All In One

You can get all of the Jumping Into Danger books in one Kindle book now.

Holiday Giveaway

Are you a fan of the Jumping Into Danger series? Here's your chance to win the paperback editions of each of the books in the Bestselling Children's Horse series or even win a chance to see your character in the next book-- complete with his/her dream horse! Simply write a review of one or more of the Jumping into Danger books and paste it in the Rafflecopter widget!

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New Book!

When Jessica Hartfield was eleven, her family moved to Kentucky. Prequel to Doubletake, this story is our first Special in the Jumping Into Danger series. Read it today on Kindle. Paperback coming soon!

Horse Book Giveaway!

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It's Here! Introducing Thin Air!

The Haunted Black Forest is full of secrets.

Life is busy for fifteen year old Jessica Hartfield. She has a new horse to look after and retrain, and Treasure, her beloved mare, is expecting a foal at any time.

Her best friend, Kristin, has been invited to take part in a working student program in Germany. Jessica knows she is going to miss her friend, badly, but there is no way she would ever stand in the way of Kristin's dreams.

Then Kristin disappears and it's up to Jessica to try to find her-- before it's too late! Is a tragic ghost story repeating itself?

Thin Air and a Freebie

Some big news!

In honor of Thin Air being released tomorrow, Doubletake is currently Free on Amazon. Feel free to download it, share it, pass it on!

The Jumping Into Danger series is no longer available under the name 'Elizabeth A Reeves' I have decided to separate my horse books from my other writing-- they can now be found under my maiden name 'Bonnie Lewis'.

The book covers have also been revamped. Let me know what you think!

Countdown to Thin Air (Jumping into Danger #4) is starting now! Jessica and Kristin take their adventures to Germany, where they run into a spooky old ghost story.

Five Stars for Doubletake (Amazon)

***** 5.0 out of 5 stars

 Very well done September 15, 2012

By Teresa Huddleston-garcia

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I grew up with horses, and when I was young, "Black Beauty" was still one of those books that everyone was recommending to horse lovers. So when I picked up Jumping Into Danger, I was looking forward to a horse book that gave the feel of the horse. I was not disappointed.

I particularly like how the author describes the horses moving. One is described as moving "like milkweed floss beside the heavier Rebel" which is a perfect description of how a horse just floats through the air when confident in taking jumps, and an excellent comparison in the way two horses move. The author's background shows in this book, and she really captures the excitement of meeting a new horse.

The story has a balance of fun and mystery, which builds. And, like your typical kids, the main characters embark on an exploration fit for Nancy Drew (another childhood favorite). It also moves fast, giving a thrilling experience. I also really loved seeing the interpersonal relations, and especially Jessica's sharing of her horse. This book teaches great sportsmanship, a perfect thing for a son or daughter to read since the lessons are so natural.

There was one scene that I want to particularly highlight, which got me a bit teary-eyed. The author does a very good job of depicting a horse that has suffered abuse, and I applaud her for this, because it is a very real issue that needs looking at. This abused horse has been rescued and is being cared for at a farm, in the story, and the main character assists in helping Star (the horse) adjust to her new, safe, life. I won't spoil it by saying just how, but it had my tearing and grinning like a twelve yearold.

I really loved the ending too. She really tied this up neatly. I was on the edge of my seat for the end, straining forward like a racehorse myself.

As with any book out there, I did come across a few typos, but these were extremely minor, and it did not kick in until I was several pages past them, and typos are something that cause a lot of hangups for me when reading. So it really speaks for the storyline that I was able to read over them without any mental bumps. The story flows that smoothly.

Needless to say, I loved this book. So if you are looking for a good short read, this might be what you are looking for. It's got meat, it's got flair, and you can read it in a day if you don't have too many interruptions (I started over again, just to be able to time it).

Quincey: The Horse Who Broke Me

I was fifteen years old and taking lessons at a stable about twenty minutes away from my house. My trainer was a nice woman, but she had a really bad habit of giving the horse I rode in my lessons sugar every time he ignored me and went over to her. She laughed and said that she was his 'Sugar Momma.'

This, of course, created a huge problem for me. I was trying to get better at riding, but the horse was being trained to disobey me.

His name was Quincey. He was a big Quarter Horse gelding with great conformation. He had a history with abuse, which is why my trainer was so set on spoiling him.

I often had my lessons at night, as I live in southern Arizona and it can be too hot during the day to do any serious riding. For once my dad had come to watch me ride. He had never seen me ride and I was eager to show him what I could do.

