Chance Worth - April 2012

As I write the final book in a four book series about the Worth Men, I find myself feeling extremely sentimental and a little bit saddened. After all, I’ve lived with these four cowboys for almost two years. I sort of fell in love with each one of them too. And isn’t that the way? If the author doesn’t fall in love with a hero of her making, then what’s the point? With each hunky man, I’ve matched a woman that has thrown them for a loop, rejected, loved to distraction and angered the hero. But what our heroines had above all else was enough grit to stick it out to the end for their own personal happily ever after.

Taggart Worth - May 2011

Taggart Worth in CARRYING THE RANCHER’S HEIR was my wounded hero. He was a loner, a recluse who never wanted to love again. That story flew off my fingertips, because I knew him so well and I knew Callie too. She had a girlhood crush on Tagg as a teen that he didn’t know about. All he knew was that Callie was his enemy’s daughter.   

Clayton Worth - Dec 2011

Clayton’s story didn’t exactly fly off my fingertips, though. In THE COWBOY’S PRIDE, I had a pretty complex conflict – two people bent on divorce only to find love again with the help of adorable baby Meggie. SHE was fun to write, and I used my knowledge not only as a mother, but as a childbirth and parenting instructor to keep my facts straight about all things BABY.

In April, A COWBOY WORTH CLAIMING comes out with Harlequin Historical.  Set in early Red Ridge, we find out how Chance Worth met Lizzie Mitchell and how the Worth legacy began. It seemed like the right thing to do – to go back in time to see how the legend of the ruby necklace and Elizabeth Lake came to be. Chance is a reluctant hero with a deep sense of honor, and Lizzie tests that honor time and time again.

Both Chance and Jackson Worth’s story lure us in with “forbidden love.” Jackson, in WORTH THE RISK coming in October 2012, is the most charming, best-looking Worth brother, a confirmed bachelor who is good-natured but used to getting what he wants. I’m working out the kinks in this story to give my readers a very satisfying ending to the series. So I write Jackson’s story with a heavy heart. I will miss these guys, Tagg, Clay, Jackson and Chance. I’ll miss Red Ridge too along with the characters I’ve created. Saying good-bye surely won’t be easy. I have only four chapters left in Red Ridge and then I’ll be moving on to launch Harlequin’s Rich Rugged Rancher series in 2013. 

Recently I’ve said good-bye to some other series that I’ve loved, though not of my own making. Twilight is one series, I never thought I’d like. But those stories struck a chord and I had to read all of them, gobbling up the entire series in two weeks. I’ve also seen all the movies. Because I don’t get a lot of reading time these days, I watched the Swedish version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movies by Stieg Larsson. I wish I could have read the books too, but I’d heard the movies were actually excellent and the storyline extremely intense. Then there’s good ole bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum in the series written by Janet Evanovich. What can I say about the Morelli/Ranger conflict that hasn’t been said before? I’ve read all of the books in the series and am awaiting the movie, One for the Money.  I’ve read Linda Lael Miller’s McKettricks and Susan Mallery’s series as well.   

 What series are you especially fond of? Do you have favorites? Which characters/stories are hard for you to bid farewell to?  Below I’ve posted  my inspiration for each Worth hero.   If you had to pick which hero appeals to you the most?

Taggart Worth

Clayton Worth

Chance Worth

Jackson Worth

A COWBOY WORTH CLAIMING IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW on AMAZON.  It will be officially released on March 20th and is eligible for the Amazon 4 for 3 program.  Buy 3 get the 4th free!

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326302575&sr=1-1

How much do I love SuperChannel?

A friend mentioned that I would probably like a new series called Hell On Wheels. I checked it out (On Demand) and the husband and I watched the first episode and LOVED it.

It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he did during the war. In particular, what happened to a woman. When the confessional is over, both man and priest emerge, but it’s not a priest at all. It’s Cullen Bohannon – the woman’s husband. And he’s out to get every man that brutalized and then murdered his wife.

It takes a cold dude to kill a man in a church and then walk out with his greatcoat flapping.

