Maxzyne and the Old Horse Theatre

Let the Magic In

I struggled a bit when I was writing this book. I kept tinkering with the story premise - Maxzyne thinking she can communicate with a carriage horse. I definitely didn't want to feature an obvious "talking horse" like the ancient (black and white!) TV show, featuring Wilbur and his horse, Mr. Ed. Sure, my sisters and I enjoyed watching it as kids, especially when the horse said some truly comical things. But I wanted Maxzyne and Caesar's communication to be more subtle and intuitive. Less brain, more heart. When my Developmental Editor reminded me of the magical realism featured in the first Maxzyne book which was inspired by her potent imagination, it sparked the image of a magic hat. In this case, an old-fashioned carriage driver's top hat found in a stressed runaway horse's carriage. As my friend Laura Marjorie Miller, an animal communications expert writes, "It's an adage of magic that magic begins when you decide to do the magic. So your curiosity, willingness to hear and openness to possibility has already swung wide a big, heavy door." Let the magic begin.