Adam’s Horse Tours: Getting to know the Banker Mustangs @AliciaBessettebooks

ALICIA BESSETTE: I’d lived on the Outer Banks for months before I saw the famed wild horses that roam the Virginia/North Carolina border. It was a warm, overcast day in June of 2016—seven years ago, almost to the day—when my friend Adam aired-down his Jeep tires and took me and a few other friends to what’s known as “the 4x4 beaches,” an area accessible only to four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The journey was bumpy and jostling. Even Adam’s expert navigation and the fresh ocean air blowing all around didn’t ease my white-knuckled grip on the grab-handle. Soon, however, I caught my first-ever glimpse of a wild mustang: a chestnut mare standing atop a dune, gazing out over the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped to admire her from a distance, and I snapped a photo. After that we saw more horses. They galloped in the surf. They nuzzled each other. In the dunes, they grazed on sea grasses. I was so mesmerized by the mustangs that I forgot to take photos. When we reached the fence that marks the state line, I snapped a cool shot of some pelicans coasting overhead. Then, reluctantly, we turned around and headed home, admiring a few more horses along the way.

Fast forward to five years later, when I was brainstorming ideas for the sequel to Smile Beach Murder. I remembered that wild mare gazing out to sea, and I asked, what if a very important mustang inexplicably goes missing from her sanctuary on beautiful, fictional Cattail Island? That was the question that spurred the writing of Murder on Mustang Beach, in which your bookselling heroine, Callie Padget, does everything in her power to restore order to the beloved herd.

While researching Murder on Mustang Beach, I learned that no one really knows how the Banker horses got here, though it’s theorized that they have lived on this skinny strip of land for about five hundred years, having descended from Spanish horses brought by explorers.

I learned that Banker mustangs in the Corolla area are managed by a nonprofit called the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, which promotes continued land preservation as their permanent sanctuary.

I also learned that they drink from rain puddles; manmade canals; ponds and lakes that form after heavy storms; and the Currituck Sound, which is mostly freshwater. And, the mustangs are locavores, dining on acorns, persimmons, sea oats, and various coastal grasses.

In fact, Banker mustangs cannot digest apples or carrots and frequently die after accepting those food items offered by tourists. The takeaway: never approach, touch, or feed wild horses.

“It only takes one apple to kill a horse,” says Meg Puckett, herd manager of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, who was kind enough to speak to me after I found out I’d be guest-posting here at Jungle Red Writers.

“Culturally, historically, and genetically,” Puckett says, “each individual horse is critical to the herd’s survival. There are 300 of these horses total in all the world, and here in Corolla, there are 99 horses. When you’re talking numbers like that, if you lose just one horse, it damages the genetic health and overall wellbeing of the herd for generations. It’s so important for all of us to keep in mind that when we are in their home, our actions have consequences.

“People are always asking me what they can do to help, and I like to tell them, ‘Awareness is a big part of it.’ These horses don’t belong to the caretakers. They belong to everybody. So talk about the horses. Advocate for them.”

It’s my hope that this blog post does just that: advocates for the continued thriving of the mustangs of the Outer Banks. As Puckett reminds us, very few remain, and they need us. For more info, see the Corolla Wild Horse Fund at https://www.corollawildhorses.com

Thank you for checking in today, Jungle Red Writers & readers. I’d love to hear about a wildlife encounter that left an impression on you. Please feel free to discuss in the comments. I’ll pick a lucky winner at random to receive a beautiful, signed, hardback copy of Murder on Mustang Beach.

Happy Summer to one and all!

BIO: Alicia Bessette’s first mystery, Smile Beach Murder, was a finalist for the inaugural Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, and was a Southern Indie hardcover fiction bestseller; an Amazon Editors’ Pick; and one of Real Simple’s Best Beach Reads of 2022. Bessette’s journalism has won a first-place award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. She lives in coastal North Carolina with her husband, novelist Matthew Quick.

ABOUT MURDER ON MUSTANG BEACH:

When a killer stirs up trouble on the Outer Banks, amateur sleuth and bookseller Callie Padget is on the case, in a new beachside mystery from author Alicia Bessette.

Cattail Island in the Outer Banks is a popular destination for honeymooners and nature lovers alike. So it is a huge blow when the murder of a newlywed grinds the pre-summer season to a screeching halt. Bookseller Callie Padget launches her own investigation after mysterious customer Geri-Lynn Humfeld, caretaker of the island’s protected wild horses, brings in an irresistible piece of information.

Determined to restore order and safety to her beloved hometown, Callie searches for answers—even as those answers cast suspicion on her soon-to-be boyfriend, Toby Dodge, whose martial arts studio was the scene of the crime. As she digs deeper, Toby becomes the police’s prime suspect. The truth raises troubling questions and sends her scouring the bookshop’s shelves for guidance.

Meanwhile, a well-loved member of the mustang herd—a pregnant mare whose anticipated foal is a symbol of summery hope for locals and visitors alike—may be facing dire circumstances. With help from Geri-Lynn, Callie unearths startling secrets surrounding not only the compromised mare, but the murdered newlywed, too. And when another body shows up, this time on isolated Mustang Beach, she must race against time to stop a killer from claiming any more innocent lives.

Two Things I Cherish: Animals & Books About Animals by Alicia Bessette

LUCY BURDETTE: Today's guest floated onto my radar earlier this year on Instagram, and her name sounded so familiar. I checked my bookshelves, and yes there she was: Simply from Scratch, a novel including heartbreak, great characters, and food. But now Alicia has her first mystery published, set in the Outer Banks, featuring a reporter turned bookstore clerk. It's called SMILE BEACH MURDER--I'm reading it now and it's wonderful! Welcome Alicia!

