It’s the age-old lament of people old enough to be parents and grandparents. We can’t resist comparing young people to the way we were raised. We tend to list the activities they engage in that are foreign to what we knew years ago.
The inspiration for my first novel happened while I observed young ladies and gentlemen behaving in ways that gave me hope for the future. That hope prompted both my main character’s name, and the title, Hope Takes the Reins.
My hometown is not the hotbed of traditional western activities. Arkansas is on the border between north and south, of east and west. We have a healthy mix of urban and rural, of industrial and agricultural business pursuits. When I attended the state horse show in Little Rock, I found that the traditional values embodied by previous generations is alive and well in the youth in my favorite state.
Competition in these events is both individual and team-centric. The chief opponent in most events is the clock. Teamwork between riders and horses is key, and supporting the other competitors is the norm, rather than the exception.
In my story, Hope Caldwell is taking over her mother’s role of managing a family rodeo. She is accustomed to acting as the “wind beneath the wings” for her rodeo princess older sister and her flamboyant rodeo clown brother. O.D. Billings lives in the shadow of his older brother, the high school quarterback turned local war hero. With the youngest sibling pursuing the dangerous sport of bus-riding, he feels lost in the shuffle of boots in the rodeo arena.
These middle children struggle to keep their families going amid uncertainty. Soon, they realize that by bringing each other’s strengths to the forefront, they can safely navigate the rough and muddy backroads that loom ahead.
Sound like something you would love to read? Good news, purchase your Kindle or paperback copy, or read on Kindle Unlimited between now and July 7, and you will be have a chance to win your choice of one of my other books.
What evidence have you seen that our future is safe with today’s youth? Just let me know in the comments. Don’t forget, when you purchase Hope Takes the Reins, let me know here, or in a Facebook post, or email me at jmccarlisle633@gmail.com. I will be glad to put you in the drawing.
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