Windhorse: A Novel

A golden year of childhood forges a woman's heart in a stirring and vivid coming-of-age story, WINDHORSE.

Edie, a wife, mother, and teacher, faces a threatening medical diagnosis. Sparked by a bold girl flying by on a bicycle, vivid memories from Edie's momentous last year of childhood rise to the surface in this lyrical novel.

WINDHORSE unfolds in 1981, as Edie, 11, and her teenage sister move with their parents from California to an 1840s farmhouse by the enticing Cold River in Vermont. Edie dreams of orbiting in the space shuttle as a mission specialist. Privately, she names her treasured beach cruiser "Windhorse." As Edie explores her quaint village, questions begin to swirl about a haunted barn, a girl's unexplained death from long ago, a bicycle that vanishes, and a twice-stolen headstone.

Edie learns painful secrets from her Japanese-American mother's past while grappling with her sister's emotional anguish and perilous encounter with a village foe. The dangers of the Cold River test Edie's grit and resolve. Key events of her life-altering year converge in a disastrous storm and wash far into Edie's adult life.

WINDHORSE reveals the compelling memories, tender bonds of love, and affecting losses that shape one heart. Told by a warm and thoughtful woman rediscovering her sense of courage, this vibrant story will captivate readers who recall the thrill of childhood adventures and know the pull of close family ties.

Ned W. Schultz is a writer and emeritus professor of psychology who lives on the Central Coast of California. WINDHORSE is narrated by Grace Gonglewski, a Shakespearean actor and four-time Barrymore Award winner known for performances with the Folger Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Cape Cod Playhouse, and Delaware Theatre Company.

Recorded, mixed and produced by Emmy award winner, Mark Schultz, CAS, at The Surround Mix Group.

© 2020 Archtop Press (Audiobook): 9781664939769

Release date

Audiobook: October 26, 2020