10 Years, 17 Books

 

10 main titles. Five spin-offs. Two novellas. Thousands of pages. Millions of words. This December marks ten years since the Dartmoor Series kicked off with a bang back in 2014. After a decade of twists, turns, kisses, shootouts, chase scenes, and tense kitchen table conversations, the series is finally complete. Everyone who knows me in real life would be shocked if they read these books. Everyone who knows me through the books is hopefully happy where things ended up at the end of Lord Have Mercy. 

It's a series for anyone who likes: 

• family dramas where the families take care of their own (Ghost struggles, but he gets there in the end)
• high-stakes action and mystery
• loveable ensemble casts full of outlaws
• rough and tumble men who are good to their women
• realistic dialogue and family dynamics
• morally gray characters who grow and develop over the course of a series
• ongoing plot lines mingled with happily every afters
• big, chunky books that read like old fashioned Southern epics
• shows like Sons of Anarchy and Yellowstone

The chronological reading order of all 17 volumes is:

1. Fearless
2. Price of Angels
3. Half My Blood
4. The Skeleton King
5. Snow In Texas
6. Secondhand Smoke
7. Tastes Like Candy
8. Loverboy
9. American Hellhound
10. Shaman
11. Prodigal Son
12. Lone Star
13. Homecoming
14. Long Way Down
15. The Wild Charge
16. Nothing More
17. Lord Have Mercy 

My mottos is "never say never." I'm marking the series as complete for now, and leaving it on a high note, but the door's always open for adding to it if interest in Lord Have Mercy picks up at some point. It would be folly to write books based on book ten when it hasn't been the best seller of the bunch, so, for now, we'll rest easy after our latest trip to the swamp. 

If you're expecting a little quiet time this Christmas season and are looking to get totally immersed in a thrilling fictional word, may I humbly suggest a biker series like no other. 

Thanks, y'all, for ten wild years of Lean Dogs 💝

National Day of the Horse

AB
(Airiel's Southern Snow)

 

Happy National Day of the Horse! There are days for dogs, and cats, and chocolate, and coffee, and wine - why not a day for the most majestic of four-legged friends?

If you're reading this blog, then you know that its address is "hoofprintpress." If you've followed me on other social media for any length of time, you'll know that I'm an equine enthusiast. My daily schedule is ruled by feeding time and stall cleaning; I say "whoa" in public when I shouldn't; when the wind kicks up, I automatically tense up, no matter where I am, in anticipation of a spook. Whenever possible, I draw extended metaphors between writing books and training horses. 

Kit Kat
(Kid Tastes Like Candy)

When I was a four, a relative at a Christmas party laughingly asked if I would be willing to trade my dad for a horse. I said yes. There was more laughter. I probably didn't mean it - but I did desperately want a horse. My parents tried to get me interested in ballet, in jazz, in gymnastics, and, in middle school, band. But I couldn't be swayed: I wanted to ride, and it was all I wanted to do. I finally started taking lessons at nine, and got my first horse, my darling Skip, at ten. Needless to say, I never looked back. 

Horses have worked their way into more than a few of my books: Whatever Remains, The Skeleton King...and any subsequent book in which Briar Hall or Emmie make an appearance. I was initially hesitant to include equestrian sports of any kind in my work. It felt like a niche interest; also, I didn't want readers to think I was writing myself verbatim into my books. But horses are a part of everything I do; the lessons I've learned in the saddle and in the barnyard, what I've learned about human and animal behavior is entirely wrapped up in equestrianism. Even when I was writing about people, even when no horses appeared in a story, I was still writing about them. All my most dynamic and original characters are based upon animals, rather than humans. Mercy. Ghost. Ava. Reese and Tenny. All built from a quadrupedal base personality. Leaving horses out of the mix meant setting aside the area in which I have the most expertise. Also, the horses I've known over the years have provided some of my best biker road names: Sly, Loverboy, Candyman, Cowboy, Talis, Maverick. 

Bambi
(Doe Eyed Kid)

Horses have shaped my life completely. I don't know who I would be without them. If you'd told me ten years ago that I would have three mares, I wouldn't believe you. I always considered myself a gelding girl. But here we are, and they're such sweet girls, and I'm so excited to get back in the saddle in the next couple of years. 

