About the Book
Book: Preach It, Grace A Girl’s Testimony of Faith (Dream Pony Book 5)
Author: Susan Count
Genre: Middle-Grade
Release date: February, 2024
Sharing a pony worked perfectly, until it didn’t.
The pony share Grace worked out with her elderly neighbor was ideal—she thought. Mr. Harvey bought the buckskin gelding’s food and Grace fed him. The pony was important to both of them so it made no sense when the elderly man sent him away. And why won’t he tell her where?
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About the Author
Susan Count is a Kingdom Scribe who has published nine books in two equestrian series. As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Texas Association of Authors, she takes studying the craft of writing seriously. Revision is her super-power.
Susan is a life-long equestrian and owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse that is kind hearted enough to take her on long, forested trail rides. She says the only thing more fun than riding might be writing horse adventure stories and she invites you to saddle up and ride along.
Read an Excerpt
Saturday started early for Grace’s family. Serve Out Saturday was the church’s biggest outreach event all year, and everyone who could turned out to help. Grace manned the church’s front-door sign-in desk. After everyone got their work assignments, she ran with her clipboard for the van headed to the retirement home. When they arrived, many residents were already gathered.
She lined up with six other girls, and they sang the gospel songs the residents requested. She searched their faces until she found Mr. Harvey in the last row. Giving him a quick wave, she sang directly to him.
He didn’t sing along like many of the residents, but he stayed for the program. That counted as a victory. Did he recognize her? She couldn’t tell.
She stepped to the microphone. “Hello. I’m Grace. That means blessings from God.”
She grinned at the residents, and they smiled back at her. “Horses are my favorite thing, and they’re also blessings from God. If you’ve ever seen a horse, then you know they are magnificent, mighty creatures.”
Grace held a booklet high, then pointed with it to the residents. “This explains how we can know the God that blesses us. And how we can go to heaven to be with him someday. It says he sent his Son, Jesus, to teach us about eternal life.”
She placed her hands over the open Bible on the podium. “No matter how hard we try, we can’t be perfect, but because of Jesus, we are forgiven for all the things we do wrong. He suffered and died on the cross, was buried, then raised to life on the third day.” She looked into Mr. Harvey’s eyes. “He loves us that much.”
As she closed the Bible, she softened her voice. “Pray to your heavenly Father—ask him to help you believe in Jesus.”
Interview with the Author
- What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Waco, Texas, can boost of a beautiful library dedicated to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, housing the largest collection of her work. She was English and born into a wealthy family in 1806. She started writing poetry at the age of four, with her first being in protest of child labor. Browning suffered a debilitating spinal injury while saddling a pony at age fifteen. She learned Hebrew in order to better read the Old Testament. Most well known for her romantic poetry, she composed over one hundred love poems. Inspired by her relationship with another poet, Robert Browning.
I’ve also visited the home of Laura Ingles Wilder in Kansas and Ernest Hemmingway in Florida.
- What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
I so seldom read an adult novel, I couldn’t say. I read a lot of non-fiction on the craft of writing. I feel like I still have so much to learn from the greats. Books like On Writing, Writing the Breakout Novel, Save the Cat!, and Story Genius are just a few on my shelf.
I just finished How To Know A Person by David Brooks. Since each book character constructs their own perception of reality, this non-fiction study helps authors learn to actively listen to their characters to develop a compassionate understanding of their deepest desires, hopes, and dreams.
- How do you select the names of your characters?
My granddaughter is Selah and is the main character in Dream Horse Adventures in named for her. It is found in Psalms and refers to a musical rest.
In Dream Pony Riders; Abby, Lily, Brooke, Wendy, Grace, and Hannah were selected because, as well as being beautiful, they are names middle-grade girls can relate to.
- What was your hardest scene to write?
I will write and rewrite the first chapter so many times I know it by heart. And still, sometimes, it will turn out not to be the actually first chapter. My goal is to introduce the character so that the reader relates to her immediately. It’s important to me that when the incident happens that sets her whole world upside down, the reader already cares about the character and what terrible thing just happened to her.
- What is your favorite childhood book?
My grandmother Count was a librarian in Falls Village, Conn. A massive wooden door allowed entry into a magical place. The wooden floors squeaked and even tip toeing would not keep them quiet. She directed me to the dark stained, wooden shelves stocked with all the classic horse books. I inhaled The Black Stallion series and tenderly absorbed Black Beauty.
- If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
While I loved diagramming and studying sentence structure, I struggle to this day to master the proper placement of the lowly but critically important comma. Mastering punctuation skills as a young person would have been of great benefit.
I believe stories are born when a child has sufficient time in their own imaginations. Nurturing creativity is more difficult in our fast-paced, device driven world but worthwhile.
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
For me, the character comes first. It’s her story, so the plot unfolds, revealing her deepest desires and how she will overcome everything that stands in her way.
- Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
Ellen Feld. She writes with authenticity as she is a lifelong horsewoman. In order to portray horses properly, you have to know them intimately and Ellen does. I also admire her because she is knowledgeable about the publishing industry. If you have a question about how to publish or market a book, Ellen is a terrific resource. I met her at Breyerfest in the Kentucky Horse Park 2017. Breyer featured her book Blackjack with a model of the horse.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing?
These days, I spend a lot more time exercising, so I can stay in shape to ride my horse. Oh! What do I like? The most enjoyable thing for me is spending time with my grandchildren, who range in age from one month to seventeen years old. My great joy in life is riding on the forest trails.
- If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
Princess Anne. I’ve long admired her horsemanship talents and her sacrificial service to her country. For royalty, I’d have to find a caterer and probably an English butler or two.
Blog Stops
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 12
Simple Harvest Reads, October 13 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, October 14 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 14
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 15
Lots of Helpers, October 16
Vicky Sluiter, October 17 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, October 18
Guild Master, October 19 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, October 20
A Reader’s Brain, October 21 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, October 21
Blossoms and Blessings, October 22 (Author Interview)
Life on Chickadee Lane, October 23
Cover Lover Book Review, October 24
Book Zone Reviews, October 25
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon card and a paperback copy of all five books in the series!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.