THE PERFECT HORSE free to download 21st - 25th December

With just a few days to go before Christmas Day, don't forget to download your copy of THE PERFECT HORSE - available FREE from today up to, and including, 25th December.

Happy reading and happy Christmas!

THE PERFECT HORSE is FREE from 11-15th August!!

FREE e-book to download from 11th August for 5 whole days!!!! (in all Amazon territories)

click here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Horse-Jane-Ayres-ebook/dp/B00MFTBTRW

Pony books in print!

Responding to reader requests, you can now buy 5 of my pony novels in print versions!  These are Beware of the Horse, The Perfect Horse, Valentine Horse, The Horse in my Heart and Joyrider.  All at just £4.99.  More titles will follow later.....

All books are available in all Amazon territories.

Buy links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Horse-my-Heart-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505773881
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Valentine-Horse-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505774349
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joyrider-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505773512
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Horse-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505774594
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1505427495

Perfect Horse in Paperback!

The Perfect Horse is now available in print!  

Paperback edition just £4.99 and includes special extras!!

BUY LINK: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Horse-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505774594

Also available in all other Amazon markets.

Related post:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-perfect-horse-pony-book-with-twist.html

Perfect Horse in best seller list

It only lasted a day or so, but for a while, at least, The Perfect Horse was number 3 in the Amazon best sellers for children's equestrian e-books.  Yee-ha!

Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-perfect-horse-pony-book-with-twist.html

The Writing Process Blog Tour

Thanks to the lovely Deborah Jay for inviting me to take part in the writing process blog tour, a blog relay in which each author discusses their individual writing process, and then passes the baton on. 

I first met Debby online via my blog, and recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Debby in person when she came to an entertainment evening I organised to raise funds for pancreatic cancer.  Busy Deborah is not only a successful author of fast-paced fantasy adventures featuring quirky characters and multi-layered plots but also a professional dressage rider/trainer/judge, so she is a mistress of time management! She also has non-fiction equestrian titles published under the name Debby Lush.

Her award winning novel The Prince’s Man, the first of a trilogy has been described as 'James Bond meets Lord of the Rings' - a sweeping tale of spies and deadly politics, inter-species mistrust and magic phobia, with an underlying thread of romance.

Find out more about Deborah at www.deborahjay.wordpress.com or follow Deborah on twitter @DeborahJay2 .

Read Debby's stop on the Writing Process Blog Tour here http://deborahjayauthor.com/2014/08/04/the-writing-process-blog-tour/

So here are my answers to the 4 questions:

1. What am I currently working on?

I’ve just published my latest title,  The Perfect Horse, a dramatic novel with a dark twist, and midway through the next new pony novel, which explores equestrian vaulting. I’ve finally started the sequel to Beware of the Horse, which is the most popular of all my horse books, and the sequel is called (wait for it!) Beware of the Horse 2: Angie’s Revenge.  It’s aimed at older teens and young adults, and explores the murkier depths of relationships, and the consequences of our actions. I’ve just finished a Christmas short story for Pony magazine and hope to work on a few more short stories.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is difficult to answer as every writer has their own unique approach.  Although most of my novels and novellas currently involve horses, I do also like to explore some darker themes, which sometimes include supernatural elements (The Perfect Horse even strays into science fiction territory), and I don’t shy away from death. I hope my characters and situations are realistic and authentic, and a lovely review of one of my books says that I write from the heart.  I try to.  My stories generally have a strong emotional component. 

3. Why do I write what I write?

I enjoy writing about horses and people and their relationships, and hope my readers like what I do.  I also donate all my author royalties from my Matty Horse and Pony Adventures to the charity Redwings Horse Sanctuary.  My only non-horse novel (although I did sneak a horse in!) is called Coming Home and is about two Norwegian Forest cats, and my royalties go to charity Cats Protection. If my writing can help support these animal charities, that is an added bonus.  

4. How does my individual writing process work?

Generally, I write a one page synopsis after drafting some ideas and basic structure.  Then I map out the chapters and what they are likely to include and finally I start the writing process, often in time blocks.  This is the hardest part for me, and I still struggle to get started.  Getting the ideas and playing with them is the fun part.  I do several (often many) meticulous edits before allowing the story to be published. I am definitely a planner and the idea of simply writing without knowing where it will go freaks me out!

I'm passing the baton on to short story writer Linda King, who has been published by Woman's Weekly (kudos to you, Linda.  I've been trying to get a story accepted by WW for over 20 years!) and also writes stories under another pen name which are published by Xcite Books. She is currently writing a novel.

Her blog is the wonderfully titled http://excusemewhileinotethatdown.blogspot.co.uk/  and she is taking part in the blog tour on 18th August. 

Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/deborah-jay-guest-post-what-are-5.html

The Perfect Horse - a pony book with a twist!

My latest title, The Perfect Horse, is now LIVE on Amazon. Yee-ha!! Loving the fantastic cover by the amazing Klaus Hartleben. It's been 6 months since I published so I'm hoping readers will enjoy this latest story.

It's a dramatic, emotional adventure for horse lovers – with a twist! 

When teenage Krista encounters the magnificent grey stallion, Seahawk, while spending summer by the coast, she thinks she’s found the perfect horse. She’s right – Seahawk is exceptional – so special, in fact, that some folk will do anything to get their hands on him, putting Krista in terrible danger. 

But where does this perfect horse come from? And why is his past – and future – so shrouded in mystery? Reclusive artist, Mel, who lives on the isolated Mount, has some of the answers – but can she be trusted? Does Krista’s cousin, Shannon, know more than she lets on? The truth is more incredible, shocking - and sinister - than Krista could ever imagine. 

This is a fast-paced horse story with an unexpected kick. 

Suitable for older children, teens, young adults and adults. 

BUY HERE http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Horse-Jane-Ayres-ebook/dp/B00MFTBTRW

Book covers: working with an illustrator

Book covers are hugely important in the success of a book, and I really enjoy working on my indie pubbed titles with a brilliant designer.  Like many authors, we use images from image libraries such as i-stockphoto.com.  Of course, there are drawbacks to this.

1.       If can be very time consuming scouring images to find exactly what you want

2.       It isn’t always possible to find exactly what you want

3.       When you do, it might be too expensive for your budget

4.       When you do, you might find that image has been used before – and unless you do a Google image search, you won’t know where.  For instance, the first image I used for a book cover, I discovered, the day after publication, that another author has used the same image.  Although we had modified ours, it was still instantly recognisable.

So I decided to stretch my budget and commission an illustrator to produce an image that is exactly what I want, completely distinctive and unique. Via Facebook, I accidentally came across a wonderful artist called Sarah who specialises in drawing and painting animals.  Having seen some stunning horse portraits, I got in touch last year and recently we met, talked and she has agreed to produce the image for one of my forthcoming titles, The Perfect Horse.  It was important that the horse in question be breathtakingly beautiful – perfect, in fact, - since although the story is a thrilling pony book aimed at children and teenagers, there is a twist, and it involves genetic engineering…….

Sarah charts her progress on her Facebook page so that readers can see how the illustration work is evolving, which is a great idea. I can’t wait to see the finished result. Watch this space!

To see Sarah's work go to http://www.sarahspetportraits.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarahs-Pet-Portraits/115696751888127