Goodreads asked Alison Grunwald:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Alison Grunwald When I was a child I adored riding ponies. My dad put me on a donkey at the age of two and that was how I became hooked on sitting in a saddle! I had lots of adventures going on 'hacks' around the fields owned by Pipers Green, the riding stables where I had my first lessons. By the age of seven I was a confident rider and loved my favourite pony, Cheyenne. But there were accidents along the way to learning how to ride well! We had to do an exercise called 'Round the World' where we had to swing ourselves round in the saddle to face the horse's bottom, then rotate back to the front again. This must have imprinted itself on my mind because in 'Grandma Rides a Pony' novice rider Grandma's problems start when she mounts up on Jitterbug.
I got the idea for the pony's name from the American fast dance, the Jitterbug, where dancers swing each other around and up in the air very quickly. Their feet move so fast that you can hardly see them and they have a lot of energy. So the combination of a stubborn, know-it-all Grandma and a lively, naughty pony all come together in my book, with hilarious results. And yes, I have seen exactly what can happen when a learner rider makes this mistake...you can imagine whom I'm referring to!

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