Book Review: Frosty, The Adventures of a Morgan Horse, by Ellen F. Feld

Though I don’t usually review middle-grade, teen, tween or children’s books, I was impressed with Ellen Feld’s bibliography. Having recently read and enjoyed Bubba Goes National, a middle-grade horse fiction tale by Jennifer Walker, I knew I wanted to check out other books in the genre.

About Ellen F. Feld, Author of Frosty, The Adventures of a Morgan Horse

Ellen F. Feld is an indie author who has penned numerous middle-grade fiction books about horses, particularly Morgan horses, for the horse-lover in all age ranges. She has won the Children’s Choice Award that is sponsored by the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council, a prestigious awards for an indie writer. A quick search on Amazon.com reveals seven horse-related fiction titles for Ellen and her stable of horse books.

About the Book: Frosty, The Adventures of a Morgan Horse

This second book in the series of books by author Feld begins with Heather, our leading teen horse-loving protagonist, at a horse auction. While there, she spots an unusual looking but rather shy mare in a corral, near an anxious and excitable show-offy horse. Heather eventually coaxes the mare to come to her, where the two establish a connection.

Later, Heather bids on and buys the horse, only to discover the horse just might be a rare gray Morgan horse. Heather calls the horse Frosty, after her gray and frosted coloring, and once she brings her home, cleans her up and falls in love. Unfortunately, the mare’s timid nature turns out to be more than just being shy. It seems Frosty knows nothing of training for showing, and worse, was likely abused or at the very least mistreated by her previous owner.

It’s up to Heather to train and prepare this horse and she learns a lesson in patience in doing so. She also learns that not all horses are made to be prize-winning show horses. Then, on a fateful ride, there is an accident, and Frosty spooks. Heather finds herself under her horse and fearful for her life. But in that trail, she and Frosty build a bond of trust, and Frosty’s true talent as a trusted trail horse shines.

There are multiple lessons to learn here for pre-teens and teens reading Frosty. We learn patience, acceptance of each person (or horse) for their natural talents instead of trying to push someone or something into pre-assumed labels, and also we learn to accept disappointment and turn it into something better, how to set aside expectations and let trust and talent shine through.

Cons: It’s a relatively well-written story, though there are minor grammatical issues that as an adult I’d prefer to see improved, since children learn to write from what they read. However, these issues are minor and do not interfere with the pleasure and enjoyment of the story. Also, the characters seems to tell the story in the dialogue, and this gets a little tedious at times, because it feels unrealistic to have the characters telling the reader things that should probably be in the descriptive text.

Lastly, though also minor, while it’s understandable that a teen girl who works with and handles horses in the capacity that Heather does would have more responsibility in this area than some teens might, it seems Heather makes many grown-up decisions, including purchasing a horse at auction, without any adult intervention. To this reader, that also seemed slightly unrealistic.

Pros: It’s a good story, with several good lessons to be learned. It’s entertaining, and I believe it will keep most pre-teen, teen/tween girls reading and turning pages, especially any girl who has ever dreamed of owning or caring for a horse. It provides some realistic expectations about horse care and how much time and attention and devotion taking care of a horse really means, something many girls who dream of owning a horse probably don’t consider.

Feld’s book Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse also provides some great horse-related vocabulary that might be new to young readers, stretching their reading skills but not so much that it’s difficult to read and understand if readers don’t know the terms.

Frosty: Recommended Reading for Teens, Tweens and Horse Lovers of All Ages

Feld’s books are reasonably priced and the cover art is attractive and compelling. All said and done, I’d recommend Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse for any horse lover, young or not-so-young. I’d also recommend any of the books in the Morgan horse series of books by Ellen Feld. I’m personally looking forward to reading more about Blackjack, myself, and as you'll see below, the author has given all my readers a great deal on purchasing this book!

Note from the Author:

FREE shipping on any size order of books from the ‘Morgan Horse’ series when you order during this tour! Just enter code 1717 in the online order form http://willowbendpublishing.com/order_form.htm or mail-in form http://willowbendpublishing.com/paypal.htm.

Author Interview: Ellen J. Feld

Short Biography of Ellen J. Feld:

I’ve been writing stories since I was a very young child (a long time ago!) I have a series of books that I wrote in third grade – I have always loved to write. But I never considered actually becoming a writer. It sort of just happened. My writing career started to take shape about 25 years ago when I got my first paid job as a freelance writer for a horse magazine. I’ve written for horse magazines steadily since then. My first book was started when I was between magazine assignments and now I concentrate on my books – I find it much more rewarding.

