Award-winning novelist Rusty Blackwood has announced the release of Before The Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster, a prequel to her acclaimed Autumn series. The novel delves into the early life of Cyril Landon, a character central to the series, tracing his journey from a poverty-stricken existence in Gloucestershire, England, to becoming a celebrated horsemaster.
According to the press release, the story begins in the village of South Wood Chester, where young Cyril Landon faces a seemingly hopeless future. A laborer's job at a local farm opens a door to a world he had never imagined, setting him on a path that would define his life. The novel focuses on the simple, powerful moments of a man earning the trust of a stallion, as described by reviewer Richard Prause of Readers Favorite, who noted that the book "doesn't depend on manufactured plot twists to drive the story."
Blackwood stated, "It gives me great pleasure to bring you, Before the Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster. This trip down memory lane was a journey thoroughly enjoyed on my behalf, as it opened a well-defined observation into Cyril Landon's early life, from birth, through a difficult, poverty-stricken existence, to the acclaimed, celebrated Horsemaster you meet in The Perils of Autumn." She explained that the prequel provides readers with a detailed account of a character who underpins the successful life cherished by the entire Autumn cast.
The new book is available at Amazon. Blackwood's first book in the series, The Perils Of Autumn, was named a finalist in the Fiction Romance category by the International Book Awards in 2019 and received a 5-star rating from Reader's Favorite. That novel, set in the early 1970s, centers on Autumn Leeves, a young Kentucky woman born to an unwed mother, who later becomes a nurse and falls in love with Cyril Landon, an English equestrian master. The story explores their romance amid challenges and tragedy.
Blackwood's previous works include the 5-star rated Willow's Walk, set in Ottawa, Canada, and Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, a romantic fiction novel praised for its depth. Information on all of Blackwood's work is available at her website.
