Equine Wellbeing Friendly First Aid Backpack

Guest Post by Mandy Hall, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom 

Calling to the World Wide Equine Nation:

Having had and been around horses all my life I know the stresses injured horses can cause owners. I know that in some cases time can be the difference in dealing with a serious bleed quickly and efficiently to the possibility of losing the horse. Through my own personal experiences over the years, I have had to deal with injuries sustained from horses being on the yard, to out hacking, to those horses I have that live out in fields 24/7 without any other facilities to hand. I am sure you all know those scenarios!

Over the years I have had a variation of Equine First Aid Kits, ranging from the tool box, the box with its plastic lid, the box with no lid, the carrier bag, the flimsy material bag you put over your shoulder and shreds when it gets wet because it is tipping it down with rain. Why is it with every kit I have had, they have all caused me the same major problems; I can Never find anything unless I near enough tip the whole lot out and I don’t think I have ever had a Clean first aid kit which is definitely not ideal as contaminated items can cause even more harm.

So I made a little light-hearted video which again I am sure you will all relate too this can be seen on my “Kickstarter” project page.

Having scoured the internet trying to find the ideal first aid kit to meet the needs, of what I believe every horse owner would require, it soon became apparent there was nothing. This was the beginning of my journey creating the Equine Wellbeing Friendly First Aid Backpack.

Once I had my drawings and my 3D CAD done of my design, I then got the design registered with the OFFICE FOR HARMONIZATION IN THE INTERNAL MARKET (OHIM). 

With supplies now all sourced, my next step is to raise the funding so that the product can go into production. Funding is a big challenge, as being independent Equine Shiatsu Practitioner lots of money is not something I have, so how do I try to raise funding? Well a friend of mine introduced me to “Kickstarter” which is a leading Crowdfunding site. The site allows you to put your project onto a platform whereby anyone can read all about your project and if they like your idea they can pledge money towards your funding in exchange for rewards. Anyone can pledge on your project from anywhere around the world. So having had a good look at the site and the various projects seeking funding I decided to give this way a go. Hey what have you got to lose? This way of trying to fund is all or nothing which means unless I reach my target those who do pledge won’t pay a thing.

So what’s in it for those who pledge money on the EWBM Friendly First Aid Backpack?  

Rewards
£1 -2 pledge be inspired at being part of bringing the New Equine Friendly Backpack to life

£100 pledge would give you 1 fully equipped EWBM Friendly First Aid Backpack plus 1 special addition EWBM T-shirt

£200 pledge would give you 2 fully equipped EWBM Friendly First Aid Backpacks plus 2 special additions EWBM T-shirt’s

£300 pledge would give you 3 fully equipped EWBM Friendly First Aid Backpacks plus 3 special edition EWMB T. Shirts plus 1 special edition Sweat Shirt

Each backpack will have a unique number found inside, once you register the number for the new upcoming shop which will be found on the Equine Wellbeing Management webpage you will be entitled to discounts on all the backpack refills so you will never have to refill your kits at cost. 

Of course anyone can pledge under £100 if they desire. If you don’t have a horse but would like to pledge you can always donate your First Aid Backpacks to the many equestrian charities around the world.

I would love to see this product funded by the Equine Nation as this has never been done before. If funding is successful, I would be extremely proud to say in all the media publications that I would promote the product in as well as BETA 2016, stating "The Equine Nation and others where the ones who made the possibility into reality." 

To see the project up and live on "Kickstarter" and make pledges please follow the link:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/2038981378/ewbm-equine-friendly-first-aid-backpack 

I have 22 days to go together we can make this happen!

With my sincere gratitude's,

Mandy

Equine Wellbeing Management

Angela Wills, Author

From Bristol, Tennessee, USA, welcome Author Angela Wills. Wills' book My Little Piece of Sunshine is the non-fiction account of the tragic loss of her daughter, Bryanna. Wills relives the story of how four-month-old Bryanna was neglected to the point of death. She will be the first one to tell you that she could not have survived this tragic situation without God. Wills donates 50% of the proceeds from each book to child abuse prevention in memory of Bryanna.

Wills is a registered nurse and aspiring author and poet. In her spare time, she enjoys needlework, her dogs, and her son, Jacob…

How have you coped with your loss?

