As adults, we know that society has come a long way on how it views people who suffer from mental illnesses. Many adults, teens, and children are seeing counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists and are open about it. People are more free to talk about taking anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, and the language we use to talk about people who have been diagnosed is more kind and scientific. Most of us have heard the commercials for BetterHelp Counseling, and celebrities talk about the help they’ve had to seek, especially during the pandemic.
But still, we also know that many people aren’t “there” yet. They’re embarrassed or ashamed that they might be viewed as “weak” and need help from a counselor or to take medication. People are still keeping secrets and are still afraid to ask for help when they need it. And bullies will always exist who tease and make fun of other people.
In Only My Horses Know, that’s what we, at Editor-911 Books, are tackling--the stigma of mental illness as one of the main themes (the big theme and problem in the story), and Cinda (the author) wrote the book after being touched by a character on a TV show and her struggles with telling people about her mother’s mental illness.
In Cinda’s book, the main character Kylie is 12, and most 12 year olds are already embarrassed by their parents--trust both of us, we know--Cinda has a grown daughter, and Margo has a 10 year old. We’ve both been told to hush up or stop embarrassing them multiple times, and so Kylie is a typical tween girl who loves her parents and just wants things to be normal on the horse ranch where she lives. She just wants her mom to get up out of bed and do the chores and train the horses. She just wants her best friend Joey to see her mom like she used to be--not so lifeless that she looks almost dead or screaming at Kylie for things she didn’t do. Kylie’s mom is mortifying her, and she is sure something is wrong.
But she doesn’t know where to turn, and she sure doesn’t want anyone at school to know. She overhears kids talking about mentally ill adults--especially one woman who works in the lunchroom, and they call her “crazy.” Kylie does not want anyone calling her mom crazy, and so she tries as hard as she can to keep everything together and everything a secret, and we all know that is only going to end in disaster.
Kylie is not alone though. There are probably hundreds of thousands of kids who are hiding things that are happening at home in regards to mental illness. Kylie’s mom suffers from bipolar disorder we find out eventually, and you’ll have to read the book to discover if Kylie ever comes to terms with it and what winds up happening to her family, her friendships, and her horses. But Cinda was drawn to write about this topic because she wants kids to find this book who may be suffering in silence or kids who may be worried about a family member. She wants them to see that it’s not acceptable to call people crazy and that a majority of people need help from professionals sometimes, just like people need help from a medical doctor when they are sick. She didn’t want to preach--she wanted to show them through Kylie’s story!
How can you help? If you receive mental health services, tell someone. Share your story with a friend or family member whom you trust, and don’t keep it a secret. Watch your language when you’re talking about someone with a mental illness--it’s not okay to call people crazy or loony or messed up in the head. It’s not okay to call someone weird. If you suffer from mental illness, you’re not alone--millions of people do and are getting the help they need.
Only My Horses Know is a book to share with 9 to 13 year olds so that if they have a “secret” like Kylie’s, they will know it’s okay to get help and tell people. Or if they realize they themselves need some help from professionals, it’s okay. It’s about accepting the situation and then getting help
Cinda Jo Bauman is the author of Only My Horses Know. This is her debut novel. She lives in Central Illinois with her husband and dogs and is currently working on book two in the Hope and Horses series. She is a talented artist, and she created the cover of the novel using the cut paper technique! See more art on her website here.
Only My Horses Know is about 12-year-old Kylie Hannigan who lives on a Montana horse ranch. Something starts happening with Kylie’s mom. She sleeps all the time, and Kylie has to do the chores, the training, and all the care for the horses--and it’s too much! At least it’s summer, so she doesn’t have to worry about school, and she can spend time talking to her favorite animals. Then her mom changes again, and she’s up doing everything—including cooking and cleaning in the middle of the night. Kylie still gets no rest because Mom thinks Kylie should be able to do it all, too. So when school starts and Mom’s behavior goes back and forth and back and forth, and then embarrasses Kylie in front of her best friend Joey more times than she can count, Kylie decides the only thing she can do is hide everything from everyone—accept her horses. What will it take to get her life back to the way it used to be? Or is that even possible?
