C.S. Wilson's Blog, page 21
May 8, 2014
She's Home!
This is just a super fast update because I have to go back to work. I planned on taking the day off, but one of the other instructor's kid broke his arm and needed surgery last night, so I'm going to run in for just a couple of hours. Unfortunately, that means there's not much blogging time. I'll get to all the particulars later, but here are a few pictures I just had to share.
Look, our hair is the same color :)I'm sure there will be much much more in the coming days. Thank you to everyone who has been beside me throughout this adoption process. Now on to training.
Look, our hair is the same color :)I'm sure there will be much much more in the coming days. Thank you to everyone who has been beside me throughout this adoption process. Now on to training.
April 2, 2014
A New Chapter
I got a call from the BLM today - they approved my application to adopt a mustang! My parents each have mustangs; Ranger (my dad's horse) is a BLM mustang, while Jesse and Washoe (my mom's horses) are mustang crosses. I always said that my next horse would be a mustang and I'm one step closer.
As soon as the elation hit, fear was right on elation's heels. Oh my God, what am I going to do with a mustang? I'm pretty good at figuring out the logistics of how to get the horse, but what am I going to do with the horse? I'm trying not to freak out a bit, because I just got myself into a twenty-plus year relationship. You know, it's the same kind of fear when you find out you're pregnant: excited and terrified all at the same time.
It's very much like bringing a human into the world: I want a horse who is a good citizen, with good manners. A little bit adventurous, but well-behaved. Independent enough not to need me for every little thing and able to make good decisions. One I can take anywhere and not be embarrassed by their outbursts.
I know what I expect out of a horse, but what really scares the hell out of me (just like it did when I had my kids) is that it's up to me to instill those values in a horse. And just like when I had my kids, there's no one-size-fits-all manual to tell me how to do it. Sure, there are lots of experts out there and lots of resources, but so many to choose from!
I didn't know how to parent, either, and I managed to get through it with three distinctly different personalities. Any time I get too panicked about adopting a horse, would someone please remind me of that?
I hate self-promoting, but I will very shortly have another mouth to feed, so remember I wrote a book based on my experiences as a wrangler. You can pick up Tales from the Trail (the book) from Amazon for $1.99 (Kindle) or $6.29 (paperback). It's earned 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and not even all of my reviews are from family members!
Or, if you've read Tales from the Trail, but not my novel, Hunted Lyon, you can also pick that up from Amazon for reasonable prices. The Kindle version is $2.99, and the paperback is $9.61. Hunted Lyon is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars, and, like Tales, not all of the reviews are from family members. :)
As soon as the elation hit, fear was right on elation's heels. Oh my God, what am I going to do with a mustang? I'm pretty good at figuring out the logistics of how to get the horse, but what am I going to do with the horse? I'm trying not to freak out a bit, because I just got myself into a twenty-plus year relationship. You know, it's the same kind of fear when you find out you're pregnant: excited and terrified all at the same time.
It's very much like bringing a human into the world: I want a horse who is a good citizen, with good manners. A little bit adventurous, but well-behaved. Independent enough not to need me for every little thing and able to make good decisions. One I can take anywhere and not be embarrassed by their outbursts.
I know what I expect out of a horse, but what really scares the hell out of me (just like it did when I had my kids) is that it's up to me to instill those values in a horse. And just like when I had my kids, there's no one-size-fits-all manual to tell me how to do it. Sure, there are lots of experts out there and lots of resources, but so many to choose from!
I didn't know how to parent, either, and I managed to get through it with three distinctly different personalities. Any time I get too panicked about adopting a horse, would someone please remind me of that?
I hate self-promoting, but I will very shortly have another mouth to feed, so remember I wrote a book based on my experiences as a wrangler. You can pick up Tales from the Trail (the book) from Amazon for $1.99 (Kindle) or $6.29 (paperback). It's earned 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and not even all of my reviews are from family members!
Or, if you've read Tales from the Trail, but not my novel, Hunted Lyon, you can also pick that up from Amazon for reasonable prices. The Kindle version is $2.99, and the paperback is $9.61. Hunted Lyon is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars, and, like Tales, not all of the reviews are from family members. :)
January 31, 2014
My Q&A with Momma Fargo, Take II
Click on over to Momma Fargo's blog to see the finished Q&A. It's far more fun than the raw one I posted a couple of days ago.
http://mommafargo.blogspot.com/2014/0...
http://mommafargo.blogspot.com/2014/0...
January 26, 2014
My Q&A with Momma Fargo
A little Q&A about Hunted Lyon
1) Give us a little bio and why you started writing. Also give us a fun fact about you that most may not know.
