Blog Tour : Pinto Author Intervieq + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Pinto blog tour!

Book Details:

Book Title:  PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History by M.J. Evans
Category:  Middle-Grade Fiction (Ages 8-12),  243 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher:  Dancing Horse Press
Release date : October, 2019

Buy the Book:

Amazon.com ~ B&N ~ Books-A-Million

 ~ IndieBound

Book Description:

In 1912, four men, calling themselves the “Overland Westerners,” decided fame and fortune awaited if they embarked on the longest horseback ride in history. Their goal was to visit all forty-eight state capitals over the course of three years and complete their journey at the San Francisco World’s Fair on June 1, 1915. Facing rugged roads, raging rivers, thieves and near starvation, the men went through seventeen horses. Only one horse completed the entire journey…Pinto, a little horse with a heart as big as the whole country! This is Pinto’s account of his arduous adventure.

Thank you so much to  for making it possible for me to have received an review copy of this and to be a part of this blog tour!!

MEET THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author M.J. Evans grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Upon graduation from Oregon State University, she spent five years teaching high school and middle school students. She retired from teaching to raise her five children. Mrs. Evans is a life-long equestrian and enjoys competing in Dressage and riding in the beautiful Colorado mountains. She has published fourteen books, most of which are fiction.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW :

1. What made you write a book about a horse’s journey?

First, and most importantly, I love horses! I was born with manure in my blood. It is an incurable disease. Most of the books I have written are about horses or horse fantasy creatures. So, when I stumbled upon the story of Pinto, the horse that still holds the record for the longest trail ride in history, I just had to find out more. It took me two and a half years to research and two long-distance trips to visit museums that had collections of material on the Overland Westerners and Pinto. But I it was so worth it!

2. There are many books out there about horses. What makes yours different?

Two things make “Pinto!” different. First, it is written from the horse’s point of view. It takes an author who is intimately familiar with horses to be able to pull that off. Second, it is based upon a true story. This amazing journey really happened from 1912 to 1915. Nearly everything in the book actually happened as described. I read all the journals that two of the men kept and picked out the most interesting events that happened that involved Pinto. I did have to fill in a few missing pieces as not every journal is still in existence.

3. Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

I never get writer’s block because I have a little trick that prevents it. I never quit writing at the end of a chapter. I always stop right in the middle of a sentence. That way, when I sit down to write again, I already have a start. Another thing I do is work out my whole story in my head before I ever start writing. Pinto was a little different because I was dealing with a true story. So, I worked on picking the events to describe and organizing them chronologically before I actually started writing. 

4. What genre do you write and why?

“PINTO!” is a historical fiction, but it is the only historical fiction I have ever written. I have written three non-fiction books, one coming of age novel, and 9 fantasy for middle-grade and young adult.  You can probably guess that my favorite genre is fantasy. I love reading fantasy and I love writing fantasy. It is so much fun creating worlds and characters. I love to let my imagination run away with me.

5. What is your next project?

I am just finishing another middle-grade fantasy. It is titled “Mr. Figgletoes’ Toy Emporium.” It is a little bit scary and I am having so much fun writing it. It is kind of like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” meets “Pinocchio.” 

Pinto and George Beck

GIVEAWAY:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e728466/?

TOUR SCHEDULE :

July 27 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of PINTO! / guest post / giveaway
July 27 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
July 28 – Splashes of Joy – book review of PINTO! / author interview / giveaway
July 29 – Adventurous Bookworm – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
July 29 – Krisha’s Cozy Corner – book review of PINTO! / author interview / giveaway
July 30 – My Reading Journeys – book review of PINTO! / author interview / giveaway
July 31 – Literary Flits – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
Aug 3 – T’s Stuff – book review of PINTO! / author interview / giveaway
Aug 3 – My Journey Back – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
Aug 4 – She Just Loves Books – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
Aug 5 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review of PINTO! / giveaway
Aug 6 – Blooming with Books – book review of PINTO! / giveaway

Do you like Historical Fiction ? Do you like Horses ?