Something New

                                                by Laura Crum

            Today and tomorrow (Nov 27^th and 28^th) there is an Amazon “Countdown Special” on the third novel in my mystery series, Roughstock. Roughstock has always been one of the most popular novels featuring my protagonist, equine veterinarian Gail McCarthy. It’s rated 4 and 1/2 stars on Amazon. Roughstock is regularly priced at $2.99 as a Kindle edition, but as a Thanksgiving deal, it will be 99 cents today (the 27^th) and $1.99 tomorrow (the 28^th). On Friday the 29^th it returns to its previous (quite reasonable price) of $2.99. So now is the time to get a great deal on the Kindle edition of one of my best-liked novels. Click on the title to find the Kindle edition.

            To give you an idea if you would like this book, here is a brief synopsis and a couple of quotes from reviews.

While attending the annual Winter Equine Seminar at Lake Tahoe, Gail finds one of her fellow horse vets dead, and another accused of his murder. The trail leads back to Gail’s hometown of Santa Cruz, California, and through the twists and turns of the team roping world, plunging Gail into a confrontation with an unlikely killer. An endurance ride, a horse in trouble, some tough cowboys, and a thrilling horseback chase scene on an isolated beach all add up to a must read for horsemen of all disciplines who enjoy whodunits.

“A very American spin on Dick Francis’s racing books…Crum’s lifelong love affair with horses permeates her writing. For those who like whodunits and horses, Crum knows the equine industry and it shows.” –Western Horseman

“A fascinatingly detailed look at the life of a veterinarian…with Gail’s bright personality and Crum’s illuminating conclusion. It all adds up to a satisfying mystery with lots of heart. This one is a must.” –Publisher’s Weekly

For reader reviews of Roughstock on Amazon, as well as more info about the book, click on the title.

            I’d like to point out for those who are shopping for Xmas gifts for horse loving friends, that today, Weds the 27^th of November, you can purchase the first three novels in my horse-themed mystery series for 99 cents each as Kindle editions. Cutter, the first book in the series, is set in the world of cutting horses, Hoofprints, the second book, revolves around skullduggery in the western horseshow arena, and Roughstock centers on team roping and endurance (quite the combo, if I do say so myself). All three books are 99 cents each today, Weds the 27^th, making a great gift for less than three dollars for anyone who reads on Kindle and likes horses and mysteries. The entire twelve book series features equine veterinarian Gail McCarthy, following her through twenty years of her life.

            Those of you who have read Roughstock, (or any of the other books) I would love it if you would add your insights in the comments, including what you liked and didn’t like about the book. Endurance riders, feel free to tell me what I got wrong about endurance—its not my sport and I included the endurance aspect because I thought/think it was interesting. My only research was chatting with endurance people and working as a scribe for my friend who is a vet, on one endurance ride. So yeah, I may have made mistakes for sure, and I don’t mind being called on them.

            Anyway, if you haven’t read it and you read on Kindle, get Roughstock today for 99 cents. I’m betting you will enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I Answer a Few Critics

                                   by Laura Crum

            Reading reader reviews of one’s own book on Amazon can be interesting, cheering, and frustrating—all at once. Obviously positive reviews are a joy for the author and outright negative reviews are pretty crushing (fortunately I haven’t had too many of this last sort). Some reviews are mixed, with the reviewer stating what he/she did and did not like about the book. A lot of the time I understand exactly why the reviewer had a certain objection; sometimes it concerns a fault that I can easily see and acknowledge. What I find very frustrating is the reviews in which I think the reviewer is just plain wrong. So today I’d like to bring up some of the negative things that have been said about my books by readers, and respond to them.

            Let’s take Cutter, my first mystery novel, set in the world of cutting horses. Cutter has a four star rating on Amazon, so obviously it has been pretty well liked by readers overall. But…there is one very negative review in which the reviewer states that my glaring lack of knowledge about horses ruins the book. She says she owns and raises horses and that I “need to do more research.” I will admit that looking at this particular review makes my blood boil, so I try not to go there. But here is what I would like to say to this reviewer.

            “Lady, I don’t care how many horses you have, or if your horse keeping practices are vastly different from mine. I dare you to show me ONE place in the book where I am inaccurate in what I say about horses. Everything in my books (regarding horses) is modeled on things I have actually seen and done, with the exception of some dastardly deeds, and these are also as accurate as my long career with horses (and checking with my vet) can make them. You may not like my writing style, you may disapprove of the way horses are treated in the western horse world, you may just not like my tone, and that’s all fine. But you are 100% dead wrong about my information being inaccurate.”

            Very satisfying to write that out and post it here. But very frustrating to think that potential readers are being told something negative about my books that is simply not true. I’m not sure what was in this reviewer’s mind when she wrote this comment, because she fails to give any specific point where she thinks I am inaccurate. And, of course, I can’t know if she really has horses or knows anything about horses at all. But there her review sits, among all the others that attest to the fact that the book is very accurate in all its horse background. Grrr…

            Then there are the criticisms that I actually agree with. Several people have said that they really liked Cutter and Hoofprints (my first two novels, rated four stars and four 1/2 stars respectively on Amazon), but did not like my excessive use of dashes. To these people I would like to say that I am sorry for this fault, and give an explanation.