His search takes him to Hell on Wheels – the travelling camp of the men building the Union Pacific railroad. As you can imagine, it’s rough. A good portion of the workforce is freed slaves, and as we all know the term free was a formality more than anything else. He’s hired as a supervisor to the crews, and strikes up an unlikely friendship with Elam Ferguson (played by Common).

The whole thing is ruled by Thomas Durant, who’s a bit greasy and not above manipulating senators and stocks to see that the railroad gets built. Durant’s chief surveyor, Bell, is killed in an Indian attack but his wife, Lily, survives – and it’s Bohannon who brings her back to camp. And all the while Bohannon is trying to find the last of the men responsible for the death of his wife.

It’s a great story, a fantastic setting, wonderful, complex characters (The Swede as Durant’s “muscle” is deliciously creepy). Of course the cast isn’t hard to look at either. My husband is rather partial to Lily Bell.  I, of course, adore Bohannon (played by Anson Mount). In fact, there may be a reclusive rancher in a story soon that bears a striking resemblance.

And I’ll admit it – best of all was the night Bohannon and Elam had to fight each OTHER. I looked at my husband and said, “I hope they fight with their shirts off.” Yes, I’m just that shallow.

The result?

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say “All aboard!”

I’m thrilled to introduce my dear friend, Julie Benson, as she takes us behind the scenes of the “what-if” process that created her debut release from Harlequin American, BIG CITY COWBOY, coming out November 29.

Ideas for stories can come out of the blue when a writer least expects it. That’s what happened with my debut novel with Harlequin American, BIG CITY COWBOY.

My family attended a wedding inEstes Park,Colorado. (Thanks Angi and David for the invitation!) I’ve always loved horses, so we decided to go riding. The cowboy, Rory, helping my middle son with his horse, was the epitome of why women swoon when they think of cowboys. Dark hair and eyes, and classic western good looks, the man could stop traffic.

While he was helping my son, an older gentleman approached, and started talking to Rory about modeling. He politely accepted the man’s business card, but told him he wasn’t interest. Once the man left, Rory told my son that people asked him to model all the time, and they didn’t understand why a cowboy didn’t jump at the chance.

All I could think about, other than this cowboy’s good looks, was what a great story it would make if somthing forced this cowboy to agree to model. My mind was off and running. What would be important enough for Rory (yes, that’s my hero’s name) to leave Colorado, and everything he loved, for New York City and modeling, when these two things had to strike terror into the heart of any real cowboy?

The first thing that jumped to mind was to save the ranch. I set that aside, but kept thinking along the financial line. What if he needed money for something else, and the ranch was struggling, so the family had gone through their savings and couldn’t get a loan? That worked, but I still needed the bedrock reason Rory would model.

I have a dear friend, Judy Hoffman, who beat brain cancer. She went through experimental treatment in Portland, Oregon, and was one of a handful of patients going through treatment at the time. If I’m remembering correctly, she’s the only one who survived. Talk about a tough lady. I thought about that. A true cowboy would do literally anything to save his mom. I gave camera shy Rory a mom who was fighting brain cancer like Judy. Her only hope was experimental treatment. I raised the stakes by saying insurance refused to pay for the procedures, and she had to fly to Portland for treatment. Rory needed a lot of money and he needed it now, or his mom would die. Talk about motivation, and what woman wouldn’t love a man who put aside his pride to save his mother?

 Rory needed a strong, in charge, big city woman to go against. Elizabeth Harrington-Smyth barreled onto the stage, needing Rory to model jeans. He was perfect for her advertising campaign. She was out of time, and if he didn’t agree, the client would pull the account and she’d lose her job. After that, the rest of the story fell into place.

I have to add one more funny thing about coming up with this idea. After our horseback ride, I told my husband I wished I’d taken a picture of Rory. How I didn’t do that, still confounds me. My dear husband, Kevin smiled. When I’d told him how a cowboy being forced to model would make a great book, he’d taken a picture of the cowboy who inspired the story. Talk about a great husband who supports his wife’s writing career. He’s definitely a keeper.

Julie has agreed to give away a copy of Big City Cowboy to one commenter. So join in the conversation.

