About the Book

Book: Preach It, Grace A Girl’s Testimony of Faith (Dream Pony Book 5)

Author: Susan Count

Genre: Middle-Grade

Release date: February, 2024

Sharing a pony worked perfectly, until it didn’t.

The pony share Grace worked out with her elderly neighbor was ideal—she thought. Mr. Harvey bought the buckskin gelding’s food and Grace fed him. The pony was important to both of them so it made no sense when the elderly man sent him away. And why won’t he tell her where?

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About the Author

Susan Count is a Kingdom Scribe who has published nine books in two equestrian series. As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Texas Association of Authors, she takes studying the craft of writing seriously. Revision is her super-power.

Susan is a life-long equestrian and owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse that is kind hearted enough to take her on long, forested trail rides. She says the only thing more fun than riding might be writing horse adventure stories and she invites you to saddle up and ride along.

Read an Excerpt

Saturday started early for Grace’s family. Serve Out Saturday was the church’s biggest outreach event all year, and everyone who could turned out to help. Grace manned the church’s front-door sign-in desk. After everyone got their work assignments, she ran with her clipboard for the van headed to the retirement home. When they arrived, many residents were already gathered.
She lined up with six other girls, and they sang the gospel songs the residents requested. She searched their faces until she found Mr. Harvey in the last row. Giving him a quick wave, she sang directly to him.

He didn’t sing along like many of the residents, but he stayed for the program. That counted as a victory. Did he recognize her? She couldn’t tell.

She stepped to the microphone. “Hello. I’m Grace. That means blessings from God.”

She grinned at the residents, and they smiled back at her. “Horses are my favorite thing, and they’re also blessings from God. If you’ve ever seen a horse, then you know they are magnificent, mighty creatures.”

Grace held a booklet high, then pointed with it to the residents. “This explains how we can know the God that blesses us. And how we can go to heaven to be with him someday. It says he sent his Son, Jesus, to teach us about eternal life.”

She placed her hands over the open Bible on the podium. “No matter how hard we try, we can’t be perfect, but because of Jesus, we are forgiven for all the things we do wrong. He suffered and died on the cross, was buried, then raised to life on the third day.” She looked into Mr. Harvey’s eyes. “He loves us that much.”

As she closed the Bible, she softened her voice. “Pray to your heavenly Father—ask him to help you believe in Jesus.”

Author Interview

What is your favorite genre of books? Why?

I read a lot of non-fiction on the craft of writing. I feel like I still have so much to learn from the greats. Books like On Writing, Writing the Breakout Novel, Save the Cat!, and Story Genius are just a few on my shelf.

I just finished How To Know A Person by David Brooks. Since each book character constructs their own perception of reality, this non-fiction study helps authors learn to actively listen to their characters to develop a compassionate understanding of their deepest desires, hopes, and dreams.

Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

It feels like one project naturally flows into the next. In Preach It Grace, her bestie is Hannah. As I worked Grace through my critique group process, I was delving into Hannah’s deepest desires and writing her story. While I did final edits on Grace’s book, I took Hannah through critique. While I worked on publishing Preach It, Grace, I was editing Hannah.

How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

My life-long desire to have relationship with horses, combined with my lack of desire to read anything except horse adventures, ultimately culminated in horse stories of my own. My experiences with horses make the details authentic, and my love of riding is deeply relatable to young readers.

What is the funniest thing to happen in the process of writing one of your books?

Authors create something from nothing. They are bombarded by those who think it must be worth a fortune (it isn’t), and want a part of it. Consequently, I tend to delete emails without reading. This one company was particularly persistent, and I finally asked around in my author circles. Turns out they were a testing service. Palm to forehead. They paid handsomely for a scene from Selah’s Sweet Dream. I’m still embarrassed by the incident, but it makes other authors laugh.

How do you relax after a long day of writing?

I enjoy watching my horses graze while the hummingbirds streak through my outdoor living room on my covered deck. Surrounded by forest, anything can and does pop out of the woods. We’ve enjoyed the company of young fox twins, a Road Runner, and an armadillo.

Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

Inspiration comes from the magnificence of the horse, the glory of the forest, and

my granddaughter who has the gift of being able to establish rapport with horses.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

I have several. They are the members of my Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators critique group. They were influential in the development of my books. They taught me critical things like how to build tension and how to breathe life into the characters. They helped me develop my voice for middle-grade novels. I will be forever grateful and indebted to them for guiding me with their expertise.

Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

I start with an understanding of what my character wants more than anything. It’s always the same things — we want a horse. From there, I follow a post-it-note path plastered to my window. They detail the conflicts and obstacles that she has to overcome to gain relationship with that horse. I rearrange the sticky notes at will to create rising tension and that critical all is lost moment.

Do you remember the first book you read? What sort of impact did it make on you?

My grandmother Count was a librarian in Falls Village, Conn. A massive wooden door allowed entry into a magical place. The wooden floors squeaked and even tip toeing would not keep them quiet. She directed me to the dark stained, wooden shelves stocked with all the classic horse books. I inhaled The Black Stallion series and tenderly absorbed Black Beauty.