Lauren St. John

Prize-winning author of both adult and children's books. Born in Gatooma, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). She was brought up on a Rhodesian farm and game reserve where she began a love affair with horses. Her childhood however was not all idyllic, Rhodesia was at the time in the midst of a civil war and a friend of hers was killed. (She later wrote about these experiences in her autobiography Rainbow's End.) After leaving school she studied journalism, then re-located to England where she worked in sports journalism for a number of years.

As well as her biography, she has written a number of non-fictional works on sports and music and also some children's/young adult novels, some set in Africa, others set in England. In some of her books she re-visits her childhood love of horses.

The author has her own website where you can find out more about her life and her other novels.

One Dollar Horse Series

1) THE ONE DOLLAR HORSE
(ORION 2012)
Reprinted in paperback
Also available an an e-book
SUMMARY: Gritty horse story for young adults. Casey escapes her grim life with an ex-con father in an inner city London tower block by spending all her time at the stables and dreaming of competing at Badminton. When she rescues a starving horse she begins to dream of a way out of her dreary life. But can she escape her circumstances?
PONYMAD RATING: 4-5 HORSESHOES

2) RACE THE WIND
(ORION 2013)
Reprinted in paperback
Also available an an e-book
SUMMARY: Casey has a chance to ride in the prestigious  Kentucky Three Day Event but her chances are threatened when Storm starts behaving badly and Casey finds herself at the mercy of a blackmailer.

3) FIRE STORM
(ORION 2014)
Reprinted in paperback
Also available an an e-book
SUMMARY:  Casey competes at Burghley, but intrigues and secrets put her life in danger...


Collectors info:
All in print and available in print or e-book in the UK and USA. Second hand copies are also easy to find. 

Other Horse & Pony Books:

KENTUCKY THRILLER
(ORION 2012)
Reprinted in paperback
Also available as an e-book
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, paperback edition
SUMMARY: Book 3 of the Laura Marlin mystery series (this is the only horse-themed one in the series). Young animal loving detective Laura finds rescuing a neglected horse leads to her becoming embroiled in the murky world of race-fixing in Kentucky.

THE GLORY
(ORIION 2015)
Reprinted in paperback
Also available as an e-book
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, paperback edition
SUMMARY: Teen equestrian thriller and romance about a girl on the run from the law, a boy on a mission to save a life and a race from Colorado to Oregon that they both have to win..

A HORSE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
(ORIION 2016)
Only available as an e-book
SUMMARY: Novella length story. Sixteen-year-old Ellie loves horses. But since her younger sister died three years ago, Ellie's mum and dad won't let her do anything on her own - let alone something as exciting as learning to ride. When the family goes on holiday to Devon, Ellie thinks she's going to be stuck indoors listening to her parents argue all day. But then a chance encounter with the handsome but mysterious Logan and his beautiful bay horse, Savannah Gold, offers a chance of adventure. Maybe this year Ellie's Valentine's Day won't be so bad after all...

Collectors info:
All in print at the moment (2017) and available in print or e-book form in the UK or USA. Second hand copies are fairly easy to find. A Horse for Valentine's Day is a short novella length, only available as an e-book.

Books about the author:

RAINBOW'S END
(PENGUIN PB 2008)
Paperback original.
Reprinted in paperback by Phoenix.
Published in the USA by Scribners.
SUMMARY: Autobiography of the author's childhood growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). Her idyllic life surrounded by beautiful countryside and her beloved horses and pet giraffe is threatened by civil war and death.

Collectors info:
Still in print and available in the UK and USA. Used copies are also easy to find.