Questions about Carly Kade
How long have you been an author?
I’ve been drawn to creative writing for as long as I can remember. I think the possibility of being a published author started for me in elementary school when a teacher nominated one of my short stories for a writing award. This recognition led me to attend a conference for young authors. It was a defining moment in my childhood which inspired me to seek out creative writing classes all through high school and in college.
In the beginning, I always thought of myself as a poet. I have journals and journals of poems. I never really seriously considered publishing a novel though until McKennon Kelly came to me (like lightning) in the form of a poem. I vividly remember the day I furiously scrawled him in my journal. I didn’t want to miss a thing, a thought, a moment of his inception. Thankfully, I always keep a journal with me. That poem ended up being the intro to the book. This story begged me to tell it. Reflecting on the process today, it feels as if In The Reins just flowed out of me. And now, here it is - a story that demanded to be shared, through me, for readers.
In the beginning, I always thought of myself as a poet. I have journals and journals of poems. I never really seriously considered publishing a novel though until McKennon Kelly came to me (like lightning) in the form of a poem. I vividly remember the day I furiously scrawled him in my journal. I didn’t want to miss a thing, a thought, a moment of his inception. Thankfully, I always keep a journal with me. That poem ended up being the intro to the book. This story begged me to tell it. Reflecting on the process today, it feels as if In The Reins just flowed out of me. And now, here it is - a story that demanded to be shared, through me, for readers.
What is your involvement with horses?
I am happiest when I am in the saddle. The real truth is it’s always been there … this love of horses … for as long as I can remember.
I can easily recall spending my childhood days lying on the floor surrounded by crayons and colored pencils writing about (and drawing) my four-legged pals over and over again. I had them all – every My Little Pony, all the Breyer Horses. I never wanted to play with the dolls. I only wanted their loyal equine friends. I graduated from horse toys to the real thing when I was seven and started riding lessons.
I’ve been lucky enough to own horses most of my life. Missy was my first horse and the best life coach a young woman could ever ask for. Missy was my mount (not to mention my teacher, my partner, my best friend) through my adolescent years. On Missy, I was crowned my county’s 4-H Horse Queen and we won the coveted Palomino Western Pleasure class at the World’s Largest All Breed Youth Show.
Sissy is my adult horse and the one I always dreamed of owning. She is a registered Paint mare and I am happily showing her regularly in Arizona. If you’ve taken a tour of my website or followed me on my Carly Kade Creative Facebook page, you’ll notice Sissy also stands in as Faith in my promotional videos for In The Reins. I do all the marketing for the book myself so it helps to have my own horse to stand in as I film the footage!
Ironically, I didn’t give either horse their barn names (Missy and Sissy). I like to think there’s something about the similarity that implies these two horses were meant just for me … I will own horses until I take my last breath. I love them that much. Horses give me peace. There is nothing more peaceful to me than the quiet bond between a woman and her horse.
I can easily recall spending my childhood days lying on the floor surrounded by crayons and colored pencils writing about (and drawing) my four-legged pals over and over again. I had them all – every My Little Pony, all the Breyer Horses. I never wanted to play with the dolls. I only wanted their loyal equine friends. I graduated from horse toys to the real thing when I was seven and started riding lessons.
I’ve been lucky enough to own horses most of my life. Missy was my first horse and the best life coach a young woman could ever ask for. Missy was my mount (not to mention my teacher, my partner, my best friend) through my adolescent years. On Missy, I was crowned my county’s 4-H Horse Queen and we won the coveted Palomino Western Pleasure class at the World’s Largest All Breed Youth Show.
Sissy is my adult horse and the one I always dreamed of owning. She is a registered Paint mare and I am happily showing her regularly in Arizona. If you’ve taken a tour of my website or followed me on my Carly Kade Creative Facebook page, you’ll notice Sissy also stands in as Faith in my promotional videos for In The Reins. I do all the marketing for the book myself so it helps to have my own horse to stand in as I film the footage!
Ironically, I didn’t give either horse their barn names (Missy and Sissy). I like to think there’s something about the similarity that implies these two horses were meant just for me … I will own horses until I take my last breath. I love them that much. Horses give me peace. There is nothing more peaceful to me than the quiet bond between a woman and her horse.
