LETTING GO – Things to Know
If you saw my Instagram posts, then you know that my next novel, Letting Go, will be released out into the world on September 21st! The paperback and ebook will be available immediately on Amazon, and paperbacks direct from my site (www.themarylandequestrian.com) will be available within a week or so after.
I’m so proud of this book – I don’t know if it’s my personal favorite, but I do believe it’s my best work. It’s a little different than my previous books though, so I wanted to address a few things so there are no surprises!
LONGEST BOOK IN THE SERIES
This is my longest book to date! Most of mine clock in right around 225 pages or so, but Letting Go sits just below 300 pages. If you’re caught up with the series, then you know I rotate my main characters; this book features Erin Sorrenson. (Erin’s other book is Taking Off). At the beginning of LG, Erin is in a rough place, mentally and emotionally, but during this book she goes through quite a journey – and it took more chapters than normal to tell her story.
A DIFFERENT LOCALE
LG begins in Maryland, but it’s not too long until Erin is packed up and heading to Ocala, Florida, for the winter season, which is where the vast majority of the book takes place. I know – it’s weird for a book that’s part of the “Maryland Manor Series” to take place outside of Maryland, (or even the Mid-Atlantic), but an amazing opportunity fell into Erin’s lap, (in Jingle Horse), and she jumped on it. I promise though, you will love Ocala, but it’s only for this book – Maryland will always be my characters’ home base.
NOT QUITE A ROMANCE
Long-time readers will know that my series used to be called the “Equestrian Romance Series,” and that most of my books have plenty of steamy love scenes. That is not the case in LG. Is it still a romance? Umm…kind of? Lol! Does Erin have some love interests? Of course. But I will give you fair warning – she doesn’t really act on them. She’s in a tough place coming off of her divorce from Kevin and her break up with Cooper, so I wanted to be realistic about what she is going through. In LG, Erin realizes that she needs some time alone to process everything she’s gone through the past few years, so if I threw her into another relationship so quickly while she’s still working on herself…it just wouldn’t have felt right. So sorry in advance if you’re looking for lots of love in this book!
ALL HORSES
I also think this book takes a turn away from “general romance with some horses in it” to just plain “horse book.” My non-horsey readers who are able to follow along and enjoy the storyline of my other books might not love LG as much. Without the love scenes to pull them in, they might not appreciate all the horse talk lol! But horse people will, of course, love it!!
TRUE TO LIFE
All of my books have some personal element to them, usually in the way of real life restaurants, show venues, etc., but Letting Go comes straight out of my memory bank. I spent the winters of 2022 and 2023 in Ocala with my husband and barn family, which means SO much of this book is based on real life places, events, and moments in time. And I’m not just talking about WEC! Sabrina’s farm is 100% modeled after the farm we rented in Dunnellon in 2022. Dinners at Swampy’s (complete with cheese grits)…the Misty Morning Hounds hunter pace…the schooling show at Chestnut Hill…lunches at the Yellow Pony Pub, etc. – it all happened. There’s even a scene in the book where Erin is eating lunch while watching show jumping in the stadium and she has a, I can’t believe this is my life, moment…
“She couldn’t believe that she was here in sunny, warm, Ocala, Florida, dressed in a tank top in January, watching some of her show jumping idols at the World Equestrian Center.”
This really happened! I remember sitting with my barn family and having that exact pinch me moment. I looked over at them and said, “It’s Wednesday afternoon and I’m sitting here…in a tank top…IN JANUARY…watching show jumping! How is this my life?!”
So while all my books have a little of me in them, LG is very autobiographical, (within reason, of course).
NEW CHARACTERS
Since this book takes place so far from home, I had to introduce a bunch of new characters, and I think you all will really love them. Of course, Macy and Molly are still there – but they are a bit on the periphery as they are back in Maryland. In Ocala, I introduce the owner of the farm, Sabrina Barnes, and her boarders/barn family, Vivian Chestnut, Eleanor Pipich, and Holly Bennett. Erin grows especially close to Sabrina over the course of the book – which isn’t surprising because I made Sabrina out to be the kind of person everyone wants as a best friend. She’s outgoing, generous, high energy, and just fun to be around. She’s the positive light Erin needs as she’s coming out of the darkest period of her life.
Okay I think that’s it! This should give you all a nice overview of what to expect when reading Letting Go! I hope you all love reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I got to relive some of the best times of my life while writing this book. In order to sharpen the pictures in my mind so I could tell the story better, I pulled up old photos, Instagram stories and memories, and immersed myself in all things Ocala. It really is paradise for horse lovers!!