Ride Your Way Out by Martin Svaneborg
Actor and son of an alcoholic ex-jockey, Christian Kardahl is getting ready for the opening night of his expected breakthrough on stage. Years later, it is revealed that his love interest from the show was found dead. At the same time, he is most unexpectedly hurled into a pursuit of his childhood dream; becoming a jockey like his father. Two women, the beautiful nurse, Adoria and the outsider, Flo become his only allies in this cut-throat world of racehorses and warriors, while he is forced to face the demons of his past.
Amid his training, this quest is interrupted by a foe, daring to erode the very bedrock of his life. His identity. The seemingly innocent pursuit of a dream becomes a fight for his life. A fight for sanity. Will Christian either end his life or finally start it?
About the author
With a twenty-year stage background as an actor, singer and dancer, Martin is one of the true storytellers of modern fiction. His love of history and drama tend to fuse historical fiction with enthralling modern day narratives, and his characters are often as complex as life itself. His unique personal background as an abandoned child of an alcoholic father gone musical theatre professional cause for riveting books both fiction and non-fiction, and there is nothing he loves more than dreaming up tales from his Denmark based desk.
It’s my pleasure as part of the tour to be able to share an extract with you.
FIVE DAYS EARLIER
The stage was buzzing. The excited energy in the glorious room was so palpable you could cut it with a knife. It was the oldest cliché in the book – cut it with a knife – and it was funny, and it was true. In the orchestra pit in front of the stage, the musicians were arranging their instruments, trying to fit everything into the confined space. On stage, technicians were running around, preparing everything for the rehearsal. A huge aluminium rig hung in the middle of the space, just at the right height that you could smash your head into if you did not pay attention. But you did. Everyone on stage had learned that by now. Some lighting crew guys were adjusting the big theatre lamps hanging off the rig before hoisting the whole thing back up under the ceiling. Behind the rig, a sizable piece of set design structure had been wheeled onto the stage. It was made to look like the interior of a 1930s train compartment. One of those that held six people; three on either side facing each other with nets overhead to hold the luggage. The structure consisted of a wooden wall with three seats looking like half of a compartment, a door on the side leading into the imaginary hallway of the train. The young man sat in one seat. He did his utmost to play cool and look like he was in complete control of the situation, but he could hardly contain himself. He was excited. This was it. This would be his big breakthrough. This was what he had worked for all his life. This performance would cement his stardom and propel him into a whole different league as an actor.
