Maryland Manor Series
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a few changes where my books are concerned. The first was that what was once the “Equestrian Romance Series” is now the “Maryland Manor Series!” There were a few reasons for this change, which I’ll share below. The second was that I turned Where the Bluegrass Grows, formerly Book 1 in the series, into the Prequel…I shared the reasons for this in an earlier post here.
As many of you know, my series consists of 4 books – 3 novels and 1 novella. After some back and forth, I decided to complete a pretty sizeable revision on Where the Bluegrass Grows and make it a Prequel. Part of the revisions have been making WTBG a little cleaner from a romance perspective. My books will still be romances, but I realized that the friendship between the three main characters overshadowed, (in a good way), the romantic relationships. I’ve been told in the past by readers that my series is like The Saddle Club all grown up, and I think that’s a pretty fitting description! (Erin is Stevie, Macy is Carol, and Molly is for sure Lisa).
“Equestrian Romance Series” also began to feel too general, too broad. I wanted to dial it back a bit, niche down. And while each book has horses and romance in common – it also has one other thing – Maryland.
Sure, portions of my books take place in other locales, but Monkton, Maryland, is always the home base. Monkton is a real place, a small town in north central Maryland that my main characters, Molly, Macy, and Erin, call home. Monkton is classic Maryland horse country. The equestrian lifestyle at its finest. Kind of a mini Middleburg.
Given all of this, I decided to rename my series to the “Maryland Manor Series!”
So what is Maryland Manor?
It’s winding roads, rolling green pastures, foxes frolicking through misty meadows, cobblestone courtyards, and weathered stables.
It’s the hunter ring, horse trials, sleek chestnuts, and dappled greys. Thoroughbreds, riding out, and horses and hounds. Clean swept barn aisles, tidy tack rooms, polished leather, sweet alfalfa, and autumn hunter paces.
Rust, brown, black, and beige. Hunter green and burgundy. Mustard yellow. Burnt orange.
Sophisticated country, cozy, comforting. Loyalty, heritage, heartbreak, and hope.
A blend of tradition, grit, and rural beauty.
Where horses, friendship, and love intertwine – the tales of Molly, Macy, and Erin.
It sounds like a beautiful world, because it is. To help you get a better picture of life on the manor, I wanted to share these photos – all were taken in Monkton by @yoicksfox. This is where my characters live, the farms they grew up on, the roads they travel every day, the fixtures they hunt, the sunrises and sunsets they enjoy.
As you can see, life on the manor is pretty sweet.
What do you think of the new name? I hope you love it as much as I do!
