This one asked by Kianna--Sorry it has taken me so long to get this down.
How many horses do you have?
Right now I have two, which I think is a perfect amount. One 21 year old Standardbred gelding and one 3 year old Quarter Horse. I do think that I would enjoy a third horse because I ride every day and enjoy taking people on rides with me, but right now two is the most I can afford. :)
Thanks for the question!
Mattie
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Question 5
How often do you get your books sold? How many have you sold this year? How many instruments do you play? Have you entered any competitions with them? How often do you perform (anywhere. Plays, music, etc)?
I sell books a lot, but most often in little "spurts" of like 1-10 so it's not a constant thing. I think if I adveraged it out it would be like one every other day or every day. The amount of books I sell vary proportionally with the events I go to, and whether or not I keep up with reordering. If I was really motivated I could sell more but I can't devote my whole life to it so I have to be content with what I have.
I have sold almost 400 books since publishing Appaloosy, I'm not sure on the amount this year.
I "play" two instuments: The fiddle and the electric guitar. I started on the piano but quit after a couple years or so. I had about a year of lessons with the fiddle, until we moved to North Dakota where there is no teachers for 65 miles! So I have been teaching myself, same with guitar.
I perform quite often. People know me as the only fiddle player in the area so I am hauling my fiddle around to nursing homes, birthday parties, events, and services all the time. I have peformed in Enderlin, Sheldon, Fort Ransom, Lisbon and the surrounding area and usually do so for free. Though one time I got paid $50!
I haven't entered any competitions because I know I am not good enough. Without a teacher I have lost the form and function I need to be a viable violin player with stanima. When there is ears unused to any fiddle playing at all, though, I am the star!
Thanks for the questions, I'll answer some more soon!
Danielle
I sell books a lot, but most often in little "spurts" of like 1-10 so it's not a constant thing. I think if I adveraged it out it would be like one every other day or every day. The amount of books I sell vary proportionally with the events I go to, and whether or not I keep up with reordering. If I was really motivated I could sell more but I can't devote my whole life to it so I have to be content with what I have.
I have sold almost 400 books since publishing Appaloosy, I'm not sure on the amount this year.
I "play" two instuments: The fiddle and the electric guitar. I started on the piano but quit after a couple years or so. I had about a year of lessons with the fiddle, until we moved to North Dakota where there is no teachers for 65 miles! So I have been teaching myself, same with guitar.
I perform quite often. People know me as the only fiddle player in the area so I am hauling my fiddle around to nursing homes, birthday parties, events, and services all the time. I have peformed in Enderlin, Sheldon, Fort Ransom, Lisbon and the surrounding area and usually do so for free. Though one time I got paid $50!
I haven't entered any competitions because I know I am not good enough. Without a teacher I have lost the form and function I need to be a viable violin player with stanima. When there is ears unused to any fiddle playing at all, though, I am the star!
Thanks for the questions, I'll answer some more soon!
Danielle
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Some More Questions to answer
Hey, thanks for giving me something to expand on in these posts! Here's some more questions I have lined up to answer. Keep 'em coming! And let your friends know about this website so they can have their own questions answered. There is more questions to be answered by this asker, but for now I'm just answering the ones I have room for in today's post.
Oh, and sorry for asking so much, but what do you think about video games? Did you ever try to get your book really published? Do you enjoy reading your book?
1. Video games-- they seem to be very controversial in this world. I'm going to be honest with you though. Being a tomboy, video games were just another thing that I loved as a kid. I especially liked playing adventure games for playstation like Crash Bandicoot, Frogger, and Spyro. I started playing them when I was about 8 when I got the system for my birthday, and played 1/2 hour a day for a long time. When I was twelve my parents limited us to one hour per week, and that is what we played for awhile. About a year ago, however, any and all game systems we had were taken away because my parents were worried about all that video game stuff that parents are worried about.
I still like video games, though now I think I am really better off without them. I will play occasionally at friends' houses, but now I realize that I can get so much more things done (writing, perhaps?) instead of wasting my time in front of a screen.
