Riding Invisible – Book Review

April 24, 2013 By 6 Comments

Riding Invisible
It’s been awhile since a book review, and since I found this particular book so interesting, I wanted to share “Riding Invisible” by Sandra Alonzo with you.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved “Riding Invisible” and had a hard time putting it down. The story begins with young Yancy running away from home on his horse, Shy, and the journal of his adventure. Yancy also happens to be an illustrator, and his illustrations help put the reader in the mind of an adolescent boy. While the subject matter is serious – abusive brother, parents trying to cope with the brother’s mental illness, homelessness, and more – the book is not morose or depressing. The author clearly writes from the boy’s point of view, seeing all these issues as he sees them.

I would say “Riding Invisible” is appropriate for ages 13 and up due to some of the language and situations. But as an adult, I truly appreciated the child’s perspective, and it made me think about fairness in families when one child’s behavior creates chaos. Perhaps I cared about Yancy so much becasue the character was so well developed. Spoiler alert: in the end it seemed there was hope.

I highly recommend this book. It is a very different read, and one that will leave readers of all ages thinking beyond the pages.

For the “Riding Invisible book trailer, click here.

View all my reviews

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For You. For Your Horse. From Love.

February 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Today I’d like to bring you a guest post by Nick McFarland from the United Kingdom who explains to us how he became involved in the horse industry. Nick is the owner of HM Equestrian, a retailer: “For You. For Your Horse.” Please join me in welcoming Nick and hearing his story.

In November 2012, I started HM Equestrian, a business built on a family love of horses. But people frequently ask, how did we get here?

Two of Nick McFarland’s horses. McFarland’s love of animals and his family helped drive his business decision.

Well, I first got into all things equestrian through the love of animals and a desire to spend time with my daughter. As a single father, I wanted a common hobby, so we could have a reason to spend time together.With this in mind, and no previous experience of horse ownership, we went out and bought our first horse…who turned out to be pregnant! So after only five months of horse ownership, our first foal was born. Suffice to say this was a very steep learning curve for the entire family. But those first few months of looking after a foal and his mum taught us a huge amount about horses and the way they think. [Read more...]

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Making A Difference, One Horse, Or Human, at a Time

February 4, 2013 By 2 Comments

Hello readers, I was a finalist in Angelea Walkup’s HorseGirlTV Guest Bloggers competition!  Please see the guest post at http://www.horsegirltv.com/making-a-difference-one-horse-or-human-at-a-time/.  Thanks, Angelea, and Team HorseGirlTV for inviting me to stop by.

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On Editing

January 24, 2013 By 1 Comment

I haven’t blogged in a while – guilty. Not even going to talk excuses like holidays or travel. Nope, no excuse, but a reason: PRIORITY. My PRIORITY has been editing. But I thought I would take a short break from editing to share some thoughts on my recent editing project.

I’m editing my Work In Progress (WIP), Believing In Horses, Too, a sequel to my first novel, Believing In Horses. When I wrote my first book, I edited along the way (and of course, re-edited, re-edited with editors, re-edited again, etc.). I spent more time choosing the exact words during the first draft, rewriting each chapter until I got what I wanted. This time, I followed Stephen King’s approach. From his classic, On Writing:

Editing

“On Writing” also includes great editing advice

With the door shut, downloading what’s in my head directly to the page, I write as fast as I can and still remain comfortable….If I write rapidly, putting down my story exactly as it comes to mind, only looking back to check the names of my characters and the relevant parts of their back stories, I find that I can keep up with my original enthusiasm and at the same time outrun the self-doubt that’s always waiting to settle in. [Read more...]

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Horses and Writers

October 4, 2012 By 13 Comments
Valerie Ormond and Color Me Lucky - a writer and a horse with much in common

Valerie Ormond consults her horse, Color Me Lucky, on the similarity between horses and writers.

I spend the majority of my time riding horses or writing stories.  Since I know so many equine authors, it dawned on me there might be some kind of connection between horses and writers.  In honor of World Animal Day, here’s a few ways I considered that horses are like writers (or writers are like horses):

  1.  Horses know riders get better with more time in the saddle; writers know writers get better with more time in the chair.
  2.  Not all horses ride the same; not all writers think the same.
  3.  Horses flee; writers procrastinate.
  4.  Horses mirror the soul; writers mirror the soul.
  5.  Horses CAN be led to water; writers CAN be led to write. [Read more...]
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Back to Basics Works

July 20, 2012 By 12 Comments

I recently conducted a writing workshop that led me back to basics. You see, my group ranged in ages four to fourteen, and I had thirty minutes to teach them how to write a story. At the same time, I happened to be reading Stephen King’s
On Writing, the best advice I’ve seen on the craft. When I looked back, my simple “lesson plan” contained striking similarities to the master storyteller’s guidance, so I thought I’d share what I learned. [Read more...]

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