AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Baby Deanie

Tell me about your love of horses. When did it begin for you?

My parents owned a riding school called

Sweetbrier.  They moved there when I was a 

baby so as long as I can remember, I wanted to ride well and compete in horse shows. I started riding at about four years old before I could walk very well.

I was born prematurely. At first, doctors said I would be slow at meeting certain milestones. I talked in complete sentences at one-year-old, but when I wasn’t walking at nearly four, my dad took me to a specialist. The doctor said I’d never walk. As you can imagine, my dad was not pleased. He was a determined person who never accepted something he thought he could change. 

Therefore, my dad picked me up and stormed out of the office. My dad told me not to worry about what the doctor said because it was wrong.  Daddy said he’d teach me to ride and I’d be fine. It was the decision that changed my life because I learned to walk and began working toward my dream of becoming an equestrian champion. Incidentally, I always referred to my dad, as “Daddy” because nothing else fit. We had a special bond.

What is your handicap? What specific struggles did you have early on that made it difficult to fulfill your dream?

I was born with cerebral palsy. It means part of my brain was damaged when I was born. In my case, it only affects my legs, not my arms or speech. At first, it was a struggle to take one step without falling. I don’t believe most parents would have considered riding horses when walking was a considerable challenge in the beginning. When I started learning to walk, I could only walk a step without falling, but gradually, my balance improved.

I loved being with the horses so I used to navigate the stairs by sitting down. Then I crawled to the barn, which was probably 500 feet away. 

Sweetbrier House

When I started to ride, I fell off many times because the muscles in my legs got tired and I’d slide off. But over time, things improved.

How did others support you (or not) in your dream? Besides your family, did you have friends who encouraged you to continue?

I was bullied at school often. Only one girl in my class even spoke to me. She is the little girl Mary, I mention early in the book, My Life at Sweetbrier. When I was a teenager, I taught horseback riding at Sweetbrier. Many of our students encouraged me and cheered for me whenever I competed in shows.

Peach and Deanie at Mrs. Foster's farm
Photo by Bob Moseder

Was there ever a moment when you thought, "I just can't do it anymore"? And if so, what or who encouraged you to continue?

There were times when I felt discouraged and frustrated. But the family motto was “The Humphrys don’t give up” so surrendering my dream was never an option. My parents always said certain things would take longer, but I could do anything if I persevered. I had faith that someday I’d reach my goal if I kept working on it.

My Life at Sweetbrier is written in a conversational style so although it’s my story, the objective is to show other children may also beat the odds through perseverance.

Thank you so much for interviewing me today, Kathryn.

You're welcome. Where can readers find your book?

Website

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes and Noble

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Michele Cook

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I have dabbled with writing for most of my life, but have only recently started taking it on as a serious endeavor.  I love putting my thoughts on paper; they are much easier to sort out that way.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

In my day job, I work on a traveling railroad construction gang and am away from home for 8 days, and then home for 6.  I try to schedule at least a few hours of writing in the morning on those 6 days off.  I love the quiet of the morning and the words seem to flow better for me. 

Planning and ideas seem to come better in the evenings and I have been known grab a scrap of paper to jot an idea or random line down.  Thanks to technology I have started keeping all these little scraps in my phone rather than floating around the house somewhere. 

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I use my laptop.  It travels with me and is easy to take into my “outside office”.  I love to be outside and I write in a lounge chair in the back yard all summer long.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favorite part about writing is plotting out a book.  I love letting my thoughts wander and figuring out how I want it all to come together.  Once I have my outline down, I get a big adrenaline rush.

My least favorite part about writing has got to be the marketing.  This kept me from putting anything on the market for a long time, and it is the part I struggle with the most.  I would love to be your stereotypical recluse writer.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Get the Book at Amazon

I have been involved with horses since I was a little girl, eventually even training horses and riders in the hunter/jumper industry for about 15 years.  To watch a well matched horse and rider is like watching a fabulous dance routine – it can be a breathtaking experience even for the non-equestrian. 