When reading, do you prefer eBooks or physical copies?
I still prefer holding a physical book in my hands. I like the way a book looks after I’ve lived with it for a while. I earmark the pages. I write in the columns. I underline passages. My current book comes with me everywhere. I’ll take what I’m reading on business trips, vacations, anywhere that might require a wait. I especially like to take books to my bathtub (smile). My books earn their place on my book shelves. I run my fingers over their broken in bindings and re-read my favorite parts of each of them from time to time. I stare at a screen all day for work (and for my writing) so reading the pages of a physical book provides a nice break from technology too.
What advice can you give to aspiring writers?
It takes commitment to make the time to write but you must make the time! You have to create the space so the words can show up. I recommend setting a goal like writing for 60 minutes uninterrupted or not stopping until you’ve reached a thousand words. I often wonder if I'll have anything to say when I sit down to my writing sessions but then I JUST DO IT and the words magically come. If I had one piece of advice to offer writers on getting a book written I would have to steal a page from Nike’s playbook and say “Just Do It!” then be kind to yourself about writing ... just start ... that's all you have to do (and don’t share it with anyone until you’re finished with the first draft).
Questions about In The Reins
What was the most difficult part about writing In The Reins?
This first novel took years to write because I wasn’t seriously considering publishing it. I shelved the book several times and didn’t work on it for long stretches because of self-doubt or thinking I was too busy but the story kept calling me. I’d been dancing through life for years with these characters in my head.
Finally, I had to just sit down and write so I could get their story down. I am so glad I stuck to it too. I wrote this book for all readers like me … horse crazy, book crazy, cowboy crazy. I am so happy to hear that they are really enjoying the book. My biggest wish was to make others happy and help them escape reality for a while with my words.
There were many highs and lows in the process, insecurities and doubts, but mustering the courage to continually move forward is what makes me most proud. I am happy to report that the sequel is coming swiftly!
Finally, I had to just sit down and write so I could get their story down. I am so glad I stuck to it too. I wrote this book for all readers like me … horse crazy, book crazy, cowboy crazy. I am so happy to hear that they are really enjoying the book. My biggest wish was to make others happy and help them escape reality for a while with my words.
There were many highs and lows in the process, insecurities and doubts, but mustering the courage to continually move forward is what makes me most proud. I am happy to report that the sequel is coming swiftly!
What made you decide to pursue writing books of this type?
Before I am a writer, I am a reader. Beverly Cleary once said, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.” I think I’ve read everything in existence about horses, cowboys and romance. However, I couldn’t find a horse book series written about the western pleasure discipline. I wanted to read a love story themed around the type of horse shows I like to compete in.
Also, I know what it’s like to feel like I’m falling for the leading man (whose image lived in my imagination) as I turned the pages of a really good book. Generating that kind of feeling was the goal for me – what I wanted to create for the readers of my story (and for myself as I wrote it.)
Also, I know what it’s like to feel like I’m falling for the leading man (whose image lived in my imagination) as I turned the pages of a really good book. Generating that kind of feeling was the goal for me – what I wanted to create for the readers of my story (and for myself as I wrote it.)
How did you get the idea for the cover of the book?
I knew that In The Reins had to have a horse on the cover because I wrote it for horse lovers like me. I’ll pick up anything with a horse on it (especially a book.)
I looked through hundreds of images to find the one that ended up on the front of the book. I worked with a design team to create the cover and I think what we came up with perfectly depicts Devon’s struggle in the book … wanting to go forward but pulling back at the same time.
It was important to me to not intrude on my readers’ imaginations so I made sure that the horse and rider on the front cover were silhouetted. I want the characters from In The Reins to live in the minds of readers so I’ve been careful through the whole marketing process to not intrude on how the characters might live in a reader’s imagination.
In fact, that’s my favorite part! I love hearing how my readers have imagined McKennon, Devon, JD, Sophia and the horses to look like. It is so fun to talk with my readers because every single person sees the characters from In The Reins so differently. Hearing from readers makes my spurs jingle!
I looked through hundreds of images to find the one that ended up on the front of the book. I worked with a design team to create the cover and I think what we came up with perfectly depicts Devon’s struggle in the book … wanting to go forward but pulling back at the same time.
