The Free Rein series is aimed at 8 – 12 year old girls who desire to have that first pony. For any reader who loves ponies and wants to learn about their care as well as enjoy a fictional story, this series is for them!

Christine Meunier – 8 March 2015

The Back Flap

Jacqui is struggling to cope with the return of Matty and not having a pony.  As she comes to grips with this, her friend Hannah plants the seed of asking to lease another pony.

As Jacqui battles to find the courage to ask her parents, she finds God has already provided a means for her to secure a dream pony.  But is it still a dream if you keep falling off and lose your confidence?

Jacqui King finds that getting her dream pony isn’t all she expected and now she has to learn persistence.  That’s not all she’s learning with her new pony, learning how to hit the ground and get back up is also necessary.  Does she really want this?

About the book

What is the book about?

Learning to Fall focuses on pre-teen Jacqui King acquiring her first pony for keeps.  As she secures her dream pony, she keeps falling off.  This leads her to question if she really wants this pony after all.  Jacqui learns that horse riding isn’t always fun and there are times when you have to persist, especially when you don’t want to.

When did you start writing the book?

The book was started in the middle of 2014.

 How long did it take you to write it?

It was written over a few months, with a little being written each day.

Where did you get the idea from?

The series idea came from two characters that feature in my debut novel, Horse Country.  From here, the idea of Jacqui King and her family running a horse property evolved and from the start she has dreamt of having a beautiful grey pony to love and care for.  Learning to Fall culminates in her acquiring this pony.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Tying it all up neatly at the end didn’t come to me early, but as I wrote the story, it all came together nicely.

What came easily?

The concept of the story came easily, just making sure different events flowed together was a little less easy.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The characters are fictitious, but with a lot of my wants and desires thrown in!

Do you have a target reader for this book?

The Free Rein series is aimed at 8 – 12 year old girls who desire to have that first pony.  For any reader who loves ponies and wants to learn about their care as well as enjoy a fictional story, this series is for them!  It also focuses on the Christian faith and encourages being a character with integrity.

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

I didn’t have the ending neatly sorted in my head before starting this one.  It came as I wrote it!

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I can persist with a story and write more on a regular basis, even if I’m not entirely sure how it is going to finish.

End of Interview:

For more from Christine, visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or like her page on Facebook.

Get your copy of Learning to Fall from Amazon US or Amazon UK.