When the opposite happens, you will still watch, but only because you are waiting for the train to wreck.  I have seen so many people get hurt or scared because they were poorly matched with their first horse or had gotten taken advantage of by an unscrupulous seller.  I wanted to offer clear, actionable advice to anyone looking for their first horse so they could turn out like the former rather than the latter.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

So far, most of my promotion has been on social media.  I am meeting with the marketing teacher at our local technical high school to get a little more help in that area.  I also plan on taking my book to the street and visiting book stores, tack shops and horse shows to get the word out there a little bit more.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I am currently working on a riding lesson journal to help riders keep track of their progress.  With any luck it will be out by May and I can take that to the streets with this book.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

My big back burner project is a dark and twisted mystery novel about a young lady who runs into a lot of trouble on a solo hike in the mountains of West Virginia.  A high class serial killer, a backwoods Pastor who twists the Bible to suit his needs and a tour of the Alleghany trail have me very excited to get this one down on paper. 

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Write as much and as often as you can and start showing your work to a few select people.  Ask for honest critiques and then try not to get your back up too much when they say something you don’t like. 

***

Learn moe about Michele and her book here:  

www.michelemcook.com

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Charlie from Charlie the Horse

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

Hello, Kathryn. I’m so excited to be in the spotlight with you today. My name is Charlie the Horse. I live at Sweetbrier Racing Stable in Kentucky.  I came here for training when I was about one and a half years old. There are many famous racehorses in my family.  My Mom and Dad were both pretty well-known. Their names are Star Quality and Charles the Great. I probably look a bit more like my Dad because we each have a crooked white blaze on our face and four beautiful white stockings. I’m tall—about 16.2 hands. If you’re not sure how tall that is, it would be 66 inches at my withers. That’s the highest part of my back.

I’d like to win the Southern  Derby. That’s a big dream of mine. That’s my goal for now. I told a story about my life so far. My friend, Deanie, helped me write it. I hope children like my story. They’ll learn about my training and my thoughts about it.

Get the Book at Amazon

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love relaxing in the fields and nibbling on the grass there. Sometimes my friends, Buddy and Glory, play games in the fields. We like to have pretend races. Oh, and I like to eat. When you’re a growing racehorse like me, you work up a big appetite.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

Hay and oats are yummy. Oats would probably be my favorite, especially if there are carrots on top.

What is your favorite color and why?

Oh, that’s a hard question. I think it would be red because if I win the Southern Derby, they’ll put red roses on in front of the saddle.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

Hmm, at first I had trouble concentrating on my work. I’m fond of eating flowers that grow along the racetrack when I’m working. I get into trouble for that. I have to remind myself to concentrate.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book where this irk is manifested.

When I’m racing, I want to win, but so does every  other horse. Sometimes the others try to keep me from winning. Here’s something that happened in my first big race:

''Suddenly Buddy bolted to the side; bumping Charlie and making him lose his balance for a second.''

I can’t tell you what happened after that because it would spoil the surprise.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

My trainer, Misty, is important because she makes lots of decisions. She decides what to teach me and which races I might enter. Then she talks to my owner, Mr. Morton, to make sure he agrees with her plan. My exercise girl, Kerry, is very special as well. She gives me workouts when I’m not racing. I can’t leave out my jockey, Joe, because he rides me in races. One important horse in my life is General Quick. He gave me a lot of good advice.  I use my best behavior so none of these people send me to a new stable.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I want readers to know it’s okay to have big dreams. It’s important to work hard if you want them to come true.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

In the beginning, I didn’t know how important it was to work hard and set goals. If I didn’t learn that, I’m not sure what I would have done with my life. I might still be practicing eating the flowers.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Do you think writers should always have a message to their stories? I’d love to know that.

Thank you very much for talking to me today, Kathryn. It was great fun. I hope I can come back again sometime. Or you might talk to other people in my family sometime.

Thank you, I may just want to do that. 

