Archive for January, 2008.
Howdy all! It’s great to be back in Wildflower Junction. I’ve missed my P&P Fridays!
I really enjoyed Cheryl’s post yesterday and it got me to reevaluating my topic for today. One of the main reasons I love Romance is that guarantee that no matter the struggles our hero and heroine’s go through, good will always prevail over evil…and the cowboy will always get his gal–once she’s put him through his proper paces, of course. But what about our villains? Can they also find hope and redemption through the course of our hero and heroine’s journey? Do we want them to find new peace and understanding so that they can have a happy ending as well…or are they so bad they simply…have got to go? A year or so ago I began writing and exploring a new kind of villain…bad guys who earn their villain moniker, but have chinks on their hardened exterior, revealing a somewhat chivalrous intention behind their dastardly deeds, and a vulnerability in their character which gives them an eery appeal, and room to grow.
A few nights ago I rewatched one of my favorite movies, 3:10 to Yuma. While this film 
lacks a central romance, it has villain characterization in spades! Aside from absolutely stunning dialogue (not a single word wasted), I’m enthralled by the villains of this movie—and there is a whole cast of them! A bounty hunter, the deputy henchman of the railroad, and a band of murdering thieves (among others). These villains have varying degrees of villainy, and at the center of them all is the bible-quoting bad-guy ringleader, Wade—a fast gun with a quick mind and a cold heart. And yet, from the beginning we’re given glimpses of decency in this villain, his tendency to protect the innocent. He seems to admire those who try to live an honest life. Even though at times his claims otherwise, he defends the true good guys at the risk of his own life.
Is Wade bad? Oh yeah! He’s a hardened killer, and professes to be rotten as hell. And yet, he also reveals a method to his badness. While the bounty hunter and the railroad henchman wear the facade of good guys, it’s the villain Wade who sees them from what they are—the kind of men who don’t mind harming the innocent for personal gain. For the truly bad, 
this villain has no mercy. The second in command of Wade’s band of thieves is the brand of villain I started out with in my first few westerns. Charlie enjoys the power of evoking fear and doesn’t show any discretion between shooting an opponent or an innocent. His loyalties don’t go beyond idolizing his leader and seeking his own enjoyment—which turn out to be his downfall. In the end, it’s the main villain who chooses good over evil, and yet…he’s still bad.
One of my favorite Wade quotes, just before he tosses a man off a cliff who’d insulted his mother, is, “Even bad men love their mamas.” As this movie progresses, you begin to see just how large a role his mama played in developing this villain’s character. At eight years old, he was a good boy who did as his mother told him. He sat at a train station and read the bible from cover to cover, just as his mother instructed, finishing it in three days. Even at eight, he was a wiz, and the bible quotes suddenly become very poignant…and sad. Every time this movie ends I’m left wondering if his mama had green eyes. Anyone else have that thought after watching this movie? If you haven’t seen it yet—it’s a MUST for any western fan!
I’ve developed a real appreciation for villains who can tug at my 
heartstrings. In my latest western MAVERICK WILD (Out this month!), I had a lot of fun with a cast of villains. While some simply have their day of reckoning, there are others who emerge with a new outlook on life and the distruction they cause for Chance and Cora Mae–though one or two may be forced into finding true remorse for their actions of ill intent 
How about you…do you love those villains you don’t know wether to curse or root for?
There are several questions authors are asked regularly, so we either give the same old answer or we’re constantly on the lookout for a new and interesting reply. Like this question for example: Where do you get your ideas?
Trust me, there isn’t a writer who isn’t rolling her internal eyeballs and groaning at this question. Well, I get my ideas from brownies. Did you bring any?
When are you going to write a real book?
Excuse me? When they stop paying me so well to write these fake ones.
No, I mean why do you write romance?
Big question. No quick answer. I write romance for the same reason I’ve read romance for so many years. For the same reason that first one awakened something inside me to the vast possibilities and challenging scenarios in this genre. I love romances. I love losing myself in the emotional adventures of two diverse characters, destined to be together.
I guess I want to believe that there’s somebody for everyone, and that under just the right circumstances and with a bit of that magic we call romance, happily-ever-afters are within our reach.
