When I was seventeen years old, I was invited to a screening trial with the United States Equestrian Team. It took place the summer after I graduated from high school and the year before the next Olympics. I was so excited. There was no way I was going to let the opportunity pass, som and I hitched up the horse trailer in El Paso, Texas, and headed to the trials in California. |
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At the time, I was recovering from a broken collar bone that happened while riding (falling actually) a few months earlier. Also, you were supposed to bring two horses to the trial. I only had one horse, so I arranged to borrow a horse I'd never ridden from the barn where the trials were held. I also didn't show up with a trainer or grooms, just my mom. I didn't do particularly well in the trials, thus ending my Olympic dreams. Before the next Olympics rolled around, I had realized that, due to there being only twenty-four hours in a day, I could either go to college or ride competitively, but not both. I chose school. |
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But even though I had grand dreams, I rode because I truly loved it. Writing is the same for me. Sure, I would love to be a New York Times bestseller and become rich and famous because of the stories I tell. But whether that happens or not, I will continue to write. |
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I love creating stories out of nothing but thin air and past experiences. Each time I finish a novel I bring something into the world that didn't exist before, and every time someone reads one of my novels, they make it theirs. The profoundness of this pushes me forward. Thank you for being a part of this journey. |
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Preorders really help book succeed because they show early reader interest. This lets book-sellers like Amazon and others realize there is an audience for the novel, and the algorithms they use will then show it to more people. Here's an early review of Five Tries to Get It Right: "When a shot in the arm for two downhearted women embraces an itinerary of some of the most exotic getaways, anything can and does happen." Lucille Guarino, Author of Elizabeth’s Mountain |
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When her lifelong friend hits rock bottom, a lovelorn widow tries to reawaken their zest for life on a trip retracing their wild youth. Can they find the future in the past? |
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I just recommended this book to my mom. It's laugh-out-loud funny, and you may shed a tear or two as well. The second in this series comes out next month. |
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Happy Travels: Napali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii |
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looking for something to read? |
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