Taking Flight

Book Description

Moving from a harsh West Belfast estate to the glamour of the showjumping ring, Taking Flight is a fast-paced story of courage overcoming jealousy. The only riding fifteen-year-old Declan has ever done is joyriding. When he’s forced to stay with his snobby cousin ‘Princess’ Vicky, he’s shocked to find himself falling in love with horses. Vicky would do anything to keep this grubby hood away from her precious showjumper, Flight. Populated with courageous and vibrant characters, Taking Flight is a brilliant debut from an exciting new writer.

About the Author
Belfast-born Sheena Wilkinson’s book Friends in the Fourth, based on her doctoral research into the ‘crossover’ genre of the girls’ school story, was published by Bettany Press in 2007. Her real love, however, is fiction. Her first-ever short story, ‘Amputees’, won the Brian Moore Award in 2006, and was followed by ‘Dissociation’, which won second prize in the same contest in 2009. ‘Holding On’ was a runner-up in the Sean O’Faolain Contest 2009, and ‘Local Pride’ won first prize in the Writers’ Bureau Short Story Award 2009. Sheena has recently completed an M.A. in Creative Writing (with Distinction) at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast. She teaches English at Methodist College, Belfast.