2. No, actually I never did attempt to get my book really published, and here's why: First of all, to get a book published you need a professional agent to "pitch" the book to a publisher. You cannot do it yourself, unless you want your book thrown into a "slush" pile where the editor will read a few lines and then either throw your manuscript away or send it back. An agent cost anywhere from 25-75 dollars per hour and most likely will want anywhere from 10-30% of your profits, depending on the agent. Obviously something I could not afford when I published it when I was sixteen. Which brings me to my second point. You will not make any money with your book published professionally unless it is B-I-G. I know my book only appeals to a small percentage of the population, it has no witchcraft, violence, drugs, or lustful situations in it and that is actually what they want nowdays. Sad, but true for mainstream fiction. They are also against young authors. Because I am a teenager and don't really need to make a living off of it, I'm not a high priority author in the publishing world. I might try to get my teen novel "Blackberry Blossom" pictched but I'm not sure if that's what I want right now. Anyway, did you know that most professional authors started out with self-publishing? That's where I'd like to start too. For now, I'll stick with publishing smaller things in magazines and newspapers.
3. No--I hate reading my own book. All I see is the errors that I could fix, change, rearrange. But my uncle (who is an author) actually told me that there comes a time when the book is done. You can edit a book forever, but there comes a point when you shouldn't do anything more with it, you'll just mess it up more. :) I also know every part, character, foreshadow, and the ending before I even open the cover. Who wants to read a book when you know all that?
Thanks for the questions, I'll try to get to some more of them tommorrow.
Danielle
* * *
Oh, and sorry for asking so much, but what do you think about video games? Did you ever try to get your book really published? Do you enjoy reading your book?
1. Video games-- they seem to be very controversial in this world. I'm going to be honest with you though. Being a tomboy, video games were just another thing that I loved as a kid. I especially liked playing adventure games for playstation like Crash Bandicoot, Frogger, and Spyro. I started playing them when I was about 8 when I got the system for my birthday, and played 1/2 hour a day for a long time. When I was twelve my parents limited us to one hour per week, and that is what we played for awhile. About a year ago, however, any and all game systems we had were taken away because my parents were worried about all that video game stuff that parents are worried about.
I still like video games, though now I think I am really better off without them. I will play occasionally at friends' houses, but now I realize that I can get so much more things done (writing, perhaps?) instead of wasting my time in front of a screen.
2. No, actually I never did attempt to get my book really published, and here's why: First of all, to get a book published you need a professional agent to "pitch" the book to a publisher. You cannot do it yourself, unless you want your book thrown into a "slush" pile where the editor will read a few lines and then either throw your manuscript away or send it back. An agent cost anywhere from 25-75 dollars per hour and most likely will want anywhere from 10-30% of your profits, depending on the agent. Obviously something I could not afford when I published it when I was sixteen. Which brings me to my second point. You will not make any money with your book published professionally unless it is B-I-G. I know my book only appeals to a small percentage of the population, it has no witchcraft, violence, drugs, or lustful situations in it and that is actually what they want nowdays. Sad, but true for mainstream fiction. They are also against young authors. Because I am a teenager and don't really need to make a living off of it, I'm not a high priority author in the publishing world. I might try to get my teen novel "Blackberry Blossom" pictched but I'm not sure if that's what I want right now. Anyway, did you know that most professional authors started out with self-publishing? That's where I'd like to start too. For now, I'll stick with publishing smaller things in magazines and newspapers.
3. No--I hate reading my own book. All I see is the errors that I could fix, change, rearrange. But my uncle (who is an author) actually told me that there comes a time when the book is done. You can edit a book forever, but there comes a point when you shouldn't do anything more with it, you'll just mess it up more. :) I also know every part, character, foreshadow, and the ending before I even open the cover. Who wants to read a book when you know all that?
Thanks for the questions, I'll try to get to some more of them tommorrow.
Danielle
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Question #4
Dear Danielle,
My grandpa had started out with a pregnant mare boarding on his land.Once the filly was born the owner asked us about putting another horse in for her new husband.They put a mare in and then took her out because they didn't like her.Then they put two, and I'm assuming here, geldings in. Several times they have fought with each other when one of us is petting the other.