Before you scoff and call me a Pollyanna, I assure you I’m enough in tune with reality to lock my doors and warn my children of strangers. I watch the news and I see the state of our world. But what do we have if we don’t have hope?
Romance is all about hope.
Several years ago I received the most memorable letter I’ve ever received from a reader. She told me how much she’d enjoyed my book, how she identified with the characters and how she’d cried for the heroine. Like the character in my story, she’d been stalked and beaten by someone who should have loved her. Unlike my character however, the reader has permanent nerve damage to her arm. Her story touched me so deeply that I wept.
This dear person’s true life story forced me to consider what I was doing. I sat at my desk thinking how shallow my work is. I mean, I make all this stuff up! I order peoples’ lives about and manipulate them to suit my plots — but it’s all fiction. While I sit in my comfortable climate controlled office with every possible convenience at my fingertips, sipping cup after cup of coffee and tea and munching M&Ms, out there in the world are people experiencing devastating hurts and losses and traumas.
In that light, what I do seems so inconsequential.
That thinking lasted about, oh, ten minutes. And then it came to me — I realized why this young reader had been touched so profoundly by my story. She said she hoped that some day she would meet a man like my hero, a man who would love her that same way. She had hope.
Romance is about hope.
We invest our time in the characters in these stories because we know that no matter what dilemmas befall them, no matter what obstacles they face or which conflicts arise, in the end love will conquer all; good will win over evil; and a happily-ever-after will prevail. Each of us hopes there is a special someone out there, a special man or woman who will love us unconditionally and fill that place created in our heart just for them. Romance brings our hopes to life.
Through these stories of love and commitment, we experience the fulfillment of the human dream. What better reason do we need to love romance than a desire to be swept away between the pages of a book filled with excitement and expectation? I write romance because I want to share the same sweeping emotions with my readers that have been shared with me by my favorite writers. I want to feel. I want to experience the excitement of falling in love over and over, of facing my fears and winning over seemingly impossible odds.
I write romance because I believe in it.
Why do you read it?
I love lists. I have them all over the house–on the refrigerator, on my desk, in the bathroom, in my head.
I write fulltime, but I also work fulltime outside the home, so I need lists to keep track of all the things I must do. I *feel* better knowing I’m organized. Or at least thinking I am. And I feel gratified in seeing all those little tasks that I’ve completed being crossed off.
As I write this, I’ve just agreed to a new three-book contract with my publisher. The very same day brought the arrival of a new granddaughter. We’re in the process of building a new addition onto our kitchen.
And here we are–starting a brand new year.
Time for another list.
With all these changes going on, I have to keep my writing foremost. And since I’ve got the urge to stretch, try something bigger, I have to keep myself focused, super-organized and motivated.
I know many of you out there are writers. Here’s a few ideas I use to keep focused on writing:
*Write every day. It’ll become a habit. You’ll see a boost in your creativity. You’ll develop more ideas, too.
*Read, read, read. But do so slowly and pay attention to word choice. Study dialogue and character development. Consider the techniques your favorite authors use and then apply them to your own writing.
*Resist the impulse to overdo. This is a big one for me. Learn to say no. Cut back on distractions like email or computer games. But also take the time for relaxation and fun. The mind needs to replenish itself.
*Acknowledge that none of this is easy. Your family will have to pitch in and help you. Sacrifices will have to be made. You’ve got a lifestyle change to make!
*Find resources to help. Support your need to write with how-to books, your very own writing space, and a community of other writers doing what you’re doing.
My list sounds like a New Years Resolution list, doesn’t it? What better time to make resolutions than right now? Start a list of goals–or make just one big goal!
A good plan, right? Unfortunately, fewer than 10% of people who make resolutions keep them.
I intend to be part of that 10%. How about you?
Here’s another list that might help.
*Write your goals down. It’s a proven fact that doing so will help you succeed.
*Commit. Make the decision to write (or whatever you want to do) and stick with it. Consider a goal-making ceremony to symbolize that commitment.
*Tell people.
*Get accountability. See above. Share your goals intentions with a group of someones who will ask you on a regular basis how you’re doing.
*Do a Goal Check-In. Before you decide what you’re going to resolve for the year, make sure you can answer an enthusiastic “YES!” to the following list of questions:
–Am I the real reason for setting this goal? (And not your husband, kids, mother, boss?)
