PALOS VERDES PENINSULA NEWS, December 6, 2001. Evelyn Horan, a teacher and counselor in Palos Verdes schools for more than 34 years, recently published the first of four books in her new historical fiction series for children titled JEANNIE, A TEXAS FRONTIER GIRL, BOOK ONE.
The first book, entitled, JEANNIE, A TEXAS FRONTIER GIRL, BOOK ONE, explores a series of events that occur in West Texas for Jeannie, her family, and her friends during the years l884-l885.
For the books' setting and characters, Horan drew from her own experiences as a young girl growing up on a Texas farm in the '30's, as well as the stories passed down by both German and American pioneer ancestors.
JEANNIE, A TEXAS FRONTIER GIRL, BOOK ONE, was selected as the November Book of the Month at Children and Literature.com, and as the Book of the Month Spotlight by Dream Maker Publish America at http://year2012.freeservers.com.
Horan's work will soon be honored at historical literature web site Eighteen Hundreds, eighteenhundreds.com, beside authors such as Matt Braum, a recipient of numerous Western Writer awards whose work has been adapted into both a movie and a miniseries.
"I am truly humbled and overwhelmed with appreciation and gratitude to be featured with such greats as Matt Braum," Horan said. "It is quite an honor."
Though this is Horan's first book, her articles and stories have been published more than 275 times in 80 periodicals for adults and children in both secular and religious publications.
Horan who began teaching in the Peninsula school system early in her career, began at Dapplyegray Elementary School, where she taught the fourth grade. She later took positions as a teacher and counselor at Miraleste High School, Malaga Cove, and Palos Verdes Intermediate schools. She retired from PVIS in 1992. Her teaching years were part of the inspiration for writing the Jeannie series, Horan said.
"The age group of 8 to l4 has been a familiar teaching assignment and I enjoy the world of children," she said.
The heroine of Horan's series is Jeannie, a l2-year-old farm girl growing up in the Eastland/Ranger,Texas, area. Accompanied by her black stallion horse, Diamond, and her hound dog, Ole Blue, Jeannie has many adventures, including reclaiming horses stolen by the Comanche Indians and an encounter with a tornado on the way home from school.
"My early pioneer family actually had horses stolen by the Indians, and I used that story for the basis of Jeannie's experience, "Horan said, "However, I wanted to make it clear that for the Comanches, horse stealing was a way for men to prove themselves to the rest of the tribe, and that they were doing what was expected of them. I explain this in the book's preface, and later in BOOK TWO of the series, Jeannie's family and an Indian family become friendly toward one another.
In the beginning chapters of BOOK ONE Jeannie meets Helga, a shy and reserved, German immigrant, young friend whom she helps to adjust to frontier life.
"For the character of Helga, I drew on my own German heritage," Horan said. "I incorporated some of the German dialect into Helga's speech to give her an authentic German flavor."
As Jeannie and Helga grow older, they are faced with the death of a childhood companion and turn to their faith for strength." The book stresss coping with problems and not giving up," Horan said. "It's about knowing that you can rely on faith to pull you through."
JEANNIE, A TEXAS FRONTIER GIRL, BOOK ONE, can be ordered through the PublishAmerica.com, or Amazon.com web sites or through local bookstores. Horan will host a book signing on Saturday, Dec. 22, from 2 to 4 P.M., at Family Christian Bookstore at 2820 Sepulveda Boulevard in Torrance, and on Thursday, Jan. 3, from 5 to 7 P.M., at William's Bookstore, 443 W. Sixth Street, San Pedro, California.
Children love to sink their teeth into sweet and delicious fruit. This story and teaching will have them sinking their hearts into the Fruit of the Spirit.
This second book in Edie's 'Puddle' series is filled with wonderful catchy rhyming poems that have positive nostalgic messages. Her whimsical illustrations carry the poems along on ripples of warm vibrant colours.
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