I love country music.  The songs always tell a good story.  They move me to emotion and I can always understand the words (meaning I truly can sing along). Wait, maybe that’s not a good thing after all – I can’t carry a tune.  But I love to get into the foot-stomping rhythm, clap my hands and feel the beat.    Whether I laugh or cry … or just get to thinking, I sing along envisioning the scenes playing out in my head.   I love how some songs have a patriotic tone, like the one from my favorite duo, Brooks and Dunn. This song really depicts what’s good about America – the land of opportunity (except for the prison part

Sun coming up over New York City
School bus driver in a traffic jam
Starin’ at the faces in her rearview mirror
Looking at the promise of the Promised Land

One kid dreams of fame and fortune
One kid helps pay the rent
One could end up going to prison
One just might be president

Only in America
Dreaming in red, white and blue
Only in America
Where we dream as big as we want to
We all get a chance
Everybody gets to dance
Only in America

Lyrics can be fun and crazy and when I think of funny, I think of Brad Paisley.  His lyrics make me laugh.  He’s cute and he knows how to push humor buttons like no one else.   Here’s Brad Paisley’s rant about going overboard with political correctness:

You’re not supposed to say the word “cancer” in a song.
And tellin’ folks Jesus is the answer can rub ‘em wrong.
It ain’t hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns, and mama, yeah that might be true.
But this is country music and we do

Do you like to drink a cold one on the weekend and get a little loud
Do you wanna say I’m sorry or I love you but you don’t know how?
Do you wish somebody had the nerve to tell that stupid boss of yours
to shove it next time he yells at you?
Well this is country music and we do

So turn it on, turn it up, and sing a long
This is real; this is your life in a song
Yeah this is country music.

There are ballads of love gone wrong, love gone bad and love that never happened.  They touch my heart, sear into my soul and some are so sad, honestly, I’d rather not hear them at all. Like Tim McGraw’s, Don’t Take the Girl.  I think it was one of his earliest big, big hits, but honestly, I’d rather hear ballads filled with hope, like Tim McGraw’s, Live Like You Were Dying or Brooks and Dunn’s, Believe.

Then there are the songs about falling in love!  So many stories, so many would-be plots.  Take a look at this week’s Top Ten List and tell me there aren’t at least a hundred ideas floating in your head, just from the titles!

Here’s the Top Country Songs:

Blake Shelton–God Gave Me You 

Eli Young Band–Crazy Girl 

George Strait–Here for a Good Time 

Miranda Lambert–Baggage Claim 

Taylor Swift–Sparks Fly                                                                     

Brantley Gilbert–Country Must Be Country Wide  

Keith Urban–Long Hot Summer 

Rodney Atkins–Take a Road Back 

Lady Antebellum–We Owned the Night

Jason Aldean–Tattoos on This Town 

 Do you like country music?  What types of songs move you and who is your favorite artist? What is your favorite song?

Did you watch the CMA AWARDS? Who was your favorite from the show?

Since my hero, Clayton Worth is an ex-country superstar, it’s only fitting that I give away a copy of THE COWBOY’S PRIDE today. Post a comment and let’s share country music!!

4 STARS **** ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS! "Readers are going root for this perfectly charming couple to put their marriage back on track with a little help from a tiny angel."

Read an Excerpt at:

AMAZON

EHARLEQUIN

CHECK OUT ALL MY BOOKS AND ENTER “THE COWBOY’S PRIDE” CONTEST  for Bling and Gift Cards at  www.charlenesands.com

Thank you for the opportunity to share my new western historical romance, TEXAS TWILIGHT, with your readers.  It’s book two in The McCutcheon Family series, and was a joy to write.  I think it’s because I got so attached to the family in MONTANA DAWN, I was eager to learn more about them, create a little havoc in their lives, and feel the joy of them falling in love.

John Jake McCutcheon, the fourth brother, was only mentioned twice in book one.  Now, he’s out of medical school and starting a new practice in Rio Wells, Texas, the town where his extended family reside.  All goes well until Dustin, the oldest Texas cousin, takes a shine to Lily Anthony, the pretty young woman who has traveled in the same Wells Fargo coach with John to Rio Wells.  Sparks fly as the two McCutcheon men, so different yet also alike, square off.