–Do I feel alive and energized by this goal?
–Will this goal help me ahieve my life purpose or mission?
*Take a second look at your goal. Is it the same one you resolved last year? Or the year before? What makes you think you can accomplish it THIS year?
*Keep focused with reminders. Post them on your bathroom mirror. Or computer monitor. Or your palm pilot. Or your cell phone. Whatever works for you.
*Believe in yourself. Visualize yourself as successfully achieving your goal.
What about all you non-writers? Does a new year compel you to be more organized, too?
*Make a list! Here’s a fun site where you can print off all kinds of colorful lists. Best of all, they’re free!
http://www.allfreeprintables.com/checklists/index.shtml
Is your goal to have a cleaner house? Here’s a fun site that will give you tons of motivational tips. You can even sign up to to receive weekly emails–and yep, it’s all free!
www.flylady.net
*Have over-stuffed closets? Go through them and keep only the clothes that fit, that you love, and that bring your compliments. Get rid of the rest.
*Have too much make-up and toiletries cluttering your bathroom? Instead of buying multiple products, buy moisturizers, cleaners and creams that do multiple jobs. Toss expired medicines, old brushes and sponges.
*Use colorful baskets to organize office space, play areas, mudrooms.
So go for it, my friends. Make lists! Stick to your goals!
Let us know if you’re feeling motivated! Are you ready for a fresh start in 2008?
When have you picked up a western romance book to read that didn’t have some kind of law enforcement hero? I’ve noticed that an overwhelming number of stories feature marshals, sheriffs, Texas or Arizona Rangers, bounty hunters, and Pinkerton agents. And little wonder, because those occupations tend to breed larger than life heroes. Not that I’m saying the ordinary man can’t be a memorable hero. Heroes spring to life wherever there are people—the man who struggles to provide for his family, the rancher who’s trying to hold onto a piece of land by his fingernails—any man or woman who faces long odds and certain loss, yet overcomes. A hero is someone who gives his all for a belief in justice and right, knowing full well he might lose, and plunges ahead anyway. He has unwavering conviction that he can make a difference. And he’s someone people respect above all else.
In the settlement of the West, sometimes law-enforcers were few and far between. Circumstances bred lawless men who ran roughshod over the weak. Oftentimes, the ordinary citizen took it upon himself to protect and defend. Ordinary people with grit and determination filled the gaps and helped carve out a land free of outlaws and greedy land barons. I’ve put together a list of the most written about heroes. I wish I’d known some of these facts when I wrote my first three books which featured a bounty hunter hero, a Texas Ranger, and an ex-Confederate spy. Almost all my books have a sheriff or marshal in them and at times I used the two professions interchangeably. <groan> I didn’t exactly know the distinction between them. Until now.
U.S. Marshals — the first federal organization to come into being. George Washington and the Continental Congress created the service in 1789. Marshals are federally appointed, not elected, and they served a certain territory and still do 
today. Their authority extends to everything within that territory. Where states had not yet formed, the U.S. Marshal provided the only law. Their primary function was to support and defend the federal courts. They had wide authority in enforcing every aspect of the law, handling disputes, and carrying out death sentences. They also disbursed and accounted for monies used in running the courts. While I’m not exactly sure, I assume U.S. Marshals paid the bounty money for outlaws. The marshals were not put on an annual salary until 1896. Before that, they worked on a fee system, collecting set amounts for performing particular tasks. Strangely, from 1790 to 1870 they were ordered to take the census every ten years, a fact I didn’t know. U.S. Marshals reported directly to the Secretary of State until 1861 when Congress created the Department of Justice.
U.S. Marshals hired as many dupties as needed to perform their duties. Another odd piece of information:
U.S. Marshals had no official headquarters until around 1972. Kinda interesting.
Sheriffs –- Elected by the citizens of a town and paid by the city officials to perform their duties. Their jurisdiction was limited to the county in which they served. Their primary duty was to keep the peace, uphold the law, and maintain the jail. They acted in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals, but had limited authority. Sheriffs hired deputies and formed posses when needed. The sheriff also served as the tax collector for the county.
