Dear Reader,
It’s always great when an author receives unexpected good news about a book. I had that pleasure recently with one of my two middle grade kids novels.
A Wild Ride: The Adventures of Misty & Moxie Wyoming tied for first place in Middle Grade Fiction in a nation wide contest. Story Monsters awarded it a Royal Dragonfly Winner Award.
Story Monsters® is home to the award-winning Story Monsters Ink® magazine, a literary resource for teachers, librarians, and parents. School Library Journal selected it as one of the best magazines for kids and teens.
A Wild Ride started out as a kids mystery with lots of action and some magic. Because it was based on a real-life girl and horse I had known in Wyoming, the story had been rattling around inside my head, and I wrote the first draft in little more than a month some years ago. As I rewrote it numerous times and received input from young readers along the way, the novel’s main character, Moxie Wyoming evolved into a curious, brave, and sometimes bossy can-do 10-year-old girl with a natural sense of right and wrong. And what started out as a disappointing birthday present, Misty amazes her as the old horse reveals a magical side and also teaches the girl important life lessons. By the time I finished writing the book, animal care and rescue had also become important themes which carry over into the second novel.
For those of you who like to review books and haven’t read A Wild Ride with the children in your life, I’m happy to send you a free copy if you’d consider writing a short, honest review. Just reply to this email to let me know.
Here’s something short and fun related to my Ronnie Lake books. Quite a few readers have enjoyed the character of Ronnie Lake’s dog, Warrior. So I wrote a short story about how Ronnie and Warrior found each other. It’s a very quick read that I hope you’ll like.
If you do decide to read it and enjoy it, please consider writing a short, honest review or giving Warrior a star rating. These are crucial to the success of a book or, in this case, a short story. Thank you ahead of time if you do, and I’ll be thinking of you with gratitude.
What I’m watching and reading these days – it’s just one word. REACHER!! I’m glued to every second of season 3 on Amazon Prime and the wonderful Alan Ritchson who stars as this iconic character. Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it already!
And when I’m not watching, I’m reading the most recent Reacher novel.
Our family received a wildlife camera as a gift that we set up in a field near our house. We love to see which creatures venture out of the woods, this time a beautiful red fox!
Spring is right around the corner!
Best wishes,