2021FallWarrior

Alumna Mihalic Publishes Debut Novel

And Dark Horses is far more than a “horse girl” book, Mihalic adds. “Incest is still a taboo subject,” she says. “People don’t want to think about it. Consequently, it’s staggeringly un- derreported, with those who have been abused often protecting their abusers. Children, including grown children, are often forced to deal with the conse- quences themselves. I would love to see Dark Horses open up the conversation about incest.” According to a 2013 article in The Atlantic , she says, more children experience incest than other forms of sexual abuse. In the U.S., one-quarter to one-third of girls (and one-fifth to one- seventh of boys) are sexually abused by a family member. Even so, Mihalic says, Roan doesn’t want to be viewed as either a victim or a survivor. “To her,” she says, “‘victim’ connotes weakness, and she believes there’s more to life than merely surviving. Whether she’s under her father’s thumb or free of him, she never gives up on her goals.” A 1978 graduate of Union High School, Mihalic has fond memories of her instructors and her experiences at East Central, where she was active in theatre, choir, and the Tom-Tom student newspaper. Among her favorite instructors were English and literature instructor Ovid Vickers, speech and theatre teacher Bruce Peterson, music teacher Bob Heritage, history instruc- tors Richard Ethridge and Tommy Thrash, and librarian Ann Burkes. “Bruce Peterson and I are still in touch on Facebook via his wife, Peggy, who was my fifth-grade math teacher,” she says. She is also in contact with Heritage and Burkes, and she main- tained an occasional correspondence

Susan Mihalic (’80) recently an- nounced the publication of her debut novel, Dark Horses , by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Dark Horses has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus . It has been included in must-read roundups by O Magazine, Country Living, Parade Magazine, Goop , the Bustle , and other print and digital publications. Described by author Sara Gruen (Wa- ter for Elephants) as a “pulse-pounding, unflinching tale of one teenage girl’s iron-willed determination,” Dark Horses is the story of 15-year-old equestrian prodigy Roan Montgomery, whose life is ruled by her father, who demands strict obedience in all areas of her life. The warped power dynamic of coach and rider extends far beyond the stables, and Roan’s relationship with her father has long been inappropriate. For much of her life, she has been able to compartmentalize that dark aspect of her life, ruthlessly focusing on her ambitions as a rider heading for the Olympics, just as her father had done. However, her developing relationship with Will Howard, a boy her own age, broadens the scope of her vision. At the intersection of a commer- cial page-turner and urgent survivor story, Dark Horses explores the searing theme of abuse and compelling female strength. “As we know,” Mihalic says, “young athletes are often prey for coaches, trainers, team doctors, and the like. Making Roan’s abuser her father upped the stakes. While I’ve never competed in three-day eventing, I do ride and share Roan’s love of horses, so setting the story in the world of competitive equestrian sports was a natural fit for me.”

with Vickers until his death. Mihalic holds a Bachelor of Arts de- gree in Journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi. The summer after she graduated from college, she was hired by Harcourt Brace Jovanov- ich, where she was rapidly promoted from secretary to editorial assistant to associate editor, acquiring and editing books. In her journey to publishing Dark Horses , Mihalic worked with Emma Sweeney of Emma Sweeney Agency, Margaret Sutherland Brown of Folio Lit- erary Management, and Alison Callahan of Scout Press. The original hardcover edition of Dark Horses was published in February 2021. The paperback edition will be published in September. The book is also available in large print and audio- book editions. Mihalic is currently working on her next novel, which is set in a cult in re- mote Northern New Mexico. When she’s not writing, she can be found riding her horse on the mountain trails in and around Taos, N.M., where she has made her home since 1995. – Submitted article

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part of the Alumni Band at the Homecoming Football Game on Thursday, October 14, contact Band Director Zach Langley at zlangley@eccc.edu for more details!

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