            When I put Cutter and Hoofprints up as Kindle editions, I had no electronic copies of the manuscripts. At the time I wrote them, the publishing company that bought them worked strictly on paper copies. Thus the editing and the final editions did not exist in digital form. So I had to have the actual hard copy books scanned in and then go through the resulting digital copies trying to take all the scanner errors out. This was not easy. Certain scanner errors just weren’t that obvious, though I went over the books many times. The hardest thing turned out to be the fact that I literally could not tell that a dash which appeared to be a needed hyphen at the end of a line would end up being an unneeded dash in the text when it finally appeared on the Kindle. Thus the books ended up having a lot of extra dashes as Kindle editions.

            I apologize for those dashes. I know I should return to the books and edit them some more and try to get the extra dashes out. The truth is that I have been overwhelmed with other projects, and getting the books edited and put up on Kindle was a six month project that took ALL of my time and I just can’t face going back to it…yet. Some readers have assured me that the remaining scanner errors (dashes and such) do not detract from the books, and some readers obviously feel differently. So this is a very legitimate criticism.

            And then there are those criticisms that seem particular to the critic. For instance, I have been criticized for deviating from the plot stream (too often) to describe details of the landscape and weather. This “fault” has annoyed a few readers. However, some readers praise my books for just this reason. They say I do a great job of evoking the places I write about through accurate detail. “I felt like I was right there with Gail as she rode those trails,” is a frequent response to my books. So it’s hard for me to say if this trait in my writing (which I freely admit to—I love describing landscape and weather and trying to create through words the feeling these things give you) is a strength or a weakness. Maybe both?

            There are those who just don’t consider my protagonist “likable enough,” and there are those who think she is just like a best friend. I have to guess that’s a reflection of personality style on the part of the reader. I’d venture to say that chatty, outgoing extroverts are likely to find Gail a bit of a cold fish, and quiet, introspective introverts who are something of a loner in real life will like Gail and relate well to her.

There are a few who resent what they describe as a sudden dramatic wrap-up in some of my books that presents them with an unexpected villain, and there are many who praise my books because they never figure out who-dun-it ahead of time. I’m here to tell you that the “surprise” villain is/was a real thorn in my side as an author. I never realized that this was an expected feature of a mystery until my books were bought by a major NY publisher and my editor made it clear to me that the reader must always be surprised by the ending. They don’t call mysteries “who-dun-its” for nothing. You are not allowed to build up to an inevitable conclusion in a strong logical manner through clear character development, as you might do in a thriller, or sci-fi or whatever. No, you must somehow disguise the killer’s motivation thoroughly enough that the reader is surprised when the villain is revealed at the end.

Needless to say this isn’t easy to do, and DOES result in a story where the killer’s true purpose and character must be hidden—resulting in a rather sudden revelation and wrap-up—in order to create that sense of surprise which the mystery reader expects. I sometimes find this frustrating myself as a writer, so I can understand why a reader might critique me for it. But perhaps it helps to understand the trap the mystery author is in? Give too much info about the villain and his/her motivation and everyone will guess who it is before the “surprise” ending. But giving very little info ahead of time results in that sudden wrap-up/revelation that often seems a bit contrived and not-so-believable.

And finally there is the thing which has drawn the most criticism (and the most hostile criticism) of all. I had the nerve to turn my equine vet into a mom in the ninth book in the series. Even more, a stay-at-home mom who practices attachment parenting (or natural parenting). God forbid.

Quite a few readers who absolutely LOVED my books when Gail was a single veterinarian were very unhappy when I gave her a baby. Childless women themselves, they found the topic of motherhood boring, and the idea that Gail would actually stay at home to take care of her baby rather than go back to work as a vet was repulsive to them. All I can say to this is oh well. Before I was a mother, I found the topic of motherhood boring, too, so I get it.

To explain why I transformed my busy, dedicated horse vet into a mom (Gail still has horses, and the later mysteries in the series are all very horse-themed, by the way), well, I wanted to write about motherhood because it has been a huge and fascinating part of the last fifteen years of my life. I had said all that I had to say about the life of a veterinarian (and more than a few horse vets have told me that I was writing their lives, so I think I did a decent job on that subject), and I decided to write about a topic that interested me now, in order to keep myself engaged with the series after turning out eight previous books. The fact that not everybody was going to like this motherhood theme was absolutely something I understood going in. I found I was less interested in pleasing people than in portraying small truths and insights about life that I have learned over the years, through/in my fiction. If some don’t like my last four books because of the “mama” theme, so be it. Lots of people do like these books—and I am guessing that other moms are probably more likely to like the stories than non-moms. However, judging by the reviews, there are exceptions to this rule. One of my absolute favorite reader reviews of Chasing Cans (which is the book in which Gail has a nursing baby to deal with as she solves a mystery at the barrel racing trainer’s ranch next door) is as follows:

           

I was prepared to not like this book so much based on previous reviews. People have pretty harshly judged this story because of the  new mom theme running throughout the book. So I read it, and to the Neigh-sayers, I say, "SO WHAT." We have read about Dr. Gail McCarthy throughout many ages and stages of her life, and becoming a new mom is just another one of her ages and stages. It's one of the things that apparently makes Gail, Gail. In the meantime, the author still weaves a credible mystery and an interesting story, and no matter what, the author's writing style always wins me over because her dialogue is so well crafted. I feel like I really know her characters and their personalities, and the same cannot be said for very many authors I have read recently. I hope Laura Crum continues to write, and I will continue to read them, even if Dr. Gail McCarthy (or any other character she conjures up) goes into pre-menopausal nervous breakdowns, joins religious cults, and just sits in corners and drools and babbles. Yes, Laura Crum's writing is skillful enough to make even that into a mystery and make it interesting as well.

