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	<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
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	<description>Romancing The West</description>
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		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com</link>
	<description>Romancing The West</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
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		<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com</link>
	<description>Romancing The West</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
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		<item>
		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

&nbsp;
<h3></h3>
&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
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		<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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	<description>Romancing The West</description>
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		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
<h3></h3>
<h3></h3>
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

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&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
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		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
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		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

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&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com</link>
	<description>Romancing The West</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
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		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com</link>
	<description>Romancing The West</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
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		<item>
		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>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.</h3>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

&nbsp;
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&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=29528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=28448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Petticoats &#38; Pistols &#187; Hunky Cowboys</title>
	<atom:link href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/category/cowboys/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com</link>
	<description>Romancing The West</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Carolyn Brown and One Hot Cowboy Wedding</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/07/carolyn-brown-and-one-hot-cowboy-wedding/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:05:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[western romance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. One Hot Cowboy Wedding hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &#38; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23408 alignleft" title="carolynbrownauthorphoto" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/carolynbrownauthorphoto.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="389" /></a>
Thank you for inviting me back to your blog site for a visit. <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> hit the book stores last week and I’m so excited. It’s the fourth book in the Spikes &amp; Spurs series and there are three more on the docket behind it. So keep your cowboy hats and your boots on—there are more sexy cowboys and sassy women on the way.

<em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding</em> is Ace and Jasmine’s story. They’ve been best friends for well over a year so it’s understandable when he comes into her café, Chicken Fried, with a hang-dog look on his handsome face that she’s worried. Turns out that there’s a clause in his grandfather’s will that has just surfaced which says that he must be married within a year of taking over the Double Deuce ranch and stayed married for a year or else the whole ranch…cows, bulls, equipment, land, barns and house goes to his worthless cousin. He’s got a week to find a wife and it’s looking like a damn near impossible mission because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Jasmine, being the good friend that she is and running from any kind of commitment anyway, says that she’ll marry him. Of course it will be a secret that no one will ever know and in a year, they’ll go to the divorce lawyer and end it quietly. No problem!

Now what does a fake bride need for a fake wedding? They have to convince the lawyers and Ace’s scumbag cousin that it’s a real marriage so Jasmine chooses a cute little white dress that she’s never worn before. She attaches a veil to a white western hat and packs her white western boots for the trip. Everything is in order since Ace is picking up a set of cheap wedding rings at the Wal-Mart store on the way. The wedding chapel will provide all the rest so the bride is ready!

What happens in Vegas, and all that, right? You got it! It stands true that it won’t leave Vegas and will be their secret right up until the time that the wedding kiss has happened and they are legally married. Then they find out that they’ve won a weekend honeymoon because they were the 5000<sup>th</sup> couple to get married in Cupid’s Wedding Chapel. And it is broadcast on national television on the ten o’clock news that night! Oops! Secret is out and phones are ringing.

Both mothers are suddenly up to their eyeballs making preparations for a “real” wedding because everyone knows that a Vegas wedding in a chapel can’t be one hundred percent guaran-damn-teed legal. So now Jasmine finds out that what she needed to get married in Vegas and what she needs for a Texas sized wedding is two very different things.

She must have a designer dress and her mother intends to bring a back up dress of her choosing if Jasmine picks out something to plain and cheap looking. She has to have at least eight bridesmaids because Ace will have to use all six of his brothers and his two best friends, Rye and Wil, as groomsmen. And there has to be a meeting of minds about their dresses, shoes, jewelry and their bouquets.

There has to be a rehearsal dinner and motel rooms and an enormous reception after the wedding and it all has to be planned in one month’s time.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-31224" title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding Cover" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/One-Hot-Cowboy-Wedding-Cover.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="411" /></a>

The difference in a Vegas wedding to Texas wedding is about to drive her and Ace both crazy but what is she to do? Upset her mother who has had her heart set on a big fancy wedding for her daughter since the day she was born? Or put a stop to the whole thing?

The answer is in <em><a title="One Hot Cowboy Wedding" href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Cowboy-Wedding-Spikes-Spurs/dp/1402253648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332777116&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">One Hot Cowboy Wedding</a>. </em>What I think a bride needs for a cowboy wedding is just what Jasmine had when she went to Vegas. She needs a dress that makes her feel pretty; whether it’s long or short, from the second hand shop or a fancy designer, makes no difference. She needs a pair of boots because there will be some two-steppin’ at the reception or in the bedroom after the wedding. And a cowboy hat to hold a puff of illusion.