Margo L. Dill is the publisher at Editor-911 Books. She lives in St. Louis, MO, with her daughter and dog. Find out more about Editor-911 Books here.
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WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Read Aloud Stories with Fred Collection
and
Only My Horses Know
Tour Begins June 7th
Book Summary of Read Aloud Stories with Fred Collection
In this full collection of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred, we have included all six stories from volumes 1 and 2, a bonus story "Looking Inside" by Margo L. Dill (only available in this collection), and a foreword by Margo also. Each story has an illustration to start the story along with a question for children to consider while the story is being read aloud to them (or older children can read to themselves). These stories are perfect for parents and grandparents to read to the children in their lives.
The stories are:
"Looking Inside" Join a kindergarten class as they learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and how he believed all people were the same on the inside.
"Ben and the Terrible Red Card" Ben is always getting in trouble at school, but he feels his teacher just misunderstands him. He's trying!
"The Hobbling Hermit" The hermit's feet hurt, and he takes out his grumpiness on his new housemate, a small, smart mouse.
"Sammy and the Cross-eyed Crow" Sammy lives in the jungle and talks to animals! What happens when he meets a crow who can't fly straight?
"Ben and the Bully, Billy Bob" Here's another Ben story, and this time, Ben's in front of the principal's office for a run-in with Billy Bob the Bully!
"The Cheerless Chairmaker" Fred Olds has written a new fairy tale with a poor, sweet chairmaker and a smart, savvy princess!
"Sammy and the Royal Rabbit" Sammy is back in the jungle with Jonathan the crow, and this time, he is visited by a rabbit who thinks he's a king!
This is a very special collection of short stories by two experienced children's authors. Don't miss out on getting this collection today!
Purchase Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Be sure to also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
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Book Summary of Only My Horses Know
Life on a Montana horse ranch has always been the best for twelve-year-old Kylie Hannigan. She bonds with the horses, rides them with her friend Joey, and helps her mom train them. Plus she barrel races her favorite horse, Kiwi, and with plenty of practice and grit, they will definitely beat her rival Olivia this year.
But then, something starts happening with Kylie’s mom. She sleeps all the time, and Kylie has to do the chores, the training, and all the care for the horses--and it’s too much! At least it’s summer, so she doesn’t have to worry about school, and she can spend time talking to her favorite animals. One day, a strange-behaving horse with an even stranger name shows up for
training but is only ignored by Kylie’s mom. Training a difficult horse used to be a fun challenge Kylie could share with her mom, but that’s not even happening now.
Then her mom changes again, and she’s up doing everything—including cooking and cleaning in the middle of the night. Kylie still gets no rest because Mom thinks Kylie should be able to do it all, too. So when school starts and Mom’s behavior goes back and forth and back and forth, and then embarrasses Kylie in front of Joey more times than she can count, Kylie decides the only thing she can do is hide everything from everyone—accept her horses.
Kylie’s life spins out of control along with her mom’s. She can’t train for the barrel races with Kiwi or keep up with homework or talk to her best friend. What will it take to get her life back to the way it used to be? Or is that even possible?
Purchase Only My Horses Know on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Be sure to add this to your reading list on GoodReads.
About the Author, Fred Olds
Fred Olds has crafted dozens of stories over the years and has been involved with various writing and critique groups. At the age of 92, he is a devoted husband and proud father and grandfather living in Central Illinois. After retirement from the Postal Service as an electronic technician, he finally has time to concentrate on writing. A true storyteller at heart, his first love is writing children’s books with an occasional murder mystery thrown in for a change of pace. Check out his kids’ short story books, Read-Aloud Stories with Fred, Vol. 1 and then Vol. 2, and his first book for adults, The Hobo Who Wasn’t, an exciting detective story. He's also the author of The Dog and the Flea: A Tale of Two Opposites and The Cat, the Mouse, and the Neighbors' Dog, two books of the Perky Pet Problems picture book series.