       Now that is a review that makes me smile. She gave the book 5 stars, too.

       Anyway, I know all authors deal with this issue (surely there isn’t anyone who gets ALL good reviews)—anyone have any insights on your own experiences dealing with negative reader reviews?

       

Thank you!

by Laura Crum


Just wanted to say a big thank you to all those who made my free book promotion such a huge success. We gave away thousands of books, with your help spreading the word. And I very much hope that all of you who took me up on the free book offer enjoy my horse-themed mystery novels. Happy reading and riding...and happy writing, too, seeing as it's now the "novel writing" month again!

Here's my resident great blue heron flying away just as the sun rose yesterday (he's after the goldfish in my pond), for something lovely and inspiring.

"Hoofprints" is FREE Today--Happy Halloween!

                                   by Laura Crum

            So today I have another gift for you. In honor of Halloween, my second novel, Hoofprints, is free today and tomorrow (Oct 30^th and 31^st) as a Kindle edition. Hoofprints features my series protagonist, veterinarian Gail McCarthy, and centers around the world of reined cowhorses. Hoofprints is rated four and a half stars on Amazon.  Click on the title to find the free edition and to read more about the book, as well as plenty of reviews.

            It occurred to me that perhaps some potential readers might wonder what credentials I have to write about about reined cowhorses and/or cutting horses. So today I thought I’d fill you in on my background in this area.

When I was in my twenties, I was obsessed with cowhorses. I went to work for several well known cowhorse and cutting horse trainers as an assistant, and I rode many, many accomplished horses in these barns, as well as helped train over a hundred young horses. I trained my good gelding, Gunner, to be first a reined cowhorse (we competed at the Snaffle Bit Futurity and placed in the Non-Pro and the Ladies Divisions), and then a cutting horse (we placed in the Non-Pro Division of the Northwest Superstakes when Gunner was four years old and went on to win numerous smaller awards, including the cutting at our local county fair). The photo below shows Gunner and me winning the cutting at the Santa Cruz County Fair when Gunner was eight years old.

            Along the way, I rubbed shoulders with some of the “greats” of both the cowhorse and the cutting horse world. We’re talking world champion trainers, incredibly wealthy clients, and some of the most talented horses you could ever imagine. I saw things that came right out of a mystery novel, from outright scams and incredible abuse, to charming sociopaths who would rip you off without a second thought. I also met some genuinely good-hearted folks who knew more about training a horse than most backyard horsemen can even imagine. I learned a lot. I saw a lot of, uhmm, colorful things. And when I began writing mystery novels at the age of thirty, I knew where I would set those novels.

            And so Cutter, my first novel, was set in the world of cutting horses. For those of you who have read the book, I can assure you that every single character and incident was based (sometimes loosely) on something I actually saw or knew about (with the exception of the murders, of course). The horses, too, are all horses I have known. Cutter is rated 4 stars on Amazon and the Kindle edition is currently just 99 cents. Click on the title to find the book, and to read more info and reviews.

            Having finished Cutter, I knew I wanted to do justice to the even more cutthroat world of reined cowhorses, with its own subset of wealthy owners and high stakes trainers. And so Hoofprints was born. Here is a brief synopsis of the book (from Amazon):

In this second installment in the Gail McCarthy series, the young vet stumbles upon two murdered bodies in the course of a routine call. When a midnight emergency turns into an attempt on her life, Gail knows she must uncover the motive before its too late. Plenty of authentic horse lore and an action packed plot from an author who spent most of her life training cowhorses and knows whereof she speaks.

            Hoofprints has always been one of the most popular titles in my mystery series. It stands well on its own, but also holds its place as the second in a twelve book series about the life of veterinarian Gail McCarthy. One of the main characters in the book is Plumber, who, in real life is a horse I bought as an unbroken three-year-old and trained myself. Plumber went on to become a winning rope horse, bringing home numerous trophy saddles and buckles and many, many paychecks. The real Plumber is very much as described in the book—a sweet, kind, willing horse who really likes people. I still own Plumber—he is 24 years old and lives here with me as a retired horse and we all give him lots of love and attention.

            Plumber as a baby, next to his mother, Bucky.

            Plumber packing my son and me—yes, I know we should have worn helmets, but Plumber packed us like this without one misstep for three years.

            Plumber today--24 years old.

            So for anyone who enjoys a good mystery and loves horses—here is a Halloween gift for you. Hoofprints will be free today and tomorrow as a Kindle edition. Get it while you can.

            Happy Halloween!

