Advanced Equine Studies

08/21/2026

If you love historical mysteries set against the backdrop of the international equine world, take a look at this thoughtful new review for my novel Zen: The Anatomy of the Perfect Crime. Hardcover (signed) books are available on my website www.mouseholefarm.com and on Amazon worldwide for ebooks, print-on-demand softcover, and audiobooks. While Zen is part of the Griegg and Eastwood series, it is crafted completely as a standalone mystery. Here is the review:
I just read Zen: The Anatomy of the Perfect Crime, and what stands out immediately is its sophistication. This is a mystery that trusts its readers. Rather than relying on brute suspense alone, it blends international intrigue, cultural texture, and moral reflection into a story that feels intelligent, measured, and deeply satisfying.
The equestrian world gives the novel a distinctive edge. By centering the stakes on Zen and his abducted horse, the story introduces urgency without resorting to familiar crime tropes. The benefit to readers is freshness. Even those well-versed in international thrillers are drawn into a setting and subculture that feels authentic, elegant, and rarely explored in depth.
Griegg and Eastwood are particularly compelling as investigators. Their movement across Poland, Switzerland, and the United States reinforces the sense that this is a truly global mystery. The inclusion of World War II era lost treasure and art smuggling adds historical gravity, giving the crime resonance beyond personal gain. Readers benefit from layered storytelling where past actions ripple meaningfully into the present.
The use of early social media as a strategic tool is another strength. It grounds the story in a transitional moment in modern history, showing how emerging technology reshapes power, exposure, and control. The benefit here is plausibility. The mystery feels clever rather than contrived, and readers enjoy watching intelligence and patience outmaneuver force.
The closing reflection on karma is especially effective. Instead of a tidy wrap-up, the novel leaves readers contemplating consequence, justice, and accountability. This elevates Zen from a puzzle to be solved into a story that lingers. For many readers, that lingering impact is what transforms a good mystery into a memorable one.
- Janice Blair

08/21/2026

Here is the latest review of Pip and Thunderstruck Adventure books (Available on Amazon worldwide for $10-$12 USD): I’ve just finished reading The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Pip Makes a Friend, and I am completely charmed. This is far more than a simple story about a lost mouse; it’s a tender, beautifully paced introduction to friendship, courage, and belonging, all seen through the eyes of a creature so small that every hedge and stream becomes a grand adventure. Pip’s journey from Honeysuckle Farm into the enchanted forest is one of the oldest stories we know—the leaving of home, but you tell it with such warmth and lightness that the fear never overshadows the wonder.
What makes this book quietly remarkable is how naturally it teaches without ever feeling like a lesson. The instant friendship between Pip and Thunderstruck unlikely across such differences in size and species models something children absorb far more readily through story than through instruction: that kindness doesn’t require sameness, and that the daunting task of finding your way home is far less frightening with a friend beside you. Nikki Alvin-Smith’s praise hits the mark perfectly. This is a book that helps children see the world through a lens of kindness and individuality, simply by letting Pip and Thunderstruck be exactly who they are.
There’s also a smart craft choice worth noting: by ending with “stay tuned for more adventures,” [author Andrea Steele] has done more than close a chapter; she opened a world. Digby Dale, Honeysuckle Farm, and the unlikely pair of Pip and Thunderstruck are clearly built to hold many more stories, and that kind of series architecture, done well from book one, is often what turns a book a child reads once into a world they return to again and again.
In a landscape of children’s books that often rush to deliver a moral before earning it, [Steele’s] voice arrives with patience, gentleness, and genuine delight in its characters. This book speaks directly to young readers just beginning to explore the world beyond their own front door and to the parents reading alongside them, who are searching for stories that reassure as much as they entertain. It bridges the space between a bedtime story and the start of a beloved series.
The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck has the kind of warmth that builds a devoted young readership over time, book by book, adventure by adventure. It doesn’t just ask to be read once; it invites revisiting and following.—JD Caron

08/11/2026

The love of horses starts in the hearts of children! 🐴✨

As a lifelong rider and producer of Advanced Equine Studies, bringing these children’s adventure books to life has been pure joy—and seeing how they resonate with young readers means the world.

Here’s what a recent reader of Pip and Thunderstruck had to say (Books available on Amazon worldwide for $10-$12 USD):

I’ve just finished reading The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Pip Makes a Friend, and I am completely charmed. This is far more than a simple story about a lost mouse; it’s a tender, beautifully paced introduction to friendship, courage, and belonging, all seen through the eyes of a creature so small that every hedge and stream becomes a grand adventure. Pip’s journey from Honeysuckle Farm into the enchanted forest is one of the oldest stories we know—the leaving of home, but you tell it with such warmth and lightness that the fear never overshadows the wonder.
What makes this book quietly remarkable is how naturally it teaches without ever feeling like a lesson. The instant friendship between Pip and Thunderstruck unlikely across such differences in size and species models something children absorb far more readily through story than through instruction: that kindness doesn’t require sameness, and that the daunting task of finding your way home is far less frightening with a friend beside you. Nikki Alvin-Smith’s praise hits the mark perfectly. This is a book that helps children see the world through a lens of kindness and individuality, simply by letting Pip and Thunderstruck be exactly who they are.
There’s also a smart craft choice worth noting: by ending with “stay tuned for more adventures,” [author Andrea Steele] has done more than close a chapter; she opened a world. Digby Dale, Honeysuckle Farm, and the unlikely pair of Pip and Thunderstruck are clearly built to hold many more stories, and that kind of series architecture, done well from book one, is often what turns a book a child reads once into a world they return to again and again.
In a landscape of children’s books that often rush to deliver a moral before earning it, [Steele’s] voice arrives with patience, gentleness, and genuine delight in its characters. This book speaks directly to young readers just beginning to explore the world beyond their own front door and to the parents reading alongside them, who are searching for stories that reassure as much as they entertain. It bridges the space between a bedtime story and the start of a beloved series.
The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck has the kind of warmth that builds a devoted young readership over time, book by book, adventure by adventure. It doesn’t just ask to be read once; it invites revisiting and following.—JD Caron

