CABLE – A Cable resident’s book about a horse’s life, begun in childhood, is now published and available for purchase decades later.
Cable resident Cathy Kennedy, 51, published “Meeting of the Mustangs” in 2015, and it is now available in paperback and online formats. The story is about a black colt born into a band of wild mustangs and follows his life as he goes from being a free spirit to being captured for profit.
Kennedy began working on the story while growing up in Pennsylvania. Living in a 200-year-old house and being surrounded by wildlife and wilderness gave her a setting for her book. Kennedy’s father was a printer and gave her a top-of-the-line typewriter as a gift, which prompted her to begin writing.
“I dragged that manuscript around with me for probably 35 years,” she said. “I had the rest of the story in my head, but I was still dealing with a case of writer’s block and I had no time to do it.”
But after being laid off from her job in Florida, she moved to Ohio in 2011 and found she had more time to work on it. Plus, the atmosphere in Ohio reminded her of her home in Pennsylvania and matched more closely the environment of the story.
Kennedy said it took her about six months to complete the book, which was mostly editing. She then found a way to self-publish the novel, as she did not know the protocol for submitting it to publishers.
“I wanted to keep as much of the original as I could. I tried not to rewrite it as an adult, because I wanted to keep the mindset of a younger person,” Kennedy said.
Though the book was originally written for younger audiences, she said reviewers of all ages appear to enjoy her story.
With her first book completed, Kennedy said she’s open to writing another.
“Meeting of the Mustangs” is available on Barnes and Noble’s website (barnesandnoble.com) and Amazon (amazon.com).