For all you cowboy lovers, here is a short excerpt;

* * *

Chapter one

Texas Badlands, 1886

The stagecoach lurched. John Jake McCutcheon opened his eyes and saw the young woman next to him grasp the leather loop that hung from the coach’s ceiling to keep from being tossed around. She tipped precariously to the right, then left, bumping forcefully into his shoulder. With an apologetic glance she moved away, then dabbed at her brow with a folded handkerchief. She looked at her elderly aunt.

“Tante Harriet? Are you all right?” she asked in a soft German accent. She opened the fan she held and swished it back and forth in front of the tiny woman. “Your face is extremely red.”

“Of course, Lily,” Harriet Schmidt said in a raspy voice laced with exhaustion. The old woman’s hair was swept up atop her head and fastened in a bun, but after the miles and miles traveled on the dusty, sun-baked road, it looked more like a weather blown tumbleweed after a storm. She patted her niece on the knee. “Thank heavens we’re almost there. Just one more day and we’ll be out of this oven.”

John glanced away, not wanting to seem impolite. He’d met both Harriet Schmidt and her niece, Lily Anthony, when they’d boarded the stage together in Concepción. He’d seen them on the train from Boston, too, but they’d kept to themselves, never speaking with anyone else.

John gazed out the window, thinking. He was finally finished with his medical training and heading to West Texas. Anticipation coursed though him.

Rio Wells was a long way from his family ranch in Montana, but he’d get used to it. His plan to return to Y Knot after graduation hadn’t panned out. His hometown already supported two full-time physicians. If he really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives as a doctor and surgeon, he had to strike out in a place where the townsfolk were in need. At least he wouldn’t be a complete stranger in Rio Wells. Uncle Winston and his family were there. And his fiancée, Emmeline Jordan, would be joining him this fall.

John closed his eyes, recalling Emmeline’s elegant profile and dark, alluring eyes. In his mind’s eye, her mouth drew down into a seductive little pout, a manipulation he knew all too well, but one that, all the same, fueled his blood. She was like a beautiful, exotic bird, needing care and affection.

“Oh, just to take this corset off,” Harriett said to no one in particular, then chortled softly at her niece’s shocked expression at her bluntness. “It pinches horribly. I think I’ll throw it away for good.” She paused, thinking. “No…”  Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Actually, I’ll burn it.”

Cyrus and Jeremiah Post and Abigail Smith, the other passengers cramped uncomfortably on the opposite seat, just smiled, now used to the old woman’s antics. Miss Smith, a teacher, had been hired by the same town council that had hired John, and he felt a small kinship with her.

“You know, Doctor McCutcheon,” Harriett Schmidt went on, trying to catch his eye, “my Lily doesn’t need a corset. Her waist is eighteen inches without one.”

“Tante Harriett. Please.”

John chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. He’d tried not to notice something like that, but it had been difficult, if not impossible. The girl had practically been snuggled to his side for several days.

Without warning, the driver called out sharply to the horses and the coach picked up speed. The two guards riding on top of the stage scuffled around and one shouted something unintelligible. John glanced out the window.

A shot rang out. One second later, one of the guards fell from the top of the stage, past the window, landing with a thunk as the stage rolled on. Lily gasped and threw her arms protectively around her aunt. Abigail screamed and then fainted, flopping over onto Cyrus’s shoulder.

The driver bellowed to the horses again and the stagecoach heaved forward as the six-horse team was propelled instantly into an all-out gallop. Three more shots were fired, and the sound of horses’ hooves thundered from behind.

John looked back through the dust to see a number of riders racing toward the stagecoach, eating up the distance between the two. What the hell was he supposed to do now?  He was a doctor. He’d taken the Hippocratic Oath to heal not three weeks before. His job was taking bullets out, not putting them in. But then, he’d also been raised on a rugged Montana ranch, where the unwavering reality was hard. Sometimes staying alive meant killing someone else. Besides, everyone’s lives were on the line, not just his. It would be especially bad for the women aboard. These hills were a common hiding place for Comancheros. They used women in the worst ways and then sold them into prostitution in Mexico. As pretty as she was, Lily Anthony would fetch top price. Hell, they’d sell the skinny teacher and the old woman, too.

