TABLE OF CONTENTS - Whispers of Echo Canyon
See below for chapter links.
This is not the beginning, but the first whisper of what’s to come. It’s a nod to the quiet beginnings of change—how a story starts before you even realize you are living it. Before the action, there’s always a whisper, soft yet persistent, calling you to pay attention. This is the beginning of a serialized fiction.
Raven doesn’t follow the rules—she rewrites them. In a Wyoming training ring, she’s called in to fix a horse. But it’s the owner who needs the real work. With one steady hand and a lifetime of lived wisdom, Raven shows that healing isn’t just for animals, and trust isn’t built through force. This is where her story starts.
On this ranch, tradition runs deep—and so does resistance. Raven returns to finish what she started, but the real challenge isn’t the horse. It’s the silence, the suspicion, and the weight of doing things the way they’ve always been done. But Raven didn’t come here to play nice. She came to make change—and maybe, find an unexpected ally.
Riley's return to Vermont stirs up doubts about her bold move to the Southwest. After a tense confrontation with her friend Quinn, Riley faces a turbulent flight home—both in the air and in her heart. As lightning cracks outside her window, she clutches the armrest, wondering if she’s headed toward disaster in more ways than one. Can Riley rebuild her life, or will everything come crashing down?
Raven’s pulse quickened as she unfolded the brittle letter, found tucked away in the dusty cabin. Her grandmother’s familiar script filled the page, addressed to someone named Elara.
After losing her husband and mother, Val’s life feels like a blank slate. But is starting over really that simple? What did Mom do for herself?" Val realizes that her mother spent her life taking care of others. Now, Val's left wondering if she’s done the same.
Skylar isn’t just returning from a dig—she’s returning to questions she’s no longer willing to bury. Her work has unearthed ancient truths, but now the excavation turns inward. As she boards a plane bound for Echo Canyon, she carries more than artifacts—she carries the weight of legacy, loss, and a truth she’s finally ready to face.
Four women, four stories—delayed by weather but not by life. What do they learn from each other in those few hours at the airport?
In the golden fields of Echo Canyon, Raven stands at a crossroads. As whispers of the past echo through the land, a wild stallion and a mysterious girl spark a vision for her future—a path that could reshape her life and the canyon itself.
Riley realized it wasn’t really her mother she was angry with. Yes, she had shaped Riley’s reluctance to step outside her comfort zone. But her mother wasn’t here now. The only thing holding her back.
Sometimes the truth doesn’t arrive in answers, but in the questions you finally dare to say out loud. At Raven’s ranch, Val finally speaks the thoughts she’s kept buried: the emptiness, the drift, the quiet fear that her usefulness is behind her. In the company of a woman who sees more than she says, Val begins to name the ache beneath her grief—a longing for purpose, for meaning, for what comes next.
Old bonds are tested, secrets are revealed, and a growing conflict looms, threatening the delicate balance of Echo Canyon’s tradition and progress.
As the sun sets over Echo Canyon, Val opens up to Raven about her struggle to find purpose after leaving behind the life she once knew. In the stillness of the desert, the two women share an unexpected moment of connection, one that may just light the way forward for them both.
It was supposed to be a celebration—but not everyone came to cheer. As Raven opens her home and heart to Echo Canyon, what begins in beauty quickly brushes against doubt. The garden reveals her roots. The horse ring tests her resolve. And beneath it all, the question lingers: can you hold your truth when the world is watching?
Old bonds are tested, secrets are revealed, and a growing conflict looms, threatening the delicate balance of Echo Canyon’s tradition and progress.
A short story about Skylar, a glimpse into her journey—one filled with courage, doubt, and triumph.
For every woman who wonders if it’s too late to chase a dream or change direction, Raven’s journey will inspire you to take the first step.
This week, instead of the next chapter of Whispers of Echo Canyon, I’m sharing a glimpse into Riley’s past—a story of her college years and the choices that shaped her path, including the ones that led her to leave Vermont behind without looking back.