Ups and Downs

                                                by Laura Crum

            Isn’t life just a series of these? We had a lovely ride on the beach this week along with the news that our friend/boarder, Wally, must go in for knee surgery ASAP. So we went from this:

            To the sad acknowledgement that our summer will be very different than we planned.Wally will be 80 this year and though we are all hoping that the surgery will return him to riding and roping, we also know that it is not a certain thing. So it was a bittersweet moment to see Wally and Twister wading in the surf. 

My son and I will keep on riding, of course, but many of our horseback activities included Wally, and won’t be the same without him. Here we are headed out to gather the roping cattle. That’s my son and Henry on the left and Wally and Twister on the right.

            And Sunny’s ears, of course, as we look for cattle. Can’t have too many ear photos, right?

            My uncle Todd and our friend Mark roping a steer.

            Anyway, in other news we went from down to up. As some of you know, last year my entire mystery series—twelve books about the adventures of equine veterinarian Gail McCarthy—became available as Kindle editions. I was pretty happy about this. I have spent the last twenty years of my life writing these books, and it was really gratifying to me that not only was the whole series once again available to readers at a reasonable price, BUT I was also making a little bit of money on every sale. As you may know, an author doesn’t make a cent on used book sales or books borrowed from the library, and though I did not and do not resent readers who read my series this way (not at all—I’m just grateful they read my stories), I will admit that it was a bit galling to be making NO money off my backlist. Authors, in general, don’t make much money, but it is very pleasing to make a little bit from your books—sort of validates your work.

            I am not an “indie” author. Twenty years ago a major New York publisher bought my first book, Cutter, and proceeded to buy the next seven novels in the series. I’m afraid that I state this fact with some pride. My apologies to all the excellent indie authors out there—and I know you exist—but there is a BIG difference between deciding that a book you have written is good enough to be published-- and publishing it yourself-- as opposed to having your book chosen out of thousands of candidates by an editor who has been in the business a very long time, and is willing to pay you for the privilege of publishing your novel.

            This is not to say that some “indie” books are not better than some traditionally published books. I have no doubt at all that this is true. But it is not very hard to understand that there is a slight drawback to a system in which the author is the only judge of his/her own work. Even if all the author’s friends/family like the work (and write positive reviews), and an editor who has been paid by the author likes the work…well, let’s just say I see a hole in this process and I’m sure you do, too.

            On the other hand, traditional publishing has created a climate that is VERY unfriendly to authors. I should know—I’ve been in this business for over twenty years. I spent years acquiring a literary agent, and another year while she sent the book around to various publishing houses and got the usual rejections. And I was one of the lucky ones. A big publishing house DID eventually buy my book (s). I like to think this is because they were worthy of publication (well, I would think that, wouldn’t I), but the truth may be that I was lucky.

            In any case, I do understand why authors are so keen to take the “indie” route now through ebooks. No years of hoops to jump through, no rejections, and a fair royalty on every copy you sell. So much easier, and in some ways, so much more fair than traditional publishing. So I get that. Its just that those of us who did jump through the hoops and got that blue ribbon are sometimes a little, shall we say, cynical, when indie authors talk about themselves as “published” authors. When I got started in the publishing biz, “self-published” was a word with a huge stigma.

            Once again, I am not intending to insult the excellent indie authors out there. Some of your books are no doubt much better written than my books. However, I’m sure you can see my overall point.

            For me, it was not a case of deciding my work was good enough to be published (an experienced mystery editor had made that call years ago), but rather deciding that my backlist, which was out of print (and the rights had reverted to me), ought to be put up on Kindle and made available to readers once again. And perhaps, just perhaps, I could make a small amount of money from these books that I had worked so hard to produce.

            So I did the work to get my first eight books up as Kindle editions and the small checks came in and it was all good. Until my former publisher claimed the rights to a few of these books.

            I’m going to make a long story short and say that it took several months and some negotiating, but we all remained civil and pleasant and no lawyers were involved. And eventually the company agreed that the rights were mine. So after a period of frustration I am happy to announce that the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th books in my series—Breakaway, Hayburner and Forged—are once again available as Kindle editions for $2.99 each.

            Quite a few people had written to me in the last couple of months asking why they couldn’t find the books as Kindle editions, so, to make it easier for you, I am providing the links and a short description of each book. You can click on the titles to find the Kindle edition.

            My sixth book, Breakaway, is by far the darkest of all my novels, and the crime on which the plot turns is pretty twisted. People either love this book or hate it. Those who have been through a depression themselves are more apt to love it. And I must add that, weird though it is, the strange event that the book describes did take place in real life at a barn where I once kept my horses.

            The seventh book in the series, Hayburner, is as close to an erotic novel as I have ever written. (Disclaimer here—this is not really an erotic novel; my books are pretty much straight up mysteries, but it is as close to that form of writing as I ever got.) There may be quite a bit from my own life woven into this story. And once again, the central crime around which the plot turns did actually happen out at our family ranch when I was a teenager.

            And the eighth novel, Forged, involves a scenario that many horse people will relate to. Your classic always late, hard drinking, womanizing farrier (not that my farrier is anything like this, but I have known the type) gets murdered in Gail’s barn, while in the process of shoeing her horse. There is no shortage of suspects, as you can imagine.

