Author: Dandi Daley Mackall
Located in: Cinnamon Lake, Ohio
Submitted: November 06, 2001
Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up on horses, and my best childhood friends were Sugar (mixed-breed Pinto I rode
bareback and solo at age 3) and Misty (black, probably Morgan, who grew up with me), and
Towaco (the Appaloosa I showed through high school). My earliest "stories" from those years
were all horse stories. At the University of Missouri, I majored in foreign languages, found
Christ, and decided to be a missionary. For the past 20 years, I've been writing (over 300
books), riding, and living with my husband and 3 kids in rural Ohio. God is so good!
What was your motivation behind this project? When Tyndale House asked me if I'd like to write a series for them--and maybe one about
animals--I knew the invitation was backed by God! I've learned so much about God and
relationships by studying horses and God's other creations; I felt this series would be an ideal
way to pass along the awe. I've always encouraged new writers to write out what God's
worked in. This series is my chance to do just that!
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? The teens in these novels are realistic, with problems most of us have had to struggle through.
I'm praying God will use the themes and situations to encourage and draw readers closer to
Him. I also hope they laugh out loud at my quirky cast--Catman Coolidge (cat expert), Eddy
Barker (dog expert), Hawk (birds), Lizzy (knows all about lizards and bugs), and of course,
Winnie the Horse Gentler.
