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Stepping away from my usual posting, I want to share an idea I’ve been toying with—a children’s picture book. Thus, the following story was created. Now, I’m looking for an illustrator, although I have tried my hand with Procreate Art Studio for the first time to see what I could create with what little artistic talent I possess. I still need to add the dog. So, let me know what you think. Do you happen to have any suggestions for illustrations? What breed of dog? Dachshund, Corgi, or?  Leopold Leopold was a brown dog—a small brown dog with a long…

This week, after a request from a follower, I decided to share my process when I'm asked to critique a chapter or scene from a manuscript. First, while I tend to be blunt rather than diplomatic, I will only critique those I've worked with for over a decade. My first read-through is to examine the plot, character development, and style. The idea is to help identify what's working and what doesn't. While I also look for opportunities to improve sentence structure and rewrite for clarity, it's essential to include what you like, not just to find fault. So, let's see…

Why is the opening line of a book so important? As a voracious reader, one of the best things with the advent of the internet was the explosion of reading material. And to say the variety of genres is endless would be an underestimation. If you put your faith in the order books are listed on Amazon and other sites, you will miss some great works by independent authors and small presses. So, I love to search for lightly reviewed works in the genre I’m currently reading. How can one possibly get through all the works that catch your attention?…

What a fantastic response to my last post about the outstanding Quarter Horse gelding, Head Pin, and his trainer, Ron Hawkins. I want to thank everyone for their continued interest and the numerous requests for more information on Ron Hawkins himself; I found a comprehensive obituary in the Burns Times-Herald. https://www.btimesherald.com/2017/07/19/ronald-william-hawkins-1937-2017/ Even after decades of friendship, I learned things about Ron that I hadn't known. But then, Ron wasn’t one to toot his own horn. While I knew he had attended Cal Poly and graduated with a degree in Animal Husbandry, I didn’t know he competed on the college rodeo…

October 4, 2024  Stories from the Backside While digging through stacks of old—very old—win pictures, a massive, nearly white Quarter Horse gelding kept popping up. Anybody who followed Northern California Quarter Horse racing in the mid-seventies would remember the hoofed freight train named Head Pin. Head Pin was instantly recognizable. Raw-boned and on the hammer-headed side, by industry standards, he wasn’t the most beautiful horse to step into a starting gate. But when that gate opened, and Head Pin boiled out of there, he was breathtaking in all his shimmering white glory. I have a stack of Head Pin win…

This is a winner circle picture from a long time ago. It was early in my training career in the year 1980. If you look closely at the winner circle picture, you’ll find that the only one smiling was Tom Chapman, who had ridden Classy Alta to an easy win. There’s a reason for the somber faces: Classy had just been claimed from us for $6,500. The man standing next to me is Newel Taylor, a good friend and the reason that we had claimed the filly. When we claimed her, she was as high-strung as they come. Very thin,…

With so many posts on Facebook lamenting the end of an era after the closing of Golden Gate Fields, I was feeling nostalgic. Next thing I know, I’m on the stepladder pulling a trunk full of old Win pictures from storage. You may ask, what do I call old? Would fifty years plus surprise you? There are pictures from all over the place. California, both North and South, the California Fairs, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and New York. From time to time, I’ll be sharing some of these here, especially the ones that bring back strong memories that include a…

Allow me to indulge in a bit of shameless self-promotion. With the overwhelming support I've received for my short stories, I'm excited to offer you a glimpse into the world of my latest novel, the intriguingly titled Labyrinth of Ruin. As the saying goes, 'Write what you know.' This advice resonated with me, and I decided to infuse my novel with the authenticity of my personal experiences. Having dedicated over two decades to the horseracing industry, starting from the humblest of beginnings and culminating in the prestigious Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown, I've genuinely earned my stripes. With that…

Thank you for reading part one of Tyler's Folly from the Stories from the Backside. Here's part two. Race day has arrived. What's in store for Emma? Tyler's Folly - Part Two All the paddock schooling Tyler had done with Folly seemed to have paid off. While the valet helped Emma saddle the colt for the Futurity, the ordinarily fractious horse stood quiet and alert. However, on the track next to the lead pony, Folly made up for his previous good behavior with an embarrassing display of bad manners. Worse, she could see Tyler’s Folly was already hot as the…

As promised, here's another story from the backside. Like Sam’s Stories, this entry was part of a book of short stories I published in 2014 titled For Want of a Horse. All the stories within the book were based either on personal experience or fictionalized versions of life events. The book is currently unavailable, but I’m considering reissuing it in ebook form. I’ll let you know. While Tyler’s Folly is fiction, my experience with horses with prominent personalities is reflected within the telling. And then there’s the folly of taking a loan against the equity in your house to buy…