As for your question, I do believe in leaving a message, even if the message is subtle. When a reader finishes a book, they need to be glad they've spent the time reading it. Of course, a book can be fun, but there has to be a take away value - whether that's, be nice to horses, be nice to your owner, or never buck a jockey off. 

***

Thank you, Charlie!

Learn more about Charlie and his creator:

Website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com

Author page on Amazon

email: deanie@dhdunne.tk

Create Space

Amazon

FRIDAY FLICKS: Tails of Sweetbrier by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Today I have two Flicks to show you from the same author:

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

ENJOY!!

Get the eBook at Amazon

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Love horses?

 

Then you'll want to read on.

 



Peach & Deanie

 

Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

 

I had been looking for an office job, without success. One morning, I had a strong intuition to write my autobiography, with the goal of inspiring children. I wrote my first book, Tails of Sweetbrier because I wanted to show children that anything is possible if you persevere. Tails of Sweetbrier is now on Kindle in it’s second edition.

 

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?

I have a desktop, and I prefer using it, rather than free hand. I find that with so many revisions, it works out well. Usually, I write something, but the next morning, I think improvements are in order!

 What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Editing is fun, because then many of the basic ideas are on paper. It’s always a challenge to decide the best course of action to take so that the characters are entertaining, but believable. I think the most difficult part of writing is coming up with original ideas for children’s stories. It’s important to me that all the stories contain important life lessons for children.

How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

Since I grew up with horses, I like to write about them. Once I determine the message, or messages I want to convey, I can plan the best way to make the story fun and educational for children. For example, in Charlene the Star, Charlene is a beautiful red horse, who comes from a family of famous racehorses. But Charlene goes to great lengths to show her trainers racing is just not her forte. She has tantrums on the racetrack.  She yawns while she’s racing. The story is told from Charlene’s point of view so readers learn about her amusing thoughts and actions. Readers will learn that it’s okay if you have different God-given gifts than your friends. In the sequel, Charlene the Star and Hattie’s Heroes, Charlene and her friends show the value of friendship and team-work when they start their own business to coach other horses.

 

 

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I have a blog called “Thoughts and Ideas of Deanie Humphrys-Dunne.” I offer writing hints, interesting facts about horses, and news about my books. I use twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. My books are also promoted by Geri Ahearn.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I spend as much time as I can writing, whether it involves working on my blog or  a new story. I write at various times during the day, depending on what other things are happening on a particular day. In my view, writing is like anything else; the more effort you put into it, the more proficient you become.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

My sister, Holly Humphrys-Bajaj, creates amazing illustrations for all of our books. We are working on illustrations for a new book called Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog. Holly has also created all of the book covers for our books.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I’ve just begun a story about a little sports car named Margaret. In reality, my husband’s MG sports car is named Margaret. In the story, Margaret is very shy. She has various mechanical issues that need to be solved. I’m planning some exciting adventures for her.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I can certainly relate to those feelings! When I was writing my first book, Tails of Sweetbrier, I was petrified that it wouldn’t be accepted. But then I remembered advice that my dad always gave. He said to consider the worst that could happen and then plan your actions. With that in mind, I decided that if the story wasn’t accepted, the world would likely still be turning on it’s axis. I would only need to do some improvements and start again. I would tell any prospective author that you never know what you can do unless you try. You’ll probably astonish yourself with what you can accomplish. You should follow your passions, and listen to your intuitions. If your dream is to become an author, then pursue it! I would say you should also surround yourself with people who support your goals. 

Thank you Deanie!

 

In addition to the books mentioned above, Deanie has also published:

Charlie the Horse, is a fictional story, told from Charlie's point of view. He dreams of becoming a famous racehorse like his dad, Charles the Great. But he has trouble concentrating on his work. He wonders if he has the talent to succeed. He's also Charlene's big brother so he plays a role in Charlene the Star.

 

Get in touch with Deanie!

 

 

My blog: www.dhdunne.blogspot.com

My Facebook page: Children’s Author, Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Childrens-author-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne/574820065875628

Pinterest: Deanie H. Dunne

Twitter: @ Hollyssis