Chosen Forever: A Memoir of a Horse, a Book, and Finding Love by Susan Richards

From the Publisher

In the heartwarming sequel to Chosen by a Horse, Susan Richards tells of the continuing gifts brought to her life by her beloved horse, Lay Me Down.

Readers cried with Susan Richards when, at the end of Chosen by a Horse, her beloved mare was laid to rest in the paddock where she had met her herd — Hot Shot, Tempo, and Georgia. Now they will cheer as Susan recounts the further wonders that came into her life as part of Lay Me Down's legacy: a bestselling book, a tour to support that book, the reconnection to friends and family who come to celebrate her success, and love— unexpected, complicated, and true.

And so Chosen Forever works its magic as a sequel of self-discovery, as Susan continues to grow into her new life. Told in charming prose with her familiar and disarming sense of humor, and featuring a new supporting cast of animal characters (a Siamese cat, two pugs, tow Labs, and appearances by horses), this is another moving tale for readers facing their own challenges at recreating their lives. Chosen Forever is the story of what happens the day after all of your dreams come true— how you learn to accept that you deserve to be happy, and how those we love continue to offer us gifts long after they are gone.

Publishers Weekly

Far better than a book tour chronicle has any right to be, Richards' follow-up to her bestseller Chosen by a Horse again shows her gift for clarity in description, of both her physical surroundings and the landscapes of her heart and mind. The publicity campaign (and cover photo) focus on Richards's surprise romance with renowned photographer Dennis Stock, who appears at one of her book signings: "I remember thinking that no one like that would ever be interested in someone like me." But he was interested, so much so that there's little suspense involved their relationship. While her observations about later-in-life love are spot-on, the heart of Richards' book is how she comes to accept herself as a worthwhile author, despite crushingly low self-esteem. As she travels around the country, reconnecting with folks from her past and addressing small audiences, she reveals an infectious passion for her craft; that Chosen by a Horse turns out to be a phenomenon, and that Stock ends up marrying her, just makes Richards's work of self-discovery sweeter.
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Kirkus Reviews

Charismatic, albeit meandering memoir about the author's discovery of love and self-acceptance while on a book tour. The book was Chosen by a Horse (2006), an account of Richards's relationship with an abused mare named "Lay Me Down" that finally got this reclusive animal lover and writing teacher into print after years of trying. The tour plucked her from isolation in upstate New York for what became a life-altering journey through small-town bookstores across the Northeast. Richards reconnected with friends and relatives she'd cut off during years of anxiety and low self-esteem, encounters that prompted her to examine the memories surrounding each of them and to grapple with her past. Bolstered by positive reviews and feedback from readers, her confidence grew. She was able to develop relationships and chat with strangers at her readings; she could even, when a self-assured older gentleman crossed her path, overcome her wariness of intimacy. Richards had experienced previous disappointments and was going through menopause, so theirs was not precisely a fairy-tale romance, even though she makes frequent use of the word "fate" when describing it. Self-conscious, cautious and analytical during the process of falling in love, the author fought feelings of being swept away. She shares all of this quite openly with readers in candid, if somewhat undirected prose that explores her fears, her past and her passions. Anxiety often takes the front seat in her narrative, which chronicles a struggle toward self-approval after a lifetime of feeling unwanted. Richards admits to being shy in person, but she's clearly comfortable in the memoir format, which tends to foster an occasionally excessiveamount of self-psychoanalysis. (She's equally at ease talking about her "baggage" or her pets.) Fortunately, her charming, self-effacing humor keeps the tone light even when she's examining darker feelings. Engaging writing by an honest self-explorer. Agent: Helen Zimmermann/The Zimmermann Agency

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