It has been a long journey coping with the loss of Bryanna especially in light of the way that she died.  Some of the things that I did to cope immediately after her death and my ex-husband's arrest were walking outside daily, spending time with my dogs, prayer, and support from my loving family.  I could not have survived this without God and the love and support of my family.  When I say family, I am also including some wonderful close friends that have supported me throughout the years that I basically consider to be my family too.  Another thing that really helped me was that I did have another child after her death and he is wonderful.  His birth restored to me a reason to live throughout the years.  Nowadays, I still use prayer, a relationship with God and my family to help when I have hard times dealing with her loss as well as other things that occur in my life that are stressful.  I no longer have the dogs that comforted me after Bryanna's death.  They have long passed over the rainbow bridge, but I have two dogs now and they are great for stress relief.  I love my Puddy and Sally.  

Where are you now in your journey for justice?

I don't know if you can ever say or feel that you have achieved justice with a loss such as murder.  If you have read my book, you will know that I still do not have answers so the journey is really learning to cope without the answers that you need through faith in God; that He knows the reason why things happen and that everything with Him does have a purpose.  My ex-husband was locked away for life, but I am always left to question if that was truly justice after what he did.  I guess a big journey that I struggle with is forgiveness. 

Has writing about your loss helped you in your effort to understand what happened?

I guess it has helped somewhat, but I still do not have the answers from him as to why he did what he did.  However the writing of her story was therapeutic and I wanted to publish it because I know there are people out there who need to know the truth about what happened to Bryanna.  I shied away from the media after my ex-husband's arrest per lawyer's advice, but I always wanted to tell the world what happened to Bryanna.  I feel that sharing her story might save some other child out there that is suffering at the hands of a cunning monster.

Writing this book must have been extremely difficult. How long did it take you to compile the manuscript?

It took me seven years to complete the manuscript.  There were several different reasons for this.  One is that I have a full time job and was a mother which greatly limited my spare time to work on the book.  Another reason was a lot of court delays perpetrated by my ex-husband trying to get out of prison that you will learn about when you read my book.  I had to wait for some of the court stuff to be completed in order to have an ending point for the book.

What are you currently writing?

I am not really writing anything at this time.  I want to write something else but can't decide on a path to take.  I think sometimes that the other book was such an emotional journey for me that it has drained me.  Also time is always a factor.  I still have to work a full time job to support my son and work on promotions for my current book so it does not leave me a lot of spare time for writing, but I think I will eventually start on something.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently doing a 40 day reading of the Gospels.  There is a Bible app that you can put on your phone and it will give you chapters to read every day.  There are a lot of reading plans to do.  I think I will try one of the plans that they have for reading the Bible in chronological order next. 

You are an inspiration to many. What words of wisdom do you have for people who suffer this loss?

Trust in God, and pray.  I would not be here today if it was not for God.  He has taken care of me. I wrote this book for child abuse prevention.  I want people to know Bryanna’s story in the hopes that it will prevent other children from suffering like she did.

Connect with Angela…

https://www.facebook.com/mylittlepieceofsunshine

http://mylittlepieceofsunshine.tateauthor.com/

Elaine Nash, CEO Fleet of Angels

Elaine Nash, CEO Fleet of Angels

By Gina McKnight

iView Column

http://truecowboymagazine.com

Archived Article As seen in Nov/Dec 2014 Issue

Elaine Nash is the quintessential equestrian; growing up with horses, living with horses, riding horses, now saving horses. Elaine is the founder and director of Fleet of Angels (FOA), a non-profit organization providing safe passage for at-risk equines from danger to safety to save them from slaughter, disaster, abandonment, and abuse. Residing in New York City and Colorado, Elaine oversees the organization’s operations through a fleet of thousands of expert drivers and volunteer staff.  I had the great opportunity to connect with Elaine while she was in Colorado.  We had a wonderful conversation about equines and Elaine’s future goals for Fleet of Angels (FOA). Elaine foresees Fleet of Angels eventually enlisting a hundred thousand or more members. She emphasizes that there are millions of people in this country who own horse trailers, and that she would like for everyone in the country who has a horse trailer to register with FOA. You may never be called to volunteer, she states, but if you are, it is your opportunity to save an equine life. She stresses that if you register your horse trailer, and are called and asked to do something you are not able to do, all you have to do is say no. But, if you register your trailer, pasture, stable, or time, you will have the opportunity to save lives, and who knows, maybe you may need a Fleet of Angels in the future.

