I’m sure there are no rules about what you post on your blog as an equine author, but I thought I’d share a little bit about my favourite breed of horse.  And while I’m at it, I might ask: what’s yours?  Feel free to leave a comment with your favourite breed/s of horse or pony 🙂

My favourite breed of horse would have to be the thoroughbred.  I love the majestic look of the Friesian and have a soft spot for the gorgeous Arabian, but the thoroughbred has to be my all time favourite.  I wonder if this is because my first job after completing my Diploma of Horse Breeding was in the thoroughbred stud world.  These horses are beautiful, athletic and able to work in a variety of disciplines.  I think their versatility has a lot to do with it, too.  You can use them for Pony Club, racing, eventing, dressage, show jumping, trail rides and much more.

As someone who used to work as a strapper in a racing stable, I know that here in Australia thoroughbreds are in high demand after their racing career has finished.  Many people want to take them on, retrain them and introduce them to a new discipline.

You can get Thoroughbreds as short and stocky sprinters (well, short being around 14.3 hands high) or as tall, lanky long distance runners.  I distinctly remember handling a couple of mares whilst studying at TAFE that I had to look up to be able to see well!  They were both well over 16 hands high, probably closer to 17hh and at 5 foot 6, I felt a little small beside them!

I love that this breed of horse is a great employer for not only people working with horses in Australia, but in many places around the world.  Horse racing is a big sport and it’s enjoyed by many.  If you work with racehorses, chances are you can travel the world and land a job working with them.  The breeding industry is just as big and this is where I have gained most of my working experience.  I love being able to work with 200 different horses – all thoroughbreds – over a 5 month breeding season.  This breed provides so many opportunities to learn, work and get paid and of course, they’re fun to ride, too.

Although the thoroughbred is my favourite breed, they don’t feature in the Free Rein series or my standalone novel B and B.  You will find them showcased however in Horse Country and my Thoroughbred Breeders series for adults 🙂

Save

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be able to finally share that Free Rein series book 7 is now live on Amazon.  The book is titled Broken and you can purchase it via this link.

Not yet know what it’s about?  Here’s the blurb again:

Broken
Hannah is devastated to learn that she may lose her beloved pony Jasper.  Her parents are struggling financially and conclude that a pony and its associated care, cost too much.

As Jacqui learns about her friend’s sad news, her eyes are opened to the concept of something that is broken.  She observes Hannah’s personality change as she focuses on her disappointment and anger at losing something she loves.

Jacqui and Geordie work hard to find ways for Hannah to keep Jasper.  As they do this, they learn about the broken spirited who are comforted by God.  Jacqui questions if her God can help to comfort her friend and ultimately turn the situation around.  If not, she fears her friendship with Hannah will be broken.  But can God comfort Hannah when she doesn’t know who He is?

Now if you’re new to the idea of this series, you can check out the books by purchasing the first three in a bundle.  This works out cheaper than buying each of the books individually.  There are two bundles for the first six books so far.  You can access books four to six here.  They would make a great affordable gift for the horse crazy pre-teen who wants to be educated about horses whilst they’re entertained with a good story!

Currently I am looking into the possibility of combining three books at a time in my series’ into one eBook that can be purchased. So an omnibus of three books in a series at a time.  I am rapt to have two different horse series to be able to do this with.

The idea will be to make books 1-3 of the Thoroughbred Breeders series available together at a cheaper rate than you would buy them individually. The same will be done for the six books in my Free Rein series for younger readers.

I hope you’ll be pleased to know that I will be releasing book 5 of Thoroughbred Breeders shortly, and book 6 before the end of the year!  People are currently voting for their favourite cover out of three possibilities over at Facebook.  This book is to be titled Focus.

So what does this mean?  I aim to have 4 bundles available for sale in 2017: books 1-3 of the Thoroughbred Breeders and Free Rein Series and books 4-6 of the same 🙂 Stay tuned!

Here’s an excerpt from my latest release, Breakover (Thoroughbred Breeders #4).