07/18/2026

New review for Pip and Thunderstruck!!! "I’ve just finished reading The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Pip Makes a Friend, and I am completely charmed. This is far more than a simple story about a lost mouse; it’s a tender, beautifully paced introduction to friendship, courage, and belonging, all seen through the eyes of a creature so small that every hedge and stream becomes a grand adventure. Pip’s journey from Honeysuckle Farm into the enchanted forest is one of the oldest stories we know—the leaving of home but you tell it with such warmth and lightness that the fear never overshadows the wonder.
What makes this book quietly remarkable is how naturally it teaches without ever feeling like a lesson. The instant friendship between Pip and Thunderstruck unlikely across such differences in size and species models something children absorb far more readily through story than through instruction: that kindness doesn’t require sameness, and that the daunting task of finding your way home is far less frightening with a friend beside you. Nikki Alvin-Smith’s praise hits the mark perfectly. This is a book that helps children see the world through a lens of kindness and individuality, simply by letting Pip and Thunderstruck be exactly who they are.
There’s also a smart craft choice worth noting: by ending with “stay tuned for more adventures,” [the author] has done more than close a chapter; she opened a world. Digby Dale, Honeysuckle Farm, and the unlikely pair of Pip and Thunderstuck are clearly built to hold many more stories, and that kind of series architecture, done well from book one, is often what turns a book a child reads once into a world they return to again and again.
In a landscape of children’s books that often rush to deliver a moral before earning it, [the author’s] voice arrives with patience, gentleness, and genuine delight in its characters. This book speaks directly to young readers just beginning to explore the world beyond their own front door and to the parents reading alongside them, who are searching for stories that reassure as much as they entertain. It bridges the space between a bedtime story and the start of a beloved series.
The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck has the kind of warmth that builds a devoted young readership over time, book by book, adventure by adventure. It doesn’t just ask to be read once; it invites revisiting and following."—JD Caron
Buy on Amazon worldwide $12.00 USD See less

05/27/2026

Pip & Thunderstruck books will be sold at the upcoming Car Show to benefit fit the CT Draft Horse Rescue.

04/08/2026

I am so grateful for the book reviews I receive - this is the latest from the publisher at the prestigious Xenophon Press. The picture below is the final illustration in the book where the characters pose for a painting to honor their friendship. The new book will be available to buy soon.
Review of The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Friends on High Places:
I picked this up expecting a simple children’s story. It’s better than that. What carries the book is the relationship between Pip and Thunderstruck. It feels natural—one impulsive, one steady—and it never slips into sentimentality. That balance gives the whole story its footing.
The writing is clean and moves well. There’s a clear problem, a proper journey, and a resolution that makes sense. Nothing feels forced. The introduction of Auntie and the highlands expands the world without losing the thread.
What I appreciated most is that the book doesn’t preach. The lessons are there—responsibility, honesty, doing right by others—but they come out of the story itself. The watch episode, especially, is handled simply and effectively.
Pip’s voice is believable. Curious, a little reckless, but not overdone. That’s harder to get right than it looks, and it works here. If anything, the middle lingers a touch, but not enough to lose the reader.
Overall, this is a well-made story with real warmth. It knows exactly what it is and delivers it cleanly. —Richard Williams, Publisher, Xenophon Press LLC, www.XenophonPress.com

03/27/2026

Another happy P&T reader left this review: The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck carries a beautiful sense of wonder—the journey of friendship and kindness wrapped in a magical setting makes it truly special for young readers.
The second adventure: Friends in High Places comes out in April, so if you haven't read the first book: Pip Finds a Friend - buy it now on Amazon (ebook $2.99 or softcover $10.95) I wrote Pip & Thunderstruck so adults would love reading it too...and they do!

The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck

03/13/2026

We've got our cover for the second The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck book!!!

02/22/2026

My next book, “The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Friends in High Places” (book two in the series), will be available in approximately two months. To no surprise, there will be a “mouse overboard” moment. Luckily, Pip lands in the soft reeds and not in the chilly waters of the Digby Dale Canal!
(If you read P&T Book One: Pip Finds a Friend, you might spot the "easter egg" hidden in this illustration - don't give it away.)

01/26/2026

The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck is just a click away:

The Adventures of Pip and Thunderstruck: Pip Makes a Friend