I’ve been a horse lover my entire life and my stories all revolve around horses. There’s nothing more relaxing and satisfying as hanging around the barn. My horses are like big dogs and love to hang out with me and get (and give!) kisses. They are my inspiration and all my story ideas come from them and hanging around the barn. If I’m having trouble with a story line, I’ll stop writing and go to the barn. Hanging out with the horses for a few hours usually gets me right back on track.

Author Interview: Ellen J. Feld

It's rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a 'real' job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you've had in your life?

Ellen Feld: Yes, I’ve got one of those 9 – 5 jobs. I work at Amherst College, in the physics department. I’m the “Department Coordinator” which basically means I do all the administrative “stuff” to keep the department running. I’ve been at Amherst for 24 years so there aren’t a lot of other jobs to list. Previous to Amherst, I worked at the US Senate in Washington, in the foreign policy office of Senator Kennedy. I loved the job but I’m not a city girl so I came home to Massachusetts.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Ellen Feld: My first book, “Blackjack” is about one of my horses. At the time, he was away at the trainer’s and I missed him terribly. So I wrote a short story about him to help pass the time. When it was finished, I had several friends read it and they all suggested that I expand the story and write an entire book. So I did.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Ellen Feld: No, actually I never planned to be a writer. My degree is in Russian and I was well on my way to a career in government when I got sidetracked by my horses.

What compels you to be a writer?

Ellen Feld: I simply need to write…and I’m fortunate that others like to read what I write!

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

• Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse
• Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse
• Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse
• Robin: The Lovable Morgan Horse
• Annie: The Mysterious Morgan Horse
• Rimfire: The Barrel Racing Morgan Horse
• Shadow: the Curious Morgan Horse

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Ellen Feld: Yes, my newest book, scheduled for a Fall 2011 release is Justin Morgan and the Big Horse Race. It’s the true story of Justin Morgan, the horse that started the Morgan breed, and the race he won against two “racing horses” back in the 1700s.

Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

Ellen Feld: Yes, I’ve won several awards. I’m most proud of twice winning Children’s Choices, co-sponsored by The International Reading Assoc. and The Children’s Book Council. Both Blackjack and Frosty won this award.

The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Ellen Feld: The main character in my series, Heather, is, I think, the girl I wanted to be when I was young. She’s a talented horse person, who gets to do all sorts of fun things that I wanted to do, although she does tend to get in trouble now and then! Her mentor, Chauncy, is closely based on an old time Yankee horseman who aided me when I was a kid. He was a wonderful old gentleman and I’ve purposely put him in the series as a tribute to a dear friend. Other characters are loosely based on other horse people I have known through the years.

Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now.

Ellen Feld: I’m a country girl through and through. While my horse books are works of fiction, all the horses are based on real horses we own and I use their quirks and behaviors to make each as realistic as possible.

Do you have any pets? What are they? Tell us about them.

Ellen Feld: Currently we have 9 horses (most of whom have appeared in my books), plus a Basset hound, Willow, and a dachshund named Champ. Both dogs have also appeared in my stories. I also have three birds, Razzie, Chico, and Kaylar and no, they’re not in my books!

It's said that the editing process of publishing a novel with a publisher is can be grueling and often more difficult than actually writing the story. Do you think this is true for you? How did you feel about editing your masterpiece?

Ellen Feld: Yuck, I hate that part! Editing can be painful. It can be hard to have somebody else make changes to your beloved story. It also seems like such a slow process. I just want to write!

Anything else you want your readers to know?

I guess the simplest answer is that I’m a horse person who loves to write.

Because I write for the pre-teen/teen reader, it’s important to me to write realistic horse stories so kids know what life with a horse is really like. Too many horse books on the market today are written by people who have little or no hands-on horse experience and it shows in their stories. Kids then get an unrealistic view of what horses are and the responsibilities of horse ownership. That’s not to say that the stories can’t be fun – they absolutely have to be fun and interesting or teens won’t read them.

For more information on my books, you can visit the publisher’s website at: www.willowbendpublishing.com. Signed books can be purchased from that site. All books are also available on Amazon.com.

