Whenever you read a book and write a review it has an impact on more than just the writer of that story. Have you considered how writing a review can affect the author, future readers and yourself?

The Author
Of course authors benefit from reviews – they are provided with an insight from one of their readers. This could be in the form of finding out what in particular about the story was enjoyed, what could be improved or what just didn’t work for the reader.
Writers can improve their stories and make adjustments based on reviews they’ve received. In one novel I reviewed this year, I commented on the language used and the author received this feedback and adjusted their story! Reviews don’t go unnoticed.

Future Readers
If you’re looking for a good book to read, it can be great to find out what others thought of the story before purchasing it. Of course some people will like a book while others may strongly dislike it; either way, when you read other people’s reviews, you get a feel for what made it a good (or bad) story.
Future readers may find that what someone didn’t like is something that wouldn’t bother them – or they might even enjoy the idea of that aspect of the story! Writing reviews helps future readers.

The Reviewer
I love to read books; I know of a lot of people out there that do, too. More often than not, I love to read horse books. I review these on my blog, equus education. As a consistent horse book reviewer, I am often contacted by authors or publishers of horse books and asked if I would review in exchange for a copy.
As a reviewer, you can benefit greatly by offering reviews and in return, gaining free copies (paperback and electronic) to review. If an author sees that you’re enjoying their series and writing positive reviews, they will seek you out for copies of future releases to review.
If you love to read and haven’t considered reviewing in the spare time you may have, consider starting up a blog or just as easily setting up a Goodreads and/or Amazon account to review whatever you’ve read. You may also like to check out NetGalley for pre-publishing releases that need reviews.

Don’t underestimate the value of reviewing what you’ve read!

Connie Johnson Hambley, author of recently released The Troubles is joining me for a guest post. Have a look at what she says about the word grit and how it relates to the characters she writes!

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Thank you, Christine, for having me as your guest on Horse Country.

I get a kick out of folks who think riding and training horses is such a joyful, fun process that it does not qualify as work. After all, we sit on a horse, so how hard can it be? The same is true for writing. Some think we authors wake in the morning when our muse kisses our cheek and off to the keyboard we skip, dewy eyed, fresh, and filled with wondrous words.

If you share either of these perspectives, grab a hold of whatever screen you are reading this on and slap yourself over the head with it.

Both riding and writing are hard work. Admittedly, it’s work that gives great joy and satisfaction, but if writers waited for a muse to put them in the proper mood before attempting to craft a sentence, or if riders waited for a horse to arrive in the ring all tacked up and raring to go and shunned the hours of repetitive exercises needed for training, nothing would ever be accomplished. A trait I’ll bet all writers and riders share is grit.

“Grit” is defined as possessing courage, resolve, or a certain strength of character. It manifests as a “stick-to-it-ness” and perseverance that neutralizes the alternatives of giving up on, or drifting away from, a task.

One of the best discussions of the power of grit was given at a TED talk by Angela Lee Duckworth. In it, she discusses how

“innate intelligence is not enough to guarantee success, but that grit is the better predictor.”

She describes her successful math students (who already demonstrated considerable discipline) as those who actively and continuously engaged in a task until they mastered it. IQ did not matter. Sticking to it did.

In a recent conversation about completing a difficult and tedious job with a certain college-aged child who shall remain nameless, I heard myself say, “The heck with motivation! You need more than discipline. You need grit.” The sentiment was oddly familiar if the voice less so, but I looked over my shoulder to see if my dad was in the room just to be sure. The next eerily familiar statement uttered was, “If you wait until you feel like doing stuff, you’re never going to get to square one.”

So true, Dad! Motivation is a mood. Discipline is a process that we learn through repeated attempts. Grit is an extra oomph that leads to success.

I argue we need more than merely discipline and the right mood to produce creative work as writers or to make that 1800 pound animal do what we want. Discipline helps us say “no” to temptations and time sinks (like water cooler chats or vacuuming under the couch one more time). Discipline parks our ‘writerly’ butts in the chair while waiting for the muse bus to arrive.

Grit is different from discipline. Grit makes you an active participant engaged in being productive. Grit makes us put one foot in front of the other, forces words into sentences, and keeps our leg pressed hard against a horse’s side until it bends and drops its head. It makes us sideline our fears and supports us in stepping up to the task. Grit is present when we take a deep breath to steady ourselves before mounting an animal we know is a few degrees more challenging than we have ridden before. Grit helps us realize that we are the only ones who can make our goals happen and then empowers us to take those small steps forward.

