Cinda Jo Bauman: Children's Book Writer & Illustrator, Cut-Paper Artist, and More!

Posts tagged ‘Effect of divorce on kids’

Thank you, Reader!

The best one yet! A brisk, engaging read for all ages.

As the third book in the Hope and Horses series, Gallop really showcases the author’s growth as a storyteller. The story’s cadence moves at a clip that keeps you turning pages. At age 73, I’m well outside the young adult target audience, but I found myself genuinely invested in the characters and the journey. It’s a heartfelt, well-paced addition to the series.

There is a sense of momentum now — like the stories are opening up rather than winding down. I hope future books continue to follow some of these same characters (children and adults alike) because it feels like they still have so much ahead of them and their mental and spiritual growth is one of the most rewarding parts of the Hope and Horses world.

Why I Wrote GALLOP

They look so happy in this photo. Seeing pictures like this, especially their wedding photo, still makes it feel impossible that they divorced when I was fifteen.

Fifteen is a rotten age for anything, but especially for watching your family split in two. My whole childhood was made of memories of them together, and suddenly those memories only made me sad. The confusion. The trust issues. The anger I didn’t know where to put. It changed everything.

I found myself revisiting those emotions while writing Book 3 of the Hope and Horses series. In GALLOP, Eli faces his parents’ divorce and a sudden relocation. His mom decides a fresh start in a rural town is the best path forward.

The story itself is not mine. The characters are not my family. But the emotions are very real.

If even one teen reads Eli’s journey and feels less alone, if they begin to believe that life can steady itself again, then the story has done what I hoped it would.

GALLOP, published by Editor-911 books, releases May 6, and this one is especially close to my heart.