Thanks so much for inviting me to participate on your book blog tour. It’s been lots of fun! Ellen

~~~~~~~

Note from Michy: Stayed tuned later this week, when I review one of Ellen Feld's books, and give more information about her writing.

Sharing for Sharon!

Here's the deal: Sharon is a great person, but I really don't know her. She's an 'online friend'. Chances are, you might not know her. Maybe you know of her, maybe you don't. That really doesn't matter. I want you to click here and vote! But read on before you do!

The thing is, in this life, we have the chance to make choices that affect other people's lives in so many ways--both positive and negative, kind and hurtful--and perhaps the most horrible way possible, the apathetic. When we stop caring, we lose what makes us human.

So I am not going to tell you Sharon's sob story, because, as I'm sure you know, we all have one in us. But here's the thing: here's a woman whose not coming with her hat in her hand. She's not asking for money. She's not asking for effort even. All she's asking is for you to take a couple of minutes out of your busy day to check out her picture, and if you like it, give her a vote, share the link and leave her a comment. It's not a lot to ask in the scheme of things, and how it will positively impact her life is immeasurable. Consider it your good deed of the day.

But she even rewards you for it by writing for you a fairy tale to really bring her photo to life, and you can, if you want, read it for free. It's darling cute, and it's your free gift for giving so freely of a few minutes of your time.

What I love about Sharon is how she's being proactive to make her life better, and because she hopes to move to be closer to her grandkids, it will make their lives better and enrich them all in so many positive ways. Help make that happen!

Vote! Then after you vote, click to share it at least at one place (more if you want to do extra good deeds!) and then leave her a thoughtful comment and word of encouragement. You can do all these things or just one or two, but do at least one of them, please? Anyone who does and then comments here with an email address, I'll give them $2 off their next book purchase at the TTM bookstore! If you share the link more than one place and comment on this blog that you shared it, I'll give you a discount code for $4 off a book purchase from TTM! Plus, every book sold, no matter the price, sends $1 to Rissa Watkins to help with her fight against leukemia! You will help Rissa, Jennifer, TTM AND Sharon, plus me by commenting here, and if you buy any anthology book on the site, you help the authors with royalties too--all for just a few minutes of time. How's that for good deeds?

And Jennifer Walker's book, Bubba to the Rescue, is on sale right now for cheap! You'd get the book at more than half price that way!

Okay - NOW click on the image below or the link at the beginning and vote, share, comment! Then go back tomorrow and do it again!

My Favorite Photo (I've Ever Taken) 3 Brickfish

Fact & Fiction » Blog Archive » Yahoo! Acquires Associated Content

It was announced yesterday that Yahoo! had purchased Associated Content, an online writing freelancing content site often referred to as a 'content mill'.

The question this morning is what this merger or takeover or purchase or acquisition will mean to the writers who contribute to Associated Content.

You can read more about this here:


Fact & Fiction: Yahoo! Acquires Associated Content

Love and stuff,
Michy

Author Interview with Gerald Costlow

My name is Gerald Costlow, and I am a writer of fantasy and science fiction. Over the past five years or so, I have had short stories published in magazines such as Shimmer and Flytrap, various webzines and anthologies still available at Amazon.com, and this year Pill Hill Press published my first novel, The Weaving

Author Interview with Gerald Costlow

It's rare to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a 'real' job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you've had in your life?

Gerald Costlow: Nothing particularly notable. I am a field engineer for a cable company. I did join the Air Force right out of High School and spent a good part of my early life kicking around the world, so I got to experience other cultures and left a lot of friends behind. That might come through in my writing.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Gerald Costlow: As a lifelong reader and lover of science fiction and fantasy, I’d set one of my goals in life to writing my own stories and being published. I took some creative writing courses, joined some online critique groups, started with short stories, kept trying to improve my writing and eventually began to see a few short stories published. Once I thought I’d learned the craft well enough, I began tackling the novel format. My writing career is still a work in progress, of course.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Gerald Costlow: I’ve always wanted to entertain people. I was in the acting clubs in school and in the choir and loved being on stage. However, since as a young man I was never encouraged to make either acting or singing a career, it never occurred to me to even try. I found my mundane life got in the way of being on stage. I eventually focused on writing as an outlet for my urge to entertain.

What compels you to write or to be a writer?

Gerald Costlow: I never grew out of playing ‘make believe.’ I love making up stories, and I love telling them. Writing is just one form of this. All children seem to have a natural desire to play ‘make believe’ and that’s all a writer does when we create a story, invite the reader to play this game with us and perhaps enjoy a brief escape from your mundane life.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s. What are their titles; which is your favorite if you have more than one, and briefly let us know what they are about.

