THE VOICES WITHIN … Carmel Rowley

There’s a saying, ‘it’s okay to do what you want to do – until you do what you love to do!’

We all travel different roads to achieve our destiny and our desires. There’s a multitude of directions and many different roads to follow. Although I loved breeding Arabian horse’s I now realise that breeding horses led me to writing.

Over my forty year association with Arabian horses I’ve seen a diverse number of eyebrow raising reasons that draw people to breed  Arabian horses.  Though I celebrate the decades of living and breathing these wonderful animals I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else to learn from my complicated and testing journey.

Sometimes we all lose our way but there was a time when I thought people need to be reminded why they chose to breed Arabian horses? And what about the responsibilities they take one when they decide to breed, arguably, one the oldest and most beautiful breed of horse in the world. This wondering wasn’t a sudden epiphany, it actually came upon me slowly as I began to take more notice of what was going on around me.  At first, I was so busy at home with the horses and also working off the farm that I didn’t have time to ask and answer all the why’s associated with the Arabian breed.

Making the decision to breed Arabian horse’s isn’t an easy one as it’s fraught with cycles of highs and lows. But when you think about it this is the case no matter what you choose to do. Let me tell you writing and printing books is no walk in the park either. It may take eleven months on average for a mare to have a foal but writing a book can take upwards of two years.

To be honest I found it difficult to learn about book publishing regardless of all the information on the internet. I now call it circle research because inevitably you end up back where you began. It’s a little like getting lost in the bush and travelling in circles only to arrive yet again back to where you began. Most of the information is about selling the writer something and often cutting off the information before any real assistance is offered unless you buy whatever the sellers feel you may need …

It was the same when we began breeding horses, there wasn’t much advice or direction offered there either. The end result was the suggestion to buy a horse from a particular person because they insisted they had the best. I questioned this type of selling at the time and I still do. I made this discovery after listening to literally hundreds of people who blame everyone else for their lack of sales acumen and success.

This brings us back to circle research because sales and success are dictated by more than a show ribbon,  a specific pedigree or a new novel. Support and honesty goes a long way. It’s important to understand that there are cycles and  fads in breeding horses just as there are in books i.e. outback romance, vampires etc.  You also need to take notice of how much work goes into breeding great horses and writing  great novels, not everyone is a success.

The last forty years has taught me to practice the art of living, to understand what I wanted and why. I always had a clear reason for breeding the type of Arabian horse I loved. I silently witnessed the good and bad about the breed in Australia and around the world and what I saw now finds a place within my novels. Most of what I write about I’ve actually experienced or seen with my own eyes. And the most interesting thing about writing is that I now feel that writing has been hovering in the background for much of my life. At least until I realised how much I loved to create stories.

With Framed my latest novel (due for release later this year) I took a new track leaning towards the importance of friendship and how horses and creative pursuits can heal a troubled mind and spirit. My characters are all at different stages of their lives but all three women find they desperately need a jump start back into their lives.

Yes, there’s still a mention of the usual problems within the horse breeding industry but it’s a powerful and important message. This is a simplified explanation of the story and some time soon I’ll share the back cover blurb with you all.

Life changes when we change, so sometimes we just have to be honest with ourselves and admit we need to change our attitude, our actions and maybe change roads. So I encourage all to do what you want to do – until you can do what you  love to do!

A BIG thank you to my readers for not directing me to a back road but to the highway!