Mary Kit Caelsto, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We support all furbabies, real life or fictional. We want to know all about your Fiction Furbaby, but first, please tell us about Racing Home.

Racing Home by Mary Kit Caelsto

Genre contemporary romance

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG-13

Royce Washburn and Charlie Dowes had been the “it” couple of the horse racing world until a track side accident ended the career of one of his most promising horses. After her recovery, Charlie went on with her life, going to vet school and then opening up Meadowbrook After Care, a rescue for race horses whose careers had ended. In the close world of horse racing, she kept up with Royce’s career, so when she ends up with one of his horses it’s time for Charlie to face the past…and the man she never stopped loving.

Royce Washburn worked hard to make his name in the horse racing world in spite of his family’s world famous breeding operation. Some said he got where he was on his name alone. He knew better, and he’d prove them wrong. But his breakup with Charlie has haunted him ever since and when one of his favorite horses needs rehabilitation, he can think of no one better to care for him. Perhaps, she can heal his horse and his heart.

Can they overcome their past to see the future that lays before them before it’s too late?

Meet Bugsy from Racing Home

Full name: Bugsy

Nickname: n/a

Gender: gelding

Species: horse

Physical description: Bugsy is a tall, chestnut thoroughbred racehorse. He’s lean and mean and would love to go fast except he chipped his knee and is need of a new career.

Relationship to main character: Charlie receives Bugsy at her rescue because it’s known as one of the best.

Relationship to the villain/antagonist: Royce is the owner and breeder of this horse and knows that Charlie will do right by him.

Where this furbaby came from: Royce’s farm.

Do you have any working or service animals in your stories? Tell us about them.

Many of my stories, both romance and fantasy, feature animals of some sort. I write equestrian women’s lit and romance, so there are always horses in my story. While my own horses are Quarter Horse/stock types, I have a fondness for thoroughbreds and namely OTTB (off the track thoroughbreds) who are race horses with a new career.

What inspired you to create this character?

I had written about Meadow Brook After Care (Charlie’s rescue) in my women’s lit series, Noble Dreams, because one of the characters receives horses from there to retrain. I wanted to give Charlie a happy ever after and tell her story. It seemed natural to combine that with the horse racing world of Kentucky.

What does the main character think about this furbaby?

It’s love at first sight for Charlie, who appreciates good horse breeding. Bugsy reminds her of her days as an exercise rider, which is how she met Royce, and also where the accident happened that ruined their relationship.

What does the villain/antagonist think about this furbaby?

Royce just wants a good soft landing for this horse after his injury. Because Bugsy was on track to be a champion, he’s attached to it, and wants to be sure it ends up in a good place.

What does this furbaby add to the story?

Horses have unique personalities. I see this among my four. I think having equine characters allows us to see another dimension of the human characters.

Describe a humorous incident involving the animal character.

Not sure if it’s humerous, but one of the main catalyst events in the story is that Bugsy, like any horse, is pretty much a 1000-lb toddler. He loves to get in trouble. He scratches himself in his stall and Charlie wraps him in hot pink vet wrap. While Charlie thinks it’s a bit funny to put hot pink on the gelding, Royce is not amused.

About Thunder

This post is called Fiction Furbaby, but perhaps your own pet does not have fur. If you have a pet that has fins, wings, scales, or other features, please tell us about them here.

Which, if any of the pets in your writing are modeled after your own pets? In what way?

I have four horses. My senior mare Fortune, an ex-stallion, Thunder, and their filly (who is 6 now), Firefly. I also rescued Holly from a kill pen in Kansas. So I tend to use my experience with these four as well as my own past horse experience (worked on horse farms since I was a teen) to craft my fictional equines, both real and magical.

What do your pets do when you are writing?

Stand in the pasture and eat. LOL! I take breaks to visit them, and of course there’s morning and evening feeding. My office cabin overlooks their pasture, so I’m often staring out the window at them instead of writing.

Where did you find your pet?

Thunder came to me with the property. I bought him from the seller for my mom, so technically he was her horse, but I always did most of his care and now that mom has passed away, he’s my big goofy boy.

What do you feed your pet?

Thunder lives outdoors 24/7 so he always has access to his pasture. He gets horse treats (horse cookies) and I also feed a pelleted 12% feed to him. He receives a hoof supplement and MSM.

Describe a toy or favorite item your pet loves.

They have “stall toys” called likits, which are basically probably like a big sweet tart but in horse approved flavors like carrot, apple, or mint. I haven’t tried one, but that’s how they feel. They weigh about a pound and go on a kabob that looks like an apple. I can put one of those up and Thunder and Firefly will have it gone within 20 minutes.

Where to buy Racing Home

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08972NZ29

Mary Kit Caelsto Social Media

Mary Kit Caelsto never grew out of the phase of being a “horse crazy girl”. Though she’s now over 40, she’s finally fulfilling her dream of writing equestrian books for others who haven’t grown out of being “horse crazy”. She lives in the Ozarks with her four very spoiled and very opinionated horses, as well as a large flock of poultry and enough cats to qualify her as a crazy cat lady. Her husband, though not an equestrian himself, understands and supports all her equestrian dreams.

She’s convinced three of the best things in the world are the smell of a sun warmed horse, the smell of leather tack, and making sure to hug her horses every single day.

Picture of the author and “SuperDuck” taken 3/2019. Hair color varies depending on mood.

Website https://marykitcaelsto.com

Blog https://marykitcaelsto.com/blog

Twitter https://twitter.com/charmedozarks

Facebook https://facebook.com/marykitcaelsto

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/98579871-mary-caelsto

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mary-kit-caelsto

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Kit-Caelsto/e/B079R7DPYM

Get to know Mary Kit Caelsto better by signing up for an email newsletter https://marykitcaelsto.com/newsletter

Shout out to Rob’s Rescues – founded by a 9-year-old animal activist

Rob’s Rescues is a non-profit organization in Georgia helping people in need care for and feed their pets. It was founded in 2014 by a then nine-year-old boy. Rob’s Rescues is dedicated to collecting pet food for people in need to reduce shelter surrenders, and to advocating for the adoption of shelter pets. Rob writes monthly articles advocating for shelter animals in the Around About Local Media magazine publications. His column was first published in 2014. He also has pet food collection sites for people in need in the community and interviews amazing people. His interviews appear online once they are published in his column.

Rob volunteers for Pet Buddies Food Pantry, the Cherokee County Animal Shelter and Cobb County Animal Control and collects pet food for these organizations and the communities they serve. He also wants to bring attention to smaller, rural shelters. Mostly he wants to get kids to be Rob’s Rangers to teach kids that they can help shelter animals. Rob has also talked to kids in a classroom setting.

Rob’s Rescues is a Non-Profit Corporation and all donations are tax deductible.

Website http://www.robsrescues.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robsrescues/

Twitter https://twitter.com/RobsRescues

Shout out to Ozark Regional Cats

I’m on the board of Ozark Regional Cats, a group which works to TNR (Trap Neuter Release) feral cats in the rural area of southern Missouri where I live. Learn more at https://ozarkcats.org