Most writers write what they know. In the case of Australian author Christine Meunier, she wrote what she loved. Horses have been her passion from an early age, and she is beginning to write novels about the equine industry. Her first book, Horse Country, will be out on July 1st and it’s not just for those who enjoy horses. It is for anyone interested in New Adult books.
MC: Please tell us about yourself, especially about how you became to love horses.
CM: I’ve had a love for horses from a very young age and believe that that was something ingrained in me, rather than something that I chose to have an interest in over time. It wasn’t until I was 13 years of age that I was blessed to be able to lease a pony and then have my parents buy him for me six months later. Reign in my story Horse Country is based on my gelding, Pride.
I’m originally from South Australia but moved to Victoria with my family at a young age and have come to love living in this state. I now live in North East Victoria, which is considered the horse mecca of my state!
Currently I’m studying an equine science degree and I teach horse studies at a local TAFE, having worked in the horse breeding industry since 2004.
MC: What made you want to write your novel, Horse Country? Was it to talk about the equine industry in Australia or just horses in general?
CM: I would often tell my parents about things that had occurred to me or friends at work and had them laughing about some entertaining events. My mother kept on telling me I should write these down and that’s how the story started. 
Now the main idea of releasing Horse Country is to invite others to discover how much fun it can be to work in the horse industry – anywhere around the world – and what great characters can be met, travel opportunities and career opportunities.
MC: You say your novel would appeal to the New Adult audience. Why do you think so?
CM: Horse Country follows the lives of four young women over a 6 year period. Wes is the youngest, starting out at 16 years of age whilst the other three are in their late teens. It follows the women finding their role in life, following their dreams and balancing work and study. For this reason, I believe it fits the New Adult category.
MC: You are selling your book on your website. Do you have any plans to sell it on Kindle, Smashwords, CreateSpace or any other format?
CM: The book has be published through Lulu.com, consequently it’ll be available for sale from here, with a link provided to this from my website. The book is also being organised through Amazon and ebooks should be available for reading via an iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc.
MC: What advice would you give to any aspiring authors?
CM: Write down ideas as they come to you! It’s a great habit to carry a pen and paper with you – or have access to a word processing device if you’re a keen typist. It’s sometimes the random ideas that generate a great scene or character.
Read a lot – about writing and publishing, as well as the genres you hope to write about. This can help you to develop a feel for what’s necessary with regards to marketing your book and what has been published already in your genre.
Learn more about Christine and her work at these sites:
http://www.horsecountrybook.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HorseCountry
Megan Cashman 