I always loved riding under the arena lights. I liked to imagine that I was riding in a competition or under a spotlight. Quincey was so beautiful that he could have been a star. Despite our issues, I adored him. I wished he was my horse.

My trainer had put Quincey in side reins because he had a horrible habit of tossing his head back and smashing his rider in the nose. She said that it would teach him to carry himself correctly. I could tell though, that it was doing the opposite. He would lean on the side-reins, which would mess up his top line and make his gaits choppy and uncomfortable.

My dad was watching from the fence as I urged Quincey into a trot and started a figure eight. Quincey pulled at the bit impatiently, trying to turn his head to face my trainer. As always I corrected him. I took a firm hold of the reins and used my legs to keep him on track.

Before I knew it he was bucking underneath me. The side reins snapped under the force of his tantrum. He reared and plunged and twisted. I flew out of the saddle with such torque that I manage one and a half rotations before I hit the ground-- face first. The brim of my helmet crumpled. My nose was crushed by the impact.

I gasped for breath and rolled onto my side, only to see Quincey above me, driving his forefeet straight towards my head. His eyes were rolling and his ears were pinned back. There was nothing there to remind me of the horse I cherished.

My trainer had a lunge whip in her hands and it took her lashing him across the face to get him off of me. He nearly trampled me to death.

All told I had three cracked ribs, a broken nose, black eyes, and huge bruises around my knees. The arena dirt had skinned my face and hands. I looked like I had been in a fist fight.

I didn't give up riding. My dad certainly wasn't much of a fan of my riding now, of course.

The next time I went to the barn for my lesson Quincey was gone. They had sold him as dangerous.'

I still feel guilty. Quincey misbehaved because of what my trainer had been teaching him, not because he was a dangerous horse. Yes, he snapped. Yes, I know he honestly tried to kill me, but I still wish he had been given another chance.

Years later I found out they had sold him to slaughter.

So Quincey is the horse that broke me-- both physically and emotionally. Embarr, in Crash Course, is very much a tribute to a horse that could have been rehabilitated if anyone had been willing to put the time and effort into him.

Contest

If you enjoyed reading the Jumping Into Danger books, here's your  chance to be in one. One reader and his/her horse (or dream horse) will appear in the next book in the series: Thin Air.

Ways to Enter:
*Email me the 3rd line of the 3rd chapter of each book For 5 entries each. (issylthesthlia at gmail dot com)
*Write a Review of any of my books on Amazon for 10 entries
* Like my Facebook Page for 5 entries
*Blog a review for any of these books and link here (under comments) for 20 entries
*Write to me about you and your favorite horse and an adventure you have had together for 5 entries (put in the comments section or on my facebook page)

Be sure to let me know what you have done in the comments section! Please do not post the requested lines from the books on this blog, as it is to verify that you do, in fact, own or have read the books.

First Horses

When I was sixteen I did what so many young horse-crazy girls do. I scraped together all my babysitting money and bought myself a horse I could afford. In my case, this horse was an almost three year old Arabian stallion from off of the range. I named him 'Dona Nobis Pacem', which is Latin for 'Give Us Peace'.

I had so many hopes and dreams tied up in Pacem. I had visions of us sweeping around the Arizona desert together. I knew he would be my soul mate forever. He would obey my every request and we would be magic together.

At sixteen, I was little more than a green rider. I had taken lessons off and on for four years, just enough to have my nerve thoroughly shattered by soured lesson horses. I had my spills, my scars, and I didn't even know how to canter a horse on purpose, while maintaining control.

Looking back, I had absolutely no business owning a horse that wasn't even halter trained.

I spent the first few months in bliss. I groomed Pacem for hours at a time, until he learned that it was best to just doze away when I brought out the brushes. He did more to train me, than I did to train him. I learned that he hated carrots, and that he would only eat apples if they were cut up first.

I never even attempted to introduce him to tack or anything, I just spent hours loving on him, and then turning him out into the arena, where he would bolt around like a wild flame.

I loved him.

Eventually, the woman who owned the barn where I boarded Pacem decided that we needed to be taken in hand. It was time for Pacem to earn his keep.

I still treasure all those days with Pacem. He was so much more than I ever bargained for. Like Jessica and Treasure, there were times with Pacem that I had my hands more than full. In one particular accident I ended up having my front two teeth put back into place after being on the receiving end of a hoof in the mouth.

First horses are like first loves. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they go, but you never forget your first horse.