About the Author & Publisher, Margo L. Dill
Margo L. Dill is the CEO and owner of Editor-911 Books in St. Louis, MO. She is also the author of the American Civil War Adventure Series with two books, Anna and the Baking Championship and Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg, for middle-grade readers. Her other books are That's the Way It Always Happened and Maggie Mae, Detective Extraordinaire: The Case of the Missing Cookies, which are illustrated picture books, and she has a short story about kids learning about Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings in Fred Olds's collection of short stories, Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Vols. 1 and 2. Her next book is for teachers and parents and is out in June 2021, It's Not Just Academics: A Guide To Teach Kids' Health, Communication, and Social Emotional Skills. She lives in St. Louis with her tween daughter and lively rescue dog, Sudsi.
Find out more at:
Her website: www.margoldill.com
Editor-911 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoDill.author.editor
Editor-911 website: https://editor-911.com/editor-911-books-1
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About the Author, Cinda Jo Bauman
Cinda Jo Bauman lives in Central Illinois with her husband and dogs. During her high school years, she took every art class offered along with every child development class. After a class where she spent part of the day at a daycare, child development won out over art. Years of story time led to a love of children’s picture-books, which made her wish she had stuck with art.
Flash forward to today, and she still loves children’s books! After researching and much study; learning about writing and illustrating children’s books, she joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and found her passion. Besides writing children’s picture books and middle-grade novels, Cinda also creates with cut paper sculptures and paints in oil and acrylic. She loves iris flowers and the color purple.
Only My Horses Know is her debut middle-grade novel.
Find out more about Cinda:
Cinda's website is: https://kidsillio.com/
Cinda's YouTube Channel is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spQ7Vyc-4ZA
Blog Tour Calendar
--- Blog Tour Calendar
June 7th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of this incredible blog tour. Find out more about the authors, their touching books, and enter to win books for yourself. Become an active participant in the tour, and you can win a gift card.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
June 8th @ Lisa's Reading
Visit Lisa's blog where she shares a guest post about clean, sweet, books and how to find them (and why kids will love them too).
https://lisasreading.com/
June 8th @ Pages and Paws
Come by and read a review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred
June 9th @ Create Write Now
Mari shares a guest post today about tackling the stigma of mental illness.
https://www.createwritenow.com/
June 11th @ Pages and Paws
Come by to Pages and Paws again and read a review of Only My Horses Know
June 13th @ AJ Kormon's Blog
Join us at AJ Kormon's blog where you can read a guest post about finding problems kids will relate to. A must-read post for children's book authors!
June 14th @ AJ Kormon's Blog
Join us again at AJ Kormon's blog today where you can read a review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
June 15th @ Lisa Haselton's Book Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa as she interviews author Fred Olds about his book Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection.
June 16th @ Words from the Heart
Linda reviews the book Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection by Fred Olds.
https://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/
June 17th @ Literary Quicksand
Join Jolissa as she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection by Fred Olds.
http://www.literaryquicksand.com/
June 18th @ Words from the Heart
Linda shares a guest post about tackling Christian themes in secular books.
https://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/
June 20th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra as she features Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://www.astorybookworld.com/
June 21st @ Lisa Haselton's Book Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa as she interviews author Cinda Bauman, author of the book Only My Horses Know.
June 23rd @ Bring on Lemons
Visit Crystal's blog today where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
June 26th @ Shoe's Seeds and Stories
Join Linda as she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
June 28th @ Jill Sheets' Blog
Visit Jill's blog where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://jillsheets.blogspot.com/
July 1st @ What is That Book About
Michelle shares a guest post about following your dreams at 92. What an inspiring story!
https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/
July 2nd @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
July 6th @ McFly's Book Bliss
Join Marisa as she reviews Only My Horses Know.
July 9th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Join Wendi at her blog Strength 4 Spouses where she shares her review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
https://strength4spouses.blog/blog/
July 10th @ Shoe's Seeds and Stories
Visit Linda's blog again where she shares a guest post about finding a good critique group.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com
July 11th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Join Wendi again at her blog where she shares a guest post about the importance of communicating in families.
https://strength4spouses.blog/blog/
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