It’s before dawn on a Friday morning and I’m in an RV park in Amarillo, Texas. I’ve been mud-wrestling with a cold for a couple of weeks now, but I’ll make it home tonight. I can hear a train whistle close by, some eighteen-wheelers getting an early start, and my dog snoring, belly-up in bed, as I write. These words could be the lyrics of a country song, but it’s where we are. I can’t imagine a more auspicious place to launch this book, Undomesticated Women, than from my A-Frame trailer, the Rollin’ Rancho.
Maybe you know this; I’m an equine clinician. Truck dogs are crucial in my line of work. My dog, Mister, is not impressed by my occupation, and I consider it one of his finest traits.
Mister came to live with me near the end of my “non-essential” COVID-19 hibernation. In early 2022, we planned a road trip, and 14,000 miles, 30 states, and 2 oceans later, you could say we had a bit of a runaway.
I’ve written a travel memoir about the trip. It isn’t a book about how to train horses, although there are horses in it. This book is a peek behind the curtain at what this nomadic job of mine is like. The title of the book, Undomesticated Women, is a brag. I wrote about some women I feel very privileged to know.
Mister and I took to the road looking for horse training adventure and liver treats. Work paid for the trip; it was part clinic tour, part travelogue, part squirrel hunt. But mostly an unapologetic celebration of sunsets, horses, RV parks, roadkill, diverse landscapes, and undomesticated women. (And there’s a QR code in the book that links to our road trip photos on my website.)
Mister would tell you it’s his memoir about being tasked with the unreasonable job of guarding me against a wild range of dangers. Like eating dinner late.
At best, any memoir that finds its ground is a love letter to life. Not that the trip was all hearts and flowers, but that it was real in its bumpy stretches along the way. In the end, our journey added up to more sunny days than tornado watches. More inspiring people than hecklers. And more hope for this complicated world than road-weary exhaustion. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried. We’ve had a ride.
Would you like to come along? We offer you anecdotal evidence from the road! Undomesticated Women is available now in paperback and eBook form at all online sellers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and The Bookshop. Signed copies are available here.
Here’s a taste:
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Anna Blake, Relaxed & Forward
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I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from you personally on the last stop of your trip at the Hope and Healing Academy. What an adventure this must have been and what wonderful memories you must have. Can’t wait to read the book.
I included that stop in the book. Thanks Sandra.
Many congratulations! Your heart persevered, our hearts rejoice at the results!!!
Thank you, my friend. I had lots of help from the guy with the ears. Thank you forever.
Fabulous trailer! Great photos well tied in to the voiceover, just very professional IMHO❤️ Well done!
Thanks, Susan. It was fun to make.
Bravo from a fellow undomesticated woman! What a trip, what a story. I loved the book and encourage everyone to come along for the ride. Thank you Anna!
Thank you, my friend. Couldn’t have done it without you!
Yay for a new book launch!! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you to be able to make the trip and that you brought us along!! Thanks for celebrating Undomesticated Women through your own journey!
Thank you, Annette. I shared a tornado watch with you and yours!
Hello lovely lady! I will definitely be buying your new book… It’s a lifestyle I aspire to, and I’m so glad you have enjoyed your adventures and have written about it to inspire us all.
Sending loads of love from New Zealand hope your travel this way again soon. All the best, jane Lenaghan
Oh, Jane. I hope you do. I know you have so much to share. It is the best, hardest, and most rewarding job! I hope to make it back, I miss you all. Good luck, Jane, and hi to the herd.
This undomesticated woman has been trapped in a domesticated body all her life. I am in hopes that after all these years, your book will finally release me and others of us who are yearning to breathe free!
Yes. This book talks about that. The first chapter starts with “civil disobedience” of a sort. I think that pressure to be domesticated has dampened us way too long.
Just finished Undomesticated on Kindle. Had seen the book mentioned on Crissi’s page. As a fellow introvert and non-conformist, I loved it and could totally relate. Love travel logs and your approach to horses. Your conversations with Mister and GPS Woman kept me smiling. And so glad to see the A-frame here on your site – was wondering what it looked like. – Deanna Drendel, equine bodyworker, Rigaud (Quebec)
Thank you, Deanna… Glad you liked it. A-Frames are the best.
I received the book for Christmas and I am loving it!! I am hoping to work with you to learn more about training and being with horses your way. I’m also looking forward to reading your other books… I love your voice and the way you tell a story. ❤
Thanks so much, Jackie. Glad you’re liking the book.