Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Janet & Ivy Take a Road Trip!

We're heading to Middleburg VA for the Hunt Country Writer's Retreat! It may be an unusual way to spend a holiday weekend, but I'm excited to be attending a writer's retreat sponsored by Jan Neuharth, author of three great novels..."The Hunt", "The Chase" and "The Kill". As you can probably surmise, these mysteries involve the foxhunting, mayhem and murder set in the bucolic Virginia countryside. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from industry specialists and network (or commiserate) about the ups and downs of the writing life. If you've never been to Middleburg, it's definitely worth the trip. It's a lovely little town surrounded by beautiful farms and estates populated by commuters and weekenders from the D.C. area... not to mention the friendly locals who exemplify southern hospitality. If you'd like to know more, I can suggest three books by Vicki Moon: "The Middleburg Mystique", "Equestrian Style", and for Jackie O fans "The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis...Portrait of a Rider."
As for my own riding adventures, my Gypsy Vanner, Pirate (the Pirate King) and I have had a most interesting week with the Rolling Rock Horse Masters. Pirate had his first group lesson ever and I couldn't be more pleased. Under the tutelage of the fabulous Patrick King (PK Horsemanship) Pirate trotted around the ring like he's done it a hundred times, and he took the jump every time (although it was only a few inches high.) Good Boy! What made it even more impressive is that he did it in a deluge. That was pretty impressive for me too as the rain drops dripped off the beak of my cap.
So as not to spoil the pattern, it's raining again today. My hope is that rain won't spoil the holiday celebrations and that it's not raining in Middleburg Virginia!
Happy 4th
God Bless America!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Getting My Act Together With Goodreads

Hi Mystery Fans! I'm in the process of getting my act together with Goodreads. It's a great way to get more exposure for "Murder at Morgan House", and to find out what others are reading and writing. It seems that there are new social media sites popping up every day, so it's going to be a challenge to keep up and link everything together. I could be sitting at this computer all day :)