I have a new wholesome historical romance releasing tomorrow.
The research for the story, set during World War I, took me on several journeys into the past as I learned about everything from an infantry division known for their singing to the sad fact that one battalion was left with nothing but carrots to eat for three days.
One of the things that really dug into my heart was learning about the sheer number of horses and mules that died during the war. The estimates are around eight million, but it’s hard to know for sure.
World War I required hundreds of thousands of horses and mules to pull and pack artillery, supplies, communications, medical supplies and ambulances, and engineering services, as well as to carry the cavalry. When the war began in 1914, Europe did not have enough equines to support massive armies. France, England, and Germany looked to other nations to shore up their numbers of horses, mules, and donkeys.
British and French purchasing agents and their staff came to North America in search of horses. They selected animals based on size, breed, and type from specific regions, shipping them mainly from Newport News, Virginia, and Montreal, Canada. Ships were modified with stalls and fodder storage. By the fall of 1917, more than half a million American horses and mules had been sent to Europe for service. By the summer of 1918, approximately 300 horses and mules were being shipped every day to France. Because there was such a desperate need for horses, agents even rounded up wild horses from southeastern Oregon, Nevada, and northeastern California to ship over.
One shipping port for the hoses was Newport News, Virginia. An account I read said that a Germany spy poisoned the water and they lost hundreds of animals before they figured out the cause.
Another thing Germans used to bring great harm to horses were an ancient weapon called a caltrop. I’d never heard of them before I started the research for this story, but apparently, they were used in Roman times and found their way to America during the Civil War. The caltrop is a four-pronged metal spike used to impede enemy movement, particular those on horses.
During World War I, it was written in a soldier’s journal that the Germans would toss these small weapons “like a child’s jacks” in the mud as they retreated or moved to other areas, hoping to damage as many horses as possible. Their theory was “no foot, no horse.” Once a horse stepped on one of these sharp prongs, it penetrated into their hoof deeply enough it couldn’t be treated and the horse would have to be put down.
Horses also faced the same trials as the soldiers: pouring rain, baking heat, poisonous gas, mortar fire, whizzing bullets, lack of food, and so many other challenges.
In my book, Sarah, the hero, Brett, works under the direction of a veterinarian in France. He and his friend, Rory, help take care of the horses in their division. Brett bonds with a Kiger mustang named Keegan, and it was such a special thing to write that into the story.
She desires his heart.
He longs for her love.
Can they find common ground when he returns forever altered by the war.
In a world turned upside down by World War I, all Sarah Richards desires is to love Brett Rawlings and build a future together. After graduating high school a year early, she’s ready to dive into her dreams of college and a home filled with laughter and love. But one impulsive decision threatens all her aspirations—as well as her relationship with Brett.
As the war rages on and men head off to fight, sixteen-year-old Brett reluctantly follows his twin brother, Ben, sneaking off to France to join the American Expeditionary Forces. As the months pass, Ben thrives amidst the chaos of battle, while Brett finds himself haunted by the girl he left behind and the uncertainty of his own heart. When Ben reveals a life-altering secret, the bond between the brothers is shattered, forcing Brett to grapple with betrayal as he faces the brutal realities of war.
Brett returns home a changed man, burdened with memories too heavy to bear, yet yearning to mend the fractures of the past. Will Sarah still be waiting for him, or have time and truth forged an unbridgeable chasm between them?
Find out in this heartfelt historical romance that weaves a tale of hope, grace, forgiveness, and sweet, enduring love.
I’m giving away an autographed copy of Sarah and some fun goodies.
You can ENTER HERE,
then come back and share a comment about your favorite animal.
I’ve always loved horses and dogs. My favorite horse was a Palomino named Doc, and my favorite dog was our Border Collie because she was so super smart and sweet.
After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky western heroes.
When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
We had a dog when I was growing up. My parents got him from the animal shelter when I was 5 years old. They were told that he was part Australian Shepherd and part something else. His name was Dingo and lived for 17 years. He was a wonderful dog.
Thank you for sharing your memories about Dingo. He sounds like a wonderful dog! Have a beautiful day, Diana!
My original comment disappeared. We had beagles, Ned and Nell.
That is so fun about the beagles, Denise. They are such sweet dogs!
My favorite animal is a cat, followed by horses. We had a cat called Rascal for 14 years, and we loved him dearly. He died from liver disease.
When I was young, my husband and I worked on a horse ranch in Northern California. My favorite horse was Kanilo.
So sorry about Rascal’s passing, but so wonderful he was part of your lives for 14 years. How neat you worked on a horse ranch. I love the name Kanilo!
