It's been a bitter-sweet month so far. Winter settled on us early. I've already had the snowshoes out. And while I enjoy the forest in winter, I can't help feeling this is going to be a long one.
And then we had a Booker emergency. If you've been following this newsletter for a while, you'll remember my horse Booker from his teeth and sheath day this summer. For the past year, Booker has been boarding with our neighbors while we get our pasture ready and a barn built for him. He had one pasture mate, a lovely elderly mare named Sasha. Unfortunately Sasha's owners had to put her down last week. Sasha has been sick for a long time, and this year she lost too much weight to survive our harsh winter without suffering. It's a dreadful decision that most pet owners have to face at some point. It's never easy. You second guess yourself, thinking she's doing okay because you don't see the slow decline. But eventually, you have to face up to it when the animal is suffering. I will always admire anyone who steps up to make this choice for a beloved animal friend.
But with Sasha gone, Booker was alone. Horses don't do well alone. They need other horses for companionship, a sense of safety and for warmth. It broke my heart to see Booker alone. He was upset when I left at each visit. I was now his only herd. I knew I had to find other accommodations for him, but on such short notice? It wasn't likely.
Lucky for me and for Booker, a young woman just down the road recently built a new barn with her father and she was hoping to take on new boarders. She was willing to take Booker immediately, so the very next day, we walked Booker 30 minutes along a snowy forest trail to his new digs. He has 3 new pasture mates and after a few whinnies and some posturing, they all settled down like champs. Here's a picture of him with his new BFF, Mister. Booker is the one with his butt toward the camera.
And then we had a Booker emergency. If you've been following this newsletter for a while, you'll remember my horse Booker from his teeth and sheath day this summer. For the past year, Booker has been boarding with our neighbors while we get our pasture ready and a barn built for him. He had one pasture mate, a lovely elderly mare named Sasha. Unfortunately Sasha's owners had to put her down last week. Sasha has been sick for a long time, and this year she lost too much weight to survive our harsh winter without suffering. It's a dreadful decision that most pet owners have to face at some point. It's never easy. You second guess yourself, thinking she's doing okay because you don't see the slow decline. But eventually, you have to face up to it when the animal is suffering. I will always admire anyone who steps up to make this choice for a beloved animal friend.
But with Sasha gone, Booker was alone. Horses don't do well alone. They need other horses for companionship, a sense of safety and for warmth. It broke my heart to see Booker alone. He was upset when I left at each visit. I was now his only herd. I knew I had to find other accommodations for him, but on such short notice? It wasn't likely.
Lucky for me and for Booker, a young woman just down the road recently built a new barn with her father and she was hoping to take on new boarders. She was willing to take Booker immediately, so the very next day, we walked Booker 30 minutes along a snowy forest trail to his new digs. He has 3 new pasture mates and after a few whinnies and some posturing, they all settled down like champs. Here's a picture of him with his new BFF, Mister. Booker is the one with his butt toward the camera.
Alls well that ends with a nose kiss.
Anyway, Booker is no longer right next door to me, so I can't just run over whenever I want, but he's happy. That's more important. And bonus, the owner of the new barn will be able to give me riding lessons in the spring. I haven't ridden a horse in 10 years, so I'm eager to get back in the saddle.
Catastrophe averted! Back to writing. My new series (yet to be named) is coming along nicely. The first book is tentatively titled A Knack for Metal and Bone. Check out the last newsletter for a snippet HERE.
Book 9 of the Valkyrie Bestiary is percolating nicely in the back of my brain and I'll be ready to start writing it after the holidays. The tentative title for that one is Worlds Don't Collide. What do you think? Is that epic enough for the last book in the series?
I won't have another newsletter before January, so I want to wish you a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Yuletide, and most of all a great big THANK YOU for being a reader of this newsletter and my books. Your support means more to me than any present this year. So thank you, and have a safe and happy New Year.
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Spotlight Books
I had the privilege of reading an ARC of The Hollow Kiss last fall. It's a terrific first-in-series for an exiting new paranormal YA series. I loved Dray’s unique magic abilities, including a talent for mixing a mean cocktail. Who wouldn’t want that talent? I also enjoyed the array of powerful fae and supernatural beings that fill Dray’s new world. MJ Moores is a terrific writer and a good friend. I hope you'll check out her newest Urban Fantasy thriller.
The Hollow Kiss
MJ Moores
Bloody Walls and Supernatural Espionage Were Not on the Final Exam
Graduation meant a whole new world away from the labels of outcast and freak, but a supernatural abduction leaves Corvina Dray with a hole in her memory and a deadly kiss.
Inexplicably drawn to a dark stranger in a back alley, Dray’s soul-sucking lip-lock lands her with a DB and the local PD on her trail. Then, a girl she doesn’t remember shows up out of nowhere and helps her dispose of the corpse.
Dray’s dead-body-bestie initiates her into an underground world with only one rule— expose the fae and suffer the consequences. But navigating this piranha-paradise to hunt down the maniac responsible for her transformation is likely to kill her… or worse.
Can Dray reverse the curse before she spends the rest of her life in an orange jumpsuit?
Get THE HOLLOW KISS Now