ALICIA BESSETTE: When I was a kid, I tried to teach my cats telepathy. Emily, a tuxedo, and Chaton, a tortoiseshell, sat patiently in the living room as I stared into their eyes. I was hoping for some indication—a meow, a tail flick, something—that they received whatever visual image I was trying to transmit. After a few minutes they’d patter off into the kitchen, and I’d throw up my hands. “It was a snowflake! Didn’t either of you see a snowflake?”

Alicia (age 7) with Emily

My efforts were inspired by The Cat Who mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun. Huge in the eighties, the series features a psychic cat with crime-solving capabilities. He purrs like crazy when a certain song plays, or places a paw on a particular headline in the newspaper. Talk about books being tailor-made for a weird kid obsessed with her cats.

Then, one fateful summer when I was eight, I traveled solo to visit out-of-state cousins and developed my first dog crush. Their rescued poodle mix, the aptly-named Snuggles, used to park herself next to me on the couch the second I sat down. I remember my aunt calling my mom and saying, “Prepare yourself. Alicia and Snuggles are really bonding.”

I spent the next several years begging my parents for a dog. When they hit me with, “the cats will never forgive us if we get a dog,” I presented a musty copy of the children’s classic, The Incredible Journey, which I’d discovered in our attic and devoured in one sitting.

“This book is proof,” I said, “that cats and dogs love each other.”

“This book is fiction,” they said.

They had me there.

But eventually they relented, and when I was twelve, our family became the caretakers of a springer spaniel puppy. For the most part, Holly and the cats cohabitated without incident. Holly ended up being a spazz—though she could catch a tennis ball while flying through the air, an undeniable display of athleticism that the cats summarily ignored.

Shortly after Holly’s arrival, my feline allergy presented itself, only to intensify as the years went on. By the time I reached college age, I could barely look at a cat without breaking into hives and reaching for one of my three inhalers.

Mercifully, dogs do not cause me to sneeze, wheeze, or itch, but only make my heart explode with joy.

Alicia with Desi

At the moment, my husband and I are “in between” dogs, having lost our salty gentleman Scottish terrier to cancer a few months back. Saying goodbye to Desi was even more heart-wrenching than we’d expected. We always thought we’d wait a year before getting another dog. I doubt we’ll make it that long. We like quiet, but with Dez gone, life is too quiet.

These days I find myself rereading my favorite animal-themed nonfiction. Standouts are Following Atticus: Forty-Eight Peaks, One Little Dog, And An Extraordinary Friendship; Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World; Woodrow On The Bench: Life Lessons From A Wise Old Dog; and Running With Sherman: How A Rescue Donkey Inspired A Ragtag Gang Of Runners To Enter The Craziest Race In America.

What these books do so well is show how the bond between human and animal is mutual; we love them, and they love us, too. I am transported back to my Emily and Chaton days, and all the time we spent staring into each other’s eyes. Maybe, in their own mysterious ways, they really were trying to read my mind.

While my debut mystery isn’t an animal cozy per se, it’s no surprise that animals grace its pages. In SMILE BEACH MURDER (Berkley), you’ll meet a bookshop cat named Tin Man, whose only goal is to shamelessly steal your heart. You’ll also meet Hazelnut, a sweet, scared rabbit in need of a new home.

Speaking of sweet, scared rabbits in need of a new home, did I mention Watership Down is one of my favorite books of all time?

I’m giving away a signed hardback copy of SMILE BEACH MURDER to a lucky commenter (U.S. entries only). I’d love to hear about the special pets, past or present, that have taken up residence in your hearts—and about your favorite books, fiction or non, featuring furry (or feathered, or finned) friends. Thank you! Happy commenting and happy reading!

BIO:

Before authoring the Outer Banks Bookshop mystery series, Alicia Bessette worked as a reporter in her home state of Massachusetts, where her writing won a first-place award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. A pianist, published poet, and enthusiastic birdwatcher, she now loves living in coastal North Carolina with her husband, novelist Matthew Quick. She interviews authors about their pets on her Q&A video show, Bessette With Pets.

ABOUT SMILE BEACH MURDER:

“Bessette offers everything a cozy lover could possibly want …” —Publishers Weekly on Smile Beach Murder

“... a page-turner ... I was enraptured ...” —Dru’s Book Musings

From author Alicia Bessette comes an all-new mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former reporter turned bookshop clerk on the Outer Banks who is pulled into a deadly web of secrets when a mysterious fall at a lighthouse echoes a tragedy from her past.

When Callie is laid off from her reporting job, she returns to her hometown of Cattail Island and lands a gig at the local bookstore—the same one where she found comfort after her mother died.

In fact, the anniversary of her mother’s infamous death is approaching. Years ago, Teri Padget tumbled from the top of the lighthouse. As islanders are once again gossiping about the tragedy, devastating news strikes: the lighthouse has claimed another victim. Eva Meeks, of Meeks Hardware.

The police are calling it suicide, but Callie does not believe Eva jumped any more than she believes her mother did—especially because Callie knows that before her death, Eva had dug up a long-forgotten treasure hunt that could have put a target on Eva’s back.

In Callie’s search for answers, she enlists the help of some beloved books and several new friends, including handsome martial arts instructor Toby Dodge. But when another death rocks Cattail, Callie must face her fears alone. Earning enemies in pursuit of the truth, she will either uncover the killer—or become a victim herself.