Craig kept his gaze fixed on the road in front of him. It was late in the afternoon and he had finally managed to get away from the Jenkins home.
That was after a hearty meal, desert and two more rounds of coffee and tea. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep.
Or drive out to Nev’s and see Savannah. I definitely don’t want to be doing this.
“Thanks again for offering to drive me back to Lynbrook. I really appreciate it,” Katie said from beside him in the car.
Offering?
Craig had only been able to get out of the Jenkins’ house after agreeing to escort Katie back home. He wondered how she had gotten there in the first place.
I assume she drives? She is old enough…
Although he wasn’t keen to spend any more time with Katie, Craig knew there was no way he was getting out of the Jenkins’ home without their grand daughter in tow.
Craig shrugged in response to Katie’s comment, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
“No worries. I guess you start early tomorrow?” he asked, knowing he couldn’t be rude.
“Half past six like usual. It always comes around so quickly!”
Craig nodded in response, pulling into the second driveway on the farm. He knew the staff quarters were off to the right, while the stallion area and holding yards were down to the left. He hadn’t been to this part of the farm before.
And I don’t want to be here now.
With relief Craig pulled up out the front of a house, leaving the car idling. Katie had indicated that the first building was where she lived.
“Would you like to come in for a drink?” Katie offered, undoing her seat belt.
Craig felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in warning.
No way.
“I think I’ve had more than enough drinks this afternoon! I really should get going, I’ve got a bit to do before work tomorrow,” he responded staring straight ahead and hoping the decline came out politely.
When Katie didn’t reply he turned his gaze to her.
Why isn’t she getting out of the car?
“I really had a nice afternoon, Craig. Maybe we could catch up again without the oldies,” she said, smiling at him as she leant forward to stroke his arm.
Craig shook his head.
“I don’t think that would be such a good idea, Katie. Your grandparents truly are lovely but I am not-”
Craig found himself cut off when the brunette woman leant forward and kissed him. He froze, amazed at her forward nature. A second later Craig pushed her away, none too gently.
“Katie, I have no interest in pursuing something physical with you. Goodbye.”
The brunette considered him in the shade of the car for a moment before getting out of the vehicle and slamming the door shut. Craig let out a relieved sigh.
He didn’t wait to see that she got inside the house safely. Instead he quickly turned his car around and headed off the property at the designated 20 kilometres per hour.
I don’t think I can drive quicker just because I want to get away from that woman!
Craig was thankful when he hit the bitumen road and was able to pick up speed. As he made his way back into town and to his home, he thought of Savannah.
I have to tell her. I have no idea if she wants anything from me other than friendship, but I can’t let her hear about this from Katie.
He frowned as he considered how to tell her.
I can’t just text her. But can it wait until Tuesday? And even then, will I get a chance to talk to her or will she be doing medications again?
Craig sighed, tapping his hand on the steering wheel impatiently.
“What do I do? I don’t know what to do.”

Like what you’ve read?  You can purchase Breakover at Amazon.

Hi everyone!

I’m excited to be able to share details with you of a new project of mine: Equine Authors. I’ve set up another site that focuses on helping horse book authors to develop a book, publish it and promote it.

The site focuses on tools and services that you can use for free to publish and promote your book/s. It also provides a directory of horse book authors with links to their sites and some of their books for sale.

The blog aspect of the site will be made up of short articles that are helpful to establishing authors. They may be how-to articles with regards to setting up an account somewhere – such as on Goodreads as an author. Or the post may focus on good places to find horse stock photos for book covers. These are just a couple of examples.

Either way – if you have a desire to write a horse book and get it published, I encourage you to check out Equine Authors. You can follow along on twitter @equineauthors and check out the website to see what ideas are there that you may not yet have utilised to promote yourself as a horse book author. From time to time there will also be guest posts from other authors, offering advice or how-to’s.

In time there will also be the opportunity for horse book authors to cross promote each other with a logo and a little bit of coding. Enjoy!