Life since The Thirteenth Horse

Hello! Something weird happened to me this week. I blinked and suddenly summer was over. The leaves are slowly turning russet-red, the nights are drawing in and autumn is definitely, inescapably here. How did that happen?!

I have to confess I have mixed feelings about autumn. The fact is, I was an August baby and summer is my favourite season, but I can see what people love about autumn - misty mornings, stomping through crackly, golden leaves and tucking into a homemade blackberry and apple crumble. What's not to like? We're back home after two glorious weeks in France. We stayed in the Dordogne, in a little cottage a stone's throw from the river...

I was starved of horses for two whole weeks, so I had to make do with my bike. We went on long bike rides most days. Which is just as well, as I ate my bodyweight in cheese and croissants while I was there!

We also spent a day kayaking down the Dordogne, which was brilliant fun. The highlight of the day was seeing not one but FOUR kingfishers. So exciting!

Like Kristy in The Thirteenth Horse, I was getting serious horse withdrawal symptoms by the time we got home, so the first thing I did was to book a riding lesson. I rode Hector, a handsome Irish sports horse with a rocking horse canter. Here's a short clip.

So this is supposed to be a leg yield at canter from the three quarter line. It was definitely a canter - not sure about the rest! Hector was brilliant. It's me who needs the work!

In other news, while I was away a plot for the sequel to The Thirteenth Horse just popped into my head. And when a storyline makes itself known to you, it would be rude to ignore it. So I have decided to concentrate on Kristy and Cassius's next adventure before I finish the seventh Riverdale book. I hope to have the story finished before Christmas but I'll keep you posted.

One thing I have done is put together a box set of all six Riverdale books so readers can get them in one easy download, saving hassle - and money.

The boxset is available as an ebook at the moment here but I am planning to have the paperback version on sale in the next few weeks.