Pony Books
When I sat down in front of the
blank screen I decided to write the sort of books that I
would have enjoyed reading when I was about 11 or 12.
My mother bought me my first
pony when I was that age (Shadow), and I read lots of pony
books, but they were mostly English and used expressions
that weren't commonly heard here. The girls in them went
hunting, and rode on bridle paths. They went to blacksmiths,
and all their horses were stabled. Other books were American
and talked about, 'dude ranches'. Many of the books - enjoyable
as they were - outlined a series of events that were quite
unreal and foreign to me. I sometimes wondered whether the
people who wrote them actually owned horses and knew what
they were talking about.
I wanted to write about ponies
in a way that Australian readers would recognise. It was
important to me that readers could become immersed in the
story, and feel torn by the dilemmas that Shelby faces,
without the distraction you get when you don't believe that
the incidents in the story could really happen.
To make it more real, I went
for lots rides in the bush around Sydney (with Kazrah),
and tried to incorporate what I saw, smelt, heard and experienced
while I was out there. I also compete in a local shows.
I still have riding lessons every
week and constantly read new research in both horse health,
handling and riding techniques so that I can always improve
my skills and knowledge. I try to incorporate some of that
information in the novels
Most of my stories have been
about relationships, but I wanted this one to be an adventure
as well, and so to make the story more exciting, every time
Shelby is faced with a situation I think, 'what is the worst
thing that could happen, within the bounds of reality?'
and that's what I make take place.
While I was writing 'For Sale
or Swap' I did a residency at Ogilvie High School
in Tasmania. We had some very productive workshops where
the students contributed some ideas about what could happen
in the story. The students also helped me edit a section
of the book, so they could see the difference between a
raw first draft, and writing that has been reworked and
polished.
I had great fun writing these
books, and I hope that energy comes through in the stories.
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