Horse Tales - American Classic Pedigrees

Flights of Fancy

12/5/2024

As I continue to wait on some editorial direction regarding my next project, an idea keeps tickling around in my head about writing a fantasy novel. Why not? I've been wanting to do that for ages, and following my own advice about having different writing projects in play at a given time probably isn't a bad idea. It's not as though I can't lay it aside if I need to get rolling on another horse book, it's practice in shaping words and thoughts in a different way, and it's a way to keep practicing the craft of writing without getting stale.

What's been teasing through my mind is a story based on the ancient Russian legend of the Firebird, which brings both beauty and misfortune into the lives of whoever may see it, and especially on the one who dares keep one of its glowing feathers. The legend has several variants, generally falling into either a quest to capture the enchanted bird or a quest to find and bring back a princess somehow linked to the bird. Usually, in true fairy-tale fashion, the hero is the underappreciated third son of a king, who succeeds where his more favored brothers have failed. But what if the prince is a princess, the Firebird is far more than it seems, and the fates of many magics hang in the balance? And yes, I think a magical horse or two will play a role, something also seen in some versions of the Firebird legend.

I don't know if it will all come together or if I'm chasing something as elusive as the Firebird itself. But I'm going to give it a try!

Waiting on the Next Project

11/14/2024

As this week's post title intimates, I'm still in a holding pattern and waiting for some feedback from my acquisitions editor as to what would be the best topic for my next book, given my own interests and the needs of the publishing house. While I'm waiting, this seems like a good time to address what to do when you're between projects.

For some people, getting a book completed and published is a one-and-done, and I can understand that. No matter how much of a labor of love it is, the whole project can be exhausting. Nevertheless, unless you've closed the door on writing further books, you don't want to get out of the habits of writing and of exploring new ideas. You do need space for rest and relaxation, but you don't want to slide over into the mental equivalent of twiddling your thumbs while waiting for something external to happen or for some fresh blaze of inspiration to strike.

Fortunately, you have a lot of options regarding writing, and some may even lead to new areas worth further exploration. If you don't want to commit to getting started on another book, consider blogging, journaling, writing articles, or developing content for a website. If you're a nonfiction writer, this might be a great time to try your hand at writing fiction or poetry---not necessarily for publication, but for the exercise of continuing to develop your writing skills while trying to stretch yourself a bit. (Poetry, by the way---at least good poetry---is a magnificent exercise in learning to pack the most meaning into as few words as possible, as well as developing your inner ear for the flow and cadence of your writing.) If fiction is your thing, perhaps researching and writing out a bit of history or tackling a different genre than your preferred type will keep the creative juices going and perhaps even throw fresh fuel on the fire. Breaks in your writing schedule are also good times for workshops or classes aimed at honing your skills. In addition, if advance readers or editors have pointed out problem areas with your writing---perhaps your grammar is a little weak or your imagery is too abstract---then a pause between major projects is an ideal time to work on your weaknesses.

The times in between major writing projects are also excellent times for catching up on your reading and for getting involved socially with other writers. If there's a literary group or writers' association in your area, consider joining in! If a local cafe hosts a monthly poetry slam, why not go? There are also opportunities in mentoring kids and young want-to-be writers, not least the fact that having to explain something to someone else on their level reveals how solid your own grasp is on the matter in question in a hurry. The important thing isn't precisely what you do when you've got what used to be your writing time on your hands; the important thing is that you don't let yourself stagnate.

Happy writing!

... And Back Home Again

11/7/2024

If there's one thing that proves more than another that I'm not getting any younger, it's the time it takes me to recover from a road trip. That being said, I want to give a shout-out to Kentucky Humanities, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, and the entire company of volunteers, fellow authors, publishers, and book lovers that made this year's Kentucky Book Festival a blast to attend.

As far as I'm concerned, the highlight of my trip was the "Hoofbeats and Heartbeats" panel that I served on with Roda Ferraro, Director of the Keeneland Library, and Jessica Whitehead, Curator of Collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Two more engaging ladies would be difficult to find, and it would be equally hard to find two other scholars with the deep grasp of the connection between horses and human history and the way in which Kentucky---including its racial and cultural landscapes---has been shaped by the men and women who have been involved in the Thoroughbred industry. It was an honor to work with them in making this event happen.

Right now, I'm in a holding pattern until the topic of my next book is determined. In the meantime, I'm going to take a deep breath, catch up on myself, and work on some more updates to the American Classic Pedigrees website. As always, suggestions and comments are welcome!