            All three books feature much riding through the coastal hills and beaches and every bit of material about horses is drawn from my life and is absolutely accurate (the horses themselves are real horses). You won’t find horses talking and solving crimes here. You will find some thrilling horseback chase scenes in all three books.

            And for those who would like to start the series at the beginning, the first two books, Cutter and Hoofprints, are currently on sale for 99 cents each. Click on the titles to find the books. 

The series, in order, is Cutter, Hoofprints, Roughstock, Roped, Slickrock, Breakaway, Hayburner, Forged, Moonblind, Chasing Cans, Going Gone and Barnstorming.

            Those of you have read some or all of these books, I would love it if you would comment and point out strengths and weaknesses. And if anybody has time to put up a review on Amazon or Goodreads, I would be very grateful. Many thanks to those who have already done so!

Have a Free Book--Happy Spring!

                                   by Laura Crum

            Since this is the official first day of spring—by the calendar—though it has been spring at my place for awhile—I thought I’d offer the second title in my mystery series for free. Happy spring to all! Hoofprints has always been one of the most popular books in the series—it was the runner-up in my recent reader poll. So, for those who are interested in a fun mystery centering around western cowhorses, with a down-to-earth horse vet as a heroine, and some nefarious trainers and owners forming the cast of characters, along with some absolutely realistic horses, here’s a chance to try the book for free. The Kindle edition of Hoofprints will be free for three days—March 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd—in honor of the vernal equinox. Here is the link, if you’d like to try it.

            I know some of you have read this book already, and I would really welcome your comments letting me (and everyone else) know what you thought of the book—weaknesses as well as strengths. I’d also be very grateful for any reviews you would post on Amazon as well as Goodreads. These reviews are really important to authors nowadays.

            And now, at Alison’s special request and in celebration of spring—here are some photos of my garden in March.

            The vegetable garden at dawn with the plum tree in full bloom.

            Plum blossom—one of the loveliest and most reliable signs of spring.

                                      Algerian iris.

            Henry enjoying spring in the garden.

                   Raindrops on roses.

            Early flowers on rose “Crepuscule” (means “Twilight” in French, right Cesca?). This rose flowers reliably both early in the spring and in autumn for me, as well as its lavish May/June flowering.

            The veggie garden is productive as well as beautiful.

            Happy Spring! I hope you give Hoofprints a try for free. And please, do share this with others--on your blog, website, facebook page or, gasp, in real life. Its a fun read--and right now it doesn't cost a cent.

Worst Wreck of my Life (and an Encounter with the Queen of England)

                        by Laura Crum

            True story. Well, maybe not the worst wreck of my entire life, but if not, close to it. I remember it perfectly, because it happened the day Queen Elizabeth waved at me. That’s right, the queen of England waved at me. I’ve never forgotten. And I never forgot the wreck that followed, either.

            This would be thirty years ago on the outskirts of a foggy town in California’s Central Valley, right about this time of year. I’d been working all winter for a well known reined cowhorse trainer as his assistant, mostly in the chilly (40 degrees), gray fog that is so typical of the Valley in winter. This particular trainer had won the prestigious Snaffle Bit Futurity a couple of years ago and was a BIG player in the reined cowhorse game. He probably had 50 horses in training. And he had three assistants to ride them—myself, another young woman, and an equally young guy. All three of us were in our twenties and were paid minimum wage. We were all working there because we wanted to learn how to train horses.

            All of us could ride pretty well, and we were given the greener horses and the retrain projects—the trainer rode the horses that were scheduled to be shown. As a matter of fact, the trainer didn’t ride all that often. Mostly he watched us ride and yelled at us. He had a huge voice and as someone else said of him, “He could be abrasive, to say the least.” Most assistants lasted only a few months. He frequently reduced me to tears, still I kept sticking it out. I wanted to learn to ride cowhorses in the worst way, as did the other two kids working for the trainer. The three of us had all been there six months on this particular March day, and we were friends, of a sort. At the very least, we were comrades.

            The trainer had gone to town for the morning, as he often did, and the three of us were working our way through our respective “strings” when the neighbor came driving in the yard, very excited. Apparently Queen Elizabeth had been visiting Yosemite Valley and was on her way to the airport. And the neighbor had just heard (via police scanner—which everybody seemed to have in those parts) that the queen’s convoy would be going down the road in front of our ranches. In ten minutes from now.

            This was big news. As we understood it, the queen’s route was kept secret until the last minute, for fear of snipers. So there was no crowd lining the roadway. We three training assistants had the bright idea to saddle the most “western looking” horses we had and wave at the queen—who we all knew was a horsewoman. I grabbed a loud-colored paint, the other gal took a blanket Appie and the guy saddled a buckskin. We put our cowboy hats and chaps on and lined the three horses up at the end of the driveway, on the shoulder of the road, facing the street, right under the wooden crossbar that marked the ranch driveway. We looked western as hell.

            And shortly thereafter the police convoy came down the road, with a big black limo sandwiched in the middle. We took off our hats and waved and waved and I distinctly saw the queen’s face peering at us through the back window and she gave her signature wave back. So, the queen has waved at me (!)