They get jealous.They have eaten down all his grass and when the owners decided they were getting to fat we weren't allowed to give them stuff and they don't seem to bring a lot of hay.They're actually eating an old shed made out of wood.Do you think that they're not taking care of the horses and do you think we should ask them to remove one of the boys?
--Miss Bennett
Hmm, this is a tricky one. I'm assuming that these two horses are the only ones in the pasture now that the mare is gone, if I'm wrong let me know. Horses, just like people, tend to have other horses that they just don't get along with. It seems like these two horses would be okay with each other until one is getting attention and they get jealous. This puts you in a somewhat dangerous position and you could let the owners know that. If they really don't like each other you could try seperating them for a few weeks and then they might think that's it is better to have a buddy than to be all alone. If they still fight and you have a barn or another pasture, you could put one in the barn during they day and one in the pasture, and then switch at night. If they really are violently fighting though and may hurt each other, one of them really should be removed.
About the horses being too fat, see if you can determine the horse's body score. There is quite a few resourses on the internet that help you determine if the horses really are fat or just a little heavy. If the horses really are fat, (about 7-9 body score, depending on the horse) then I can see why they are limiting feed intake as part of a diet. Ask them how long they plan to have the horses on this diet. A diet should not last forever.
If they don't seem to be fat, the owners should be bringing more hay. A horse eats on average about 20 lbs. of roughage per day and in my opinion should be given as much as they can eat. Horses usually won't overeat roughage, and unless they are very easy keepers they won't get fat. Another thing to think about, are they really eating the old shed, or are they just bored and want something to chew on? If they are eating it they may be very hungry and need more hay to eat.
I'm not sure if these people are properly taking care of their horses. But since they are boarding on your grandfather's land, you have the final say in what and how many horses you want on it. Talk to the owners to see what they think. If they are abusing the horses, let them know that you won't tolerate that on your land. Then, of course I guess they could board somewhere else but the animals are theirs and they have the final say in how much they feed them. (If it is obnoxious though, don't be afraid to let the animal cruelty people know!) And if there is no grass left for the horses to eat in your pasture, you could let the owners know that you think you are overgrazing the land and need to let it rest for awhile, and that they should remove one of the horses.
I hope this helps at least a little. If you have any more questions let me know!
Thanks,
Danielle
My grandpa had started out with a pregnant mare boarding on his land.Once the filly was born the owner asked us about putting another horse in for her new husband.They put a mare in and then took her out because they didn't like her.Then they put two, and I'm assuming here, geldings in. Several times they have fought with each other when one of us is petting the other.
They get jealous.They have eaten down all his grass and when the owners decided they were getting to fat we weren't allowed to give them stuff and they don't seem to bring a lot of hay.They're actually eating an old shed made out of wood.Do you think that they're not taking care of the horses and do you think we should ask them to remove one of the boys?
--Miss Bennett
Hmm, this is a tricky one. I'm assuming that these two horses are the only ones in the pasture now that the mare is gone, if I'm wrong let me know. Horses, just like people, tend to have other horses that they just don't get along with. It seems like these two horses would be okay with each other until one is getting attention and they get jealous. This puts you in a somewhat dangerous position and you could let the owners know that. If they really don't like each other you could try seperating them for a few weeks and then they might think that's it is better to have a buddy than to be all alone. If they still fight and you have a barn or another pasture, you could put one in the barn during they day and one in the pasture, and then switch at night. If they really are violently fighting though and may hurt each other, one of them really should be removed.
About the horses being too fat, see if you can determine the horse's body score. There is quite a few resourses on the internet that help you determine if the horses really are fat or just a little heavy. If the horses really are fat, (about 7-9 body score, depending on the horse) then I can see why they are limiting feed intake as part of a diet. Ask them how long they plan to have the horses on this diet. A diet should not last forever.
