Billie Hinton/Bio

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Tuesday, February 08, 2011

The Magical Pony School, Book One: Jane's Transformation

It's finally here!  The first book in my middle grade fiction series is up on Amazon as an e-book - you can see the cover and click over to Amazon from the sidebar to your right.

The product description is not up yet - that usually takes a little longer to go up, but I'll give it to you here.

Jane loves ponies and riding, and after a lesson one day in which she rides a circle and suddenly feels total harmony with her sometimes difficult pony, she goes home to discover that she has been invited to attend the Magical Pony School. The book opens as Jane and her fellow first-year students are getting ready for the Winter Solstice ceremony - a very special event at the Magical Pony School.

Things don't quite go as planned - and Jane soon finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime, where she encounters wild pigs, shapeshifting creatures, bugganes, dwarves, an odd bitter woman, and finally, a black mare with one eye and two donkey guardians who lead her to the most important part of her journey: saying goodbye to her father and letting go of the need to be perfect.

The Magical Pony School series is a good read-aloud for younger children, an "advanced" chapter book for early middle graders, a quick read for older middle graders or avid readers, and will appeal to both girls and boys - there is magic, adventure, and a fair amount of Celtic lore. For readers who ride, there is classical riding and a focus on partnership, not domination, over our equine friends.

This is also likely to be one of those books horsey moms and grandmoms will enjoy.

Fiona and the Waterhorse, book two in the series, should be out before summer.

If you read this and enjoy it, I encourage you to review it, talk about it, and spread the word!
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15 comments:

  1. Grey Horse MattersFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:33:00 AM EST

    This sounds like a book I would like to read to my granddaughter. She is definitely into her horses and I'm sure she would love it even if she is only 5 going on 10! I'll be sure to download it to my Kindle shortly.

    p.s. some of the animals might sound a tad familiar to the readers of your blog?

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  2. billieFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:44:00 AM EST

    Yes - some of you will recognize things. :) I suspect your granddaughter will enjoy it - do a pre-read though as one character is a bit scary - will depend on the sensibility of a younger child as to whether it will be appropriate.

    My children were hearing LOTR at age 3, thanks to dear husband, and they had no problem with it - but I know that varies wildly.

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  3. ponymaidFebruary 8, 2011 at 7:58:00 PM EST

    Billie, this book sounds absolutely wonderful. I especially like the sound of those two donkey guardians...

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  4. billieFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:11:00 PM EST

    Matthew, thanks for your help in getting the technical issues dealt with!!

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  5. billieFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:11:00 PM EST

    Sheaffer, I would love for you to do a review. :)

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  6. ponymaidFebruary 9, 2011 at 3:02:00 PM EST

    Done and done, Billie. I just need Herself to figure out how to actually get the book...I will work with her. She is slow but teachable on a rudimentary level.

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  7. billieFebruary 9, 2011 at 3:06:00 PM EST

    Sheaffer, if I can help, let me know.

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  8. ShinyfluffFebruary 9, 2011 at 5:14:00 PM EST

    sounds really sparkly and good!

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  9. ShinyfluffFebruary 9, 2011 at 5:15:00 PM EST

    how do you get it if you don't have a kindle? do you have an e-book download pay site?

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  10. billieFebruary 9, 2011 at 6:01:00 PM EST

    Shinyfluff, there is one very sparkly scene.. :) Thanks for the kind words!

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  11. billieFebruary 9, 2011 at 6:04:00 PM EST

    Shinyfluff - if you go to Amazon there is free software that is very easy to download onto your computer or smart phone. They have software for Macs, PCs, iPads, and most smart phones.

    At some point all my books will be available via Amazon in print version - I have to work on the cover design for the actual printed book, which is different than the e-book covers.

    The software, although free, is supported well by Amazon. I need to go check out the UK Amazon - I know my books are on there too but I'm not sure about the software.

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  12. ShinyfluffFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:54:00 AM EST

    Thanks for the tip: I downloaded Kindle for Mac and read the preview of the book...looks great! I am going to order it today : )

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  13. billieFebruary 10, 2011 at 7:41:00 AM EST

    Oh terrific! I was wondering if you'd be able to get the software being in Slovakia! Let me know what you think and if you enjoy the book I'd love it if you wrote a review on Amazon!

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  14. ShinyfluffFebruary 16, 2011 at 8:41:00 AM EST

    just ordered it on Kindle for Mac! looks really good!

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  15. billieFebruary 17, 2011 at 9:37:00 PM EST

    Yay - thank you!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment - I love reading them and respond as often as I can. I also love comments that add to the original post, so feel free to share your own experiences, insights, and thoughts.