            Anyway, after that excitement, it was back to business as usual. The trainer came back from town and decided to have me work all the upcoming snaffle bit prospects “checked up” in the round pen. Not the real round pen, because that was a lake, after a rainy winter. But a makeshift round pen had been set up in the covered arena—rusty old portable panels baling wired together. Not ideal.

            The sort of “checking up” the trainer had me do is kind of touchy. The reins are run from the snaffle bit down between the horses front legs and then up to the horn, one on each side. The reins are then tied around the horn.  When the horse walks or trots, the movement of his front legs works the reins in an effect that is similar to a rider scissoring the reins. The horse must bring his head down, and/or break at the poll to get relief from the pressure. If he raises his head or throws it, the reins, tied fast at the horn, will give him a harsh jerk in the mouth. There is no escape. If the person doing the checking up is not skilled, it’s common for a colt to flip over backward. This event is not for the faint-hearted, and it CAN be very abusive. Every single reined cowhorse trainer I ever knew used it at least occasionally. I had used it before and knew how to do it. But I tended to err on the side of kindness and caution.

            I usually started with the reins pretty loose and gave the colt a lot of space to figure out what was wanted. If he seemed upset, I loosened the reins further. Only when I was sure that the colt had figured out the desired response and was comfortable with it, did I drive him into the bridle—which was the goal of this exercise. It is, to be frank, a little like rollkur (sp?).

            Anyway, I was working my way through the three-year-olds, one at a time. Most understood the exercise and didn’t struggle with it. I worked them for fifteen-twenty minutes or so at the trot, as I had been told to do. And I finally got around to Lynn’s filly.

            Lynn was a non-pro with very little money, but she had a three-year-old she wanted to show at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in the Non-Pro class and had put the filly in training. Think about this for a minute. She had very little money, she wasn’t going to have the trainer show the horse, she was going to show it herself. The trainer had at least a dozen Futurity prospects in training that he WAS going to show himself. Take a guess how much Lynn’s filly got ridden. Yep. If you guessed almost never, you’re right.

            The trainer didn’t ride her because he wasn’t interested in her. The assistants didn’t ride her much because we all had plenty of horses we were assigned to ride and the filly was a flighty, goosey little critter, afraid of everything. Lynn rode her occasionally. The filly was WAY behind the other horses in her training.

            I got her out and saddled her and checked her up with some trepidation. I wasn’t sure she’d ever done this before. And sure enough, she reacted by being  freaked out. I had the reins adjusted so they were very loose and I was just sort of babying her along, hoping she would relax and get the idea. But she kept throwing her head against the pressure and running backward. I was worried she would flip over and I soothed her and loosened the reins further. At this point, if I had been in charge, I would have been happy to have her take a few calm steps forward at the walk and I would have put her up.

            But I was not in charge. And the trainer chose just this moment to come lean on the fence and observe what I was doing. In no time at all he was yelling at me to tighten the reins and drive the filly forward into the bridle. I protested, saying that I thought she’d freak out. He yelled louder, telling me that he was the boss here and if I wouldn’t do it he would, and to get my ass in gear and do as he said.

            Well, I should have quit him right there. But I was young and he was a big name, and yep, he was in charge. So I did as he said.

            I shortened the reins under his direction—much shorter than I would ever have chosen to do with this filly. With the trainer yelling at me every second to drive her harder, I used the whip to force her to trot, despite her wildly rolling eyes and attempts to throw her head in the air and run backwards.

“Drive her harder!” screamed the trainer.

            I understood the point. She couldn’t flip over backwards if I could keep her moving forwards. So I drove her hard. And the filly, out of her mind with panic, tried to jump out of the round pen, with her head virtually tied down to her chest.

            She didn’t make it. She landed on top of one of the old rusty panels, which fell apart. The filly impaled herself on an upright. Blood poured out of a gaping hole in her chest.

            The trainer dove into this mess, and got the horse untangled and out of the panels. The vet was called, the filly survived, though she was out of commission for a couple of months. I felt terrible. And the worst part was that I absolutely knew that the trainer would tell Lynn that I was to blame for the wreck. He would say my inexperience caused the problem.

            Lynn was a nice gal. I told her I was sorry, and I very softly said that I had been doing exactly what the trainer told me to do. I did not add that I never would have driven her horse like that by my own choice, and that I had warned the trainer that I thought it would be too much for the filly. Lynn said she didn’t blame me. But she didn’t have much money and now she had a huge vet bill, and her horse, already behind in her training, was going to be even further behind. As I said, I felt terrible.

            Three months after that, and after witnessing many more very abusive things, I quit that sorry son of a bitch of a trainer and finished training my horse, Gunner, for the Snaffle Bit Futurity on my own. We placed in both the Non-Pro and the Ladies, and I was happy with the results. But I never became a star at reined cowhorse, and shortly thereafter I switched to cutting, which was (in my opinion) easier on the horse. And one thing I can tell you for sure. Though I checked up other colts in my life, I was always very careful how I did it, and I never again had a wreck of any sort in the process.

            If you’d like to hear more adventures from my past life training horses, there are many woven into “Hoofprints,” the second book in my mystery series. Hoofprints is on special right now as a Kindle edition. Only 99 cents. Here is the link, if you’re interested.

