Heroes

What kind of western hero are you?

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We’ve all got a favorite hero, be it the lawman or the outlaw, the cowboy, or the doctor, or something else. But ever wondered which you are most like? I’ve always loved a “Who are you” style quiz, so I thought you might like one too! There are four questions and four heroes!

Play along, and tell me which western hero you are.

 

Question 1: You ride into a new town. What’s your first move?

A) Head straight to the saloon and let the trouble come to you.

B) Find the sheriff and offer your skills.

C) Slip in quietly. 

D) Survey the land. You’re here to build something, not just pass through.

 

Question 2: When it comes to your past, you…

A) Don’t talk about it. Some stories are better left buried in the dust.

B) Carry it with you. Every scar made you who you are today.

C) Use it. You’ve learned lessons most folks will never know.

D) Let it go. The future’s what matters.

 

Question 3: Your idea of a perfect evening on the frontier is…

A) Alone under a sky full of stars, just you and your horse.

B) Around a fire with the people you’d do anything for.

C) Playing cards and reading everyone at the table.

D) Sitting on your porch, watching the sun go down over land you’ve worked.

 

Question 4: When love comes riding in, you…

A) Fight it, then fall completely and without warning.

B) Protect them first, then fall in love.

C) You’ve seen enough of the world to know something rare when you find it.

D) You want to build a life together, not just ride off into the sunset.

 

Now…add up your answers, and then scroll down to read about your hero type! 

 

Mostly A’s — The Lone Gunslinger

Mostly B’s — The Lawman

Mostly C’s — The Outlaw with a Code

Mostly D’s — The Homesteader

 

THE LONE GUNSLINGER You ride alone by choice, not circumstance, and you like it that way. Until someone comes along who sees right through that carefully constructed distance. You’ll resist falling hard, and then fall harder than anyone expected. The lonelier the hero, the sweeter the surrender.

THE LAWMAN You stand for something, and that’s rarer than gold out here. You’re the one people ride hard to find when everything goes sideways — steady, principled, and brave in the quiet way that matters most. Your love is the same: loyal, sure, and once given, never taken back. You don’t just protect the ones you love. You show up for them, every single day.

THE OUTLAW WITH A CODE  You’ve lived outside the law long enough to write your own rules — and yours are surprisingly honorable. You’re sharp, perceptive, and three steps ahead of everyone in the room. People underestimate you until they can’t anymore. When you love someone, you love them fiercely and loyally. The world made you complicated. The right person makes you whole.

THE HOMESTEADER You’re not here for the drama of a fast draw — you’re here for the long game. You want roots, a future, something real. There’s a quiet strength in that kind of vision that others find deeply appealing. You’re the hero who’s already imagining a life together before the first kiss, and that steadfast, hopeful love is exactly what the frontier — and a good romance — is made of.

What did you get? I was mostly C, the Outlaw! Drop your answer below, I’d love to hear it.

And, for playing along, one of you will win an ebook copy of either Mail-Order Gambler or Asher’s Secret, your choice!

Mail-Order Gambler: He lives life on a roll of the dice, betting on everything except love. Click here to read more

Asher’s Secret: The plan? Pretend he’s her betrothed and try not to fall in love. Click here to read more

 

Comic Books – Then and Now by Pam Crooks

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Who among us hasn’t read the comics in our daily newspaper (when there was one!) or a comic book from cover to cover?

It was the ever-popular dime novels from the mid-to-late 1800s that set the stage for comic strips, and later comic books, as we know them. Usually about 100 pages long and printed on thin, pulp paper, dime novels told serialized stories about cowboys, lawmen, outlaws, and Indians. Selling for 5-15 cents each, they romanticized the Old West and set the stage for the legacy of good vs evil and the tropes we still enjoy today.

     
As time evolved, the dime novel understandably faced modern competition, and it’s believed that the first comic strip appeared in the San Francisco Examiner in 1892. Different than the dime novel that featured singular heroes in pages-long adventures, comic strips had sequential panels that portrayed characters who appeared again and again in punchy, fast-paced stories, often with humor, that hooked readers to check out their beloved “funnies” in the daily newspaper.

Long about 1930 or so, the dime novels and the newspaper-bound comic strips made room for the arrival of comic books. Their bright, colorful panels really made the stories leap off the page. Shorter–about 32-64 pages–and selling for 10-25 cents, they were fast-paced with action-packed plots and larger-than-life heroes that truly brought Westerns to life, helping to launch their popularity in films and the actors that starred in them.

And then . . . came the graphic novel in the late 1970s. If you haven’t read one, visualize them as a longer comic book with more diverse themes as in a memoir, or something more serious as politics. Many have storied adventures, too, and are created by graphic artists for webcomics and digital platforms. Interestingly, graphic novels have achieved academic recognition as legitimate literature to be studied in schools and universities.

