Monday February 4, 2013

Casual Lies: A Triple Crown Adventure

Preface

In 1990, a diminutive Thoroughbred yearling colt was purchased out of a bloodstock sale in Kentucky. Rejected as undesirable by the Thoroughbred industry, this tiny colt developed into an extraordinary racehorse. 

Three prestigious events for three-year-old Thoroughbreds comprise the Triple Crown in American racing: the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and the Belmont Stakes in New York. A woman trainer had never attempted to run a horse in all three events, and Shelley was the first as she accompanied her colt on each leg of his Triple Crown journey.

Blessed with a pure and courageous heart, Casual Lies went on to inspire everyone who came into contact with him, no one more than Shelley herself. She loved him, and this is their story. 

Dear readers,

I have been completely involved with re-writing and expanding the stories I have included in the memoir. At the same time I have been working closely with two outstanding professional editors, going through the memoir in what is called a line by line comb through. As a result I feel strongly the completed memoir is of a quality that Casual Lies and the story of our Triple Crown adventure both deserve.

The completed manuscript is currently being read by a talented Beta reader in the state of Washington, who neither knows me, nor is an avid follower of horseracing. The idea being, to isolate any horseracing terminology that may cause readers to scratch their heads, or even worse, put the book down to search the internet for answers.

Once any issues that may have come up are remedied, I will be putting the manuscript, along with at least ten photos, together with a publisher who will create both hard copies, as well as digital copies of the book that can be purchased through Amazon.

Never having been involved in self-publishing before, I am unsure how long this process will take. With any luck, whoever I work with at the publishing house will be able to give me a timeline for those of you who have already voiced an interest in a signed hard copy.

I started this posting with the preface for the memoir and once the memoir is available on Amazon, I will endeavor to make the first chapter available to read for free.

I have noticed how patient you all have been and I am very flattered that the blog is attracting so many readers from dozens of countries. I can assure you the memoir will be both entertaining, inspiring and will leave you with a sense of joy. You will get to follow along on our adventure, going behind the scenes of racing, enjoying aspects generally never seen by the public. I have had no problem poking fun at myself or sharing my intimate feelings as I wrote down my memories.

The final title for the memoir has been decided, and it is: Casual Lies: A Triple Crown Adventure

I hope you all approve, and as usual I look forward to any comments or questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Shelley Riley