I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Rachann Ennis Mayer, owner and host of the Raising Connections Program. Rachann and I became fast friends, and I thank her for being such an excellent host and making the experience a fun one.
To paraphrase Rachann, she focuses on Critters, Companions, Commerce, and Agriculture and raises the connections between them through casual conversations.
If you want to learn more about the fascinating Rachann and listen to wide variety of past programs, please visit her website at https://raisingconnections.com. Thank you to my new friend and connection!
In the spirit of March and a salute to the Irish, here is the story behind the music in my Believing In Horses book trailer.
I LOVEGaelic Storm’s music. Gaelic Storm is perhaps most famous for being the “band” in steerage in the movie Titanic. Their use of traditional Irish instruments including bagpipes, fiddle, and Irish drums combined with an upbeat rock flavor and lots of spirit make for a foot-stomping, heart-pounding sound like no other. When thinking about music to accompany my book trailer, the choice was easy: it HAD to be Gaelic Storm.
So, with my public relations team of one (me), I reached out to the band by finding contact information on the web. I emailed people who might be able to help, told them my story, and asked if they could help an unknown author with a silly dream. I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Before long, I received a phone call from Gaelic Storm’s manager, Matt, from Nashville, Tenn. More details back and forth; Matt’s discussion with the band; and voila, I had permission to use this world-famous band’s music in my trailer!
The band’s one condition: a small donation on the band’s behalf to Maryland Therapeutic Riding (MTR) in Crownsville, Md. Gaelic Storm had shot their “Bring Yer Wellies” album cover at MTR and were fans of the organization.
As my Irish luck would have it, I was thrilled to be contributing to MTR. Without spoiling the book, a therapeutic riding center is discussed in my book, and although I hadn’t written my second book yet, I knew I would be featuring the organization in Believing In Horses, Too. What a fantastic facility with a tremendous mission and phenomenal donors and volunteers!
Not long after my first book was published, Gaelic Storm played at Ram’s Head in Annapolis, and this was my first opportunity to see them perform live. After the show, I had a chance to personally thank a few of the band members, give them a copy of the book, and was again struck by their graciousness. The photo at the top is with Gaelic Storm’s beautiful, talented violinist at the time, Jessi Burns.
I’m excited to announce that Believing In Horses Out West will be published in October! This standalone novel in the Believing In Horses series takes our heroine on an adventure like she has never seen before. Want to know more?
Sadie Navarro rescued a mare from an auction accomplishing what she thought was the most important mission of her young life.
Now, that mare is headed to a ranch in Montana and a home Sadie knows nothing about.
She wants to make sure the horse is in good hands, but Montana is far away and a different world from Maryland.
Will fourteen-year-old Sadie need to stand up to rugged cowboys to protect her special rescue horse?
Details to follow, but the book will be available in paperback and eBook formats and distributed worldwide. I thank all my readers for their wonderful support of my first two books and hope you will enjoy the latest ride!
An artist from Maryland hand-paints each unique Touch of Class Award
Growing up as a horse lover in Maryland, I never imagined I would win an award like Maryland’s Touch of Class Award someday. The Touch of Class Award honors Maryland horses, individuals, teams, organizations, or events that demonstrate national or international excellence. The Maryland Horse Industry Board honored me and my second book, Believing In Horses, Too, for our winning entry in the 2019 EQUUS Film and Arts Festival Literary Awards.
The Department of Agriculture’s Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) Executive Director Ross Peddicord said, “We have so many talented artists in Maryland – writers, artists, filmmakers, photographers, and more – and Valerie is one of them.”
Valerie Ormond displaying awards leading up to the Touch of Class Award selection
The Board’s official announcement read, “Valerie Ormond’s second novel, Believing In Horses, Too, won a Gold Medal in the Military Writers Society of America Book Awards; 1st Place in The Authors’ Zone Book Awards; Best Y.A. Fiction in the Stroud Arts Book Festival; Best Book in Juvenile Fiction in the Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards, and Best Veterans Fiction in the EQUUS Film and Arts Festival Literary Award. Congratulations!”
Past winners of the Touch of Class award have been world champion Maryland horses, mules, and riders. Disciplines have included dressage, eventing, hunters, jumpers, jousting, steeplechase, polo, mounted shooting, rodeo, driving, pentathlon, polocrosse, endurance, therapy, and racing. Individual winners have been barn owners, facility managers, horse trainers, competitors, breeders, filmmakers, writers, and photographers. Maryland established the prestigious Touch of Class Awards program in September 2011.
The award is personally rewarding to me as I see my Believing In Horses books as a coalescence of my horse, military, research, and writing experiences. The Believing In Horses, Too fictional story is based in Maryland and highlights equine therapies, show competition, rescue horses, veterans, and military families. I appreciate the state of Maryland for supporting me and my work with this remarkable touch of class.
“Believing In Horses, Too” available at Amazon in Kindle or Paperback
I want to offer help for parents and others struggling to homeschool children, a job most people are not trained to do. My solution also helps fill a void for horse crazy kids missing their horse activities due to the current (now “recent”) COVID19 shutdowns.
Teacher’s Tack for Believing In Horses is available for free below as a PDF file. This teacher’s guide accompanies my book, Believing In Horses, an inspirational story about a strong-willed girl in a military family who commits to saving unwanted horses. My brother, Eddy Ormond, developed learning plans and fun activities, complete with a full homeschooling module to help children learn in an interactive way. Here is your copy!
Eddy brought more than 15 years of elementary school teaching experience to this project. Teacher’s Tack debuted at the State of Maryland International Reading Association Conference, received praise from educators throughout the U.S., and has been used globally even as far away as South Africa! Eddy worked with me while I wrote the book and helped create situations that would appeal to a young audience. His involvement in the book inspired him to create Teacher’s Tack, an educator’s perspective on how to “teach” Believing In Horses and make learning fun.
And don’t just take my word for it that Believing In Horses is good for children. Recognition has included:
• Parent Tested Parent Approved Official Winners Seal of Approval
• National Education Association’s Read Across America program selection
• PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) excerpt in its annual assessment, and
• Inclusion in CommonLit’s digital library of reading passages and curriculum materials. CommonLit is an education nonprofit dedicated to improving children’s literacy nationwide.
Believing In Horses is available for free in eBook or paperback at libraries. Copies are also available at Amazon or via my website.
Next month, I will share free educational resources related to Believing In Horses, Too. Stay safe, everyone, and let me know if I can help with an interview or answer questions for your readers.