Gerald Costlow: Pill Hill Press has just published my first novel, titled The Weaving. The Weaving is a love story, a quest, and a battle between good and evil, set in a land of witches and wizards, gods and demons, shapeshifters and immortals. Yet, it is a tale about all too human characters caught up in extraordinary events. I tried to create a world that, for all the magic and wonder going on, the reader would find as familiar as their own.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Gerald Costlow: I have been experimenting with flash fiction lately (writing a story in a tight 1000 words or less), while thinking about the direction I want my next novel to take and polishing the final drafts of a couple of novellas. I have one flash fiction piece being published in “Thieves and Scoundrels” anthology by Absolute Xpress, due out end of March, and another accepted by Wicked East Press, titled “Cup of Joe” and release date yet to be announced. There are other projects out there in various stages of publication.

Do you belong to any writing forums or organizations that have helped spur your career as a writer? If so, tell us about them and how they've helped you.

Gerald Costlow: I’ve been a member of several online writer’s critique groups, such as Critters and Holly Lisle writer’s forums. Critiquing other people’s efforts and reading comments about your own is the best way to learn the craft, if you approach it in the right way. Also, there are some wonderful websites out there with some good advice for beginning writers. If you understand that a great story and a well written story are not the same thing, then you’ll approach writing as a craft and not take the critiques on a personal level.

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Gerald Costlow: Fortunately only my wife had to watch my happy dance. People all need their dreams, but turning a dream into a goal doesn’t guarantee you’ll achieve it, in spite of what motivational speakers try to sell you. Sure, it takes hard work, but you also have to be in the right place at the right time. On the other hand, you lose the dream only if you give up. Until then, it’s just a goal you haven’t met yet.

The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Gerald Costlow: I can imagine being any of them, because if I couldn’t, then they wouldn’t come to life in my stories. Even the villains in my stories have motivations I can understand, even if I don’t agree with their actions. Without that ability to embrace all of your characters equally, the villains are cardboard stock characters and the heroes are too perfect.

Many authors have said that naming their characters is a difficult process, almost like choosing a name for their own child. How did you select the names of some of your lead characters in your book/s?

Gerald Costlow: I am absolutely terrible at picking names for my characters. I end up going through lists of baby names on the internet. One author clued me in on the fact that the reader doesn’t really care what the character is named. Just make sure the character’s names are sufficiently different from each other to avoid confusion and let it go.

Have you ever had a character take over a story and move it in a different direction than you had originally intended? How did you handle it?

Gerald Costlow: I call it good writing and go with it. Define a world, create the characters, give them a problem, and turn them loose. If the character begins arguing with you, then you’ve done your job. It’s amazing how inventive they can be in solving their problems, if you let them.

Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?

Gerald Costlow: If there is any lesson in my stories, it’s that actions have consequences, and miracles can happen when intelligent people work together.

It's said that the editing process of publishing a novel with a publisher is can be grueling and often more difficult than actually writing the story. Do you think this is true for you? How did you feel about editing your masterpiece?

Gerald Costlow: It’s all in how you approach it and probably depends on the editor. Certainly, there are times when a writer faced with a page of deletions and comments thinks, “If my writing is so flawed, why did they accept it in the first place?” But, I actually enjoyed the editing stage with Jessy Marie Roberts of Pill Hill. I believe a good editor is necessary to tighten up the writing and point out where the sentences are a bit unclear or wordy. Jessy took my manuscript one chapter at a time, and helped me turn a great story into a well written novel.

Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?

Gerald Costlow: My goal never went beyond seeing the book published, and suddenly I find a whole world of marketing awaits. That can be disconcerting to a writer used to banging away at the keyboard alone, and I really love the writing part. It’s been a learning experience. For instance, I never considered needing to have an author’s website, imagine that!

Anything you want your readers to know?

The best way to check out my book and other published writing is to go to the Pill Hill Press website. Not only will you find links to my blogs and author’s websites, but the publisher has made available the entire first chapter of their novels online, so you can check out the writing and perhaps be motivated to click on the link to buy the book so you can read the rest of the story. In the end, I simply wish the reader to have as much fun reading my book as I had writing it.




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