There are seasons in life when we think we’ve closed a chapter for good.
We pack up the memories, the heartbreak, the what-ifs, and move on—certain that what’s ahead will be simpler, safer, better or at least different. But sometimes, life has a way of circling us back to the very place we tried to leave behind.
For me, that’s always been tied to horses.
Even during times when I wasn’t teaching or training, the smell of leather, the sight of a horse grazing, or the sound of hooves on gravel—a pile of horse manure on the side of the road—could stir something I thought I’d moved beyond. After all, for my entire life I’ve heard, “You’ll grow out of horses,” or “Teaching riding is not a real job.” I’ve had agents tell me I’d get over writing about the equestrian life and move on.
But here I am, after every time I’ve tried to make a change, circling back to what is written on my heart. When it’s a calling; a passion or a gift, you just can’t outrun it. The pull is always there. The thing that makes you complete.
In If You Follow Your Heart, Charli Lockhart learns the lesson the hard way. Ten years ago, she walked away from Meadow Lane Farm—the expectations, the grief, and the complicated legacy her family left behind. But when she’s called home again, the land and the horses she thought she’d forgotten remind her who she really is.
Sometimes you can fall in love again with an old dream, and give it a new twist. Make it your own. It means rediscovering the one you left unfinished.
That’s true in life, too.
Whether it’s a career, a community, a relationship, or a four-legged partner who once knew your every thought—what we think we must abandon, give up, or harden our heart toward merely sends us on a detour. And all along it’s quietly waiting for us to come home.
Talk about walls falling and ice cracking. It’s one thing to have the walls crumble so you can fall in love. It’s much tougher to let those walls fall so you can love yourself. And it’s funny how when the ice melts, the things you fought against turn into things you love.
So, if your life has ever surprised you with a plot twist, or if you’ve found a second chance (or ten), or if your windy road has doubled back and taken you home, you’ll understand Charli’s journey at Meadow Lane.
If You Follow Your Heart releases November 13 — a story about coming home, rebuilding trust, and finding courage in unexpected places.
Learn more here https://amzn.to/4nAvLgX