Have an amazing day, Julie! Thank you for stopping by!
Although I like all animals, my favorite animal is a dog.
I love dogs, too, Janice! Have a fabulous day!
My favorite domesticated animal would be a horse. I grew up with horses and ponies. We had a pony cart and rode in several horse shows.
My favorite wild animal would be an orangutan. I just love watching them on television and in zoos.
That is so neat about having a pony cart. I always thought it would be fun to ride in one! Orangutans are fascinating! Have a lovely day, Susan!
monkey
Fun!
My favorite animals are giraffes, elephants, cats and dogs. My brother had a golden retriever named Legend. He was the sweetest dog ever.
Your brother’s dog sounds wonderful! And so fun about your favorite animals. Giraffes are so cool, and elephants are amazing! Thank you for popping in today, Deb!
I am an animal lover so my favorite animals are horses, goats, and dogs.
Those are all so fun, Rhonda! Thank you for stopping in today!
Howdy Shanna!
Interesting and sad research on WW1. I had a couple of pet dogs growing up. One was George and the other one was Frisky. Frisky should have his own book! He was always coming home a mess. Daddy had to doctor him several times. I would have loved hear in his dog tales! My husband and I don’t have any animals. We talk about getting one, but then change our minds. They require some time and care and we both don’t have it now.
I can’t wait to read Sarah! I’ve been wanting to hear the twins story for a good while! Yay! And I have enjoyed Pendleton Promises!
Best wishes to you Shanna!
Hi Tracy,
Pets are a lot of work (and joy) so I totally get not having any now. How fun you had memorably dogs growing up. Frisky sounds like he could have his own book!
Thank you so much. I hope you’ll enjoy Sarah’s story!
All my best to you!
When Ron and I first got married, we bought a run down hobby farm. We bought a collie dog named Toby. He would never stay home. Then we bought two horses and they became friends, My horse was green broke and nearly did me in! Her name was Misty. Then we bought a fifteen year old gelding for me. Shamrock was the perfect horse! A palomino with a deep golden coat. I’ll never forget our horses. So much fun. And work!
That is so neat about your hobby farm and the horses and your wandering dog Toby! Horses are so much fun (and work). And thank you about Sarah! I hope you’ll enjoy her story! Hugs to you, Kathy!
And Shanna, I look forward to reading Sarah.
My favorite animal is a dog. I love watching horses run, though.
There is just something majestic about watching horses run! Have a great day, Barbara!
I love cats, all sizes, and always wanted a pet bobcat. I also wanted a pet skunk! I also like wolves, too. I like most dogs, too.
Wow to the wildlife pets, Trudy. After getting sprayed by baby skunks when I was in high school, I never had the desire for one as a pet. Thank you for stopping in today. Have a beautiful rest of the week!
I love dogs and cats, I’ve always wanted a maine coon cat and a great dane, for someone as short as I am I love larger animals, LOL 🙂
That is so fun about the Maine coon and great dane. I love the bigger dogs too!
I like all baby animals. Not so much when some grow up,
My favorite is dogs.
Baby animals are so adorable, aren’t they? Have a fabulous day!
Horse from a very early age as riding at 4 years old and gotta have my dogs and llamas too!!
That is awesome you began riding at an early age. And so fun about the dogs and llamas! Have a great day, Teresa!
I like dogs.
They are so easy to love!
My favorite are dogs. I love pretty much all animals , I really love birds also. Growing up we had dogs, a cat or 2, chickens, a pig , rabbits and a horse, we also had pigeons . Your book sounds Your book sounds like a great read and I Love your book cover! Thank you for the chance. Have a great day and a great rest of the week.
Thank you so much! It sounds like you had a wonderful collection of animals to enjoy in your growing up years. Have a lovely day!
My dog, Bogie, a dog from Lapdog rescue lived 18 wonderful years. He was a strong, sturdy 15 pound mix and very handsome. He was extremely smart, energetic, devoted and aware of whom to trust and love. I miss him everyday.
I’m so sorry for your loss of Bogie, but so glad you had him in your life. Hugs, Annie.
When I was 12, my dad bought me an almost-three-year-old Palomino mare. I named her China, and we grew up together. She was the love of my life for 25 years, and she’s buried in the corner of the pasture in front of my house, with her own headstone. I had a friend make a painting for me of how I imagine Horse Heaven looks, with a rainbow, green grass, and a stream, with China right in the middle. It hangs in my living room and I think about her every time I look at it.
