Linda Shantz's Blog
April 9, 2021
Good Things Come is a Dr. Tony Ryan Award Semi-Finalist!
Anyone who has entered any type of competition knows the feeling. You send off your entry, then try not to obsess waiting for news. It helps when you're given a deadline by which the organizers are supposed to inform you, one way or another, but that's not always the case.
The Dr. Tony Ryan Award is unique in its promotion of excellence in Thoroughbred racing literature, and over the years – this is its fifteenth – it's grown in recognition and prestige. Naturally, with a novel based in the racing world, I had to take my chances and throw my hat (or helmet?) in the ring.
Yesterday, I saw the email in my inbox. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't just click on that email. I have to psyche myself up! When I did – well, I was a bit discouraged, because there was no direct news in the message, just the usual words of thanks for entering, the competition was strong…news release is attached. So then I had to psyche myself up to open the attachment.
Now, anyone who knows me personally knows I'm pretty reserved. That doesn't really change much even when I'm on my own. But when I saw the book's title among the semi-finalists, I had one of Nate's "dance like no one's watching" moments. Of course in my case, bonus, no one was watching! Ha! Now, more waiting, until April 19, 2021, when the finalists will be announced!
Anyway...I'm still a little stunned, and a lot humbled and honoured to be on that list. At a time when Ontario racing is facing such crisis, it's a little bit poingnant to see a novel about it receive recognition. I hope my future stories, sure to be set in the same world, don't have to be historical fiction.
You can read about all the books selected here: https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...
The Dr. Tony Ryan Award is unique in its promotion of excellence in Thoroughbred racing literature, and over the years – this is its fifteenth – it's grown in recognition and prestige. Naturally, with a novel based in the racing world, I had to take my chances and throw my hat (or helmet?) in the ring.
Yesterday, I saw the email in my inbox. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't just click on that email. I have to psyche myself up! When I did – well, I was a bit discouraged, because there was no direct news in the message, just the usual words of thanks for entering, the competition was strong…news release is attached. So then I had to psyche myself up to open the attachment.
Now, anyone who knows me personally knows I'm pretty reserved. That doesn't really change much even when I'm on my own. But when I saw the book's title among the semi-finalists, I had one of Nate's "dance like no one's watching" moments. Of course in my case, bonus, no one was watching! Ha! Now, more waiting, until April 19, 2021, when the finalists will be announced!
Anyway...I'm still a little stunned, and a lot humbled and honoured to be on that list. At a time when Ontario racing is facing such crisis, it's a little bit poingnant to see a novel about it receive recognition. I hope my future stories, sure to be set in the same world, don't have to be historical fiction.
You can read about all the books selected here: https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...
August 11, 2020
Hello!
I'm excited to be on this side of Goodreads for a change, and excited to introduce my debut novel to you! Good Things Come will be out September 1, 2020, and the Kindle version is available for pre-order internationally on Amazon.
While on the surface Good Things Come is a horse racing novel, on a deeper level it's about dealing with grief, letting go of the past, and reframing your dreams when you thought they were lost. While there is a subtle, slow-burn romance, the equine characters threaten to steal the show.
If you're a horse person, the detail should keep you happy. If you're not, I hope you'll view it like I do when I'm reading something I might not know anything about (Google is my friend, haha!), and both enjoy the story, and learn something new at the same time.
While on the surface Good Things Come is a horse racing novel, on a deeper level it's about dealing with grief, letting go of the past, and reframing your dreams when you thought they were lost. While there is a subtle, slow-burn romance, the equine characters threaten to steal the show.
If you're a horse person, the detail should keep you happy. If you're not, I hope you'll view it like I do when I'm reading something I might not know anything about (Google is my friend, haha!), and both enjoy the story, and learn something new at the same time.
