Troy Horne is a dedicated father, accomplished performer, and author who turned his passion for helping young athletes succeed into a powerful mission. Drawing from a successful career as a professional musician, Broadway performer, and television actor, he recognized that the principles of high performance—discipline, resilience, skill mastery, and strategic growth—apply far beyond the stage. Inspired to help his son Moses pursue his basketball dreams, Troy immersed himself in the world of youth sports, studying what it truly takes to thrive under pressure. Through research, experience, and conversations with top minds in sports, he developed a proven framework for confidence and mental toughness that became the foundation of Mental Toughness for Young Athletes, now helping athletes and parents unlock their full potential.
Author Q&A
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Troy Horne and I’ve written about 12 books so far. It’ funny because I didn’t really set out to be an author. I just couldn’t find books that I wanted to read. The I read somewhere that Toni Morrison said the same thing and so she wrote the books she couldn’t find. That’s kinda where I am.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Middle Management: Finding Meaning, Clarity, and Success In The Second Half Of Life. I wrote it because most of the books about midlife were about inevitable declines and all that jazz. That didn’t resonate with me. I feel like at 50 you finally get it. So I wrote a book that talks about what to do with life when you finally get what it actually is.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I write in the morning. If I don’t get it done before 12 it’s a wrap. However, I do find that I can eek out a couple hundred words after dinner so I guess that’s unusual.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Toni Morrison, although I think there’s a lot of stress that comes with reading her. I also like Carter G. Woodson, Malcolm Gladwell, and Seth Godin.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a couple of books. Both are about how to make a living from your passion. That’s kinda my thing. After making a living from being a musician I’ve been on a mission to show people how to make a living from the things they love.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon is still the king. I would love to find other ones, but Amazon hands down is the best.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for your readers and not for yourself. Hey… This is specifically for those self publishers. People LOVE to talk about all of the Trad Pub writers from 1960 and before and how they wrote for themselves. Well… A lot of things have changed since then. The internet, integration, a conscious move towards equal rights, the internet. This new publishing world ain’t that. You can’t just stuff the shelves with a book and tell people it’s great and sell a bunch of copies. The book actually has to be great and has to fill a need for the reader.
Hey, you can approach publishing like it’s 1974 if you want, but I wouldn’t advise it. J
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write for your readers. I can’t say that enough. Write so that others will feel seen, helped, or validated.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading a lot, but I read controversial stuff. That’s where the real meat is. It’s also where you get the truth about life. I guess you could say I read banned books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing these books and then looking into creating my own publishing company. Marketing be hard and a lot of great writers go unread because nobody knows about them. I want to change that.
Connect with Troy on his website at https://mentaltoughnessforyoungathletes.com
Mental Toughness for Young Athletes is available for purchase through major retailers including, Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Toughness-Young-Athletes-Competitive-ebook/dp/B086TXK5M2