Speaking of writing, and equine influence, and being back in the saddle, the drakes in the Drake Chronicles are very horse inspired, and I'm working on book six as we speak! It's still early stages, so I have no idea when I'll finish, but it's slowly taking shape, and, if possible, it would be wonderful to carry the series all the way to its conclusion. If you've been patiently waiting for the next installment, thank you! We're getting there. 

#TeaserTuesday: AOTE

 

*Drops cryptic teaser but tells you not to worry*

In all seriousness, though, please don't panic. Things are going to seem dire for parts of this book, but no one is going to mess up irreparably. The long-term plan I've had all along is still in full effect... save one romantic development. Like the teaser says: nothing is as it seems. It seems like Amelia is going to become a part of a certain relationship, but she's not. Oliver is behaving questionably, but he's not a traitor. Hold tight, let me cook, and it'll all turn out okay, promise. 

No release date yet; I'm still in very early stages and taking the writing slowly, but I'm hoping I'll have time to keep chipping away at it! 

Until then...

***

When his helm, pauldrons, breastplate, gauntlets, and grieves were all stowed in their shallow wooden chest, he straightened, and came face-to-face with his reflection in the looking glass atop the washstand.

Who is that? was the first thought that sprang to mind. 

Horse Life Lately

 

Happy December, everyone! I'm back after an unplanned hiatus. It's been a stressful few weeks, but things are feeling much more settled, now, as am I, after making myself quite literally sick with anxiety. 

Things look different around the farm lately. If you follow me on Instagram (@hppress) then you've seen me post about saying farewell to Max, and hello to the newest addition, Bambi. 

I blogged a few weeks ago about my mini, Lily, passing away. It wasn't wholly unexpected; her health had been declining slowly, and then took a swift downward turn, and there really wasn't another option but to help her cross over. In the wake of her loss, Max, who I found as a companion for her last year after her brother died, was alone in their paddock. Going out with my full-size mares wasn't an option - I tried it, and it did NOT go well; thankfully I got everyone separated with no harm done - but he was completely distraught if he couldn't see and touch them through the fence. That meant I had to keep the girls cooped up in a small paddock so they couldn't venture out of his sight... which meant that Kit Kat had too much energy, and AB's hoof health suffered as a result of the lack of circulation. 

I started by searching for a mini or small pony to be Max's pasture companion. That proved an unsuccessful endeavor. I had a hard time finding Max last year; it was chance, fate, and the kindness of a stranger reaching out in response to an "in search of" Facebook post I made as a last-ditch effort. The best option I found this time around was a yearling, but I had to ask myself: What if he and Max didn't get along? They would make it work, obviously, just as Max and Lily made it work. But more than making it work, I wanted Max to be happy. He was a wonderful blessing to have for a year, helping Lily through her final days, but, ultimately, what was best for Max was to go home to his owner, Amy, and that's just what he did two Saturdays ago. The look on his cute little face when he got off the trailer and saw where he was, when he saw his old friends: so very rewarding. 

Thank you, Max. You were wonderful. 

Because my barn has three stalls, and we've always had minis, we've only ever had two full-size horses at a time. That means that when you lose one, the other is alone, and then you're in a mad scramble to find a replacement friend. We decided, then, with a free stall, to introduce another horse. I love my AB, and hope she lives forever, but she's turning 24 this spring. 

Enter Bambi. 

She's a 2yo Quarter Horse/Appaloosa filly I actually looked into buying when she was a foal. The breeders decided to keep her, and I wound up with Kit Kat the next year. But now, Bambi's a part of the Riddermark herd. 

Look at her little spots! I've got her on a high fat/protein diet in an effort to put some more meat on her bones, but after a stressful couple of weeks, she's settled in nicely, and is learning the ropes from my other girls. She's really sweet, and became instant friends with Kit Kat. 

I'm *hoping* to get back to something like a more normal schedule, but between having two project babies and holiday craziness, I make no guarantees. 

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, and hope to be around again!