The Horses of Saddlers Ranch

“How much longer do you think we’ll have to wait?” Tilly Carpenter asked rather questioningly, with her fingers crossed and some degree of impatience.

She had never been any good at waiting around for something to happen! But this was one thing that no one was able to speed up; it would simply happen when Brownie was ready, and not before… no matter what Tilly did in the poor attempt to hurry things along.

“I’m not sure,” Coral Johnson shrugged in answer. “But Dad thinks it will be soon. Maybe one or two more days?”

“At least we’re on spring break, so it doesn’t really matter.” Tilly sighed in exasperation. “We’re going to be here at Saddlers Ranch as much as we can until then. Right, Lexie?”

“Absolutely!” Lexie Howard nodded in avid agreement. “And afterwards too, don’t forget.”

“Of course,” Tilly seemed almost affronted by the suggestion that she might not have remembered. “How could I forget! Brownie’s standing right in front of us, and she’s grown so much that it looks like she really did swallow another horse!”

“Mares always have protruding bellies when they’re in foal.” Coral explained, chuckling slightly.

“Yes, I know. But not that much, surely?” Tilly stuttered. “She’s huge!”

Alison has been writing short stories to share with friends and family for many years and always enjoys exploring her creativity when putting pen to paper, so she is excited to have the opportunity to share her love of writing with others. Alison grew up around dogs, first Mila and then Smoky, who each went on many wonderful adventures and lived to a good old age. She especially loves including 'man's best friend' or some other favorite animal throughout most of her stories.

Alison has been playing trombone since about 2010 and euphonium from mid-2019 and always likes getting together with a few friends to 'make a joyful noise' sharing music. She also enjoys a bit of freelance photography when she gets the chance, especially if it involves taking pictures of sunsets.

Both The Bronson Escapades and The Wolf Cub are Silver Recipients of the Mom's Choice Awards(R) honorary seal of excellence, with the latter being a 2nd place winner in the 2024 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in both the 'Education' and 'Coffee Table & Gift Books' categories, in addition to obtaining an Honorable Mention in several others: Best Cover Design, Children's Chapter Books, Middle-Grade Fiction, and Animals/Pets. More recently, The Wolf Cub received a Bronze Medal in the 'EBook Pre-Teen Fiction' category in the 2025 Moonbeam Book Awards, and Footprints in the Snow was named a finalist in the 2025 N. N. Light Book Awards in the 'Children's Books' category. Additionally, The Bronson Escapades achieved 3rd place in the 2025 Bestsellers World Book Awards in both the 'Children's Books' and 'Humor/Satire' categories. Whisper (Book One) achieved an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in an outstanding total of six different categories, and The Bronson Escapades received the same placing in one other. In 2026, The Horses of Saddlers Ranch: Cloud was named a Distinguished Favorite in the Independent Press Awards in the 'Middle-Grade' category. Alison's trilogy, Whisper, Lucas, and Escape, was presented with the NAPPA Award-winning seal, with the first book having also received a 2026 Family Choice Award.