If they don't seem to be fat, the owners should be bringing more hay. A horse eats on average about 20 lbs. of roughage per day and in my opinion should be given as much as they can eat. Horses usually won't overeat roughage, and unless they are very easy keepers they won't get fat. Another thing to think about, are they really eating the old shed, or are they just bored and want something to chew on? If they are eating it they may be very hungry and need more hay to eat.
I'm not sure if these people are properly taking care of their horses. But since they are boarding on your grandfather's land, you have the final say in what and how many horses you want on it. Talk to the owners to see what they think. If they are abusing the horses, let them know that you won't tolerate that on your land. Then, of course I guess they could board somewhere else but the animals are theirs and they have the final say in how much they feed them. (If it is obnoxious though, don't be afraid to let the animal cruelty people know!) And if there is no grass left for the horses to eat in your pasture, you could let the owners know that you think you are overgrazing the land and need to let it rest for awhile, and that they should remove one of the horses.
I hope this helps at least a little. If you have any more questions let me know!
Thanks,
Danielle
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Question # 3
I asked you a question in the last post, but I now have another. If you do have trouble finishing your stories, what do you do about it? I always think I have the perfect story idea, then I come up with something better. Also, what do you do when you read over what you've written and then find out that it's not that good?
Hey, thanks for the question! Now that I consider myself a (somewhat) "mature" writer, if I have trouble finishing my stories I can usually plow through until the end. And that's not easy. Basically here, I have to tell you that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Never start a story that you can't plod on through until you get to the end. Always have the ending clear (or at least an idea of it) in your mind. It helps if you don't start any other stories while your trying to finish one, I know it can be hard but stick with it. And always have a character that you like. How are you going to get your readers interested in your character if even you don't like him that much?
If you have problems going on with your story, have a talk with your character. Right now I am having this problem myself. I am trying to write a teen novel that run anywhere from 45-100 thousand words and I'm at twenty and fearing that I'm much to close to the end. I sit down to coffee with my character. (Okay, not literally!) "So, Molly--where do you think we should go with this? What do you want? And since I have a god-like presence as the author, should I let you have it?" ( I actually read a very funny T-shirt one time that said, "writer's block is when your imaginary friends stop talking to you" How true!) That helps me sometimes, although I really do have problems with the middle of the story, not always the end like it seems you may.
What do I do if I read over something that's not that good? Well, if it's savable it goes through major revisions. I will put the manuscript aside for about a week and tell myself not even to THINK about it. Then I will come back with a fresh mind to rewrite that section that I think isn't good.
If it's really terrible, I will scrap it and start over again. Sometimes that is one of the hardest things for a writer to do, is realize when a section needs to be cut or rewritten, but as one famous writer put it; Writing IS rewriting.
Hey, thanks for the question! Now that I consider myself a (somewhat) "mature" writer, if I have trouble finishing my stories I can usually plow through until the end. And that's not easy. Basically here, I have to tell you that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Never start a story that you can't plod on through until you get to the end. Always have the ending clear (or at least an idea of it) in your mind. It helps if you don't start any other stories while your trying to finish one, I know it can be hard but stick with it. And always have a character that you like. How are you going to get your readers interested in your character if even you don't like him that much?
If you have problems going on with your story, have a talk with your character. Right now I am having this problem myself. I am trying to write a teen novel that run anywhere from 45-100 thousand words and I'm at twenty and fearing that I'm much to close to the end. I sit down to coffee with my character. (Okay, not literally!) "So, Molly--where do you think we should go with this? What do you want? And since I have a god-like presence as the author, should I let you have it?" ( I actually read a very funny T-shirt one time that said, "writer's block is when your imaginary friends stop talking to you" How true!) That helps me sometimes, although I really do have problems with the middle of the story, not always the end like it seems you may.
What do I do if I read over something that's not that good? Well, if it's savable it goes through major revisions. I will put the manuscript aside for about a week and tell myself not even to THINK about it. Then I will come back with a fresh mind to rewrite that section that I think isn't good.
If it's really terrible, I will scrap it and start over again. Sometimes that is one of the hardest things for a writer to do, is realize when a section needs to be cut or rewritten, but as one famous writer put it; Writing IS rewriting.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Question # 2
Yes! Another day, another question . . . :)
Do you ever have trouble finishing your stories?
