How One Movie Scene Created a Fictional Family

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Please welcome Tina Wheeler to the Petticoats and Pistols Corral today.

I watched way too much television growing up. Okay, I still watch more than I should, but in my defense, I’m a visual learner and seeing characters in settings helps me build my fictional world.

I come from a military/law enforcement family, so I already had a solid grasp of alpha males who own guns. Watching mysteries with my mother influenced my desire to include a puzzle in my novels. But why cowboys?

When writing my debut, Love Inspired Suspense, I created the Walker family and their ranch outside Sedona. Jackson, Cole and Zach are brothers who are the fictional embodiment of all the heart-stopping cowboys I’ve seen on television and their finer qualities. I’m an Arizona girl, born and raised. Every time we hosted out-of-state visitors, we headed to Old Tucson Studios to watch cowboy gunfights with stuntmen falling off buildings. Five hundred movies had scenes filmed there, including four John Wayne Westerns. Feeding my love for cowboys were TV shows like Bonanza, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, The Wild Wild West, The Rifleman, and The High Chaparral which was filmed at Old Tucson.

Man in coat on the wind

My absolute favorite movie scene of all time is in Tombstone. Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliott, and Val Kilmer (playing the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday) are walking down the dusty town road toward the O.K. Corral to reenact the famous thirty-second shootout. They’re wearing mostly black with their cowboy hats and boots, but it’s the black duster coats that complete the image. My heart skips a beat every time I watch that scene. I could replay it a hundred times. The Earps were close brothers, cowboys, and lawmen. Together, they bravely protected the town. Yes, they had their flaws, but in that moment, they were four strong, good-hearted men about to prove that good conquers evil. Yesterday, we had the Earps. Today, we have the Walker brothers.

 

Ranch Under Fire, a Publishers Weekly Bestseller

A witness on the run.

A mission to survive.

Fleeing after witnessing a shooting in her office, Bailey Scott must rely on cowboy Jackson Walker for protection when the gunman turns his sights on her. With a drug ring determined to silence her, Jackson promises to protect her at his ranch. But he’s an undercover DEA agent with secrets he can’t reveal. Can he take down the criminals before their pursuers lead them straight into an inescapable trap?

More About Tina:

Tina Wheeler is an inspirational romantic suspense author and retired teacher. Although she grew up near a desert in Arizona, her favorite place to plot a new story is on a balcony overlooking the ocean. She enjoys spending time with her large extended family, brainstorming with writing friends, discovering new restaurants, and traveling with her husband. Visit authortinawheeler.com to read more.

To buy a copy of Ranch Under Fire click here.

Giveaway:

Tina is giving away a copy of Ranch Under Fire. To enter the random drawing, leave a comment about your favorite cowboy, real or fictional.

 

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66 thoughts on “How One Movie Scene Created a Fictional Family”

  3. My favorite cowboy is John Wayne, although Kurt Russel and Tom Selleck make great cowboys. They come across with an edge of danger and protectiveness in them which a cowboy needs.

  4. Tina, first of all welcome! Secondly, I loved your post. Being a mom of three grown sons, I really enjoy stories that are guy centered. I tend to write stories that revolve around a group of men, too. The idea for my second series came from my son and his friends’ in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. I had so much fun writing the scenes where the guys were together. While they considered themselves family, they loved to rib each other. From your post, I’m sure I’m going to love Ranch on Fire. I can’t wait to read it.

  6. Welcome! I have many cowboys too. Can’t name them all. I grew up reading Louis Lamour as a teenager in the early 1970’s. All the Sackets are my heros! Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott. Whew! I loved Tombstone too. I hope the westerns never go away on the tv/movie screen! Or in the books!

  7. Hi Tina and welcome! I love the movie, Tombstone, too. One of my favorites is Dances with Wolves. Kevin Costner makes a great cowboy. So excited for your first Love Inspired book. Congrats.

  8. I looooove that scene in Tombstone. In fact, it was that scene that inspired my husband’s tuxedo for our wedding. Of course, the shootout scene with Doc and Johnny Ringo is my favorite scene in that movie, because the line, “Why Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave.” is pure gold and Val Kilmer is perfect. But…my favorite fictional cowboy is Captain Woodrow Call. I think John Wayne, Paul Newman, Kevin Costner, and Sam Elliott are excellent on-screen as cowboys. My favorite real-life cowboys are Bill Pickett, Bose Ikard, Charles Goodnight — and I love his wife, too — and then my family members. My husband is something else! Congratulations on the book! It sounds great! And thank you for writing!

    • Thank you! Your wedding sounds wonderful! One of my cousin’s got married at a ranch and another got married in a historic Western town here. They were both my favorite weddings to attend.

  12. Sam Elliot is hands down my favorite. There was the Louis Lamour book The Shadow Riders with him and Tom Selleck that was my first one with him. I love Sam, he is the quintessential cowboy to me.

    • I have a friend who dated someone who looked like Sam. We were all bummed when she broke up with him.

  14. Sam Elliott and then second, Tom Selleck. They both recreate the life of western living and fighting to save one’s family and homestead. It appears I am not the only one with these two men as their most favorite western actors. There are many great actors such as John Wayne, Audie Murphy and more which slip my mind at the present time. I still love to watch Gunsmoke episodes today.

    • I thought of John Wayne as the epitome of a cowboy and Sam Elliott as the cowboy that made my heart beat faster. 🙂

  17. I am old enough to have seen lots of Western movies with the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry whom I liked a lot as a kid. But I think my favorite cowboys are the ones played by John Wayne. He seemed to be like what I imagined real men moving West would have been like.

  24. John Wayne is my all time favorite because he is so cool but I love Sam Elliott. He is so swoon worthy.

  25. So many good cowboys on tv back in the day….Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive. Then Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck. Even though he was usually a supporting actor, one of my favorites is Ben Johnson. He was the real thing, an Oklahoma cowboy.

  26. I like Silverado with Emmet, Paydon,Jake, and Mal,(Scott Glen,Kevin Kline,Kevin Costner,and Danny Glover).

  28. John Wayne was and will always be my favorite. He was a man’s man. Sam Elliot would be a close second.

  29. There were many I liked from the old westerns on TV. I had a crush on Little Joe on Bonanza when I was in high school. However, The one I liked the best was Hoss. He was the kind of person you would want as a friend. Kind and understanding with a sense of humor. He would stand up for his friends and do what he could to help someone if needed.

  30. Hi Tina, Your new book, Ranch Under Fire, sounds like a Awesome read. I enjoy all Western movies & books. John Wayne & Clint Eastwood are my favorite. I my younger days, I also liked Roy Rogers & Gene Autry. All of this younger generation don’t realize what they were missing. Ride’m Cowboy!!!!

  31. I would have to say Michael Landon who played Little Joe on Bonanza. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless you.

  33. Heath Barkley The Big Valley – Lee Majors was a favorite of mine.
    I also watched Bronco Ty Hardin, Rawhide Clint Eastwood, Matt Dillion Jim Arness and Bonanza

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