On the Road Again

10/24/2024

Now that my Holy Bull manuscript is in, the next order of business is getting set up for my trip to the Kentucky Book Fair. I've posted before on the subject of travel in support of book research and promotion, but if I've said it before, I'll say it again: when you're about to hit the road for a major trip, set up checklists before things get really hectic. Cover what you're going to bring, where you're going to stay, who you plan to meet, and what you plan to do. You don't have to be absolutely obsessive about it; in fact, you do need to leave room for flexibility. But if you try to rely on memory alone, I don't care how good yours is; stress and rushing about to get things done will ensure that something gets missed. I'm not saying you won't miss something if you have a checklist, but at least it's a lot less likely to be something critical. You can live if you forgot to bring your favorite lipstick; there's plenty of places to buy replacements. You may be in a much nastier situation if you forgot to make hotel reservations and there's a major event going on in the town you're visiting.

Actually, you need at least two checklists, now that I think about it: one for your trip, and one for the home front while you're away. If you need to board a pet, make sure your spouse/partner doesn't forget a medical appointment, make arrangements with a neighbor or the Postal Service to pick up your mail, or set up something for your child while you're gone, better put all that on a list too, lest you find yourself scrambling madly via cellphone to get things sorted out that could have been handled easily while you were still home.

Now to follow my own advice ... see y'all on November 2 in Lexington, I hope!

Perfection vs. "Good Enough"

10/17/2024

During the business of formatting my Holy Bull manuscript to meet University Press of Kentucky submission standards, it seems I can always find one more little tweak to make. On the one hand, I do want to turn in the best piece of writing possible. On the other, absolute perfection isn't possible, at least for a project in which the beauty of a particular turn of phrase or the best wording of a paragraph are often in the eye of the beholder.

At some point, I'm going to have to turn off my internal critic, and with the deadline coming up two weeks from tomorrow, that had better be pretty soon. Sometimes "good enough" is the enemy of the best, but I think in this case, an unattainable perfection is the enemy of "good enough"---especially if I'm ever going to get anything else done!

Storming Toward the Finish

10/3/2024

If there's one thing a writer doesn't need as a deadline closes in, it's a major interruption. One week ago, Hurricane Helene slammed into northern Florida on its way to a destructive rampage through Georgia and the Carolinas.

I'm going to put things into perspective quickly. I was without power for four days, without Internet service for five. I have one trunk of a shattered water oak down in my front yard. I lost the contents of my refrigerator and freezer. Inconvenient? Yes. Extra expenses involved? Yes.

Big deal.

My loved ones are accounted for and all are well. My pets are safe. My house and cars are intact. And I will make my deadline, though I'll have to push a bit harder to get there. (A shout-out to Bill Denver, BTW, for agreeing to license some of his beautiful photos of Holy Bull and friends that are part of his Equi-Photo collection.)

Those of you who can, please pray for those who are still awaiting word on whether loved ones have survived, those who are grieving deaths, and those who are now homeless or living in homes that need major repairs that many cannot afford. Pray for the volunteer organizations---the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Organization, and others---who are on the ground in the worst-hit areas and helping to provide basic supplies and recovery services. Pray that the volunteers will avoid injury and sickness as they clear yards; remove mud, soaked carpeting/flooring, and damaged drywall from homes; tarp roofs to prevent further damage; and provide evidence to storm victims that they are not forgotten.

If you are able, please consider providing financial support for storm relief as well. Times have been getting harder for most of us; for some, times just went from hard to horrible. (That being said, look out for scams; if you want to donate money, do it through a reliable organization, not something that you never heard of before that suddenly sends you a text or email.) No money to spare, but you're healthy? Blood banks are in great need of donations, and the process isn't all that painful or time-consuming. If you're in or near an area where power is still down and you have power, offer to let friends or neighbors who are still doing without come over to get a shower and do laundry. Small kindnesses mean a lot.

God bless and help us all.

Perks and Profits

9/19/2024

Those who go into the business of writing with the intent of making a lot of money are more often than not going to be disappointed. The cold facts are that the Tom Clancys and the J. K. Rowlings are few and far between; in fact, the people who seem to be making money most often are not talented artists but celebrities and politicians who are cashing in on fame that they already have by selling their autobiographies and their formulas for fixing whatever they see as wrong with the world. The fact that most of these books are at best unmemorable and at worst self-serving drivel matters not a whit to the publishers who put them out; they know that they will sell a ton of books regardless based on name recognition. They're in the business of making money, after all, not producing great art or even good reading; that some truly excellent books get put out anyway is more or less incidental.

That being said, there are still some perks to the writer's life that may not put much money in one's pockets but are of value nonetheless. You get to meet some pretty interesting people along the way, and if they share your passion for a particular topic, the conversations you have are both enjoyable in their own right and good for adding fuel to your fire. Even better, sometimes you make a real friend, which is always worth cherishing. And you get the chance to become part of cultural and social events that broaden your own horizons and give you an opportunity to enrich others' lives.