I don't recall ever NOT writing. Even if I wasn't putting words to paper, I was composing stories in my head all the time. As for a fun fact - I don't know. I'm a pretty open book. Anyone who has read my blog(s) has a pretty good idea of "me". Let's see ... drumming fingers ... thinking hard ... when I started teaching, way back in '91, I was the youngest person in the classroom.
2) What inspired you to do Hunted Lyon?
True story - I wanted to write a good series about a female protection specialist, but as I started writing the first book in the series, I realized I needed to write out Stacy's backstory first and that's how HUNTED LYON came about. I wanted people to know where she came from.
3) Is your lead character a Mary Sue? If so, why?
I don't know WTF a Mary Sue is, so I have no idea. (From Momma: a Mary Sue is an idealized character representing the author.) She's a combination of all of the strong women I've been lucky enough to meet in my lifetime.
4) How did you develop your passion for firearms, firearm safety, self defense?
After I got divorced, I had a rebound relationship (doesn't everyone?) and that guy introduced me to shooting. I'd learned to shoot in junior high, during Outdoor Ed (remember when they taught classes like that?), and enjoyed it, but never really go into "the gun culture". Turns out rebound relationship turned into creepy, stalker relationship and in the end, I told him that if he didn't cease and desist, I would kill him with the gun he bought me. Haven't had any trouble since. For all I know, and hope, he's dead by now.
5) What is your proudest moment of becoming an author. What's next for you?
My proudest moment as an author?
Opening my shipment of books and actually holding one in my hands. It was surreal.
6) Do you hate your villians or do they entertain you?
Facelessbadguy was a ton of fun to write. I couldn't possibly hate him. In real-life, I'm such a goodie-two-shoes that it was fun to write about someone who isn't.
7) Tell us about your favorite character in Hunted Lyon. Why is it your favorite?
Stacy. I want to be her when I grow up. She's so calm in the face of adversity. She's not easily scared. Pissed maybe, but not scared. I think part of it is that she wants to do it on her own and not be dependent on anyone, though she does know when to ask for help.
8) Without giving away parts of your Hunted Lyon storyline, what inspires you to put shock and awe or an unsuspecting character or twist in this book series? What makes Hunted Lyon different from just any ol' mystery?
Well, I don't know that I'd call it a mystery. *We* know the bad guy is facelessbadguy and she's not trying to sleuth him out - she's trying to survive and keep her family safe. To be completely honest, several of the events of the book were a complete surprise to me.
9) What's next for Stacy?
She's busy keeping me awake at night and not shutting up about her next adventure. She'll move on with her career as a protection specialist, though her passion will always be helping women learn to take responsibility for their own safety.
1) Give us a little bio and why you started writing. Also give us a fun fact about you that most may not know.
I don't recall ever NOT writing. Even if I wasn't putting words to paper, I was composing stories in my head all the time. As for a fun fact - I don't know. I'm a pretty open book. Anyone who has read my blog(s) has a pretty good idea of "me". Let's see ... drumming fingers ... thinking hard ... when I started teaching, way back in '91, I was the youngest person in the classroom.
2) What inspired you to do Hunted Lyon?
True story - I wanted to write a good series about a female protection specialist, but as I started writing the first book in the series, I realized I needed to write out Stacy's backstory first and that's how HUNTED LYON came about. I wanted people to know where she came from.
3) Is your lead character a Mary Sue? If so, why?
I don't know WTF a Mary Sue is, so I have no idea. (From Momma: a Mary Sue is an idealized character representing the author.) She's a combination of all of the strong women I've been lucky enough to meet in my lifetime.
4) How did you develop your passion for firearms, firearm safety, self defense?
After I got divorced, I had a rebound relationship (doesn't everyone?) and that guy introduced me to shooting. I'd learned to shoot in junior high, during Outdoor Ed (remember when they taught classes like that?), and enjoyed it, but never really go into "the gun culture". Turns out rebound relationship turned into creepy, stalker relationship and in the end, I told him that if he didn't cease and desist, I would kill him with the gun he bought me. Haven't had any trouble since. For all I know, and hope, he's dead by now.
5) What is your proudest moment of becoming an author. What's next for you?
My proudest moment as an author?
Opening my shipment of books and actually holding one in my hands. It was surreal.
6) Do you hate your villians or do they entertain you?
Facelessbadguy was a ton of fun to write. I couldn't possibly hate him. In real-life, I'm such a goodie-two-shoes that it was fun to write about someone who isn't.
