For a jack of all trades who thrives on the rush of performing and live audiences, writing offers a welcome creative escape. “I love the combination of going back and forth between writing, performing and other various creative projects—it keeps me on my toes,” says Carrie Seim, author of Horse Girl and the new book, Horse Camp: A Horse Girl Mystery.
“If you want to be a writer, you have to get comfortable with solitude and almost becoming friends with your own brain and your imagination,” Seim notes. “Performing or writing with others is different and really lights up another side, and that creative collaborative process just fuels everything.” She cites writing for television series as a prime example, calling it a “group effort,” where “you get to touch on the best of everything.” Seim’s Horse Girl series was recently optioned by a production company and is currently in development as a live-action series.
A former globe-trotting travel writer, Seim grew up in Nebraska before moving to big cities like Los Angeles and New York City. She draws on her own personal experiences to craft her fictional characters’ journeys.
“As a little girl, I rode with my sister, and we attended horse camp,” Seim recalls. “But I quickly found out that I was severely allergic to horses. And pre-Claritin, I knew that I wouldn’t ever be able to ride the way I had dreamed of.”
While her sister became the rider, Seim found joy in supporting and cheering her on. “The Horse Girl books really are a love letter to my sister and sisters in general,” she says.
A PASSION FOR PAGES
“I have always wanted to write a book, but just assumed it would be an adult rom-com,” reflects Seim. It was a similar sentiment she felt about writing children’s television series back when she was performing live at Groundlings, an improv comedy theater in LA. “It just proves that comedic skill transcends all ages and audiences,” she says.
Seim had just finished writing for two children’s Nickelodeon variety specials when she unexpectedly encountered a book editor on a canoe on the Long Island Sound. “It was far from the usual publishing path,” jokes Seim. A mutual friend had built the vessel and had invited both to its inaugural paddle. When the editor mentioned he was always looking for funny book ideas for with young girls, Seim, feeling prepared for that exact moment, pitched her idea for Horse Girl.
When creating characters for the first Horse Girl book, Seim believed that simply loving her characters would be enough and began writing without an outline. “Halfway through I realized that was a bad decision and took a pause,” she explains.
During this break, Seim was hired by Audible to write The Flying Flamingo Sisters as an audiobook. Determined not to make the same mistake twice, she wrote a very detailed outline, which proved incredibly helpful. She later returned to Horse Girl to rework the draft. “The adage that ‘writing is rewriting’ is so true,” she says.
A FAMILIAR VOICE
While most audiobooks feature narrators other than their authors, Seim’s background in comedy and performing made her the natural choice to read her own story. “I still had to audition, just like everyone else though,” Seim notes. “I did a lot of rehearsing in my closet and recorded Horse Girl there during the pandemic.”
The deeply personal connection Seim has with her work goes far beyond the performance aspect; her own life and family are the muse for her storytelling.
Family lies at the heart of Seim’s work. “I touch on the dynamics between siblings—the arguing, the heart, wildly different interests and passions,” says Seim. “They are all inspired by my sister Lindsay, who is an actor, writer and equestrian.”
The Flying Flamingo Sisters series, which follows three sisters on an aviation adventure, was inspired by Seim’s grandfather, a pilot in a 1930s flying circus where he performed ariel acrobatics and death-defying stunts.
LIFE BEYOND THE KEYBOARD
Seim and her husband Clarke split their time between Darien and New York City, embracing the best of both worlds. Seim cherishes her life in Fairfield County—connecting with incredible neighbors, librarians, teachers and the welcoming community at local independent bookstores like Darien’s Barrett Bookstore and New Canaan’s Elm Street Books. “There’s no better place to be as a writer and a reader,” she boasts.