Gina: Welcome, Elaine! Thank you for connecting! What made you decide to organize a Fleet of Angels?

Elaine: Thanks for inviting me! Well, I saw a lot of posts on facebook of people talking about what’s wrong; we are all telling each other how bad everything is and I wanted to do something about it. I noticed that people would talk about how they would love to adopt rescue horses, but the cost of transportation was so high, they couldn’t afford to bring them home. So, I started thinking about how many people there are around the country who have horse trailers parked beside their barns and in most cases are always happy to help with horses in their area, or with horses who are in trouble. What I thought was we needed a way to connect the two – people who had trailers and people who needed help with transportation.

Gina: What steps did you take to organize Fleet of Angels?

Elaine: We are about two years old now, and in my mind we are just getting started. We have about 8,000 people participating, two facebook pages, and a website. The transportation networking page where people can post about help they need with transportation. The friends of Fleet of Angels can go there and connect and get help that way.  Fleet of Angels News facebook page where we post things about trailer safety, transportation issues, and things are related to what we do. Then we have a website where people can connect.  The website has the forms on it for people to register to be Angels, or they can make transportation requests. Half of our missions have been from our facebook pages. They go to the website and use the directory that has transport angels, layover locations, and foster homes to host equines overnight – horses, burros, and mules. When I say horses I mean all equines, burros and mules included. We also have a category that people can register in which is called ‘driver host.’ Sometimes we have a driver who transports horses a long distance and needs to stop overnight and keep the horses somewhere, it’s nice to have a place for the driver to sleep, too. We have people who open their homes to drivers to spend the night with them.

Gina: Do you have regular assigned drivers, or are they people from the Fleet of Angels registry?

Elaine: Anyone who is in the registry. We really have three different types of people who help us. We have folks who horse trailers parked beside their house, they don’t do anything professional with that trailer except for haul their own horses and they are available for transportation. Another category of driver who may have their own trailer, who are part-time professional haulers, in between when they have time from their own professional horse operation, they step in and haul horses for extra money. Then we have professional commercial horse transporters who are the big guys with the air-ride trucks and trailers and that’s all they do. The rules for Fleet of Angels membership is first of all, you have a good reputation in life in general and the fact that our horses will be safe with you, then, also, people, who transport for us, by joining us, they agree to transport either for free or for the cost of fuel or a significant discount off their regular rate. Our whole point is just not transporting horses; our mission is to transport at-risk equines for the least possible price.

Gina: Do you receive any government funding or other funding sources?

Elaine: No, I have funded this myself. I got non-profit status assigned to FOA last year. We are still in the process of getting our tax exempt status from the IRS. We haven’t been fundraising at any time except from sells of t-shirts, or anything until we started this burro campaign called the Guatemala 100, where we have been working on placing 200 wild burros in American homes. The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is transporting the burros to Guatemala where they will be probably used for food.

Gina: What is the process to adopt a burro?

Elaine: The process is to send me an email to me at holdyourhorses@aol.com and ask for an application. I will email you a letter with a little bit of information in it and an application. It’s very simple, it’s three pages long, and not hard at all. The application asks about how many acres you have, if you have any other animals, if you have experience with animals, who’s your vet, and things like that. You send the application back to me and that starts the process. We are trying to get the burros placed in pairs. They are already paired up with a buddy. We don’t want to separate them from their buddy because they are very connected to their buddy. When your application is approved, and most of them are, we will start working with on transportation. Depending upon where you are we will work with BLM to get the burros on a truck that is going in your direction when they have an adoption in your area, or Fleet of Angels will assist with transportation from BLM’s holding facilities to where you are. The buyers need to pay all they can afford for fuel, but we do have funds that we have to assist with that. In the case of sell-authority-burros, which they are, that means they have been offered for adoption online three times by BLM and haven’t been adopted, they are put into a different category called sell-authority-burros. Those burros cost $25 a piece. If you adopt a burro through BLM, they are $125. These are very economical burros. Anyone can purchase the burros and with the help with transportation, we are making it quite reasonable to transport, and you can have two pretty cool burros.

