Horas is hotting up!

The manuscripts and cover have been uploaded to AmazonKDP for both the e-book and the paperback versions. It's great to receive the author's proof and to hold it in your hands - happily there were just a few, minor edits but they take time and it's always a bit hair-raising to upload it to the KDP website, launch the previewer and hope it all looks alright!

Horas is Book 3 in the Forty Acre Farm series and this time is aimed at 9-14 year old readers. This is because, being a horse person myself, I could not help but address, in print, the steps needed to rehabilitate Horas to a ridden life and be safe for Emily.

I always felt Horas would be the more difficult book to write - Pip is 45 pages whilst Dilys is 56. Horas is 57 but pared down from the original draft - I could have written hundreds! I wanted to show how consistent handling and training would turn Horas from an unruly and willful pony into a useful ridden, and indeed driven, pony. So, there are some guidelines included!

Along the way, some Key Stage 3 themes around respectful relationships were a natural addition for this age group. Horas' owner Emily has to navigate her own emotions around Horas' behaviour whilst developing her friendships with other horse owners on the Forty Acre Farm.

As always, I enjoyed writing about farmer Charles' own adventures. This time he is building a huge pond at the bottom of the farm with a view to earning some fishing revenue. There was a lot of scope for mishaps with rather large pieces of machinery!

Publication date is 14 August 2026, and Horas is priced at £6.99. Please note, I am very happy to add a dedication if you let me know the details when you make your purchase!

Happy reading!