Those pulp-fiction dime novels have come a long, long way, haven’t they?

***SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!***

Only a couple of days ago, my nephew (with a graphic artist degree) has self-published his very own graphic novel. The Flyman has been in his heart since he was a little boy, and thanks to the advent of self-publishing on Amazon, he has finally been able to publish his dream. Faith-based, packed with action, friendship, humor, and fantasy, the Flyman (ala Spiderman or Superman) battles evil in the name of God and will keep you captivated to THE END.

AMAZON

 BOOK TRAILER

Did you have a favorite comic strip you loved to read in the newspaper?

Did you have a collection of comic books while growing up?

Do you like to watch movies featuring superheroes?

An Archetype for a Hero by Pam Crooks

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Whenever I start a new book, I need some serious inspiration.  A roadmap, so to speak.  I get out my favorite writer handbooks, start thumbing through the pages, and wait for inspiration to hit.

One of those handbooks is “The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines – Sixteen Master Archetypes” by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders. Originally published in 2000, the archetypes are described as they have been written in fiction through the ages, helping writers develop characters that are well-motivated, believable, and are remembered long after “The End.”

The book divides the archetypes into two groups of eight – heroes and heroines – and then describes archetype interactions to bring characters to an even deeper level.

For the purpose of this blog, I’ll concentrate on Hero Archetypes, because we all love our heroes, right?

Here they are:

  • The Chief
  • The Bad Boy
  • The Best Friend
  • The Charmer
  • The Lost Soul
  • The Professor
  • The Swashbuckler
  • The Warrior

TRACE, Book 1 of the Bachelors & Babies sweet romance series

Trace McQuade fits the “The Lost Soul” archetype since he has lost everything he is closest to – his ranch and his younger brother, only to have his losses cut deeper when he accidentally shoots the woman he intended to marry (Emma) after she betrayed him and joined an outlaw gang.

He learns later that Emma gave birth to an outlaw’s baby. After Emma’s death, that little girl named Harriett ended up on his doorstep (literally) with Emma’s plea that Trace take care of her.

Trace struggles with trusting women since Emma had lied about her love for him.  He sees the baby as everything he’s failed at – not seeing through Emma’s lies and not having a child with her, like he’d wanted. He also fails at capturing the man who killed his brother.

Of course, Trace works through his losses and turns them into new goals for himself.  Can you see how being a Lost Soul really builds layers of conflict for Trace’s character and makes him stronger?

Connected with . . . HARRIETT, Book 1 of the Cupids and Cowboys sweet romance series

Cord Brennan is the “Warrior” archetype, my favorite of the eight. As a US Deputy Marshal, he was an easy fit for the archetype, as are most lawmen, soldier, bounty hunter, etc., occupations.

Years later, Cord must escort the same outlaw in TRACE from Texas to the McQuade ranch in Kansas.  The outlaw is deathly ill, and due to some blood research being done by a doctor who needs Harriett’s blood, Cord bears the responsibility to keep the outlaw safely incarcerated until Harriett is convinced to cooperate. Of course, a run-in with the outlaw’s old gang who breaks him out of jail forces Cord to not only protect the outlaw in his charge, but also the doctor and Harriett, too, along with her family.  Failure to do so will destroy all his careful plans to return to Texas, get a new and perfect job with the US Marshal’s office, and to care for his handicapped father, most of all.

Naturally, this responsibility and the outlaw’s shenanigans war with Cord’s goals, and falling in love with Harriett, sympathy for her predicament, and the eventual dread of returning to Texas without her gives plenty of conflict and layers to his Warrior archetype.

Connected with . . . ARMED & MARVELOUS, Book 8 of the Pink Pistol sweet romance series

Since this book is set in 1955, a time period I’d never written before, Roan Bertoletti proved to be a character I loved as the Charmer archetype. A former movie-star heartthrob who suffers through a scandal invented by his former actress co-star, Roan escapes Los Angeles to the Brennan ranch in Kansas where he finds new happiness and a simpler life as a cowboy.

Harriett and Cord are the heroine’s grandparents in this story, and they hope Roan will someday take over the ranch alongside Rexanna, their only grandchild, who has no intention of settling down in Kansas. Roan is well-liked in the community, and when the Los Angeles scandal follows him back to the ranch, he fears he will lose the happiness he’d worked hard to earn. Throw in a troubled relationship with his father and the dread of Rexanna’s impending departure from the ranch, and Roan turns into a Charmer with layers of conflict.

Which of these archetypes would be your favorite kind of hero and why? 

Do you prefer a more alpha type of hero like the Warrior or the Chief? 

Or more of a mild-mannered, down-to-earth guy like the Professor or the Best Friend?

TRACE, HARRIETT, and ARMED & MARVELOUS are now in Audiobook!