Sometimes . . . the end is always very clear to me when I write my stories, even if the beginning isn't. (except for Appaloosy) So I usually get my stories finished. It's just after I get them finished when I realize, "oh, shoot there isn't enough meat to this story! This is supposed to be a novel and it's only 15,000 words long!" I really hate that feeling, because I find it pretty hard to go back and stuff more material in a story after I have finished writing it.
But now before I sit down to write a story, I always ask myself if I am really into it. I mean, really, who wants to write a 20-80 thousand word novel on something you aren't super interested in? When I was little, before I published Appaloosy, I would have trouble finishing the stories all the time, and there are quite a few writing tablets I have that only have a few pages of a story written in them. About an hour's inspiration worth.
Now that I am more serious about writing, I have the perseverance to just sit down and keep writing and writing, even if that nasty writer's block comes around to bother me. Sometimes certain stories take me longer than others, but I guess if you have a lot of practice like me, you have a better chance of always finishing up your important stories!
Thanks for the question!
Mattie
Do you ever have trouble finishing your stories?
Sometimes . . . the end is always very clear to me when I write my stories, even if the beginning isn't. (except for Appaloosy) So I usually get my stories finished. It's just after I get them finished when I realize, "oh, shoot there isn't enough meat to this story! This is supposed to be a novel and it's only 15,000 words long!" I really hate that feeling, because I find it pretty hard to go back and stuff more material in a story after I have finished writing it.
But now before I sit down to write a story, I always ask myself if I am really into it. I mean, really, who wants to write a 20-80 thousand word novel on something you aren't super interested in? When I was little, before I published Appaloosy, I would have trouble finishing the stories all the time, and there are quite a few writing tablets I have that only have a few pages of a story written in them. About an hour's inspiration worth.
Now that I am more serious about writing, I have the perseverance to just sit down and keep writing and writing, even if that nasty writer's block comes around to bother me. Sometimes certain stories take me longer than others, but I guess if you have a lot of practice like me, you have a better chance of always finishing up your important stories!
Thanks for the question!
Mattie
Monday, February 28, 2011
First Question !
Dear Danielle,
What do you like best about being an author? What do you like least?
The thing I like best about being an author probably is just the writing. I love closing myself up in my room to think, discover, explore a world all my own. I would really love to never be interrupted. But you know, Life comes along sometimes too.
The thing I like least?
Talking to people. Marketing books and scheduling talks. Most of all, talking to people and schoolkids though. I get so nervous, my face gets a shade paler and my mouth feels like it's full of cotton. But I think I'll get used to it someday, even if I never learn to like it.
What sort of writing do you like writing the best? (fantasy, adventure, etc)
I like writing historical fiction the most. There's a whole world for me to explore out there, and ages and ages of time to set it in. I can add fictional elements, too. (like talking horses!)
and one more:
Are these the sort of questions you're asking for?
Well, sure! Although my new blog is called Ask Me Anything, which means you can Ask Me Anything!!
Thanks for giving me some questions to answer!!
Danielle (aka Mattie)
What do you like best about being an author? What do you like least?
The thing I like best about being an author probably is just the writing. I love closing myself up in my room to think, discover, explore a world all my own. I would really love to never be interrupted. But you know, Life comes along sometimes too.
The thing I like least?
Talking to people. Marketing books and scheduling talks. Most of all, talking to people and schoolkids though. I get so nervous, my face gets a shade paler and my mouth feels like it's full of cotton. But I think I'll get used to it someday, even if I never learn to like it.
What sort of writing do you like writing the best? (fantasy, adventure, etc)
I like writing historical fiction the most. There's a whole world for me to explore out there, and ages and ages of time to set it in. I can add fictional elements, too. (like talking horses!)
and one more:
Are these the sort of questions you're asking for?
Well, sure! Although my new blog is called Ask Me Anything, which means you can Ask Me Anything!!
Thanks for giving me some questions to answer!!
Danielle (aka Mattie)
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