Gina: Are there safety issues to be concerned about in regards to safe passage for the driver and the equines? Are there liability issues for the volunteer and how is that handled?

Elaine: It depends on the drivers. A lot of them are professionals or semi-professionals and have DOT (Department of Transportation) permits, insurance, and so forth. The others have whatever insurance they have on their vehicles, in terms of liability they have on their own farms would transfer to their vehicles, too.

Gina: Any issues with equine health and transportation?

Elaine: Fleet of Angels does not transport horses that do not have health certificates and everything appropriate for travel. They have to have their traveling papers with them, unless, it’s a situation where we are rushing to get horses out of areas where there are fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or something like that. In those cases, we try to get everyone with a trailer to show up and haul the horses out of there. General transportation requires horses have to have traveling papers. We have a lot of people buying through feedlots and auctions and things like that. We don’t handle those through Fleet of Angels, but I did create a separate facebook page for members who are not in the directory called Home Runs so that drivers are aware where the horses are coming from. They are aware so that they can help the buyers with any problems that may arise. They may help transport horses sold at auction to a quarantine facility or something like that. They take horses home for people, but it’s called a ‘dirty load.’ A ‘clean load’ is a load of horses that have all of their traveling papers up-to-date. A ‘dirty load’ are horses from situations from disasters and situations like that.

Gina: Do you have a favorite anecdote in regards to your operation?

Elaine: Well, there are so many. There are so many stories where people find horses that are starving to death, or about to be loaded onto a slaughter truck, and more. Someone may be advertising a horse on facebook or on Craig’s List, first come first serve, and they go get them and bring them home. They become gorgeous, beautiful and cared for horses. We have a lot of that type of thing happening. We had a call from someone about a Newfoundland Pony organization and they were in distress. There were something like 26 or 28 Newfoundland Ponies on the West coast of Vancouver Island, which is on the western most point Prince Edward Island. They had to be transported to the most eastern point of Canada. We found a transporter to them to the Vancouver. From Vancouver Island to the mainland, they had to take ferries. They all had to be ferried then all the way across Canada, then from the mainland to Newfoundland. That was 4,000 miles. The ponies are very rare now and Newfoundland government wanted the ponies. We have one we are working on right now that is 66 wild horses in Nevada that we are transporting to Florida. They are not trained to lead or anything like that. They are wild. They have to be hauled in big semi-trucks, a two-truck trip. We have livestock trucks where they can be herded up the ramp and into the truck, stopping a few places on the way, overnight, for food and water. They are going to be trained on a high level Parelli horse trainer specialist and homes will be found for all the horses.

Gina: Are all of the wild horses spoken for?

Elaine: No. None of them are spoken for yet. We are in the process of getting them transported. They have to first be taken in small stock trailers to another facility from where they are now to get their Coggins, health certificates, and feet trimmed. Then, when that’s done, which will take several days, then they will be loaded in the semi-truck to go cross-country. It is quite an operation when you are dealing with horses that haven’t been touched.

Gina: Wow. That’s quite an operation.

Elaine: Well, I think they have been captive once before. They have had their feet trimmed once before. They load them in special chutes where they are safe. The horse lays down to get their feet trimmed and let free.

Gina: Do you travel to location to oversee these events?

Elaine: No, I don’t. I am in Colorado right now, going back to New York again soon. Fleet of Angels has amazing people through the United States handling these situations. Last year there was a severe flood in Colorado. Lots of animals were lost. It had washed out homes and barns washed out. Fleet of Angels had almost 700 people in Colorado handling that situation. There were people riding up and down the river banks at night looking for lost equines and horses still alive. One guy rode horseback miles up to a place in high mountain country where several miles of road had washed out. He had a difficult time getting in there, but were able to get to the horses and lead them all out and down the mountain so they could be trailered to food and water. There were a lot of things like that going on. There were people all over the place looking for horses, taking care of horses, and providing food. There were hay drops and people providing hay, shelter, and so much more. Although Fleet of Angels started as more of an emergency organization for equines in trouble, we have become larger now, embracing all types of equine rescue scenarios. Groups of people are involved in a lot of things besides transportation. We have a network of thousands and thousands of amazing people who care about horses. They are willing to do a lot of things.