I see examples of grit every day. I see it in the writer who stays glued in her seat until she meets her daily word count–even as she knows that day’s work won’t survive the first edit. It’s the executive who gathers her team together one more time for an ad hoc brainstorming session even as she dodges the deathray stares. It’s in the rider who sees the potential in a horse when no one else does, and wakes before dawn to get those few extra hours of training in before her ‘real’ work begins.

Grit is also something readers love seeing infused into their favorite characters. We know her as the protagonist who keeps on pushing forward despite the odds. I believe the most interesting characters are those who have every reason to quit or to believe in their failure, but continue chipping away.

We equestrians have grit by the ton.

Link to Angela Lee Duckworth’s TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8

The Troubles: Synopsis
Jessica Wyeth is no longer a fugitive hiding under assumed identities. Through sheer grit, she has reclaimed her life only to discover what she fought for was an illusion. She is not the child of the picture-perfect New England family, but an unwanted castaway. Her frail and reclusive aunt died without exposing the secret that she was Jessica’s mother. Jessica travels to Ireland—her mother’s home—to learn why.

When Jessica rides in a world-class steeplechase, she is unwittingly used as an accomplice in a devastating bombing in an English shopping mall. The group behind the bombing is the Charity, a generations old support network of the IRA. Michael Conant, reluctant heir to the Charity and Jessica’s lover, must choose his allegiance to his violent family legacy or the woman he loves. Meanwhile, Jessica’s fight for her life leads her to uncover her mother’s secrets and the divided soul of the Irelands.

The Troubles is a high-concept suspense novel that views the conflict in Northern Ireland through the prism of American involvement. This sweeping, multi-generational tale gives witness to the delicate and dangerous layers inside an ever-unfolding world.

Bio:
Connie Johnson Hambley grew up on a small dairy farm just north of New York City and was a child when an arsonist burned her family’s barn to the ground. Memories from that experience grew the stories that have become The Charity and The Troubles.

Hambley uses every bit of personal experience to create a story that is as believable as it is suspenseful. Leveraging her law and investment background in ways unique, creative, but not altogether logical, she has enjoyed robust professional pursuits that include writing for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Massachusetts High Tech, and Nature Biotechnology. Proving that truth can be stranger than fiction, her experience at a major bank in Boston introduced her to the clever schemes people dream up to launder money.

Hambley writes about strong women from their perspective in situations that demand the most from them. No special powers, no gadgets, no super human abilities. Just a woman caught up or embroiled in something that she has to get out of, hopefully alive.

Interviews include: Boston’s Literati Scene TV Show; Hallie Ephron of Jungle Red Writers: Ireland, Horses and Senseless Fire; Pawling Public Radio; Blog Talk Radio; Rounded Corner of the Writing World; (Australian Author) Penny de Byl’s Five Minute Profile; and Poughkeepsie Journal In Minutes, A Generation’s Work Destroyed by Flames.

Hambley writes page-turners and The Charity is the first in a series. Its sequel, The Troubles was published May 2015. Follow her for updates and information.

Get in touch with Connie –
Website: www.conniejohnsonhambley.com
Blog: http://thecharitythriller.blogspot.com
Twitter: @conniehambley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecharitythriller

So I’m working on my latest adult horse fiction piece and thought it would be nice to share an excerpt. Then I got to thinking – what could be better than being able to read an excerpt from one upcoming horse novel? Getting to read many!

So if you’re an author who is working on a horse novel, I encourage you to take part in this blog hop and share some of your work! It’s a great way for a lot of authors to share, plus it builds up links to your site! The rules:

1. Post an excerpt from your latest horse book (released or being written) – perhaps somewhere between 300 – 2000 words
2. Mention that you’re taking part in a blog hop started by Christine at Horse Country Book (provide a link to http://www.horsecountrybook.com/latest-book-excerpt-blog-hop/)
3. Leave a comment on this post with details so that I can provide a link back to your post
4. If having an issue with leaving comments, send me an email: christine@horsecountrybook.com with subject ‘Excerpt Blog Hop’

Now for the excerpt! This is from my latest novel in progress, B and B.

