Author FAQ – Part I

Here are some FAQs I get about being an author and my books/series. I will do another one of these soon, but for now, please enjoy!

- What’s your favorite book? Your favorite character?

Favorite book – I always go back and forth between Kicking On and Taking Off. But if I had to choose – I’d say Taking Off. It’s the only novel of mine that I wrote in six months (a record!!) so I think it just reads well; it’s very streamlined and cohesive, etc. And I like the premise – Erin has just gotten divorced and is taking a leap of faith by leaving her career in law and taking a working student position for an event rider/trainer. It proves that it’s never too late to make a change and try something new.

My favorite human character is Erin, which is probably why I tend to gravitate towards Taking Off. I think Erin is the most realistic of my characters, and she evolves quite a bit over the course of the books. When we meet her, she’s bold and assertive, fiery and fun, but then with the divorce, she gets knocked down a few pegs. By Jingle Horse and into Letting Go (coming out 9/21!!), she’s second guessing absolutely everything and doesn’t know which way is up. In Letting Go, she really comes to terms with the fact that her life looks different than how she’d envisioned it. And I think that’s a hard pill for anyone to swallow. When your life doesn’t turn out the way you imagine it would…that can take its toll. And it did to Erin, and so Letting Go is the beginning of the rebuild of her life and the new Erin!

My favorite horse character is Hunter, Macy’s dressage schoolmaster turned semi-retired trail horse. He’s just the best boy in the world!

- Did you always want to be an author? Why?

Yes, I had always wanted to be an author, but growing up, it really felt like a pipe dream. What were the odds that I would write something worthy enough of a traditionally published book deal? (I know that’s a pretty negative outlook, but that’s honestly how I felt, and still feel, to a degree). It wasn’t until self-publishing became a thing that I realized it was something I could actually do. And with self-publishing, I have complete control over absolutely everything, which I love.

I’m an introvert, so I really enjoy the solitude of writing. It’s just me and my laptop or journal, my books, my research notepads, quietly tucked away in my office, (or back porch where I am as I write this), typing away and dreaming of characters and plot twists and best-sellers. A cup of coffee or tea…and a dog or a cat sleeping peacefully nearby while I write is icing on the cake.

Years ago when I started my first “big girl” job out of college, I used to drive along these back roads to get to my office in the nearest town. Driving through the country, I passed farm after farm and I would think about how nice it would be to wake up, take care of my horses, make my coffee, and sit and write in my office overlooking the pastures. Instead, I was in my car, zipping along to keep up with the flow of traffic, heading in to work at a job I hated.

But that didn’t last forever, and little by little, I made my dreams come true! Thirteen years ago my husband and I bought our horse farm where I do exactly what I’d always longed for…I get up, take care of my horses, make my coffee or tea, and work in my home office that overlooks the pastures. The only missing piece to this dream puzzle is that I’m not a full-time author. James and I make our living through our travel agency…but one day, that will change!

- Do you have any regrets with your writing?

Overall, no real regrets, but I do sometimes wish I would have made my books a little cleaner, and I’m working on doing that in the future. I worry that too much romance takes away from the characters, the horses, their lives together, and the storyline as a whole.

And I wish I’d made more time to write! I published my first novel in 2016 – and here I am, ten years later about to publish book #6. There are only so many hours in the day between my “real” job, my family/friends, the horses/other animals, maintaining the farm, etc., but it would be cool to have a few more books to my name. But I’ll get there.

- Who’s your least favorite character?

Karen. She is Molly and Erin’s mom. She appears in my first novel, Where the Bluegrass Grows. At the time when I started writing (2010 or 2011), the term “Karen” for an annoying person, wasn’t a thing. I can’t remember why I chose that name for her...but then “Karen” became a thing, and it ended up totally fitting for this character. She’s such a GOOD mom, truly, but she’s a little over the top at times. I do love her, but I have to imagine that Molly and Erin get annoyed with her!

My second least favorite character is Natalie, the antagonist in Where the Bluegrass Grows. She wants to have her cake and eat it too, but thankfully Beau wasn’t having any of it!

- Who’s your favorite male character?

Beau followed by Adam. Beau is just a perfect southern gentleman, and Adam is just plain fun – I love the friends to enemies, love/hate relationship he and Macy have in Kicking On!

- What’s the hardest part about being an author?

Promoting my work...I’m terrible at selling myself. I feel so awkward shouting from the rooftops, BUY MY BOOKS!! But also, what’s the point of writing if I’m not going to let anyone know what I’m doing? Don’t I want people to read my work? Of course! So that’s been a goal of mine to push myself out of my comfort zone a bit more this year.

- What are some of your short term goals? Long term goals?

My short term goals are getting Letting Go out into the world and promoting that as best as I can given how uncomfortable that makes me lol! Maybe one day I won’t be so bothered by it.

I’ll be at some local tack shops this fall doing some readings and book signings, (more on that to come), and in November I’ll be at Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA. I’ll be in the Better Living building (booth 544) with all my books and some cute fox merch. Stop by and say hi!

Longer term goals include finishing my book on Black Beauty and hopefully publishing that next year, (or early 2028). I’m also working on another stand-alone romance, (a spin-off of my series with a previous character, very similar to what I did with All On). I have a memoir I’ve been working on about my first winter in Ocala that, unfortunately, keeps getting put on the backburner. And then of course there will be a Book 5 in my “Maryland Manor Series,” but I’m not completely sure what that one looks like just yet. Readers will most likely want me to continue with Erin’s story, but I’ve been feeling the pull to give Molly another book, so we’ll see.

And finally, I’d also like to attend more horse expos and author events so I can meet more of my readers!

Got a question for me? Message me at laurie@themarylandequestrian.com!