Gina: What is your horse history?

Elaine: When I was little, we had a big retired plow horse that our neighbor owned and he loaned him to us on kind of permanent loan for several years. His name was Smokey. I rode all over creation. I remember that I couldn’t get on the horse him unless he was lying down. I would get up early in the morning and find him lying down in the field and get on him and I would sit there until he decided to get up.  Sometimes I could get him up to a fence, but he would only stand at a fence head first, so I had to climb up on the fence and then jump up on top of his head and then slide down his neck to his back, or I could stand him beside a pickup truck and stand in the bed of the truck or the side rail of the truck and get on him.

I saw a Disney movie when I was kid called Toby Tyler about a little boy who ran away and joined the circus and sold peanuts and took care of the monkeys until the guy who did the horse act got hurt. Toby got to take over the horse act which this big white horse galloping around the ring. Toby would jump on and off, stand on him, and do tricks on him and things like that. When I saw that movie I was about five and I thought, ‘Well, I have a big white horse!’ So, when I got home I started practicing behind the ranch house where no one could see me, doing all that stuff.

One day, I told my mother to watch, and I came galloping up the driveway standing on my horses back! I have had horses ever since until a few years ago when we moved to New York City to help my son with his acting career. I have had an amazing life with horses; I had horses in my life all day every day. They are my calling now. What I do, I do for horses.

Gina: What does horsemanship mean to you?

Elaine: Horsemanship means partnership to me, really. To have good horsemanship one has to establish a real partnership with a horse so that the horse understands you, you understand your horse, and you do what you do together, with both of you happy about it! Physically willing to do what you are doing; which means without fear or intimidation. I am a big believer of natural horsemanship; the days of spurs, jerking, and intimidation, in my opinion, are over. We are past that. To me, horsemanship means partnership.

Gina: Thanks, Elaine, for a heartwarming conversation and insight to Fleet of Angels! Congratulations on your wonderful organization and best wishes to everyone who registered their trailer and have a hand in saving equines.

Connect with Elaine…
http://www.elainenash.com/
http://www.fleetofangels.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FleetOfAngels/

Karen McGoldrick, Author & Equestrian

Welcome Equestrian and Author Karen McGoldrick! Karen is the Author of The Dressage Chronicles, a two volume venture into the world of horses by Lizzy, a new rider that soon becomes well-schooled in dressage, life, and more. Karen shares insight to her riding and writing…

I began my riding education by answering an ad in our community newspaper for a working student job.  I was only twelve, but the woman had just returned from England where she had earned her BHSAI certificate and was kind enough to take me on as a Guinea pig. It was a great start.

My family did not have the financial means to help out too much, but perhaps that just made me all the hungrier.  I always have felt lucky to have any sort of equine to ride.  It made me stick with whatever I had and learn to train it.  It's the reason I was able to take my $900 Quarter horse through the levels, teaching him one-tempis and piaffe and passage.  He was only competitive in the USDF All Breeds Quarter horse division, but he was a fantastic learning experience for me.

Although winning is a lot of fun, and the comradery of a positive group of people is great fun, the highlights always seem to come when no one is watching.  When you are training there are sublime moments when something finally clicks.  Like the first time you get a flying change in a way where the horse really understands.  Or when you get a supple piaffe on whisper aids.  Or when the horse finds the balance in the canter pirouette and you feel as if you just sit on top of an expanded rib cage and observe rather than direct.  Or when the horse hunkers down in his haunches and rises up in front of you in a powerful yet balanced extended trot.  Those moments usually only happen when you are totally focused and relaxed...a place mentally that is hard to get to in a competitive setting. 