Oh, Kim! I love that you had China in your life for so many years, and you have that beautiful painting to remind you of her every day. Big hugs to you!
I hadn’t realized all that about horses in WWI. Thank you for sharing.
I’m a cat person. I love black cats the most because no one understands that they aren’t bad luck so they bypass them in shelters. My Emma is now 19 and has her good and bad days just like me.
As for wild animals, I love the eagle and the wolf. There’s just something about the free spirit of an eagle and the family oriented wolf.
Hi Carrie,
Thank you for reading the blog today. It made my heart hurt to learn about what the horses went through in WWI.
That is so fun about cats. Your Emma sounds like a wonderful kitty.
Eagles are amazing, aren’t they? I love it when we get to see one in the wild.
Have a beautiful day and thank you for stopping in!
I love cats and have had many over my lifetime. The last was a Himalayan named Alexander, who developed cancer and had to be put down. Since then our schedule doesn’t really work with pets so I have 2 grandpups named Molly, an aussiedoodle, and Micky a bernadoodle.
I love all animals. We have had doo, cats, fish, hamsters gerbils, Guinea pig, birds and a rabbit. I don’t think I pick one as a favorite. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
We have had dogs, cats, fish, hamsters gerbils, Guinea pig, birds and a rabbit. I don’t think I pick one as a favorite. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
My favorite animal is a dolphin or porpoise ?
War is just hard on so many levels, isn’t it? Those poor horses. Who knew hundreds of thousands of horses and mules would be needed? Broke my heart reading that many of them suffered.
Fascinating blog, Shanna!
I have many favorite animals including Red Pandas, dogs, and the 3 squirrels that live on our property and keep me thoroughly entertained with their antics in our front yard.
I love dogs and horses. I have 2 ‘little old lady’ dachshunds that I got as shelter dogs several years ago. They are so precious to me. One is close to 20 years old. I also had a horse in the past. I got him when I first moved to Texas.
I am going to say cat so that is what we have right now, even though we have had a variety of pets through the years.
My favorite animal is a dog. My dog Echo was super special to me. I have had several horses that were quite the character also. My horse Josh was always into something and making everyone laugh. We had to move our fence because he could turn on the faucet and would flood the pasture.
My favorite animal is the Elk and horses. The Elk are majestic and beautiful. Horses are powerful yet gentle.
I have always had digs since I was a baby. The most i have rescued at 1 time have been 3. Usually I always have 2 dogs. I have enjoyed several different breeds. Y o ur story sounds really good and so interesting. My sings name is Brett and mine is Rory. I find that quite a coincidence.
Matilda was our first Border Collie and she lived to be seventeen. She would run along our shelter belt chasing birds but never caught any, maybe because they were up in the trees and not on the ground. She also loved squash rolls something I often made in the fall. Our daughters would say “squash rolls” and she would get excited. She was a great dog! She wasn’t the best stock dog but she did clear the gate so the tractor could get through.
I’m A retired Veterinarian, so I love them all!
We’ve always had bird dogs, usually Labrador Retrievers, and pugs. In fact, having run out of names on which we children could agree, our last pug’s moniker ended up being simply “Pug” because by the time we decided a name, he wouldn’t answer to anything else. We got Pug about the same time our baby sister was learning to read. One evening I came home to an empty house with a sign telling me to put Pug in his crate; however, in beginner’s writing, the note read, “But up Pug.” We still tease her with this phrase.
My favorite animal is a tie between the Cat, Dog and Chameleon all make great pets but Cats paws down are easier to take care of plus they don’t tie you down
A rescue dog (welsh corgi) named ‘Stella’… I also have a good memories of a holstein dairy cow named after a friend, ‘Joannie’
We have had many pets over the years. Of the 15 dogs we have had, Olivia, our black lab mix, holds a special place in our heart. She was our second dog and from the first litter of puppies we fostered for the local animal shelter. She graced our home for 15 years. She was such a sweet soul. She was great with everyone and with the other dogs we got and the chaos of the litters we fostered. She adored my husband and the feeling was mutual. It has been almost 15 years, but we still miss her. If we get another dog, it will be another lab.
My favorite animal would be dogs! I’ve always had at least one. I have two blue tick hound dogs, sisters right now. One of them is not feeling well. We are afraid something might be really wrong. She’s not really eating the last couple of days. She is at least eating chicken(ours) but as long as she is eating something, I’ll take it until we can get her into the vet on Saturday.
Favorite animal? Seriously? You’re really asking me to choose between dogs and cats and horses and cows and eagles and wolves and dolphins and squirrels and…
There you go. That’s my favorite. ??