The Star News (Summer 2005)

Chaska author to discuss new novel at ArtSoup

by Britt Aamodt

“Out of all the horses born in the world every year, only one will win the Kentucky Derby. It’s silly, Miss Philippa. It’s a silly, silly dream.”

So begins the new novel by Chaska author Vincent John Faith, a 403-page odyssey exploring the horseracing industry and 15-year-old Kellie May Philippa’s journey as she navigates the obstacles to becoming a jockey.

The author will discuss and sign copies of his novel, Too Far a Dream, at ArtSoup.

“I’ll be there both days, all day, because I wouldn’t miss a chance to share my book, ” said the veteran author, film producer and thoroughbred horse trainer.

Like the main character of his book, Faith has nurtured a nearly “impossible dream” for years.

“Kellie May wants to become a great jockey and I want to become a great writer,” explained Faith, who put his dream on hold for three decades while he built a career first in construction and later in horseracing.

“College intervened and then marriage and children and job responsibilities,” he said. “And about six years ago I picked up my writing. I said, ‘Look, Vic, you got to do this seriously. Anyway, what do you got to lose?’”

The composition of Too Far a Dream took three years—two years for the first draft and one for rewriting. At the end of the grueling writing process, Faith discovered what many first-time authors do—that publishers are reluctant to pick up writers without a proven track record.

Kellie May confronts a similar truth as she tries to work her way up from gallop rider to licensed jockey with the hopes of one day racing in the Kentucky Derby.

As a jockey, “you can be tremendously talented, but if nobody knows you, you’re not going to get a good horse to ride,” said Faith. And in the world of racing, only the best horses ridden by the best jockeys ever make it to the Derby.

Faith’s dream is not nearly as complicated. He and wife Claudia formed their own publishing company Bearly Artworks to publish Too Far a Dream. Faith distributes and sells his own books, traveling to flea markets, craft and art fairs, doing what he calls “bringing my book to the people.”

His efforts have sold hundreds of copies and garnered regional notice. He is currently at work on a sequel.

Journalist

http://www.erstarnews.com 

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