It was important to me to not intrude on my readers’ imaginations so I made sure that the horse and rider on the front cover were silhouetted. I want the characters from In The Reins to live in the minds of readers so I’ve been careful through the whole marketing process to not intrude on how the characters might live in a reader’s imagination.
In fact, that’s my favorite part! I love hearing how my readers have imagined McKennon, Devon, JD, Sophia and the horses to look like. It is so fun to talk with my readers because every single person sees the characters from In The Reins so differently. Hearing from readers makes my spurs jingle!
Where do you feel you get the most writing done?
I definitely get the most writing done in my home office during my morning writing sessions. I am not a morning person but it seems like my morning routine is when my creativity is most alive. I just do it!
Also, I love writing in-flight on airplanes. I make the most of airplane tray tables and the times when I am trapped in the air. These times are when I can maintain uninterrupted focus for several hours. Give me earphones, my Mac, a little elbow room (maybe a plastic cup of wine) and you’ll get thousands of words!
No matter where I am I love to listen to music when I write ... all kinds of music ... what I listen to depends on my mood. Some days it's classical, sometimes it’s a movie soundtrack, other days it’s jazz or classic rock, and a lot of the time it is country. I write about what I’m listening to often on my blog.
Also, I love writing in-flight on airplanes. I make the most of airplane tray tables and the times when I am trapped in the air. These times are when I can maintain uninterrupted focus for several hours. Give me earphones, my Mac, a little elbow room (maybe a plastic cup of wine) and you’ll get thousands of words!
No matter where I am I love to listen to music when I write ... all kinds of music ... what I listen to depends on my mood. Some days it's classical, sometimes it’s a movie soundtrack, other days it’s jazz or classic rock, and a lot of the time it is country. I write about what I’m listening to often on my blog.
Who was your inspiration for McKennon Kelly?
McKennon Kelly comes from the part of me that is in love with love. While the literary perceptions and insights in the book are based on experience (as in all fiction), McKennon Kelly and In The Reins are products of my imagination.
As I turned my words into a man, I took the best from the ones I once knew (and those I still know), the ones I’ve read about in my favorite books, all the ones I’ve imagined, and mixed those qualities with all the things I wish men could be then sprinkled in a little of what I imagined a cowboy who can make the eight on the back of a raging bull would be like … so the long and the short of it is that no single person inspired his character.
McKennon is the best little pieces of everything and everyone I’ve experienced in life. My heart was a flutter as I created him. I am proud of McKennon Kelly. I hope he sparks a smile across readers’ lips as they turn the pages of In The Reins. He certainly makes me smile as I continue to write his story.
As I turned my words into a man, I took the best from the ones I once knew (and those I still know), the ones I’ve read about in my favorite books, all the ones I’ve imagined, and mixed those qualities with all the things I wish men could be then sprinkled in a little of what I imagined a cowboy who can make the eight on the back of a raging bull would be like … so the long and the short of it is that no single person inspired his character.
McKennon is the best little pieces of everything and everyone I’ve experienced in life. My heart was a flutter as I created him. I am proud of McKennon Kelly. I hope he sparks a smile across readers’ lips as they turn the pages of In The Reins. He certainly makes me smile as I continue to write his story.
About Carly Kade
Carly Kade is an Arizona-based equestrian author and lifelong horse owner. She writes fiction about horses, horse shows, western pleasure and a handsome cowboy or two. Her books are for people just like her ... crazy about reading, horses and cowboys! In her free time, Carly enjoys competitively showing her registered Paint Horse, works on her next novel, reads voraciously, spends time with her husband and two adopted dogs, and loves exploring the great outdoors. Join the herd! Follow Carly on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter.
About In The Reins
A city-girl-gone-country, a handsome cowboy and a horse meet by fate on a southern farm. She's looking for a fresh start and unexpectedly falls for the mysterious cowboy. But can a man with a deeply guarded secret open himself up to the wannabe cowgirl in the saddle next to him? Deeply romantic and suspenseful, In The Reins captures the struggle between letting life move forward and shying away from taking the reins. Passionate, captivating, and full of equine epiphanies, this is a love story sure to touch your inner cowgirl. In The Reins is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iBooks.