Smoke and dust filled the coach. Pop. Pop. Pop. Lily covered her ears. Her elderly aunt coughed as she struggled to hang on. Abigail, now fully awake again, filled the small space with one shrill scream after the other, never even pausing to take a breath. John reached for his satchel under the seat, withdrew a Colt 45, and strapped on his holster. Carrying his guns was a habit he hadn’t been able to break even after his years at school. With hands nimble from experience, he loaded and fired several shots out the window. Two riders fell.

“You have another gun?”

John was surprised to see old Harriet Schmidt eyeing him expectantly. One hand was outstretched while the other grasped the windowsill as the coach careened down the road, jerking violently this way and that. “I’m not letting those filthy dogs take my Lily!”

“Can you shoot?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I couldn’t. My derringer’s not worth diddly.”

John squeezed off three more shots, then pulled another gun from his bag, handing it to Harriet. He pushed the bag toward Lily. “Bullets.”

Cyrus Post fired out the other side of the coach just as a bullet hit Cyrus’s brother in the chest, slamming Jeremiah violently against the back of the seat. Jeremiah gasped several times as he tried to hold back a rush of crimson that spurted through his splayed fingers, soaking his clothes. With just a glance, John could see he wasn’t long for this world. Abigail’s eyes grew round as she took in the blood. With a gasp, she fainted again, blessedly putting an end to her screams.

“Son of a bitch! “ Cyrus cried out. “There’s too many. Prepare to meet your maker.”

“Hush your mouth, you old coot,” Harriet shouted as she hefted the heavy gun and shot out the window. “I have more faith in God than that.”

The coach rounded a corner dangerously fast and then slowed up a bit as it began an uphill climb. One side of the road dropped off, falling some forty feet to a bed of jagged rocks.

Seizing the moment, John holstered his gun and opened the narrow door. He climbed the side of the rocking coach using the window as a step, and grasping the luggage rack, pulled himself up. He flopped onto his stomach, facing the oncoming killers and picked up the fallen guard’s Winchester. He took aim.

* * *

Since the holidays are just around the corner I’d like to share the recipe for my sister’s Beer Bread, which she makes every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It’s not exactly a recipe from the 1800s, but it surely could’ve been—it’s that easy.  Give it a try.  You’ll be hooked, too;

3 cups Self Rising flour

3 Tlbs sugar

a 12 –oz can or bottle of beer (at room temperature)

1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins

(OR ½ cup raisins and ½ cup cranberries—I use cherry flavored!)

a good shake of cinnamon.

Mix all ingredients together and put into a sprayed and floured bread pan.

Split the top with a knife.

Cover and set in a warm spot for 30 minutes so the dough can rise.

Cook in a 375-degree oven for 1hour and 15 minutes.

Watch at the end so it doesn’t become too brown.

Remove and while still hot, brush top with butter. ENJOY!!

I’m giving away an E-Book copy of TEXAS TWILIGHT, and also a paper copy of MONTANA DAWN to two different commenters.  Share with us if you’ve ever been in competition with a friend or family member for the same sweetheart?  Don’t be shy….

Available in E-Book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

LINK TO AMAZON

LINK TO B&N

When You Need a Hero . . . just look around you. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and aren’t limited to skin color. A hero is as close as your own backyard or as far as your imagination takes you.

From Linda—–

My hero must have a broad chest and love animals. *sigh* I also like my hero to be gentle yet strong.

Hero # 9

Hero #10

From Phyliss————

When you need a real man . . . look no farther than #11. His name is Nathan and he was the cover model for two of our anthologies. Number 12 is a bit different and much, much harder. I had to look VERY carefully at each of them for a full day to decide which one I liked best. Well, that didn’t work, because there was no way to tell which was the hunkiest, so you get four for the price of one. Enjoy!

Hero # 12

Hero # 11

Here are today’s prize giveaways. Leave a comment and vote to get your name in the hat. Remember, you can vote more than once.