I wrote The Dressage Chronicles as a way to teach about dressage.  I've always loved learning about history and people and all sorts of things through well researched novels. Learning through stories should make things meaningful and hopefully memorable.  It's also such a fun way to learn.  When you start The Dressage Chronicles, Lizzy is an outsider who desperately wants to be a "real" dressage rider.  By the time you finish the third book, she is completely integrated into the dressage world, although still on the journey of becoming a top level rider.  The truth is that I still think I am getting better as a rider and trainer, and no one, even my adored Lizzy gets a high level of proficiency until a great number of years have passed.  I would need to come back to her after many years have passed to find out how far she does go.  But she is in an immersion phase and gets to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Without giving my sport a black eye I wanted to show the rough edges too.  Margot is a wonderful and ethical person with a strong maternal instinct. She protects her horses and her students and sees them both as a reflection of her. Lizzy was chosen because Margot recognized something in Lizzy's video, but Lizzy also chose wisely.  

I am in my fifties now, but just now finding the confidence in my own abilities that you need to develop horses.  My current horse "Gia" has been quite a challenge, in a totally different, yet not different way from all my other horses.  They are all horses after all, and she is all mare, as was my last horse, but she is far more defensive.  I've just had to put in some "overtime" with this one.  She is beautiful though and worth the effort.

I had to put book three aside last year to take care of other pressing things, but have picked it back up and am determined to get it out sometime this year.  I am planning on making it the last installment of the series.  But, not to worry.  I have so many more adventures planned with dressage and since writers as a rule feel a compulsion to write, you haven't heard the last of me.

I am a USDF certified dressage instructor (T-4).  I have earned my Bronze, Silver, and Gold USDF rider medals on horses I have trained from youngsters all the way through the levels.  I would say that my own methods are informed from the traditional German and USDF systems and in that sense are completely mainstream. However, since I spent four years at Sweet Briar College studying the LIttauer system of forward seat riding I also am just as happy to get into my jumping position and gallop.  I did get to do a bit of fox hunting and combined training.  I am lucky to have an incredibly talented three-day event sometimes-student who is an absolute genius. In fact my eventing students are some of my favorite to teach.  They understand "desire to go forward!" Good horsemen can be found in almost any discipline, so I like to stay open and when I see something impressive I want to find out more and get behind the scenes.  When I go to the top horse shows in the world I like to sneak over to the warm up arenas (if I can get around security).  That's where the most interesting stuff usually is on display.  Because of my curiosity I will never be bored with a horse or with training. 

Besides writing and riding, I also write free critiques and answer training questions on judgemyride.net.  Signed copies of my books are available at Deeds Publishing.  I am always interested in teaching, either at my farm here in Alpharetta, or in clinics, and of course if you ask me to, I'll pack books for signing or give a reading.

Connect with Karen…

http://dressage.deedspublishing.com/

http://www.judgemyride.net/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dressage-Chronicles/135537219866083?sk=info&tab=page_info

N.R. Hart, World Poetess

World Poetess N.R. Hart grew up in the Washington DC area in an Italian family with a deep Italian heritage that has stayed with her her whole life. She began writing very early; she was 11 years old when she wrote her first poem. N.R. always felt "different" as a child even into adulthood. She was quiet and had close friends, but also enjoyed staying in her room listening to music and writing most of the time and always felt the need to express herself through writing. 

N.R.’s exquisite blog Pearls Slipping off a String reveals her scrumptious and evocative poetry.

Welcome N.R.!

What’s the key to writing great poetry?

The most essential element for writing poetry is "feeling" and "passion"!  The beauty of poetry is the "mystery" of it and the "interpretation" which is very individual and how people can apply it to their personal lives. 

What drives your creativity?

I try to write about every day feelings and emotions, the silent, unspoken feelings people have trouble saying out loud. Poetry is a powerful vehicle to express feelings, otherwise, we are unable to express. I am a true "romantic" and it comes out in my poetry, I love to write about romance, love and passion. 

Where is your favorite place to write?  

I love to write near a window or outside, and often take my notebook to a public place like a coffee shop and sit there people watching and writing ideas down for poems.

Who is your favorite poet/inspiration? 

e.e.cummings!  I love the beautifully aesthetic light-hearted format in which he expressed himself in his poetry. Romantic, whimsical, passionate style he has, that no one has been able to reproduce since.  They say everyone has a “poem that is their soul mate.”  I truly believe this and for me it is "Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond" -e.e.cummings.

What are you currently writing?

I am currently working on a poetry book of my own (I hope to have published this year) and enjoy writing short stories also.

