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Toni Mari graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Preveterinary Medicine. During an internship on a Standardbred breeding farm, she was bitten by the equine bug. She became a working student on a dressage training farm and fell in love with the beautiful, powerful warmbloods who lend such elegance to the sport. Toni spent the next twenty-something years riding, training, breeding, caring for, and competing on horses. Immersed in barn life twelve to fourteen hours a day six or seven days a week, she got to know horses—and riders—and she brings this world of experience to the pages of her books. She and her daughter, Grace, ride and compete. Grace rode their homebred and trained appaloosa-thoroughbred cross, Lilly, to many championships. Lilly remarkably has many similar qualities to Windsong.

For the Love of Reading...

I know exactly the first book that began my love of books, Old Bones The Wonder Horse, by Mildred Mastin Pace.  I also remember looking up "Horse" in the Encyclopedia Britannica and going through the pictures and reading about the horse I would own someday.  I also did this for dogs, cats, etc.  I remember going to the library every chance I got; we had a little satellite library in walking distance behind our house. My favorite afternoon was to bring home six books, devour them so I could go back the next day.  By the time I reached sixth grade, I read every book in my school's library.  I still read two to three books a week!

Story Telling...

I  love to tell a story.  People would tell me I was a good storyteller because every daily event would turn into a narrative. Being around horses all day provided much material for my stories. The ideas for the events in the books are sparked by my real life experiences. I hope my readers enjoy the characters as much as I enjoyed creating them. 

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