#BelievingInHorses

It’s been a while, but it’s finally #GuestDayTuesday again on The Write Stuff, and today, our special guest is Valerie Ormond. I know you are going to thoroughly enjoy her post, so without any further delay, I’m going to turn the floor over to her. Take it away, Valerie! 😀

Thank you, Marcia, for inviting me back to your blog with your fun and engaging group! One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is why I chose to write young adult (YA) fiction horse books given my military background. So I thought I would answer that question here in my Guest Post.

Why YA?

When I retired from the Navy, I spent a lot of time at the barn with our horses. I noticed many girls at the “young adult” age losing their sense of self and succumbing to peer pressure. I was one of them not long ago, it seemed. I thought maybe, if I could reach one or two of them, I could make a small difference.
Although my initial intent upon retirement was to retire and enjoy life, I realized I had learned so many valuable lessons that I could share with others. I decided to do it through a young adult book. This book later turned into two, and then three, and now, I’m working on the final book in the series.
Some of my favorite books and young reading memories had been YA fiction books – the entire Nancy Drew series, Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders, and YA horse books including Marguerite Henry’s iconic Misty of Chincoteague.
A bonus benefit was that my brother was a career teacher for this age group. He not only helped me write to this age reader, but he also created a teacher’s guide to accompany my first book, Teacher’s Tack for Believing In Horses.
Educators recognized the educational value of the Believing In Horses book by selecting an excerpt from it for the national Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) annual assessment. McGraw Hill’s Actively Learn platform and CommonLit’s nonprofit literacy organization also included reading passages and curriculum materials from Believing In Horses for their learning assignments. So this little colt got legs from the education community!
FUN FACT: Although my books are categorized as YA, I believe many more adults have read them then young adults. I think many of us like to time travel back to those days, and of course I included a cool grandmother in my books based on my own.

Why Horses?

I had a passion for horses from as long as I could remember with no true understanding of where that came from. I still can’t explain it, but it’s not unusual for horse people to have this affliction.
I wrote what I knew, and at the time, I was immersed in the barn life and had plenty of characters, settings, and plot ideas to bring a story to life.
I had a wonderful inspiration that I had to act upon. While buying the first horse I had purchased who was a young and untrained so I could start him on my own, a conversation ensued where the owner suggested what I had said would make a cute children’s book. The first book was born with that horse as the star.
People say that horses are the eyes to the soul…for a reason.
FUN FACT: The cover of Believing In Horses includes and almost imperceptible image of a young girl reflected in the horse’s eye. That is an old black-and-white photo of my mother-in-law when she was a young girl.

What about the Military?

When I started outlining my story, I did my research on what other YA books were out there about military families. In 2009, there were surprisingly few. I wanted to change that.
Having been a military granddaughter (both sides), daughter, niece, cousin, wife, and member of the military, I felt I had the credibility to write a story about a military family.
Some of my happiest moments have been at school visits where a child will tell me that he or she understood more about what military families endure due to reading one of my books. That made it all worth it!
Because of my military connection, I ended up becoming a member of the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA), which has awarded each of my books Gold Medals. I’ve also made lifelong friends through this organization and am now the Vice President. I encourage anyone who is in the military, a veteran, a family member, or interested in writing about the military to check out this welcoming organization.
FUN FACT: I’ve met many military members, veterans, and family members through my writing and have had the opportunity to encourage them to tell their stories – whether through fiction, non-fiction, short stories, essays, or poetry. I’ve been thrilled to see people write words in workshops they have held inside for years and even have their work published for the first time. I’ve been fortunate to provide resources to those who had something to say but weren’t sure where to turn. This entire unexpected book writing journey has been a gift.

Thank you, Marcia, and as a thank you for letting me tell my story here, I have a free book promotion for the Kindle version of Believing In Horses from Tuesday, October 24 at 12:00 AM through Thursday, October 26 at 11:59 PM. Please stop by for your free copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Believing-Horses-Valerie-Ormond-ebook/dp/B086BTVPC7/

Book Trailer

Believing In Horses book trailer: https://youtu.be/QvA-HcQz7ak

Book Blurb

First the move to Maryland. Then Dad’s deployment to Afghanistan. Sadie is in trouble. Then she gets Lucky, a new, young horse who proves to be a handful. But that’s just the beginning. Together they encounter horse thieves, Maryland storms, and unwanted horses destined for auction and uncertain futures.Sadie makes it her personal mission to save the horses. Along the way, she meets other people who are dedicated to rescuing horses. She also learns some people in the horse industry are driven by greed. And she’s only twelve.

Author Valerie Ormond

Valerie Ormond retired after a 25-year career as a naval intelligence officer and launched her second career as a writer. She is the author of three award-winning young adult fiction books in the Believing In Horses series – Believing In Horses, Believing In Horses, Too, and Believing In Horses Out West. Her books have been called inspirational and motivational and share stories of today’s youth making a difference when focused on their passions. Valerie’s fiction and non-fiction stories, articles, and poetry appear in books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs worldwide. She owns and manages Veteran Writing Services, LLC, working primarily for defense contractors. She lives happily in Maryland with her husband and their three horses and one spoiled dog. For more information, please see her website: www.BelievingInHorses.com.