#equestrianlit

My young adult book, Gaits of Magic, released this week and it's the first book in the Divine Rein Academy series, which is a YA fantasy equestrian academy series. On one hand writing YA is different. The protagonists are in high school (I tend to write starting freshman year, which is on the younger side for YA) so the issues are different. There's a lot more homework and a lot more interpersonal drama. But I got to thinking, is the horse part of writing YA different from writing adult?

Well, probably the first thing that comes to mind is that they ride a lot more in the YA books. These books are set at an equestrian academy, which means a lot of saddle time. But also, life just doesn't get in the way as much when the main character is a teenager. *smiles* Of course, in my Heart Compass Stable series I deliberately made the main character a non-rider at the moment because of her horse's needs. I wanted to showcase an equestrian who doesn't ride or drive just to show that we exist, but also I feel like we're left out of a lot of equestrian fiction because everyone wants to read about riding and jumping and showing.

The horses themselves, I don't think are a lot different. They're loved, beloved companions, and cared for well. Sure some may live outdoors in a pasture 24/7 having access to shelter in inclimate weather, while others live in a stall with adequate turn out, but as a general rule the horses are loved, cared for well, and live a pretty good horse-y life.

The horse's ability, breed, and equestrian discipline all vary depending on the story.

It's been over three years since the publication of Winning Finish the final book in my Cardinal Oaks series. I took some time off to think about what I wanted to do with writing equestrian fiction. Sure, writing about the common disciplines like dressage and jumping or three-day evening is good, and a lot of people identify with those disciplines. But, when I polled my readers about what types of books they wanted to read, they also asked for different disciplines, and as someone who does not ride, I also wanted more representation for those who didn't ride for whatever reason.

So I guess it is appropriate that I write this blog on the day that I finished my first equestrian story--wholly equestrian, no fantasy elements at all--in a few years. I don't want to give too much away; I worked on the cover last night and hope to do a cover reveal here in the near future, and I also am hoping to release the story before Thanksgiving. We'll see how that goes.

I think the reason why I returned to equestrian stories is because my horses asked me to. Living and being with them every day reminded me of the magic of horses, the kind that's tangible in the air whenever you're around them. That magic enticed me back, asked me to tell a different kind of story, one that's true to who I am now and how I wish to be with horses.

You'll find my equestrian fiction is a little different now. Though I am still extremely proud of the books I wrote and especially my Noble Dreams series, I've worked more of myself into the stories. I've followed the paths I've wanted to, and in bringing together this new barn, this new batch of boarders, and these new challenges, I think you'll find that the themes are very much the same.

Love horses. Find your people. Be true to yourself.

These values go through all of my fiction, no matter the genre. And I hope, in bringing these equestrian fiction stories to you once more that I can share these values with you and perhaps help you allow your uniqueness to shine, too.

 Kit writes equestrian literature (aka horse stories for those who still enjoy horses and equestrian sport) and equestrian romances as Kit M Caelsto. You can also find past equestrian works written under a prior pen name on this site as well. With over 20 books published, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy.

The second book in the Second Joy Stable series, Head Shy, is now available, and I wanted to update the covers so they looked like the equestrian lit I wrote as "Mary Kit Caelsto". I'll be doing a separate announcement about that release, but for now I wanted to share the new covers for the series.