Texas and Arizona Rangers –- I can’t think of any tougher law enforcement groups more honored and more deserving than the
Texas and Arizona Rangers. Rangers to this day offer untold service to their respective states. Some of their duties include: 
protect life and property, handle special criminal investigations, quell disturbances, serve as officers of the court at a judge’s request, and suppress criminal activity in any area where local officials are unable or unwilling to maintain law and order. A Ranger’s authority extends throughout the entire state, not curtailed by city or county boundaries. Directly under the governor, they act as an army at times while at others they’re like a police force. The Texas Rangers organized in 1823 when Stephen F. Austin got together a group of men to protect the frontier. Each ranger had to furnish his own horse and firearm. He received $1.25 a day. They were called upon to handle the toughest assignments, usually in conflicts where they were severely outnumbered – “one ranger for one riot” kind of thing. The Arizona Rangers were formed in 1882 under the territorial governor. They were the exact counterpart of the Texas Rangers. The Arizona State Congress abolished them in 1909 but they were reformed years later.
Bounty Hunters – People aren’t quite sure where bounty hunters sit when it comes to being a good guy or a bad one. Some writers make them more the villains than the hero, but bounty hunters began as law enforcers. A lot of them served in the capacity of deputy U.S. marshals. Others worked directly with sheriffs in apprehending criminals. Bounty hunters freed up the marshal’s or the sheriff’s time so they could focus on their normal duties and they performed a valued service. Of course, I’m sure there were rogue bounty hunters and that’s probably what led to their tarnished reputations. Today bounty hunters track down bail jumpers.
Pinkerton Agents –- A detective agency founded in 1850 by Allen Pinkerton. They operated nationwide, working for railroad and stage companies. Their logo was the image of an eye and their motto was “We Never Sleep.” Hence, the term private eye. They performed some of the same work now assigned to the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service. In 1861 while investigating a railroad case, the agency uncovered and foiled a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln on his way to the inauguration. They sometimes used heavy-handed tactics and it sullied their reputation. However, it continued as a family-owned operation until 1967.
Matt Dillon at 6’7” is probably the best known TV marshal. And Steve McQueen made an excellent, fair-minded bounty hunter in Wanted Dead or Alive. But do you have other favorites? Or maybe you learned something you never knew before about law-keepers in the Old West.
I’m really happy to be in the saddle again here on Pistols and Petticoats.
It’s a new year, and I’m – sigh – a year older, having the distinction of a New Year’s Day birthday.
It seems so long since my last post, this will probably be a scattered mess of this and that.
But to address Jacquie’s post yesterday about passions, I thought I would elaborate on mine: books. And how much books have meant to generations of my famly.
I’ve often thought how lucky I’ve been – growing up in a family that valued books as much as they did food and lodging. They never considered books luxuries. They were as important to my family as meat on the table, far more important than a vacation, far more valuable than such new fangled inventions as television.
So I thought I would share this last story with how much books meant to generations of my family. My brother has a book dating back to pre-Revolution America that has survived during generations. Among my most priceless possessions is a set of books, “The Real America in Romance,” copyright, 1909. The title demonstrates I came by my interests naturally for my grandfather bought this series in the Arizona desert nearly a hundred years ago.
It’s a lovely set of leather-bound books which tells history through the eyes of fictional characters. The history is good, and often there’s a fine romance involved. I grew up on those books as well as sets of encyclopedias which improved as our financial situation improved.
The story of how my grandfather came to have these books is as fascinating to me – well, almost – as the books themselves.
As I reported before, My grandfather was a wanderer, an adventurer, a man always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And thus he took his family to homestead in the Arizona desert. Money was very scarce along with water.
But whenever he heard of a drummer in the vicinity, he rode out to see if he had any books for sale. My grandmother, who was also an avid reader and was a writer in her own right (poetry and rhymes for greeting cards) was, alas, more practical and deemed food more important.
So grandfather would hide his new found treasures behind other books where he didn’t think his wife would find them. When she found the book, Will would catch hell, but always maintain, “that old book has been around here forever – you just forgot abaout it, and besides,” he would add slyly, “if you kept a better house, you wouldn’t be putting books where no one can find them.” Then the books would go up, beside another that had been purloined in a like manner.”
