When Susan Carnes was just six years old, she announced to the world that she was going to write a children's book. She didn't say when. Now, 60 years later, her dream has become a reality with the publication of My Champion.

Of course, she was prewriting it the entire time by choosing risky adventures that built depth and skill. Now, looking back, Susan can see the logic of her adventuresome life. But when she was little, people said, "Whew, what a handful." At age two, Sue accidentally fell into the dairy farm's cooling tank. Luckily, the hired man fished her out, saving her from drowning. The same man rescued her many times after that. Thus began Sue's fascination with, and fear of water.

Shadowed by the Duluth hills, Lake Superior lay draped along the horizon of the Wisconsin dairy farm Susan called home. She wanted to go there often, despite the threat of the deadly "undertow". She would bring all her animals up to the top of the rock hill to look out at the great lake, shivering with fear and excitement. Having the animals along with her made her feel invincible, especially when she rode a black Percheron draft horse, part of her dad's team of working horses. The big horse was her constant companion, following after her like a dog. When she would occasionally get lost exploring the wilderness of the great north woods, the horse would safely bring her home. Nature was always a great source of creativity and instruction for Susan. She spent many an afternoon exploring the cascades of the Amnicon River while her father worked to turn it into Bardon State Park. She spent hours alone with her horse and dog riding the beaches of the Great Inland Ocean. The driftwood needed arranging and the sand needed sculpting. The water was for wading, damming up, floating down, and dreaming by.

The library in Superior, Wisconsin was a second home to Susan. She read all the children's books she could—especially about horses—and she learned to draw and paint. She had her first art exhibition when she was 9 years old, and taught art to children while attending high school. She frequently won honors at the rural art show. She saved the prize monies earned in 4-H and Open Class at the Fair to buy horses. Susan graduated from Iowa State University, and then married. Later, raising three sons with her husband on a Wisconsin cattle ranch, she continued to study, attending many schools to secure her advanced degrees. She taught and counseled in 5 states. But the school that Susan credits the most is the "School of the Wild" where she learned to conquer fear.

Years passed, the family grew up, and several careers came and went. Susan settled in the San Juan Islands of Washington where she found a wilderness of amazing beauty reminiscent of her childhood. The mountains of Vancouver Island, the Olympics and the Cascades all ringed the horizons over the blue Pacific. As a 4-H Coordinator, Susan again worked with children, helping them exhibit their work at the county fair. It was like being home again. One evening, she volunteered to take part in an art therapy group using guided imagery. She drew a little girl and a big workhorse looking into a pool of water, seeing daydreams. This vision provided a sharpening focus for the central theme of My Champion. But still, Susan did not write the book.

Susan began to spend the winters in Mazatlan, Mexico, where she studied Spanish, joined a writers' group and learned to use a palette knife. A friend came to visit, bringing a long-forgotten snapshot of Sue riding her huge Percheron horse. Seeing it again, Susan knew immediately that the time had come to begin writing My Champion. She had gathered all the tools and wisdom necessary to put it together.

Contact Susan Carnes: carnessusan@hotmail.co