Horses are a huge part of both my life and my main character Tanzy's life. In the first few drafts of Moonlit, I actually tried to minimize the horse aspect of the story, fearful non-horsey types would grow bored of the horse/farm details. I sent a friend the draft (and she's about as non-horsey as you can get,) and she sent it back with surprising advice: make horses part a bigger part of your story. It's really interesting, and you write best when you're writing about horses.
Oh.... OH. There's the arc I've been missing the whole time.
Anyways, the sequel of Moonlit travels to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where wild horses roam free. I'm also amping up the supernatural aspect of the story, and I've found tons of great pictures to help inspire this chapter in Tanzy's epic journey. Instead of dumping a ton of horse info on you, I'm going to give you a peek inside my brain. But, if you have any horse related questions, feel free to ask them in the comments and if I can answer them, I will!
Just stopping by from the A-Z Challenge list to say "Hi" :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the rest of the challenge!
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My grandparents used to live on a farm. Pepper was one of their horses. I remember being scared to go for a ride on that particular horse. He was feisty! Do you think he knew I was afraid?
ReplyDeleteHorses' personalities are as varied as humans. Some horses will take advantage of someone who is afraid (yes, they can absolutely tell.) And some we call "babysitters," and those horses are the ones trainers can trust with beginner riders and small children. Sometimes when a horse is "fiesty," it does come from not wanting to be told what to do, for lack of a better term, But the same behavior can also be a marker for insecurities or a lack of confidence.
DeleteHorses were always my favorite animal growing up. In fact, I started drawing them at the ripe old age of 3, and never quit. I think one of the best times of my life was when I worked at a lodge up in the Uintahs and got to take care of the horses and assist with horse tours. My horse was Bleau. =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great name for a horse! I've heard somewhere that horses are one of the hardest things to draw because of the angles and portions. I'd love to see some of your work!
DeleteVisiting from A-Z. Love your horses!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your book :)