I think that’s my favorite of all stories about those years in southern Arizona (there are others about the Harvey Girls, a fruitless search for gold with an old miner and a mule (a disaster), and my father playing with a rattlesnake.
But it was always the story of the books that captured my imagination. Now here was a man with the right priorities. It’s a passion that has been given from one generation to another. My parents enrolled my brother and myself in the Junior Literary Guild when I was very young. It was the best investment they could imagine. My brother is never without a book. My nieces and nephews and their children all love books. My gift from my niece this year was “501 Must-Read Books.”
I think it all came from that bigger-than-life legend who went hunting for drummers to spend what little he had on books. I never met him. He died before I was born, but he’s always been a presence in our family.
So how did you learn to love reading and books? Did your family grow the love in you or did you just gravitate to it? Or did a teacher light a spark?
___
I announced a contest just before our Christmas break. The winners are Taryn Raye and Christyne Butler. If you will email me at papotter@aol.com with your address, I’ll send you one of my westerns.
Thanks to Jacquie for a great weekend!
Jacquie drew a name for an autographed copy of Colorado Pickup Man — and the lucky winner is:
Stephanie D! Whoo hoo!
Stephanie, please send your address to Jacquie right away at JMGreenfield@fmtcs.com and she’ll get that book out to you. Enjoy!
Filly # 9 – Karen Kay
Filly # 8 – Elizabeth Lane
Filly # 7 – Pam Crooks
Filly # 6 – Geralyn Dawson
Filly # 5 – Charlene Sands
Filly # 4 – Mary Connealy
Filly # 3 – Linda Broday
Filly # 2 – Cheryl St.John
Filly # 1 – Stacey Kayne
Darlings, ah know you’re about to die of curiosity, so without further ado, here’s the news fresh off the press. Ah know you’re saying hallelujah to that. 
Jennifer Y is the big winner!
Yep! She guessed correctly all nine Fillies. Not exactly sure how she did it, but we’ll give her a loud hurrah! I say she’s one good game player. We’ll be contacting her for her address, and we’ll get her prizes (a 2008 Studs ‘n Spurs wall calendar, a Bonanza TV show DVD set, and a hunky cowboy mousepad) sent.
But, I’m not done. No siree. Crystal B, we also have a consolation prize for you on account of being the runner-up. Crystal B picked eight out of nine correct answers and the Fillies wants to reward her for her effort. She’ll also get a 2008 Studs ‘n Spurs wall calendar. Crystal B., you’ll be hearing from us!
Congratulations, girls!! Never let it be said that the Fillies don’t know how to have fun. We surely do love giving away prizes and makin’ folks happy. We’re already cookin’ up another big contest so don’t go too far.
First of all, thank you so much for inviting me to guest blog among such an elite group of authors. My cowboy hat’s off to all of you and your stories of inspiration, mystery, and especially the romance. Gotta love those hunky cowboys in chaps and tight-fitting Wranglers! J
I just celebrated the release of my debut novel, Colorado Pickup Man, and I can’t tell you how thrilling these past few months have been. I’m even getting my very own fan mail from people all around the world! As a brand new author, I want to thank all of you who have sent me your heartfelt wishes and encouragement. You are truly a blessing!
I’m sure by now you’ve all made your New Year’s resolutions…you know, eat healthier, exercise more, cut out caffeine, quit smoking, quit drinking, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I’m here to add a much better suggestion to your list…Read a romance novel once a week and journey to places you’ve never been before! Travel into the past and solve a train robbery. Grab a horse and ride into the mountains where you’ll unravel a hundred year-old mystery or rekindle an undying romance with your first true love. You just can’t go wrong with a good romance on a cold winter’s day, curled up in a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa. (Unless, of course, you’re on some tropical island in the South Pacific with a strawberry margarita!)
At any rate, the topic of resolutions is always at the forefront of everyone’s mind this time of year. But I’m not here to give you a pep talk and a “you can do it” speech. Instead, I’d like to ask you all a simple question: What makes you get out of bed every morning?
No, I’m not talking about nature calling or because the cat is looming over you with a can of tuna in his mouth. What I would love to find out from everyone, is what is your passion? What makes you forget all about your aches and pains and family obligations and financial struggles or marital tribulations and on and on and on?
