FACES OF MWSA (Military Writers Society of America) Annual Conf. (kathleenmrodgers.com)
I returned from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) Annual Conference this week energized and was happy to see my writer friend Kathy Rodgers had prepared this wonderful blog post on the same event. So, I share Kathy’s post with you…and her pictures and story are way better than mine.
Today I had the pleasure of sending 24 courtesy copies of my latest novel, Believing In Horses Out West, to Maryland’s library systems. The Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) awarded me a grant to share my books with residents to help educate readers about horse rescue, natural horsemanship, and trail riding.
In Believing In Horses Out West, young Sadie Navarro ventures from Maryland to a dude ranch in Montana to make sure a horse she rescued is safe. While there, she learns about ranch life, unravels a mystery, and returns home with revelations about her life’s purpose.
I am proud to include information in this book about Maryland’s wonderful horse-related organizations including Freedom Hill Horse Rescue, Maryland Therapeutic Riding, Maryland High School Rodeo Association, and more.
MHIB’s Executive Director Ross Peddicord and the board have been instrumental in recognizing equine-related arts including hosting EQUUS Film and Arts Festival events, promoting Maryland-based film productions, and supporting local authors and artists.
Thank you to the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the MHIB for your support and allowing me to share my books with readers across the state!
Tomorrow kicks off the second annual Kids Summer Reading Program managed by award-winning horse book author Rae Rankin. Rae and I met through the 2022 EQUUS Film and Arts Festival, and fortunately, she invited me to participate this year with my three books in the Believing In Horses series! The program grew from 10 participating authors last year to 25 international authors this year.
According to Rae, “When I was a kid, I absolutely loved going to the library. All the books I could pick from, take home, read, and savor. Our local library was a short walk from my house, and I spent a lot of time among the shelves picking what I would read next. I lived for summers when I would sign up for the annual summer reading program, a perfect excuse to go to the library every day!
“In 2022, after participating in the first Buy a Horse Book Day, I got to thinking about what I could do to encourage kids to read and to connect kids who love horses with horse books. The more I thought about it, the more a summer reading program made sense.”
Horse Canada magazine said, “The goal is to complete the fun suggested reading activities between June 1st and September 1st and keep track on their log, which can then be turned in either via email, uploaded to the website, or shared on social media, tagging the program (with parental permission).”
Children can choose from picture books, middle grade, young adult, and non-fiction books, depending on their age and interests. The program includes reading logs and resources including bookmarks for Dressage, Western, Racing, and Jumping along with a fun form for book reviews.
It is free and easy with details at the Kids Summer Reading Program website here.