A Book Review of "Roped" by Dom

                                    by Laura Crum

            As those of you who read her blog, (A Collection of Madcap Escapades--listed on the sidebar) know, Dom is a talented young horse trainer and a fine writer and photographer. She recently had the misfortune to be working with a horse that had some severe issues. The horse reared up and went over backwards with her, breaking Dom’s leg very badly (required surgery). As with many young horse trainers I have known, Dom is not covered by insurance, so the medical bills will be hard on her. Not to mention the loss of income, as she cannot walk for ten weeks. Along with others, I am contributing to her recovery. If you want to help, she takes paypal at this email address. dominika.nawrot@gmail.com

            I have to say, this is the sort of cause I like to contribute to. A hard working person who gives a lot to the world has been hit by misfortune, and I can make a real difference by sending her a little money. So different from writing a check to a “charity” and wondering if any of it really goes to helping people/animals, or if it is all eaten up by “administration.”

            All this said, Dom has a lot of time to read right now. She recently posted a review of my fourth mystery novel, Roped—a review I just loved. Yes, I loved it because it was positive, no I had not contributed any money to Dom when she wrote it. I am not guilty of buying good reviews(!) Those who know Dom will know that she will always say what she honestly thinks, so I’m pretty sure I couldn’t buy a good review from her if I tried. And she knows a LOT about horses. If I had made any mistakes in the horse related details of this novel, Dom would have called me on it. Politely and kindly, because that is the way she handles things, but she would have let me know.

            Anyway, I am going to post her review of Roped here because I just love all the details she picked up on. It is fun to have such an insightful reader. For those who are reading the series in order, Roped is the fourth book. The order is Cutter, Hoofprints, Roughstock, Roped. The first two books in the series, Cutter and Hoofprints, are currently 99 cents as Kindle editions. Roughstock and Roped are $2.99. Click on the titles to order.

            So here is Dom on Roped. 

It should come as no surprise that I started reading the next Laura Crum book pretty much the second I was done reading Roughstock. The fourth book in the Gaily McCarthy mystery series is Roped.

I knew from the get-go that this book would be heavily western themed and I was looking forward to learning more about disciplines I'm unfamiliar with. What I wasn't expecting was for the book to open in the midst of tragedy. In the opening scene, Gail has to euthanize a horse with a broken leg. It turns out the depressing scene is a reflection on the state of Gail's life in general. Time has lapsed since the close of the last novel and not all is right with the world. I'm glad to see an accurate depiction of real life, with its ups and downs, but I'm saddened by the opening. I realize how attached I've become to Gail and her sorrows echo deeply with my own. I find myself angry at the character behind the betrayal, as if I knew either of them personally. By the end of the first chapter, I'm already involved in the story line.

Despite the noticeable time lapse, I feel like the introduction of the book really fills in some gaps in Gail's past. I learn more of her background and before long, I feel like I have a good insight to Glen, a character who is just making his first appearance in the books.

It isn't long before Laura tackles some hard-hitting issues in her book. In the midst of a roping competition, two animal rights activists make an appearance. I groan out loud when Gail spots them in the crowd, but am thrilled when Gail voices her thoughts about them. We seem to be on the same page about animal cruelty and the nut jobs who would rather set animals free to starve to death in the magikal wild than see them 'held captive' as pets. Laura doesn't mince words in her description of the wide spectrum of animal activists (ranging from the normal people who oppose dog fighting, etc. to the weirdos over at PETA) and I am tickled pink that she doesn't take the politically correct way out to save feelings and, heaven forbid, insult readers. A believable character has to have steadfast opinions that aren't going to please everyone... and Gail certainly has that.

I don't know about you guys, but I love having someone to hate in a book, and right off the bat it looks like Roped will be full of those characters. Even before I know what the mystery aspect of this book is, I find myself making a mental list of suspects (and then quickly reminding myself that whoever I guess will probably be wrong).

As usual, I find myself in Laura's amazing ability to describe things... from houses to weather to people. I don't know if it's just me, but the descriptions seem to get better from book to book. Even though it's a blustery day and the wind at home seems to come through the walls, I can feel the heat described in the May setting in Roped. I may be shivering under a blanket with Herbie huddled beside me, but I can taste the heat and sweat as if I were living it.

The one thing I'm grateful for is that this description doesn't extend to the death of one of my favorite characters. SPOILER ALERT!!! Blue, Gail's old dog, had to die some time, and I had a feeling that time was coming. Laura handles his passing with grace and without gory detail. I am grateful for the way she handles his death because I find it hard enough to take without reading it in infinite detail. Herbie is now huddled closer.

As I immerse myself in the opening chapters of the book, it becomes clear that this mystery is going to be different from the others. The other novels in the series have started with a dead body or an outright murder. But this novel starts with an old acquaintance seeking Gail's help with something fishy that she can't quite prove or pin point. Right from the start, I'm dying to know how this mystery is going to unfold.

