succeed.”
The novel is set against the backdrop of the long-distance cross-country sport of endurance riding, which challenges all four characters in ways they never expected.
The main character of the story is a girl named Gracie, who readers first meet when she is five years old, as she witnesses the birth of the foal, Gallant at her family’s ranch in the Valley of Heart’s Delight – which is now known as Silicon Valley.
Readers later meet Jack, a 15-year-old boy who becomes an important part of the story when becomes Gallant’s second owner.
The fourth character is a horse called Flash, a stallion who has grown up at the hands of a cruel and abusive owner and who is torn between being ambitious and ruthless, or learning how to love and be loved.
“(Flash) is the most heart-wrenching character of all, and the main focus of the second book in the trilogy,” Eckard said. “We watch Gracie grow from a slightly timid, almost subservient child into a completely different young woman throughout the series, who must overcome myriad challenges and must find her own internal strength to meet her destiny, and that of Gallant’s.”
Although the book is classified as being for young adult readers, Eckard said any animal lover or anyone who wants to get lost in an emotional drama and adventure would enjoy the book.
“I have people of all ages and
backgrounds who have fallen in love with these characters and this book, so I think it really is a story for a very broad audience,” Eckard said. “Readers will enjoy the bond this book shows between humans and animals. For me, that is certainly one of the greatest gifts we are given in life.”
A dear friend of Eckard’s, by the name of Julie Suhr, who is now 97-years-old and had a long and significant career in the sport of endurance riding, lasting over 40 years, serves as the main inspiration for the book.
Suhr has also written a book herself, called Ten Feet Tall Still that chronicled her life, love and journey with horses.
“I asked her if I could use some of her childhood memories for the beginning of this book, and the main character of Gracie is inspired by her.,” Eckard said. “She
also allowed me to use her amazing horse, HCC Gazal, who still holds many records in the sport and deserves to be honored, as the inspiration for Gallant.”
Eckard added, however, that her trilogy is a work of fiction, one in which she hopes will appeal to anyone who values the bond between animals and humans.
“It’s really a coming-of-age story where everyone can relate to the emotional journey and growth that each of the characters are going through,” Eckard said. “I felt the story was important to tell because it is so relatable.”
When Eckard’s book launched online on Sept. 28, it quickly became Amazon’s #1 hot new release and soon after was the top selling book in equestrian fiction.
Gallant: The Call of the Trail has also received an “A” rating from Publisher’s Weekly which called it, “an exciting horse drama with a contagious passion for endurance riding that young readers and horse enthusiasts will love”.
The trade magazine company also praised the artwork of Phylicia Mann, who did the cover art and some illustrations inside the book.
Kirkus Reviews also praised Eckard’s book, saying her human and equine character shine throughout the pages. Readers Favorite also called it “Exquisitely Written.”
“I think I cried when I read each review! I felt a buzz of excitement while I was writing it, but I had no idea if the book was truly any good,” Eckard said. “It is so rewarding as a new author to have my work validated by big reviewers.”
Eckard added that a friend hers recently texted her that she was reading the book on a flight to Hawaii and her husband was laughing at her because she had tears running down her face.
“That’s what I wanted. To have my readers get so engrossed with the characters that they live through everything they go through with them,” Eckard said. “I want my books to take people on a journey that they didn’t expect.”
Gallant: The Call of the Trail is now available at Barnes and Nobles in Yuma and Chandler (including some signed copies) and on all the usual ordering sites, such as Target and Walmart.
It is also available through her website claireeckardauthor.com
The book is also available in Yuma at the Peanut Patch, Dream Gift Shop and the Humane Society.
Since only about 2 percent of books ever make it to the shelves of bookstores, Eckard hopes people will buy it for the animal lovers in their families so that other stores may start selling it also.
While critics have compared her book to modern classics such as Black Beauty and National Velvet, with a modern twist, Eckard said she wanted to write an adventure that featured the exciting sport of endurance riding, which has hardly ever been written about in a work of fiction.
She is also donating a portion of the book’s sales to the Western States Trail Museum, which is currently in the planning stages and will eventually be built in the town of Auburn, Calif., the endurance riding capital of the world.
The museum will feature the incredible history of the Tevis Trail, going back to the times of the Gold Rush in California, as well as more recent stories from world famous endurance events such as the Tevis Cup and the Western States 100-mile Trail Run.
Eckard, who has previously written children’s books called Geribo, The Shelter Cat and Bentley and the Magic Sticks!, says the second book in her Bently series is due out in about a month, just in time for Christmas.
She is also currently in the process of co-writing a non-fiction book about a young girl who recently completed a 100-mile race on the smallest horse ever to finish the Tevis Cup, the world’s most famous endurance ride.
“It’s pretty incredible and will be both inspirational and fun to read,” Eckard said. “That book should be out by late spring.”
If that wasn’t enough to keep her busy she is also deep into writing her second Gallant book, called The Call of the Mustangs, which will continue the story of the lives and journey of the four characters in the first book.
Born in England, Eckard moved to the United States when she was 20-years-old. Married with two children, she and her husband moved to Yuma from California 15 years ago to start a construction company.
A busy mother and wife, Eckard had always had a love for writing, but was never able to find the time to pursue it, that is until a tragic event five years ago.
She explained that when a friend of hers lost her son to cancer she felt an overwhelming need to begin following her own dreams.