Love and Muddy Puddles (22 page)

Thanks to the Banks family for the inspiration for the story, especially to the 
real 
Coco, who is nothing like the book Coco and certainly hasn’t suffered through nearly as many embarrassing, muddy or vomit-filled situations. She’s also incredibly generous and not selfish at all and has excellent taste in footwear (although she doesn’t wear ballet flats much). And I’m sure she’s never had such big fights with her sister, the 
real
 Charlie, who is also lovely, funny and very talented.

Thanks to the 
real
 Ness for the horse advice. I learned a lot about round yards and body language and horse whispering. I also will probably never ever use the word ‘whinny’ again. (Apparently horses are much quieter animals than I thought.)

Thanks to the kind test readers who gave me useful feedback: Shelley A, Jessy L, Jenny S, Joana H (who got into trouble with her mum because she was reading it when she was supposed to be going to sleep... sorry Mum!), Rebecca A, Linda T, Myra, Heaven A, Gillian E, Ashton S, Nicole P, Heather Y, Lynne S who suggested some first chapter revisions and others.

Thanks always to my husband who is always supportive and to our local preschool staff who entertain and educate my own little Coco while I’m writing.

This story is fictional. I made up everything Coco did, said and thought. But it is based on real life circumstances, people and places. Yes, Budgong and Kangaroo Valley really exist. You can get a coffee at Charlie’s cafe, you can check out rocking horses at the
Wood Shop
and you can buy fishing tackle and a whole lot of other stuff at the hardware place.

You can also go for a horse ride through the amazing Aussie bush (and maybe even meet some familiar characters) if you book at 
www.kangaroovalleyhorses.com.au
.

Cecily Anne Paterson has given up sugar in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle more times than she can count. She prefers dogs over cats, acoustic guitar over electric and tea over coffee. She’d be very happy to never have to cook again in her life, although it’s not looking likely that that particular miracle will ever occur. She lives with her husband, four children and two dogs in small town New South Wales, Australia. Her literary aim is to write two books a year for the next ten years. 
 

Now. This bit is
super
important.
If you loved
Love and Muddy Puddles,
Cecily will love
you
forever if you
leave a review right here
. Easy peasy, one click. Do it now!

New authors depend on word of mouth. We seriously do. The more reviews we have, the more people will want to read our books. The more they read, the more we can keep food on our table
and
keep writing. (Cecily says: “This is why I’m giving my book to you for free – in the hope that you’ll be nice back to me and leave a review!”)

So thanks for your generosity.

If you’ve left a review (
here’s the link again – one click! Easy!
) you make it easier for Cecily Anne Paterson to write another book. And maybe another one after that.

And speaking of other books…

The sequel to
Love and Muddy Puddles
is coming. And this time, it’s all from Charlie’s point of view. There will be horses, boys, tears, triumphs, a new baby on the property (awwwwww, how cute…) and, of course, lots of mud.
 

You’re going to want to read this. Seriously. You are.

Sign up here
to be the first to know when the book is out. It’ll be by the end of 2015, for sure, but by signing up, you’ll also get to read some sample chapters, have your say on what happens and go into the running to win a signed copy. People who promise to review will get early copies for free. But to find out about it, you’ll have to sign up.
Here
. Go on. Don’t be shy.

Invisible

“Lovely... sensitive, hopeful, empowering” 
~ Cathy Cassidy

Jazmine Crawford doesn’t make decisions. She doesn’t make choices. She doesn’t make friends. Jazmine Crawford only wants one thing: to be invisible. For Jazmine, it’s a lot easier to take out her hearing aid and drift along in life pretending that nothing’s wrong than it is to admit that she’s heartbroken. But something’s got to give... and soon.

Invisible was a semi-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Book of the Year Award.

“An exquisitely written story… a stunning
account of the reinvention of a compelling and sympathetic character.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly

Invincible

Sequel to Invisible

“When I was smaller I thought that at some point in my life I’d reach the top of the mountain. You know, the place where you’re finally happy. The night I got a standing ovation in the school play was the night I got to the top. The trouble was, no one ever told me that I’d have to hike back down.” 
Finally, everything is going right for 13 year-old Jazmine Crawford. After years of being invisible, she’s making friends, talking to her mum and hanging out with Liam. But what happens when everyone around her changes? Will getting back in touch with her grandma help her cope or just make things worse? And who’s going to finally give arrogant Angela what she deserves?

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website.