The Horse of Her Own

Writers write, but sometimes a story needs to be written. It nags at you, day and night, until you have to do something about it. The Horse of Her Own is one of those stories. I dealt with it for years before deciding it was time to put it on paper.
I enrolled in the Institute of Children’s Literature Book Writing course to ensure I did my best. Initially, I thought I wanted to write about our daughter Tabitha. She was as horse-crazy as the rest of our family, and when she was twelve, we began searching for a horse just for her. We found the perfect colt and had him trained. Tabitha and Skywalker, a gorgeous black Tennessee Walker, became a real team. Tabitha was what some folks call a horse whisperer.
However, that story wouldn’t come. Days passed as I waited for the words to arrive—nothing. So, out of desperation, I decided to start writing whatever came to me. At last, Deanna and her family and their story emerged from hiding, and the words just flowed.
If you want to write, that’s great. Write the things you want to write—or the things you need to write.

As the second of five kids growing up on a farm in southern Iowa, I had a wonderful childhood. It wasn’t perfect, but it was great. I always had playmates and could climb trees, jump rope, explore creeks and ponds, and interact with the animals we had.

When I was little, my dad kept goats, hogs, milk cows, and, of course, horses. My mom took care of the chickens. The horses were used to check on the pastures and cattle. As we got a little older, Dad got us Shetland ponies. One of my first adventures with them was when Dad decided to tie me to a pony with binder twine. The frisky mare threw me off and dragged me, leaving me with bloody knees. Despite that experience, my love for horses remained strong.

Art and writing were always interests of mine. Drawing horses, flowers, and portraits was great fun. When I was about eleven, I discovered a sort of test published in magazines my mom bought. Art and writing schools asked you to draw what you saw or write about how you felt about the picture. I was actually accepted to both schools, though I was only eleven at the time. The surprise and excitement of that accomplishment stayed with me.

In school, English, spelling, and art were my strong points, while math was not. In high school, I took journalism, art, and English classes as often as I could. It was a lot of fun!

As an artist, you need to express yourself. The pressure to create builds up until the only relief is to draw, paint, or write. After getting married and having several children, this need became very strong for me. I felt compelled to tell the story of our oldest daughter and her experiences with horses. So, I enrolled in writing classes at the Institute of Children’s Literature. Through the book writing course, I worked with several excellent writers to complete The Horse of Her Own.

However, the story did not come easily. I struggled for a long time with writer’s block. Eventually, I decided to write anything just to get the words flowing. I discovered that what I needed to write was a fictionalized version of my own horse story. Deanna, her family, and her quest for her perfect horse just flowed out.

Art is once again an important part of my life. Painting, knitting, and crocheting fulfill my artistic needs. Although health and mobility issues have made horses a fond memory, I continue to enjoy being an artist.