And, thank you for the encouraging words, Keith. I have a great (at least, I think so) notion for a mystery series. I am (professionally) a Horse Show geek...a Trainer, Rider, Judge, Course Designer, and also, a Steward. Horse Show Stewards act as advocates for the sport, and are hired to attend shows (all sessions,,,we can't go "off campus" while a show is in progress) to see that rules are followed, answer questions about rules and protocols, and to try to mediate disputes. Big time horse showing is BIG business now, the stakes are high, and a ton of money is involved. There are endless numbers of scenarios where people can and do try to cheat, abuse each other and their horses, and motives for murder abound! Anyway, I am playing with a story where the protagonist is a USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) Steward, and a trainer is found murdered on the horse show grounds. Of course, the police misinterpret some of the clues, because they have little knowledge of horse show "biz", but our trusty Steward, who has years of experience as a professional in the sport, is able to see past the obvious, and applies her knowledge and experience as an "insider", to solve the crime.

I can see this becoming a series. The general category would be that of a Cozy, because, I want the crimes to occur "offstage", and the violence to be minimal. My protagonist is not a Jessica Fletcher, however. She is extremely involved in the horse show world, knows all the players, and is a top level horseman in her own right. She is a "doer" rather than an observer, and uses intellect and experience as her weapons of choice.

I hope that this series would appeal to horse show buffs (There are 90,000 members of the USEF, and a bazillion other folks who love horses and the horse show world, but either don't compete, or compete at a local level.), and I would hope to make it interesting to the general public...the way that Tony HIllerman has piqued our interest in the world of the Navahos. The sport of Equestrian contains an endless supply of intense competition, wads of money, "beautiful people", sex, greed, jealousy, and is fueled by brave and enduring horses. "There are a million stories in the Naked City, and this is one of them...." Since I am older than dirt myself (66 yrs.), and have been doing this since I was 6 years old, I know alot of these stories, and it would be fun to share them with readers.

Anyway...Whaddaya think of this idea as a series? Do you think that stories from this world would appeal to American Mystery Readers? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Gay