Summertime in Chesterfield means two very different things for teenagers Tess Copeland and Maddie Lambert. For Tess, spending time with family and anticipating the annual Crush Festival goes hand-in-hand with the country air and the sweet smell of a cane fire. For Maddie, Chesterfield offers an escape from the demands of a reality that she's just unable to run from. This summer, however, there is one lit fire that's even harder to contain than the massive bonfires that characterise the town's summer spectacle, as young love and awakened passions smoulder in the shadows. Amidst the turmoil of growing up and the pressures of youth and fame, can these two young women navigate the precipices of adulthood unscathed? Will Maddie and Tess be able to overcome the secrets of a small town and save the beloved festival before it's too late?

This collection tells of life, pain, suffering, and sometimes even happiness. I hope you will enjoy. Thanks to @wendythestoryteller , a super talented writer and artist, for making this brilliant cover! Highest rank: #3 IN VIGNETTE! Featured on @flashfic 's The BreakRoom reading list. Part of the Wattpad Block Party 2017. RtL was a Wattpad featured story. My piece, Breaking Up With Anne, was published in the anthology Conversations by Kingston University Press. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KUPress/popular © Christine Bottas. All rights reserved 2015-2020.

**THIS IS THE DRAFT VERSION AND MAY DIFFER DRAMATICALLY FROM THE FINAL COPY** NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! http://a.co/fyRYYEE ENROLLED IN KINDLE UNLIMITED https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C8DZ1H Like a fast Thoroughbred, she was born to run.... Alexandra Anderson is on the run from the law. When the thirteen-year-old orphan can run no further, she collapses at the gates of the prestigious racing and breeding farm, North Oak. Horse racing strikes a deep chord in her. She hears a higher calling in the jingle jangle of bit and stirrup and in the thunder of hooves on the turn for home. It tells her she has a place in the world. But when the racing headlines find her on the front of every sports page, she realizes North Oak is no longer a safe haven. Money can't buy love, but it just might secure Alex's future. Will everyone at North Oak still want to offer her a home when they learn of her unspeakable crime? On the heels of Joanna Campbell's beloved Thoroughbred Series, and Walter Farley's Black Stallion, comes a brand new young adult horse racing series that will sweep you away like a runaway Thoroughbred. EXCERPT: Joe brushed his hands off. "I get tired of watching other people's horses; tornadoes on toothpicks. No substance to em. Million dollar one hit wonders. Let me tell you the kind of horse I want to train. I want a horse with legs of steel that can run all day and blow by like a summer wind. Give me the colt that can outstay a mile and a quarter, or a filly with a heart bigger than any other colt on any given day, and I'll give you a champion. We're playing the same game here, you and I. It's called put the lightning in the bottle." IF YOU LOVE NORTH OAK, DON'T MISS NEWS ABOUT THE NEXT BOOK! http://eepurl.com/cva1T1