As Raven’s friends gather in her garden, they’re not just tending soil. They’re protecting legacy, easing burdens, and quietly preparing for the fight ahead. And with the arrival of young Shikáni, it becomes clear: this isn’t just about the land. It’s about what it means to belong to something worth preserving.
The sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the hills as Skylar climbed into Jim’s truck. Her muscles ached in that satisfying way that only a day spent working in the garden could bring. She stretched her fingers, still faintly stained with soil, and let out a breathy laugh.
Sometimes, the hardest door to open is the one to your own joy.
What starts as a wild invitation to Liechtenstein turns into a group chat gone rogue. Royal horses, international detours, and a little friendly peer pressure set the stage for an unexpected adventure. The only question now? Who’s coming—and who’s holding down the fort?
At the auction grounds, a whisper campaign takes shape, and Raven’s reputation starts to tremble under the weight of calculated insinuation. But she’s not the only one watching. And she’s certainly not alone. The fight for Echo Canyon—and for the truth—is about to get personal.
Meet Val—a woman at a crossroads, a lifelong nurturer learning to tend to herself for the first time. My ongoing fiction series follows her journey of reinvention, renewal, and the wisdom of growing through change. Like a well-loved garden, her story unfolds—one season at a time.
It started with a group chat and a runaway drone—then got personal. Between land delays, garden jokes, and old-school slang, the friends were in their usual rhythm. But by the time Raven enters the arena, the stakes have shifted. The quiet fight is no longer just about horses—it’s about respect, tradition, and who gets to set the rules.
Some revolutions start with wine and laughter. On Riley’s porch, old frustrations give way to fierce truths—and a new plan. These women aren’t just defending Raven. They’re reclaiming what was never truly given: respect, voice, and the power to shape what comes next. The legacy runs deep. And this time, they’re not backing down.
Words are a soft place to land when life shifts, dreams return, or you simply need a little light.
Some truths demand to be heard—no matter how long they’ve been buried. This isn’t just about horses or politics—it’s about whose voices get silenced, and whose legacies get erased. But Raven’s not standing alone. What’s rising in Echo Canyon has been generations in the making—and it won’t be stopped now.
Not every chapter is about action. Some are about presence. Interludes like this one slow the pace to honor something quieter—but just as powerful. Friends that don’t rush in to fix, but show up and stay. In the stillness between storms, we meet the ones who remind us we’re not alone.
The circle had done their part—but this moment was Raven’s. On the eve of it all, she returns to where it began—with one horse, one truth, and the quiet strength that’s carried them here. What rises now isn’t just her voice—it’s everything they’ve built together.
Two trainers. One arena. But only one was listening. What started as a side-by-side demonstration revealed more than technique. One horse moved on command. The other moved through connection. One method performed. The other revealed.
In the serene aftermath of the Centennial Celebration, Raven embraces the quiet rhythms of ranch life, finding solace in the dawn’s gentle light over Echo Canyon. As she observes the harmonious interplay between her horses and the land, she reflects on the profound support of those around her.
Eleanor thought she could lead Echo Canyon into its future. But the canyon isn’t asking for a leader—it’s asking who’s willing to listen. Tonight, she learns the difference between claiming a place and earning one.
After years of standing on her own, Val faces a harder choice: to believe she could still belong somewhere, or keep living behind safe walls. Echo Canyon is calling, but only she can decide if she’s ready to answer.
Skylar has always trusted in knowledge, perseverance, and grit. But when life offers a discovery she never planned for, she must rely on something more profound - the power to shape her story even as time passes.
After years of running toward the next project, Riley finally stands still. Echo Canyon has given her something she never put in a blueprint — a home.
Life’s real second act begins after the applause fades. Val, Riley, Skylar, and Raven didn’t find purpose in trophies or titles. They found it in the simplest, most dangerous thing: Sitting still. Listening. Choosing each other — again and again.
I like the backstory on Riley, because I lived through this decision making. I, too, made the decision to start saying yes. The only thing is, a big decision just doesn't open the door and the door stays open. There are times when there is regression and then I become angry with myself. It's like trying to kick a habit that's not productive or usefull, a recording in your brain where there's this deep rut. And sometimes that leads to a sliding backward.