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Ben sighed, suddenly wishing for his previous conversation with Jake to continue. Anything but this.
The group of ten had a couple of capable riders, but the majority were shaky at the trot and definitely weren’t up to too much cantering. This meant more conversation. Normally Ben could put up with this – Jake had given him a couple of great questions that he used to keep their clients talking about themselves.
Unfortunately there was one chatty brunette who seemed insistent on getting Ben to talk. He was surprised by her apparent interest in him – the young women usually were drawn to Jake’s dark curls and blue eyes, as well as his easy laugh and ability to talk with anyone comfortably. More often than not when Ben watched the clients interact with his co worker he either felt amused, or old.
Today he would have settled for old. This woman – Jane or Jan or Janine, he couldn’t remember – appeared a little young and her energy was quickly tiring him. Didn’t some people know how to stop talking?
He was glad when the group drew close to a hill they used for cantering. The ride slowed to a stop as Jake outlined what they were going to do. Then one by one, the riders cantered up the hill to wait at the top. Jake lead the way and thankfully Ben’s sudden fan realised he needed to keep watch over the riders as they made their way between him and Jake waiting up top.
Ben purposely held back when he saw the young woman make her ascent at a lazy canter. He smiled to himself when halfway up the hill the older mare she was on, decided a trot would suffice. The young brunette gave a hearty kick with her heels and the mare snorted and broke into a canter again – for three strides – before abruptly coming to a walk. Ben chuckled outright as he headed up the hill after her, noting with satisfaction that although she was surprised by the mare’s sudden change of pace, she stayed in the saddle.
The rest of the ride was made up mainly of brisk trotting – a pace that caused some to focus on their seat, rather than the joys of conversation – and Ben was able to get a few moments to himself. He kept an eye on the riders, but was also able to enjoy the scenery of tall eucalypts, some acacias and the odd pine.
The smell of the bush was both a familiar comfort, and refreshing. At times Ben wondered if there was a job that paid where he could just ride all day – without the clients.
As the ride came to a close, the riders were allowed to spread out on an open hillside and push their mounts into a canter. It was an exhilarating feeling – the twelve of them racing up the hillside. Ben let out an uncharacteristic whoop as they reached the top. The riders appeared a little breathless, but were all smiling. It was a nice way to finish the ride.
The group made their way at a steady walk down the hillside and toward the tie up yards. The brunette whose name Ben really wasn’t sure on continued her chatter, asking Ben questions about himself. He muttered some answers, glaring at Jake who was grinning cheerfully back at him.
The pair worked quickly to help their clients dismount. Some part time staff members were on hand to take the horses away and cool them down and brush them off before the afternoon feeding.
Ben turned away from handing over his mount to one of the staff and nearly jumped when he found the young woman still in the yard.
“Did you forget something?” he asked automatically, looking to see if the horse she had ridden was still handy.
“Oh, no! I’ve got everything, thank you. We’re all going into town for a drink before we head back home and I thought you might like to join us,” she invited cheerfully.
Ben questioned if he really did need to work on his people skills. He couldn’t for the life of him think of anything he’d said or done to give her the impression he would gladly join them for a little more socialising. He scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say.
“Oh… thanks for the invitation…”
“But we’ve got quite a bit of work to do with these horses before we’re finished for the day,” Jake cut in smoothly, saving Ben.
The young woman nodded in understanding.
“The horses definitely need to come first. They were great today and we had a lot of fun riding. Thank you two again, we’ll be back!” she stated cheerfully, turning on her heel to join her friends.
Ben let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Jake slapped him on the back before walking off to tend to his horse. Ben didn’t miss his laugh as he said, “you’re welcome, my friend!”

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• If you fancy checking out another excerpt from this novel, head on over to Linda Ballou Talking to You.
• Be sure to check out the excerpt from Book 5 of Pony Jumpers, Five Stride Line by Kate Lattey, too!
• Connie Hambley has also posted a chapter from her recent release, The Troubles!

Over at Rodney’s Saga, there’s a discussion on the best class anyone has ever had at a horse show. Anyone is invited to participate so I thought I would!

I was first introduced to the idea of competition on horses through my local Pony Club – Caulfield Pony Club. In spite of the name, we were not located in Caulfield, but in Bangholme on the property where I leased my horse Pride.

My sister and I had both started leasing horses and although we had no experience in showing / competition, it seemed that our first gymkhana was a day for the Thomas girls! In most classes we came away with first or second.

The ribbon that I was most proud of was the one I gained for most natural rider. It was a wonderful feeling; so much so that I’d say that this was my best class – the one in which someone else deemed me as being a person who sat astride a horse naturally.

What was yours?

Head on over to My Best Class: Blog Hop to read other people’s posts or take part yourself!