Do you have advice for novice poets/writers?

The best advice I can give a beginner writer/poet - write every day! Good or bad write something. The more you read and write the better you understand yourself-writing is a kind of "self-discovery".

Connect with N.R. Hart

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PearlsSlippingOffAString

Tumblr   http://nrhartauthor.tumblr.com/ 

Website: http://www.nrhart.com

UPDATE February 13, 2016

A beautiful full-color romantic journey!

poetry and pearls: romantic poetry 

by n r hart

New Release!

Endorsed and Recommended by Riding & Writing!

n.r. hart’s Riding & Writing Interview

Available in eBook and Paperback here!

Sylvia Nickels, Author

  

Georgia native, Sylvia Nickels has lived in Tennessee, USA, for many years. Her award winning short stories have been published online and in print. She published her memoir, Eight Miles of Muddy Road, followed by a volume of short mystery stories, Best Served Cold, Revenge a la Carte. She recently published a volume of her newspaper columns, Life Slices, a Medley of Musings after Three Score and More. 

Sylvia's most recent novel, Requiem for a Party Girl, has been published by Oconee Spirit Press. Requiem for a Party Girl features female PI Cameron Locke. Locke is a former abused wife who, with encouragement from a co-worker, a long-time friend and a police detective, escaped her tormentor and built a new life. In addition to being an absorbing story, Sylvia hopes the book will encourage other women who find themselves in a similar situation find hope that their lives also can be changed.

Welcome Sylvia!

When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

I thought about it when I was very young, deep in rural Georgia, but it just didn't seem like a realistic thing to even consider. I loved to read and it seemed almost miraculous that the printed words between the covers of books could transport me to many faraway places. Only after reaching adulthood, marriage, and motherhood did that old dream seem even a little bit possible. I'm very happy I've pursued that dream, even late in life.

What was the first story you penned?

My first published story was inspired by a novel, Robin Cook's Coma. It appeared in a small circulation magazine called Communities. Excerpt attached.

What books have you written?

The first book I published was a memoir, Eight Miles of Muddy Road, a recounting of my early years growing up on back country farms that my Dad sharecropped, with a little help from us older children. I queried several publishers but no one was interested. Then after the Internet exploded and more affordable options for self-publishing became available I was able to publish it myself.

After that I published a small volume of romance stories, Love Comes Home, under a pen name; then a book of short mystery stories, my chosen genre, and a collection of the columns I write for a local newspaper, Life Slices, a Medley of Musings after Three Score and More. Last year I published Disguise for Death, my first full-length mystery novel, which originally started life as a short story. During all this time I was querying traditional publishers and occasionally agents with my work. Finally also last year a small independent publisher did accept my manuscript for Requiem for a Party Girl, which co-incidentally also began as a short story which was published in the online ezine, Blazing Adventures and is still archived on the 'Net. Requiem is being released this month, February, by Oconee Spirit Press.

Does living in Tennessee motivate your creativity?

Possibly. I love East Tennessee and the mountains. They give stability to life, I think. Maybe if I'd stayed and always lived in Georgia I would still have become a writer. I don’t know.

Are your characters based upon your own life experiences?

(smile) Maybe 'impossible dream' experiences! I actually did inquire about becoming an apprentice/volunteer for a private investigator, like Cam in Requiem, but he never answered my letter. I've pursued writing for some years now, so that part of my character, Royce Thorne, is also related.

Who is your favorite character?

I have to go with Cameron Locke, PI. She kind of kept after me until I had to tell her stories. I've written two or three unpublished short stories with another character, a male former cop/private investigator that I like and would like to do more with when I can find the time.

Describe your writing studio...

You don't want to see it. It's piled high on every side with 'stuff' from all my writing activities. Three file cabinets full, four bookcases, more books and some manuscript drafts on the floor. I'm President of the Lost State Writers Guild so I have all kinds of stuff related to that in boxes and totebags. Also I'm Webmaster for Lost State and the Appalachian Authors Guild and have totebags of stuff about that, printer, scanner, computer disks, bulletin board covered with photos, name tags from events and other memorabilia. I like those old-type calendars that roll-up over a wooden dowel and two hang on the wall in front of me as well as an actual current calendar. I could go on but you get the picture!

