About the author
Susan (Sue) Millard is a former computing lecturer, who still designs websites. She has never stopped writing. Her first book was Against the Odds, written for the J A Allen Equestrian Fiction series. It is a dark read in some ways, aimed at older teenagers. The heroine, Sian, leaves home to work in a racing stable, but she soon finds that the trainer’s son Justin, after the initial attraction, has a vicious, ruthless side when he rapes her. This is not described explicitly in the book, but it is quite clear what has happened, so if you’re buying this book for a child, make sure they can cope.
The book itself is an excellent read, and still easy to find, and if you’re a fan, you’ll be delighted Sue has now written a sequel, Scratch. Sue Millard has also written a book of cartoons about Fell ponies, One Fell Swoop, and Hoofprints in Eden, exploring the Fell Pony breed as it is in the 21st century, as well as A Century of Fells, celebrating 100 years of the Fell Pony Society. Her equestrian pursuits include driving: she is also very involved with the North West Driving Club, and owns a Fell mare, Ruby (now retired), and Eric, a borrowed grey Dales gelding.
Finding the books
Still easy to find, and reasonably priced. All titles are now in print via Jackdaw Books.
Series
Against the Odds
Against the Odds
Scratch
Bibliography (horse books only)
Against the Odds
J A Allen, London, 1995
Jackdaw E Books, Penrith, 2018
Sian has left home to start a job in a racing stable, but the trainer’s arrogant son, Justin, is very much more than she bargained for. Then, when the filly she looks after, Double Jump, is moved to another stable, Sian goes too, and a new love comes into her life, Madoc Owen, the stable jockey, who is trying to make a winner out of Cymru, the bored flat racer, by trying him over fences.
scratch
Jackdaw E Books, Penrith, Cumbria, 2018
The sequel to Against the Odds. Madoc is training National Hunt horses, and Sian breaks in Fell ponies on the neglected Cumbrian farm they’ve bought. They’ve had to borrow a lot from family as well as the bank to afford the farm. Then Madoc’s brother calls in the loan he made them, and tensions mount. For someone the stakes are as high as murder.
String of Horses
Jackdaw E Books, Penrith, Cumbria, 2021. Available in eBook and paperback.
The blurb:
Fourteen-year-old Claire Armstrong’s Mum and Dad run a country pub in the Lake District, with pony trekking as part of its attractions. Claire’s love of the ponies teaches her a great deal about herself. But it’s the humans in the pub who cause her the most heartache. A coming-of-age novel set in the 1970s.
Adult fiction
Coachman
Jackdaw Books, 2012
Jackdaw Books, 2022
George Davenport travels to London with his bride Lucy, determined to make the most of his skill in driving a four-in-hand of horses. It’s 1838, and the first railways are about to open across the country and their competition will kill off the road-coaching trade. George is torn between his work and his wife, so he has a lot to come to terms with… even before the boss’s daughter starts to stalk him.
Dragon Bait
Jackdaw Books, 2012
Jackdaw Books, 2022
A fantasy rom-com with equine characters. Princess Andra volunteers to act as bait for the dragon ravaging her father’s lands, on condition that she is released from an arrangement to marry a foreign prince.
Unfortunately the Knight Rescuer who turns up is not the trusty old retainer she expects, but an unknown conservationist who wants the dragon, not the lady. After that very little goes according to plan.
Non fiction
One Fell Swoop: A Lighthearted Look at Fell Ponies
Jackdaw 1987, 1995
Hoofprints in Eden: Nobbut Thirty Year
Hayloft, 2005
Jackdaw Books, 2018
A Century of Fells
Jackdaw Books, 2022
Fell Facts
Jackdaw Books, 2012
Fell Fun
Jackdaw Books, 2012
