One of the funniest and yet poignant chapters in my novel RORY’S CHOICE is the Horseology chapter. What makes it even more amazing is that particular chapter was written at one of the most difficult times of my married life.

In 2008, we lived in Las Vegas during the implosion of the city’s economy. My husband had lost his job and nobody seemed to be hiring. My husband had a degree and years of experience. It didn’t matter—week-after-week he came home empty handed. Our savings was being eaten up quickly, soon we wouldn’t be able to pay our bills—a first for us. To say my husband became depressed is an understatement. I pulled through it all, by pinching pennies were I could, and writing, writing, writing, like my life depended on it.

It came time for me to write the Horseology chapter, but I am not an expert on horses. My husband, on the other hand, competed in Western Pleasure, and many other horse competitions. I needed my farm-boy, husband’s help.

On the couch he lay one Saturday morning, pale, his eyes unfocused, staring off in the distance. “Tell me about horses,” I said. His demeanor didn’t change, but he started mumbling off horse facts. I filled about three pages of insane notes on the parts of a horse and different types of equipment used on our equine friends. It was mind numbing and amazing how much he knew about horses.

Using that as my guide, Rory became the all-knowing guru of riding and Jake was like me. We know what a horse looks like, but that’s about it. It made for a hilarious dynamic between the two characters.

I always love reading this chapter. And you will too, whether you already know your way around a horse, or need to earn your degree in horseology like I did so many years ago.