What are you currently writing?

I keep my weekly column going with the Kingsport Daily News. And I need to get seriously to working on the sequel to Disguise for Death, the 2nd Royce Thorne mystery, tentatively titled Death Stalks the Wohlford. I have the 2nd Cam Locke novel finished. Its title for now, Lilies for a Throwaway Girl. Subject to change.

What are you currently reading?

I always have several books going. Fiction, inspirational, writing help and now marketing. I'm itching to get my hands on Dean Koontz's new Brother Odd book, Saint Odd.

Who is your favorite author?

Several! I anticipate Margaret Maron's and Dean Koontz's new books, as well as Linda Fairstein and Sue Grafton. I'm working my way through Jan Karon's Mitford series. And I'm very happy that Kathryn Wall, another North Carolina writer I like a lot, is back to writing.

Do you have advice for novice writers?

If you really, really want to write for publication, don't give up. Just do it. Persistence is key. Also take classes and attend writers' conferences as you can. There are some free classes on the Internet that you can get a lot out of as well as online critique groups. Many well-known writers and writing teachers freely share much valuable information, such as Randy Ingermanson, Holly Lisle, Lawrence Block. I'm on their mailing lists. Thriller writer Steven James writes great articles that are published in Writers Digest Online.

List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

I'm a great grandmother twice-over and I adore my little munchkins.

I'm kind of disorganized, you might guess from the description of my writing area.

I love country music, especially the oldies.

I like being with a group of writers, bouncing ideas around and getting new ones.

I like having friends over for small get-togethers.

I like learning new things. Once I get into learning something, I don't want to stop.

I like working with graphics/pictures on my computer.

I like surfing the Internet, though I get weary of Facebook.

I sometimes like to cook, but only occasionally.

I'm a night owl.

Connect with Sylvia…

http://www.ramblinscribe.com/

http://mysterylanerambler.blogspot.com/

http://www.sylvianickels.com/

http://www.kingsportdailynews.com/

Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt, Author

Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt grew up in Tazewell County, Virginia, USA, and like most southwest Virginians has not forgotten his ancestral or geographical heritage. As a young boy, he attended elementary school at Raven and later graduated from Richlands High School. When he graduated from high school, Colonel Whitt joined the navy and left Tazewell County to explore the world. After time served in the navy, he became a sheet metal worker and eventually settled in Flatwoods, Kentucky  where he and his wife, Sharon, still live.

In his younger days Whitt fished, played games with friends, and was a Boy Scout for several years. He was raised in a Christian home and has tried to be the man his dog thinks he is. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1968. He learned the craft of Sheet Metal Work and earned a living until December 2003. Dahnmon has always wanted to know his place and where he came from so in 1999 he purchased his first computer. Doing genealogy he made so many discovers including his connections in Kentucky. And back to Ireland, Scotland, and to the American Indians as he is the GGGG Grandson of Chief Cornstalk the Shawnee War Chief.

Even as he worked and lived in other places, the Colonel never forgot the formative years of his life in Raven and Richlands. After retirement, Colonel Whitt developed his long-time interest in genealogy, research and history. This led to the publication of his first book The Patriot which was soon followed by nine other books. All of his books are historic fiction based on actual events that have been well researched. The author, Col Whitt, weaves a story in and around these facts.

His latest book, Recollections of Raven and Richlands, is somewhat different from other books he has written. This book takes the reader on a trip back to a time when life was simple and uncomplicated. The author tells his story about growing up in a small coal mining town in Tazewell County, Virginia. The book offers insight into the Appalachian mountain culture and the importance of family unity centered on a Christian up-bringing. Colonel Whitt shares actual memories and pictures from Raven and Richlands intermingled with stories from his childhood, as he moves toward becoming an adult.

Colonel Whitt is now a well-recognized author, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans and a Kentucky Colonel. At book signings, he wears the uniform of a Confederate Colonel to honor all the men and women who struggled during the War of Northern Aggression. Colonel Whitt has been recognized by the Kentucky Senate on two occasions for his achievements in historic research and writing ability.

To date, the Colonel has now written 15 books worth checking out; view all of them on his website.

Connect with Colonel Whitt
http://dahnmonwhittfamily.com/