Okay, so this is not such a simple question after all. And if you had asked me that eight years ago, I would have said something like, “If I didn’t get up in the morning, my kids would miss the bus, or my husband would be late for work.” Don’t misunderstand me, I love getting up and being a mom and I cherish every day I have with my kids and my husband. But I sensed that there was still something missing in my life.
What happened eight years ago, you ask? It was the year my twins entered kindergarten, and I experienced my first “empty nest.” I was a stay-at-home-Mom, standing in our walk-in “toy closet”, straightening a thousand and one games and puzzles for the millionth time, and I looked up to the ceiling and asked, “God? Is this what you want me to do the rest of my life?” Reba McIntire’s song, “Is there life out there?” struck an all too familiar chord. Let me reemphasize that I’ve always wanted to be married and have kids. I’ve got a great husband and four wonderful children. I’ve got a beautiful home with plenty of acreage to run horses and snowmobiles and quad runners. No complaints. So, why was I feeling restless?
My mother raised thirteen children, bless her heart. I was the tenth, by the way. She was a fulltime, devoted wife and mother and always put our needs before her own. Although I admire her for everything she’s done for us and is still my role model today, I knew I couldn’t be the kind of stay-at-home mom that cooks and cleans and does every last thing for her husband and children. I don’t fold underwear. I don’t iron. I rely heavily on the microwave and instant dishes. I don’t have that burning desire to wake up every morning to sort mounds of dirty laundry or scour three bathrooms after everyone has left for the day. (Is that bad of me to admit?)
My oldest two children were 3 and 1 when my twins were born. The days were long and exhausting and my nights were short, and interrupted every few hours to breastfeed. My husband is a great dad, but there are just some things only a mom can do. It was after a particularly stressful day when I stared out my front window with a baby on each hip and my two-year-old hanging on my sweats when I realized my husband was out in his shop, totally oblivious to me and my kids. I started to resent the time he spent out in his shop building airplanes. He loves to fly. Flying is his passion. He can talk for hours and hours on the subject. I will even admit to being jealous of his planes. Why would he want to spend any of his “free” time away from me and our kids?
One night, I’d finished a book with an ending that quite frankly made me mad. There was no happily-ever-after for the hero and heroine. I felt unsatisfied. That’s when I sat down and started writing. I didn’t stop writing until I’d finished my first manuscript two weeks later. It wasn’t publishable, of course, but by then, I was hooked. I couldn’t keep the ideas and characters in my head. I had to get them down on paper. (Don’t worry, I’ve gone to numerous workshops and joined a great critique group since that first novel.) But you will always be guaranteed a Happily-Ever-After ending in my books.
Writing opened a whole new world for me, and for the first time in our marriage, I began to understand how flying and building airplanes is my husband’s way of coping with the stresses of work and raising a family and everyday life. It’s because he loves us so much, he has to keep a part of who he is, so he can share the best of himself with his family. That is how I feel about writing. Even though I have since gone back to work fulltime and my children are now in middle school and high school, I can’t seem to go a day without sitting down and writing something, no matter how exhausted I happen to be. That’s how passionately I feel about writing.
So I guess my question for you to ponder is, “What is your passion?”
Is it traveling? Piecing together quilts for your kids or grandkids? Or maybe it’s photography, or painting, or music. I would love to know what “takes you away” from your every day life and makes you want to get out of bed every morning. What completes you and makes you a happier more content person?
In my book, Colorado Pickup Man, my heroine tries her hardest to ignore her passion, her reason for getting up in the morning. But with the friendly persuasions of a hunky young cowboy, her yearning for ranch life and working with horses finally brings her back to her true purpose in life. Like writing, ranching is hard work with long grueling hours, but at the end of the day, the gratification that comes from doing something you love so passionately can’t be beat. So dig deep and find that one thing that truly makes you smile clear down to the tips of your cowboy boots! J
For everyone who posts a comment, I will enter you into my January contest for a free autographed copy of Colorado Pickup Man.
Go on a journey with two real life ranchers who find their own happily-ever-after ending in the great Rocky Mountains. Check out my website at www.JacquieGreenfield.com and stay tuned for my next release!