Tomorrow, I'll be off to the Dunnellon Public Library in Marion County, Florida, for "Cooks and Books," a program that celebrates literary, performing, and culinary arts in North Central Florida. Now, for those of you who haven't heard of Dunnellon, it's a tiny town about 24 miles southwest of Ocala, sitting on US 41. Its economy is centered on the local springs and rivers, which offer a variety of outdoor activities as well as some truly scenic places for dining experiences. As in much of Marion County, the surrounding area is decidedly horsy, with a good many farms dotting western Marion and Levy counties. I'm looking forward to a unique experience that will let me share my own passion for horses and learn more about the area's music and culinary scenes. Should be a blast!

Health Check

9/5/2024

Pushing to get a book written can be hard on a writer's health. You tend to stay sedentary for long periods of time; you often let yourself get dehydrated; and the temptation to snack at your desk is pretty high. If you're truly in the throes of creativity---or pushing a tight deadline---you may also be shorting yourself on sleep.

I've fallen prey to all these temptations, and the result has been packing on a lot of pounds I don't need and am having a lot of trouble shedding. If you'd like to avoid the same fate, try these tips:

No matter how busy you think you are, get up from your chair every fifteen or twenty minutes to move around. Set a timer if you need to, but move! Walk around a little, stretch, do a light exercise or two. You'll feel better for it, and I personally find that my brain works better when I get my circulation moving regularly.
Keep a glass of water at your desk and keep sipping on it. This has three benefits. It will help you stay hydrated, which will keep you in a better mood and reduce the likelihood that you'll get a headache or wind up with constipation. As people also have a tendency to mistake thirst for hunger, drinking water will make you less inclined to snack when you're not really hungry. Good hydration will also force you to get up and go to the bathroom regularly, which feeds into the goal of getting out of your chair and moving around frequently.
Do not snack at your desk. This leads to mindless eating, which when combined with inactivity tends to fuel weight gain. The kinds of foods that are convenient for workplace snacking also tend to be highly processed and loaded with fat and sugar, none of which are conducive to good health. If you're hungry, get up, fix yourself something decent to eat, and eat it in the kitchen or dining room. Added bonus: if you reserve your work space for work only, you'll be training your brain to get down to business when you sit down at your desk.
As much as possible, keep a regular wind-down routine and regular sleep hours. Very few people thrive on less than seven hours of sleep per night, and you're not likely to be one of them; most do best somewhere in the range of seven to nine hours per night. Give your mind the benefit of sufficient rest and it will function much better; you'll also be less tempted to snack on calorie bombs to keep propping up your sleep-deprived energy level.
While we're on the subject of sleep, DO NOT take your computer, tablet, or cell phone to bed with you! It's best not to take your work into the bedroom at all. If you're the sort who sometimes has brilliant ideas hit you in the middle of the night, keep a note pad and pen on your nightstand so that you can scribble down those moments of inspiration without tempting yourself to keep going for hours.

If you're young, start proper habits now and you'll never regret them. If you're older, it's never too late to change. Happy writing!

Galloping On

8/15/2024

I'm pretty happy with progress this week for the Holy Bull bio. At this point, I'm getting ready to take a trip into the pressure cooker that surrounds a high-profile colt during the pre-Kentucky Derby runup and examine the Bull's Derby flop. It was a race that was simply too bad to be a true bill on his ability, but what led to his turning in such a horrible performance? That's the question I have to try and answer, or at least to present enough evidence on to allow readers to draw their own conclusions.

Pictures are probably going to be more of a headache than the writing. So far, the Keeneland Library has been able to supply some material, but I'll need more, and at a cost I can afford since I have to pay any licensure fees myself. Those who have read my previous post, "Picture This" (October 26, 2023), know that this isn't exactly a new gripe, but I'll say it again: tracking down photographs for books is a pain, and often an expensive pain. Like most writers, I'm far from rich, which leads to a dilemma; I want photographers to reap a fair return for use of their work, just as I'd like to receive a fair return for mine, but I do have to consider whether my personal budget can handle the required fees, especially given that there's no guarantee that I will ever see a profit from a book no matter how much effort I put into writing the best book I can and then marketing it. Those of you who are already published authors know very well what I am talking about. Those of you who aren't, consider yourselves warned.

Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award Finalists

8/1/2024

Three finalists were announced for the 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award on July 26. Alas, Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold didn't make the cut.

I can't say that I'm not a little disappointed. At the same time, it is an honor to have been considered alongside finalists Kim Wickens (Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse), Kathryn C. Mooney (Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey), and Curtis Stock (The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty). I've read the first two with considerable pleasure, and I have no doubt that Stock's work is up to the same high standard. 2023 was simply an outstanding year for horse racing literature in North America, and I am looking forward to more of the same in years to come.

Congratulations to the finalists! Whichever title wins, it will be a worthy addition to any horse lover's bookshelf.