Allison Milionis is actually the first journalist that I contacted on my first day at my first big PR gig. I’ll always remember it. We were all in this big open studio setting where everyone could hear exactly what you were saying and whether or not the journalist on the other end of the line shot you down before you even were able to finish your pitch. I was sweating bullets as I picked up the phone. Luckily for me, Allison was nice and I didn’t end up feeling like an idiot on my first day of work. I always remembered her for that and we kept in touch, became friends, and over the years shared stories, leads, clients, and a some surprisingly tasty vegetarian meals here and there. Fast forward seven crazy years, a move up to Portland, and four years of researching and writing, and Allison is now officially an author.
As someone who harbors aspirations of one day writing a book about something interesting, I am in total awe of Allison for taking on this amazing endeavor. As someone who loves horses and not-so-secretly still wants her own pony one day, I can only imagine how bittersweet the journey must have been to produce this book.
Allison and photographer Karen Tweedy-Holmes traveled the nation meeting equine victims and the rescuers who saved them from certain death. Humans can be cruel, but as Horse Sanctuary surely proves, they can thankfully also be compassionate and kind.
Horse Sanctuary, published by Rizzoli, is available March 26th in bookstores. Pre-order it now on Amazon. For those of you in New York, get your copy signed by the authors on April 4th at the Rizzoli Bookstore.
For more information, check out this video.
