May 10, 2024, is Buy a Horse Book Day (yes, that's a thing). When I think of horse books, I think of Marguerite Henry my muse. The stories she wrote captivated me when I was a horseless girl in pigtails, and her work STILL captivates me. So much so I wrote Marguerite, Misty and Me, the biography of Marguerite Henry. I do hope you'll read it (and buy it on Buy a Horse Book Day, but more on that in a sec).
Part fangirl memoir, part historical deep dive (why yes I nerded out in multiple archives and historical societies for over two years--lol), Marguerite, Misty and Me is my way of paying tribute to the Queen of Horse Books, the one who granted me entry into the world of equus when I had no other way to get there save through the pages of her stories.
As I told a new reader last weekend at the Defender Kentucky Three Day, where I signed copies of Marguerite, Misty and Me, "I wrote this book to learn her techniques so I can be a better writer, and to honor her legacy."
Snag your discounted, author-signed copy of Marguerite, Misty and Me here.
Marguerite, Misty and Me and So Many New Friends
One of the highlights of having lived and breathed all things Misty of Chincoteague and Marguerite Henry for the past few years has been all the amazing people I've met who had a connection to her or the Chincoteague Ponies. When you read Marguerite, Misty and Me you'll meet a man who rode Misty on trail with Marguerite. He hosted me for dinner twice and reminisced about his boyhood and how Misty would get cranky with him when he tried to tighten the girth. You'll also meet a retired librarian who has devoted decades of her life bringing children and Chincoteague Ponies together through the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team. And one of the most fun people you'll meet is a new friend I met while on a boat watching the Chincoteague Pony swim back in 2022. She is an adventurer who once crashed Secretariat's owner's birthday party. She also bought a filly at the foal auction in 2022 (that's how we became friends--it started with sitting next to her on the boat and she pulled out her phone to show me the foal--we connected right away).
When I sign Marguerite, Misty and Me, sometimes I write, "I hope you have a blast on adventure with. . ." and the dots lead to the title "Marguerite, Misty and Me." I write an exclamation point after the word "me" (because my editor who made me remove more than I can count from the manuscript can't touch my handwritten notes to my readers). So much of my research journey was worthy of an exclamation point. For example, how would you feel if you held Marguerite Henry's Newbery Medal for King of the Wind in your hands? What thrill would you possess reading correspondence between Marguerite and Wild Horse Annie or Bob Lougheed? What emotions would overtake you when you discovered and read unpublished manuscripts and story ideas? Can you see why I used so many exclamation points in my first draft?!?!?!?!
If you prefer ebooks, CLICK HERE; it's only $7.99.
Spoiler Alert: I have a whole chapter in the book where I'm sitting in a library going through one of the Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature's Bankers Boxes containing Marguerite Henry papers. As I wrote that chapter I was wondering, "Is this the world's most boring chapter of a book? Who writes a chapter where the 'action' takes place in a researcher's head as they are sitting in silence in a library?" Two editors (developmental and line) did not make me take it out. And here's the crazy part! I've actually had a few readers comment on how much they enjoyed the chapter where I was sitting in the library. lol! There's a chapter where I am foxhunting on the same cattle ranch where they filmed Bonanza (see "Love in a Pine Forest"). There's another chapter where I am witnessing the wild Chincoteague Pony swim for the first time. Yet, the library chapter just does it for some people.
Whether you're a fan of action and adventure and outdoor fun with horses or you prefer hanging out in libraries with your nose in a book, I hope you will celebrate Buy a Horse Book Day by adding my heart book (just like I have a heart horse, this is my heart book) to your personal collection. Thanks for reading and tally ho!
Buy Marguerite, Misty and Me now by clicking this link.
Future Author Talks and Book Signings in 2024
Hope to see you this spring or summer! If you want me to come to your event in person or via Zoom, please reach out to susan at saddleseekshorse dot com.
June 21 IDCTA Summer Kickoff show, Silverwood Farm, Camp Lake, WI
June 22 Huntley Public Library, Huntley, IL
July 20 Middleburg Library, Middleburg, VA
July 24 Museum of Chincoteague, Chincoteague Island, VA
One last thing, if you'd like to get a free sampler of excerpts of all four of my horse books (the ones you see in the above picture) click here and join my VIP list.
