Joanne Kennedy | Cowboy Fever and Party Fever!

Whenever I release a new book, my husband and I throw a launch party here in Cheyenne. We start out at the local Barnes & Noble, and then move over to a local watering spot to keep the party going past closing time. It’s a great chance to get all our friends together—everyone from the checkout clerk at the grocery store to my husband’s poker buddies.

Everybody loves a party, but like most writers, I’m not terribly comfortable in the spotlight. As the launch party loomed, I really wanted to make the festivities something more than myself and my books. And since some of the scenes in COWBOY FEVER were inspired by Cheyenne Therapeutic Equestrian Center (CTEC), I thought throwing a book fair in their honor at our local Barnes & Noble might be a good way to share the limelight.

My friend Laura introduced me to CTEC a few years ago when she asked me to help at her daughter Leighann’s riding session. Like Teague, the cowboy in the book, I went for the horses and stayed for the kids. I was amazed at how much of a difference the horses made, helping their riders focus and learn. Therapy riding is more than just physical therapy; it’s a chance for the kids to bond with animals, and a chance to control something in their lives

No one really knows how it feels to have autism, though people like Temple Grandin and Donna Williams have broken through the communication barriers and given us a glimpse into their world. Imagine being barraged all day by sound and stimulation that is overwhelming to the point of being painful. Imagine that language and communication are something you have to learn step by step, from making eye contact to reading facial expressions.

Horses offer a way into this learning process, and riding gives people with autism a chance to hold the reins and take control. It helps them rise above the chaos of their world and focus. When you see a child’s face brighten as she swings into the saddle, or watch a child who rarely expresses affection nuzzle a horse and whisper in its ear, you know you’re witnessing magic.  

The ladies at CTEC know how to make the magic happen—and they also know how to throw a party! They rolled into the Barnes & Noble parking lot with a complete petting zoo. Stinky the miniature stallion and his friends Oops the cow and Georgie the therapy horse spent the day outside the bookstore, charming customers into lengthening their shopping lists so a portion of their purchase could go to CTEC.

I’m proud to say that between the book fair and our after-party at a local watering spot, we raised enough money to provide scholarships for sixteen weeks of therapy riding for at five children with autism. I loved the way the hero and heroine in COWBOY FEVER worked to make a difference in their world, and I’m thrilled that the benefits have carried over into reality.

I think the best books are about more than the story, and I love it when a romance opens up a new world as it entertains you. Hopefully COWBOY FEVER will help people see how therapy riding can change the lives of children—and the lives of the adults involved, too. Thanks to my friend Laura and CTEC, I feel like I’m sharing in the process of helping kids with autism find new ways to master their world.

Joanne Kennedy

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