While the mystery unfolds, Gail finds herself in a bar with some people she knows. Her relationship woes leave her feeling nostalgic and we get to learn about people from her past. Laura's descriptions of how people have aged and changed (or not) really hit home with me and I begin thinking of people I've watched age over the years. Her character descriptions are as vivid as ever. I don't know if it's that Laura's writing grows stronger from book to book, or if my attachment to the characters is just becoming more real, but I find myself intrigued with all the people around Gail. I feel as though Laura did a fantastic job tackling the passing of time without resorting to super-obvious tactics like flashbacks.

What follows next is a scene in which Gail gets to confront the animal rights activist and voice her thoughts on animal cruelty, specifically certain rodeo events. I find myself practically cheering out loud as Gail hits the nail in the head, as far as I'm concerned. Her points echo my own feelings on horse keeping, the treatment of livestock, and even the wild mustang issue. YES, YES, YES!!

As the confrontation wears down, I find myself back in the reassuring lull of Gail's interactions with those around her. There's something so familiar and comfortable about the way Laura describes the flowing conversations, even though it's a scene quite different from anything in my own life. I'm still having a hard time reconciling with Gail's new vulnerability... and over a man! I'm almost mad that a character that I like and look up to can get so unhitched over a man, but before I have time to get too mad, the conversation drifts back to horses and I find myself relating again.

I take the time to chuckle about the fact that my moods shift with the characters in the book, but I'm not chuckling for long before the action unfolds! Man, every single one of these books puts me on an emotional roller coaster and I LOVE it.

The scenes that unravel are delightfully dark and have a feeling of a world very different from mine, very... western. Dark bars, dirt roads, Spanish cowboys with straw hats and blue shirts. I'm totally fascinated by it.

I'm equally fascinated and enamored by  Gail's house. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd like to design my own house in a similar way. I'm heartbroken that Gail has put it on the market. Everything seems to be changing, and I am shockingly saddened by the whole turn of events.

What really impresses me is the way Laura mixes subtle details with grand descriptions of big events to create a believable world. Everything from bar fights described in explicit detail to the fact that the pick up truck in the driveway has a nickname make for a world that is very real to me, despite the fact that it's nothing like the world I actually live in.

But perhaps my favorite scene of the book is the big cattle gathering. The description of a perfect day, a mix of relaxing and exciting, the smells, the sights, the way the cattle move, all had me completely wrapped up and more than a little jealous (what with my broken leg and all).

My joy in this western world is cut short, however, by a crime so garish I can barely stomach it. Thankfully, Laura is quick with the comic relief, using a pair of personable Queensland terriers to take my mind off of the discovery Gail and her friend make.

It should come as no surprise that the comedy is short lived. Very soon, Gail is back to dealing with some pretty serious relationship woes. Without giving too much away, I just want to say that I cannot understand why she's with Lonny. I haven't liked him since the get go and I definitely don't like him now. The more I read about their seemingly failing relationship, the more my hackles rise. I do feel sorry for the bastard, but really, what did he expect? I'm rooting for my favorite vet-detective to keep her independence and just walk away from him.

Of course, Roped features some of Gail's work stories. One of the things I truly enjoy about this series is the description of day to day equine vet calls. Laura does a brilliant job describing various patients, from high strung horses who try to kill the vet, to steady older patients who mind their manners even in the worst of times. Gail's thoughts and feelings on each patient are realistic and often leave me in stitches. By now, the reader has become acquainted with some of the 'local horses' and some familiar faces appear in the daily rounds. It's just another thing that makes these books so believable.

But perhaps what Laura does best is lull me into a false sense of security. This book is very different from the previous novels in the series in that there is no dead body at the beginning. The nature of the mystery is different. The author seems to have a great time toying with that. Even with some excellent foreshadowing that leaves me with the promise that something is about to go very, very wrong, I find myself totally absorbed in the every day... the roping, the western dancing, the ins and outs of Gail's tumultuous relationship.

The other thing that's great about this 'different sort of mystery' is that Gail tackles it differently than the other books. There's no way to involve the police because there's no real evidence... only a strong suspicion. There's a lot of wait-and-see and the suspense is delicious.

Of course, it isn't long before the action builds, and despite the fact that I've been well warned and expecting it, I jump when it finally happens. Again, without giving away any spoilers, let me just say that the bratty little dog in this novel brings me to tears as the drama unfolds.

One of the things I loved about Roughstock was the involvment of the horses at the end of the novel. I was delighted to see the animals play even more of a role in Roped. As Laura describes Gail riding blindly in the dark on a quiet, young horse, I'm brought back to Vermont with Rayzer in the summer of 2011. Best of all, Laura manages to write the animals into the story line without being cheesy like some books tend to be. I feel like all the animals in my life are such an important part of my own story line, and it's nice to see that reflected in a novel without being over done.

And then, the mystery that has been so quiet and strange all along takes center stage with a crash and I am stunned at the violence, even though I had the right suspects in mind for once! By this point in the series, I have come to expect a dramatic finish, and this book didn't disappoint. For all my sleuthing and guessing, I was close, but not quite. As usual, the book got my blood pumping, and I wasn't convinced it was over until it really was.

Laura certainly knows how to keep a reader hooked. Between the suspense, the action, the mystery, and the fact that there are unanswered questions about Gail's relationship, I will definitely be back for more.

...and did I mention that the last page of the book had me blubbering like an idiot? Because it did.