Ladies, I hope you’re ready to saddle up for some more fun!

Charlene’s Entries

Charlene Sands discovered Timothy Olyphant (Hero #5) from the hit FX series Justified, where he plays US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens. Some of you might also recognize him from his role in Deadwood. As far as “Hero with an Edge” goes, Timothy’s got it all and he’s a source of inspiration for Charlene’s upcoming Harlequin western!

Charlene says this about Hero #6: “I fashioned my hero in The Cowboy’s Pride coming in December from Harlequin Desire (who is an ex-country western star) after Chris Young. I truly love his music and his look. All this inspiration!”

Hero No. 5

Hero No. 6

Cheryl’s Entries

Cheryl St. John used a different criteria while selecting her heroes.

Cheryl writes, “I didn’t choose my heroes based on their pretty faces or sex appeal. When push comes to shove, I want a hero who would take a bullet for me, rescue me from outlaws or perhaps pay for a china tea set before he goes out to face certain death in the name of justice.”

“Robert Duvall plays one of of my favorite cowboy heroes in Lonesome Dove, Broken Trail and Open Range.

Kevin Costner would make a fine upstandin’ husband for any pretty spinster.”

Hero No. 7

Hero No. 8

Grab your silk fans, ladies, and start them flapping. It’s about to get very warm here at the Junction. We’re giving away prizes all this week and all you have to do to enter is cast your vote on some very fine specimens of western manhood. What could be better than free books and cowboy eye candy? Donna and I have the honor of kicking off this shindig, and we’ll be giving away four books, so get those eyes peeled and those voting fingers ready.

Karen’s entries:

When I need a hero for one of my books, there are certain qualities I look for. He must be rugged, strong, and capable of handling any challenge that comes his way. Much like  Hero #1. On the other hand, he must also be warm, tender, and a man who laughs. See Hero #2.

Hero #2

Hero #1

                                    

Donna’s entries:

I’m entering a pair of lovely gents. Blake Shelton (Hero #3), who I think is going to be cast as the hero in my upcoming Christmas book. This is a guy who needs to be big as a barn door with a heart of gold.  And second up is Hugh Jackman (Hero #4). I swear he’s the sexiest drover on the planet.

Hero #4

Hero #3

So what do you think ladies? Which man would you like to ride the range with?

To vote, simply leave a comment with the hero’s number that you prefer. And if you want, tell us what drew you to him. By voting, you will also be entered to win one of the four books we are giving away today.  Have fun!  

Thank you for inviting me to Petticoats and Pistols ! I’m flattered that so many wonderful Western writers want me to come play at their house—even though my heroines are more likely to wear Wrangler jeans than petticoats. A first-time guest should always bring a hostess gift, so I brought two copies of Cowboy Fever along to give away.

What I really want to talk about is cowboys, but since this is my first visit, I should probably introduce myself first. My name is Joanne Kennedy, and I write contemporary Western romance for Sourcebooks. My books include Cowboy Trouble, Cowboy Fever, and 2010 RITA nominee One Fine Cowboy. My next release, Tall, Dark and Cowboy, hits the bookstore shelves November 1^st.

I’m not a native Westerner, but I should have been. I figured that out twenty years ago and ran away from home to the Wild West. I’ve always loved Western history, horses, and wide-open spaces, and I was thrilled to discover that real cowboys still walk the streets of Cheyenne. My new hometown’s surprising blend of past and present is the inspiration for my books, which are light contemporaries set in the traditional worlds of ranching and rodeo.

There aren’t as many real-life working cowboys here as there used to be, but the ones that are left still wear the same clothes, talk with the same deliberate drawl, and ride with the same grace they did back when the West was wild. While other occupations have been mechanized and modernized, a cowboy’s work has stayed the same.

Partly, that’s due to the stubborn and cussedly unchanging nature of cattle. Though a lot of ranch work is done with pickup trucks and other machines, you can’t cut a mama cow and her calf from the herd with a four-wheeler. A modern Black Angus or Hereford might carry a lot more beef than an old-time Longhorn, but a cow is still a cow, and bovines tend to get riled up when they’re set upon by a roaring, growling machine.