7) Tell us about your favorite character in Hunted Lyon. Why is it your favorite?
Stacy. I want to be her when I grow up. She's so calm in the face of adversity. She's not easily scared. Pissed maybe, but not scared. I think part of it is that she wants to do it on her own and not be dependent on anyone, though she does know when to ask for help.
8) Without giving away parts of your Hunted Lyon storyline, what inspires you to put shock and awe or an unsuspecting character or twist in this book series? What makes Hunted Lyon different from just any ol' mystery?
Well, I don't know that I'd call it a mystery. *We* know the bad guy is facelessbadguy and she's not trying to sleuth him out - she's trying to survive and keep her family safe. To be completely honest, several of the events of the book were a complete surprise to me.
9) What's next for Stacy?
She's busy keeping me awake at night and not shutting up about her next adventure. She'll move on with her career as a protection specialist, though her passion will always be helping women learn to take responsibility for their own safety.
January 19, 2014
Remember Raja?
Raja was a horse who ultimately wormed her way into my heart, as you know from the book (Tales from the Trail).
What I didn't put in her story was how she got her name. Raja was delivered one day at the beginning of the season after the other horses had arrived. That's not unusual. In fact, there's a fair amount of horse switching around that goes on between liveries during the season as needs are identified at each site. So, Raja was delivered a couple of days before I was scheduled to work and only had her brand number, not an assigned name.
I don't know who assigned her name when she arrived (they never 'fessed up once their mistake was pointed out), but whoever it was looked at this big drafty-type horse with a bad attitude and assumed she was a HE and named him (her) Roger.
There was a bit of confusion when I was told to pull the big gelding from the rail. Only, I didn't see any big gelding at the rail. I saw a big mare I wasn't familiar with, but no gelding, so I checked his/her/its brand number against the board and saw his/her/its name had been assigned as Roger.
With a laugh, I grabbed High Noon and pointed out the error. Oops. Poor Roger the mare. Lady was kind enough to come up with a solution to the name situation, hence Roger became Raja.
What I didn't put in her story was how she got her name. Raja was delivered one day at the beginning of the season after the other horses had arrived. That's not unusual. In fact, there's a fair amount of horse switching around that goes on between liveries during the season as needs are identified at each site. So, Raja was delivered a couple of days before I was scheduled to work and only had her brand number, not an assigned name.
I don't know who assigned her name when she arrived (they never 'fessed up once their mistake was pointed out), but whoever it was looked at this big drafty-type horse with a bad attitude and assumed she was a HE and named him (her) Roger.
There was a bit of confusion when I was told to pull the big gelding from the rail. Only, I didn't see any big gelding at the rail. I saw a big mare I wasn't familiar with, but no gelding, so I checked his/her/its brand number against the board and saw his/her/its name had been assigned as Roger.
With a laugh, I grabbed High Noon and pointed out the error. Oops. Poor Roger the mare. Lady was kind enough to come up with a solution to the name situation, hence Roger became Raja.
January 10, 2014
Behind the Scenes
Did you know that one of the riders I wrote about in "Diamonds" (Tales from the Trail) turned out to be Julie Goodnight's t.v. producer?
That trail ride changed my life.
Several months after that ride, I was at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo and heard a casting call for Julie's new t.v. show, Horse Master with Julie Goodnight. I applied and a few weeks later got the call from my former guest, Heidi, who remembered that I had been her guide. I didn't even own Estes yet - I was in the process of buying her - and she had been out to pasture for two years, but Heidi trusted (somewhat blindly) that Estes would be camera-ready and we were cast for an episode on walking off during mounting (remember I had to master the running mount?).
The rest, as they say, is history. I've been a member of the Colorado Crew ever since. Each year, when we film at Julie's ranch, I go work on the set. It's been an incredible journey and I've learned a lot.
You just never know who you're going to meet in the course of a work day.
That trail ride changed my life.
Several months after that ride, I was at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo and heard a casting call for Julie's new t.v. show, Horse Master with Julie Goodnight. I applied and a few weeks later got the call from my former guest, Heidi, who remembered that I had been her guide. I didn't even own Estes yet - I was in the process of buying her - and she had been out to pasture for two years, but Heidi trusted (somewhat blindly) that Estes would be camera-ready and we were cast for an episode on walking off during mounting (remember I had to master the running mount?).
The rest, as they say, is history. I've been a member of the Colorado Crew ever since. Each year, when we film at Julie's ranch, I go work on the set. It's been an incredible journey and I've learned a lot.
You just never know who you're going to meet in the course of a work day.
