#horselit

[kitauthor]

Is There A Difference When Writing Horses In YA?

My young adult book, Gaits of Magic, released this week and it's the first book in the Divine Rein Academy series, which is a YA fantasy equestrian academy series. On one hand writing YA is different. The protagonists are in high school (I tend to write starting freshman year, which is on the younger side for YA) so the issues are different. There's a lot more homework and a lot more interpersonal drama. But I got to thinking, is the horse part of writing YA different from writing adult?

Well, probably the first thing that comes to mind is that they ride a lot more in the YA books. These books are set at an equestrian academy, which means a lot of saddle time. But also, life just doesn't get in the way as much when the main character is a teenager. *smiles* Of course, in my Heart Compass Stable series I deliberately made the main character a non-rider at the moment because of her horse's needs. I wanted to showcase an equestrian who doesn't ride or drive just to show that we exist, but also I feel like we're left out of a lot of equestrian fiction because everyone wants to read about riding and jumping and showing.

The horses themselves, I don't think are a lot different. They're loved, beloved companions, and cared for well. Sure some may live outdoors in a pasture 24/7 having access to shelter in inclimate weather, while others live in a stall with adequate turn out, but as a general rule the horses are loved, cared for well, and live a pretty good horse-y life.

The horse's ability, breed, and equestrian discipline all vary depending on the story.

So I guess the short answer is, the younger you are, you have more time to ride and spend with your horses, but then again, those of us who are young at heart already knew that. *smiles*

[kitauthor]

Struggling To Write YA

A lot of equestrian literature is young adult or even middle grade, though there's a growing market for adult equestrian literature. I've enjoyed writing adult equestrian literature, both as women's equestrian lit under the pen name "Mary Kit Caelsto" and also the queer equestrian lit I write now as Kit Muse. However, I've always wanted to write young adult works, and in fact, have finished a couple of novellas that take place in the Pegasus Academy. (You can pick up the free story Winter Unicorn on my website.) Although I grew up reading the Saddle Club and Thoroughbred series, along with other horse books, I admit to feeling a bit out of my element when writing young adult equestrian fiction. To be very honest and vulnerable I think a lot of that has to do with my childhood, never feeling like I fit in, and not really understanding why I was being bullied. There's a lot of stuff wrapped up in my childhood and school, and frankly, a lot of it I don't want to translate to the page. However, a couple of years ago I was diagnosed as neurodivergent (multiply), and growing up unsupported, undiagnosed is a large part of why I feel the way I do about my childhood. Several people have told me to write the horse books that I loved to read, and to some extent I believe I'm doing that. I have a story in mind, one that actually was prompted by a short story I wrote for my Muse Happens group, and it will be set at an academy for all sorts of magical and paranormal creatures, as well as humans who can use magic and maybe even a few who can't. Right now I'm torn between writing about the adults involved in the academy or sticking with one cohort of characters through their entire tenure, then starting a new series with the next set when they graduate. I also have books written set at the Pegasus Academy that are YA, but haven't released yet, partially because of this concern about writing YA. I'd love to hear from readers. Do you read YA equestrian stories or would you prefer I focus on the faculty and support staff and leave the students as secondary characters? Read the full article

[jessicaburkhart]

Local little free libraries, I’m coming for you tomorrow! ✨📚 . . . #books #middlegradebooks #horselit #horsebooks #kidequestrian #rideIEA #ponyclubcamp #equestrianlife #diversebooks #horsegirlbehavior #horsegirls https://www.instagram.com/p/CqROaUiMmGO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=