But the most important thing a girl needs for a cowboy wedding, big or small, Vegas or Texas, is a cowboy who loves her, promises to be faithful forever and thinks he’s the one getting the prize. Anything more than that is what you want; not what you need.

If you were planning a cowboy wedding what would you need? I’ll be looking forward to your answers. I’ll be away from the computer about two hours this evening because at 7:00 CST, my granddaughter, Kela Rhae, will be getting married at the Arbuckle Wedding Chapel and I’m going to go see just exactly what she’s doing for her cowboy wedding.

&nbsp;
<p align="center"><strong>ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2012</strong></p>
<em>A marriage made in Vegas...</em>

Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn't planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him...The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.

<em>Can't possibly last… </em>

Fiesty city–girl Jasmine as just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to the wind.
<p align="center"><em>One hot cowboy, one riled up woman...</em></p>
<p align="center"><em>And they'll be married for a year, like it or not!</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>
<strong> </strong>

<strong>Miss Carolyn is giving away 2 copies of <em>One Hot Cowboy Wedding to</em> 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

</strong>
<p align="center"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she continues to write more cowboy romances! For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.carolynlbrown.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.CarolynLBrown.com</span></a>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Saying Farewell to the Worths of Red Ridge by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/12/saying-farewell-to-the-worths-of-red-ridge-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"][/caption] 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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_29662" align="aligncenter" width="267" caption="Chance Worth - April 2012"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29662   " title="CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming[1]" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CSandsACowboyWorthClaiming1-189x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="403" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29685" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Taggart Worth - May 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29685" title="AMAZON PIC" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AMAZON-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<h3>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.</h3>
[caption id="attachment_29680" align="aligncenter" width="221" caption="Clayton Worth - Dec 2011"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29680" title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="312" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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.</h3>
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<h3>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.</h3>
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<h3>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.</h3>
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<h3>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.</h3>
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&nbsp;
<h3> 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?</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_29686" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Taggart Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29686" title="blake-shelton-cowboy-hat" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/blake-shelton-cowboy-hat-300x195.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29687" align="alignnone" width="183" caption="Clayton Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29687 " title="Chris Young" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Chris-Young.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29688" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="Chance Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-29688" title="Tim 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tim-2.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="256" /></a>[/caption]

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[caption id="attachment_29689" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackson Worth"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-29689" title="chrispine7" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chrispine7-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /></a>[/caption]
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<h3>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!</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Worth-Claiming-Harlequin-Historical/dp/0373296835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326302575&amp;sr=1-1</a>

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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
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		<title>Hell On Wheels</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/01/09/hell-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:45:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Donna</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[19th Century Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Railroads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donna Alward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell on Wheels]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[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. &#160; &#160; It all starts with a Union Soldier in a confessional, seeking absolution for things he [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignright" title="hell on wheels" src="http://www.stuffwelike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/amc-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="192" />

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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignleft" title="Cullen Bohannon" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw5m7uon8k1qaesfa.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="115" />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.

<img class="alignright" title="Elam Ferguson " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsn3W3C33M/ToVXdQjIheI/AAAAAAAA9w8/Xo7CjYMwsyU/s1600/352128.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="258" />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.

<img class="alignleft" title="Lily Bell" src="http://newsmanone.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dominique-mcelligott-e1320733320272.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300" alt="" width="192" height="144" />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?

<img class="aligncenter" title="Bohannon Elam fight" src="http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/common-hell-on-wheels.jpg" alt="" width="507" height="290" />

A bit of history, a bit of romance, a lot of action. Can anyone say "All aboard!"]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<title>Welcome Debut Author Julie Benson!</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/12/02/welcome-debut-author-julie-benson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:05:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Blogger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drawing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book giveaway]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28453" title="Julie Benson" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Julie-Benson1-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="284" /></a>

<span style="color: #000080;"><em>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, </em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1322082973&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a>, coming out November 29</em></span><span style="color: #000080;"><em>.


</em></span>

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, <span style="color: #000080;"><a title="Big City Cowboy" href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080;">BIG CITY COWBOY</span></a></span>.

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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28490" title="DSCN1115" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1115-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="179" /></a></span></span> 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 alon<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28491" title="DSCN1118" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="183" /></a></span></span>g 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 t<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28492" title="DSCN1130" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSCN1130-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="196" /></a>o 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 keep<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Cowboy-Harlequin-American-Romance/dp/0373753853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321997297&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-28450" title="CoverBigCityCowboy" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CoverBigCityCowboy-188x300.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="300" /></a></span></span>er.

