Carmen Peone
Carmen Peone is an award-winning author of Young Adult and Contemporary Western Romantic Suspense and lives with her husband in Northeast Washington and on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation. She weaves threads of healing, hope, and horses into her stories. With a thread of romance.
Facebook: @CarmenEPeone
Twitter: @carmenpeone
Instagram: @jcpeone
Pintrest: @carmenpeone
Favorite non-reading activity?
I love to ride horses. We live in rural America, I mean in the middle of nowhere on the Colville Indian Reservation, which makes it easy for me to saddle up and hit the trail. All I have to do is ride through the pasture we grow hay in, open a gate, and out I go to hit the trial.
Late spring and early summer in eastern Washington state are the best times for wildflowers and photography. Every morning on social media I post one of my photos with a Haiku poem. My trail rides offer so many creative photos. Even in the fall, with the rich fire-color hues. The fresh air and calmness that infiltrates me when I ride have a tendency to turn on my creative juices.
Is there a work of art that you love? Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
The work of art I most want to see is an Indigenous woman representing the tribes of the Great Plains called Dignity of Earth and Sky, sometimes shortened to “Digniy” created by artist Dale Claude Lamphere. She is a statue above the Missouri River in South Dakota and stands at fifty-feet high, wears a Plains-style dress, and is receiving a star quilt.
When I gaze at her photo, her beauty and message warm my heart. She’s the perfect tribute to Native women in South Dakota and across the nation.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
Rural for sure. There’s nothing better than the outdoors. I was brought up camping, water (and snow) skiing, fishing, horseback riding, and traveling. I’ve passed the love of these adventures on to our sons and grandkids. There’s nothing better than the sound of water tumbling over rocks in a creek, the night sounds of crickets and frogs, or taking in deep breaths of clean, fresh air.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I used to collect T-shirts from my trips, but now I collect magnets. One can only wear so many tees, and the magnets are small and easy to fly with and display on decorative metal wall hangings.
What brings you great joy?
What brings me the greatest joy are my grandkids. By far! They are so much fun. I have ten of them (plus add-ons) from one year of age to adulthood. Each grand is unique, creative, and special. I figure they come to parents as a blessing and a gift after surviving our kids’ teenage years.