But the main reason cowboy culture sticks to tradition is that there’s no reason to mess with perfection.  Watching a true cowboy work cattle from horseback, it’s obvious that the best techniques for doing the job were perfected long, long ago.

True, some ranchers wear John Deere caps instead of Stetsons—but a little sunburn on the back of your neck provides a quick lesson in the proper design of a cowboy hat. And while Western boots have become a fashionable accessory for city folk, they were designed because you can catch a stirrup on that pointy toe, and the slanted heel keeps your foot from getting trapped in the stirrup if (or in my case, when) you fall off your horse. Denim jeans, chaps and chinks, and all the other tools of the trade have remained unchanged for the same reason – they work.

The only way cowboys have changed is in the way they break and train their horses. Rather than riding broncs to a stand-still and forcing them to perform through aggressive training methods, modern horsemen have learned to form a true partnership with their animals. It takes a certain sensitivity to work this way, and a man who doesn’t embody the virtues of patience, sensitivity and understanding doesn’t last long in the contemporary cowboy business.

So while I love the world of the Old West, I think today’s cowboys are even better than history’s tough cowpokes and sexy outlaws. They still have old-fashioned values centered on  land, love and family, but they have tighter jeans, more opportunities to bathe, and pickup trucks. You’ll see in Tall, Dark and Cowboy just how much I love pickup trucks and how handy that bed in the back can be!

I want to know all about your ideal cowboy. Is he historical or modern-day? A clean-cut hero or a sexy outlaw? Does he drive a pickup truck or a covered wagon? Tell me all about him in the comments and I’ll send two commenters free signed copies of Cowboy Fever.

Why do I write western romances? Even more telling—why do I read western romances? There are many reasons, but the most compelling one is simple. I do it for the cowboys.

Those rugged, hard-working men, so capable, so honorable, so devoted to the women who capture their hearts. I can see the silhouette of a man on horseback, sitting straight in the saddle, and my heart starts fluttering before I even see his face. Crazy, huh? But the image stirs the romantic in me like nothing else. After all, if you’re going to ride off into the sunset with a hunky hero, he needs to have a horse.

It probably started back in my early teen years. I’d outgrown Saturday morning cartoons, so I turned instead to the Saturday westerns. It was the 80′s, the decade that introduced MTV and video games. Westerns were the last thing on anyone’s mind. Well, except for me. I found channels that aired re-runs of wonderful shows like Bonanza, Wagon Train, and The Big Valley. I couldn’t get enough. I started daydreaming my own episodes, writing myself into the script so that I could win the heart of the cowboys I fancied. I had desperate crushes on Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts, at left) from Bonanza and Cooper Smith (Robert Fuller, at right) from Wagon Train. I guess I have a thing for dark-haired men in black hats.

That theme continued into the 90′s when the western made a slight comeback in the television world with shows like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Young Riders, and The Magnificent Seven. I’ve been re-watching The Young Riders on Netflix with my 13 year-old daughter. We both agree that Josh Brolin makes a very dreamy Jimmy Hickok. Although I think the beautiful Palomino he rode played a role in the attraction, too. I haven’t introduced her to Eric Close in The Magnificent Seven yet, but he was another cowboy who made my heart pitter-patter.

Then we could talk about those cowboys from down under. Tom Selleck is now a western icon, but I first discovered him in chaps and hat in Quigley Down Under. I had never been that impressed with him when he was driving around Hawaii in a red sports car, but give him a western makeover and stick him atop a horse, and I couldn’t resist. A man that impresses me in any setting is Hugh Jackman. And he made me sigh mightily when he donned western garb for the movie Australia. Hugh proved to me that you’re never too old for a new cowboy crush.                  

And of course, with the release of Cowboys and Aliens, I would be remiss if I failed to mention my latest crush. Daniel Craig makes a fabulous James Bond, but there’s no comparing 007 to Jake Lonergan to my way of thinking. The cowboy’s gonna win every time.

So what about you?

Who are some of your cowboy crushes?