&nbsp;

<strong>Julie has agreed to give away a copy of <em>Big City Cowboy</em> to one commenter. So join in the conversation.</strong>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>COUNTRY MUSIC and ME by Charlene Sands</title>
		<link>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/11/10/country-music-and-me-by-charlene-sands/</link>
		<comments>http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2011/11/10/country-music-and-me-by-charlene-sands/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Sands</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behind the Book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunky Cowboys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Glimpses]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[  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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3> <a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Headshot1-1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-28178 alignright" title="Headshot1-1" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Headshot1-1.jpg" alt="" width="139" height="195" /></a><img src="http://freshfiction.com/ads/charlene_sands_728x90.gif" alt="" width="645" height="85" /></h3>
<h3>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 :)</h3>
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<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Sun coming up over New York City</strong></span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>School bus driver in a traffic jam</strong></span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Starin' at the faces in her rearview mirror</strong></span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Looking at the promise of the Promised Land</strong></span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;"> <a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a-Brooks.jpg"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-28183" title="a Brooks" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a-Brooks.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="225" /></span></a></span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">One kid dreams of fame and fortune</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">One kid helps pay the rent</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">One could end up going to prison</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">One just might be president</span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Only in America</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Dreaming in red, white and blue</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Only in America</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Where we dream as big as we want to</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">We all get a chance</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Everybody gets to dance</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Only in America</span></h3>
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<h3>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:</h3>
<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-brad-2.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-28182" title="A brad 2" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-brad-2.jpg" alt="" width="259" height="194" /></a>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">You're not supposed to say the word "cancer" in a song.</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">And tellin' folks Jesus is the answer can rub 'em wrong.</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">It ain't hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns, and mama, yeah that might be true.</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">But this is country music and we do</span></h3>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Do you like to drink a cold one on the weekend and get a little loud</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Do you wanna say I'm sorry or I love you but you don't know how?</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Do you wish somebody had the nerve to tell that stupid boss of yours</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">to shove it next time he yells at you?</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Well this is country music and we do</span></h3>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">So turn it on, turn it up, and sing a long</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">This is real; this is your life in a song</span>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Yeah this is country music.</span></h3>
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<h3>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, <em>Don’t Take the Girl.</em>  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, <em>Live Like You Were Dying</em> or Brooks and Dunn’s, <em>Believe</em>.</h3>
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<h3>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!</h3>
&nbsp;
<h3>Here’s the Top Country Songs:</h3>
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<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Blake Shelton--God Gave Me You <a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-Taylor.bmp"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-28189" title="A Taylor" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-Taylor.bmp" alt="" width="161" height="192" /></span></a></span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Eli Young Band--Crazy Girl </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">George Strait--Here for a Good Time </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Miranda Lambert--Baggage Claim </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Taylor Swift--Sparks Fly                                                                     </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Brantley Gilbert--Country Must Be Country Wide  </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Keith Urban--Long Hot Summer </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Rodney Atkins--Take a Road Back </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Lady Antebellum--We Owned the Night</span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #ff0000;">Jason Aldean--Tattoos on This Town </span></h3>
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<h3><strong> </strong>Do you like country music?  What types of songs move you and who is your favorite artist? What is your favorite song?</h3>
<h3>Did you watch the <a href="http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/" target="_blank">CMA AWARDS</a>? Who was your favorite from the show?</h3>
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<h3>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!!</h3>
[caption id="attachment_28186" align="alignleft" width="177" caption="4 STARS **** ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS! &quot;Readers are going root for this perfectly charming couple to put their marriage back on track with a little help from a tiny angel.&quot;"]<a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-Nook.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-28186   " title="A Nook" src="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-Nook.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="280" /></a>[/caption]

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Read an Excerpt at:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Pride-Harlequin-Desire-ebook/dp/B005WJGTFE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1320883346&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">AMAZON</a>

<a href="http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24942&amp;cid=2869" target="_blank">EHARLEQUIN</a>

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CHECK OUT ALL MY BOOKS AND ENTER "THE COWBOY'S PRIDE" CONTEST  for Bling and Gift Cards at  <a href="http://www.charlenesands.com/">www.charlenesands.com</a>]]></content:encoded>
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