Rosina and Kate- 1988 (Post 209)
Rosina and Kate is the third volume of the Rosina trilogy which began with Rosina and Her Calf and continued with Rosina and the Show. In this book Rosina and Kate's friendship is tested again, and this time, Rosina finds herself on the opposite side. Usually, Rosina is the active one in the friendship, urging Kate to step outside her comfort zone, but this time she is still suffering the effects of her accident in Rosina and the Show. Being knocked down by an out-of-control horse has left the usually fearless Rosina stressed and afraid. Kate has taken up riding, and talks Rosina into coming on a trail ride with her. Rosina can't overcome her fear and refuses to go again. Kate gets her own pony and Rosina's lack of engagement echoes Kate's lack of engagement with Star. Kate thinks (with a perfectly reasonable expectation) that her friend owes her the same commitment she's always asked of Kate, but finally the two really fall out. Then Kate in her turn has an accident. Her ability to keep her pony depends of Rosina's help but due to the estrangement, the request comes across as more of a demand.
The trail ride (minus the fear for Rosina) is based on one I once went on, and Kate's accident is similar to one a friend of mine suffered which hospitalised her for weeks. I think, looking back, Rosina and Kate was the first serious book I wrote because I have always preferred non-angsty stories in my reading and thus in my writing as well. I believe this story reflects not only my growing up (I was thirty and had two children) but also one of those twists in the publishing/literary world; in this case, away from the pleasant stories I loved.
About the Blog
Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)
The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. If you enjoyed a post, or want to ask about any of my books or my manuscript assessment service.
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