Wisconsin native and children’s author Amber Sawyer visited the James Memorial Public Library on Oct. 28 to share selections from her two books: “Love to Race” and “Every Horse Has a Story.”

Sawyer’s books feature tales of the strong bonds of friendship between everyday kids and their horses, which are brought to life by artwork from illustrator Tami Joe Delisle.

Her first book “Love to Race,” which she wrote in 2020 to keep herself busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, tells the true-life story of Derek Bromac N., a racehorse that was born in New Zealand and had a remarkable career racing in the United States.

The focus on horses in Sawyer’s books is drawn from her own childhood experiences growing up in a family of horse racers.

“We’ve always had racing horses. Since I was young – my entire life,” Sawyer said. “That’s why I wrote the first book.” Sawyer said, adding that Derek Bromac N. is still alive and lives with Sawyer at her Wisconsin home.

Sawyer’s follow-up book, “Every Horse Has a Story,” was released in 2025 and is a series of 30 short stories that Sawyer adapted from equine tales that she heard during her travels as a horse rider and author.

“When I was on the road, everyone said ‘I have a great story about my horse,’” Sawyer said. “So I took all those stories that people offered me and I put those into that book.”

Missouri is the 22nd state that Sawyer has spoken in so far. She’s brought her books to over 300 schools and libraries across the country.

For Sawyer, a self-described horse lover, the hardest part about reading her books at story times across the nation’s libraries is keeping dry eyes.

“There’s (stories) about myself, they touch my heart a little bit more. There’s a few of the horses in the book that I’ve actually gotten to meet in person, and there’s a few (stories) in there that make me cry, so I can’t read them out loud,” Sawyer said. “I tried (to read them) then I started bawling.”

One of her favorite things about sharing her stories with children around the country is the chance to inspire kids to pick up a book.

“I like the curiosity that kids have and the eagerness of wanting to meet an author,” Sawyer said, adding that she hopes to spark interest in young readers to write books of their own. “I’ve even inspired a few kids that wanted to be authors, even a couple of adults and teenagers. Then, in the process they actually got a book published.”