Danielle M. Keller

Local author Danielle M. Keller will be present for a book signing celebrating her first published novel, “Wild Horses.” The event will take place at Barnes and Noble in south Bismarck on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m.

“Wild Horses” is the story of a small Missouri town rocked by the apparent abduction of a local philanthropist. Private investigator Jeremiah Adkins and his wife, Karly, must get to the bottom of her mysterious disappearance before it’s too late. 

Author Keller, of Mandan, says she has been writing for as long as she can remember. “I still have manuscripts of stories that I wrote and even illustrated as a child. It has always been my goal to begin formally publishing my work and I’m very pleased that that goal is finally a reality,” she said.

The book was first drafted as her entry for the annual National Novel Writing Month challenge, which takes place in November. The goal of the challenge is to begin at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1 and write a 50,000 word manuscript for a novel by midnight on Nov. 30. “It was fun, frustrating, nerve-wracking and exhilarating all at the same time. When you finally get to that 50,000 word goal and realize you’ve won, it’s such a feeling of accomplishment… I encourage anyone and everyone to try it at least once,” said Keller. 

“Wild Horses” is available online through both barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com, as well as at the author’s e-store at createspace.com/3439741. The book will also be available at the book signing.

An excerpt from “Wild Horses”

“Miriam wrinkled her nose at the song playing on the radio when she turned the key in the ignition of the truck. Agnes must have driven it last, because the radio was tuned to some AM station that was more talk than tunes, and Agnes knew that that sort of thing put Miriam to sleep in a heartbeat. She turned the knob until the station changed and a classic rock station blaring a favorite song of hers filled the truck. Miriam smiled smugly and shifted the gears, pulling slowly out of the parking lot at the grocery store.”