TRACE on Amazon 

HARRIETT on Amazon

ARMED & MARVELOUS on Amazon

(Note: Amazon has reduced the prices of my virtual voice audiobooks to $1.99 with the purchase of TRACE and HARRIETT ebooks, a 60% savings.  My ARMED & MARVELOUS audiobook (human narrator) is reduced to $4.82, a savings of 68% with purchase.)

 

Sunrise Surf

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When I was kicking around ideas for the hero in my new book, Sunrise Surf, releasing July 31, I decided to make him a surfer, mostly because I’d chosen the book title last year and wanted surf to have some significance to the story.

However, I wanted the hero to be a guy with integrity who can carry a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

Just before I started writing this book, the news featured details about a huge multistate drug bust that has been dubbed the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history. That gave me the idea to have Logan be a state police officer working undercover as the laid-back, no-cares-in-the-world surfer named Bodhi.

The only problem with making him a surfer was that I knew nothing about it, except how much I smile when I hear the song “Wipe Out,” which really doesn’t count for anything.

So, I started doing research about surfing and learned about waves, boards, surfer slang, sharks in Oregon (ack!), and wetsuits.

I’m a very visual learner. I wanted to watch a documentary or movie about surfing. I stumbled across Chasing Mavericks, a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity.

Not only did I learn about surfing, I learned about someone who impacted the lives around him. Jay was a 15-year-old surfing phenomenon who wanted to ride the Mavericks surf break in California, one of the biggest waves on Earth. He trained with surfing legend Frosty Hesson, and a photo of his wipeout on the Mavericks became the cover of a surfing magazine. Jay went on to become an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. The day before his twenty-third birthday, he was free-diving in the Maldives and died. No one is sure what happened. In honor of his life, of the inspiration he gave to the people he encountered, a Live Like Jay movement began.

Live Like Jay embodies living a life of passion, positivity, and authenticity.

The thing about this movie that I randomly decided to watch is that I unknowingly watched it on the anniversary of his death date. It gave me goose bumps when I started doing research about Jay Moriarity the next day, which would have been his birthday. Even typing that just gave me goose bumps.

By now, you are wondering what an undercover state police office pretending to be a surfer has to do with anything western.

Well, not a lot, except Logan, the hero, grew up on a ranch in Central Oregon and our surfing cowboy still loves to rope and ride any chance he gets.

I hope you’ll check out Sunrise Surf!

When a police officer posing as a surfer and a doctor wading through the unchartered waters of parenting a teen join forces to dismantle a drug operation, anything is possible.

Oregon State Police Officer Logan Wright swaps his badge for a board, posing undercover as a homeless surfer to infiltrate a deadly drug ring. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Seaside’s rugged coastline, he struggles with his dual life, especially after meeting a beautiful doctor who turns his head and touches his heart. Troubled by the fine line between duty and authenticity, Logan fears sharing the truth of his identity will drive her away.

Laken Hayes is a devoted doctor, fiercely protective of her teenage nephew, and determined to keep her hectic life in balance. But when a free-spirited surfer enters her world, nothing will ever be the same. Unexpectedly drawn to the charismatic man, Laken finds joy in his upbeat outlook on life while inadvertently becoming entangled in the web of Logan’s mission.

As their connection deepens and mysteries unravel, Logan faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: will he continue the deception to protect his cover or reveal his true self to the woman who has captured his heart?

Join Logan and Laken as they navigate a tide of secrets, false identities, and a wave of fast-moving danger in Sunrise Surf, a wholesome small-town romance that proves love may be the ultimate risk worth taking.

I found the idea of Live Like Jay so inspiring. 

What is a slogan, saying, or something that has inspired you? 

A Wild West Train Robbery in Oregon

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When I was researching historical details to incorporate into Luna, my sweet romance that releases July 2, I happened across an article about a train robbery that took place in July 1914.

The timing was perfect for my story set during the summer of 1914.  And how exciting to have my hero and heroine on a train that was getting robbed!  It’s referred to as one of the last Wild West train robberies, and one of the last that had a six-shooter involved in the shoot-out. It was such a newsworthy event, newspapers all over the region carried the story of the robbers who picked the wrong train.

Clarence Stoner

Clarence Stoner was a cousin to two of the West’s notorious outlaws, Hugh and Charles Whitney, and a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang in Wyoming.

Albert Meadors
Charles Manning

In the summer of 1914, he was in Oregon, running around with a gambler named Charles Manning and an outlaw sheepman from Kentucky named Albert Meadors.

The three of them hatched a plan to rob Train No. 5, an Oregon & Washington Railway Navigation Co. passenger train. In real life, the robbery happened in the middle of the night, but I couldn’t figure out a reason to put my characters on the train then, so I took a bit of creative license with the timeline and made it the afternoon.

The would-be robbers received word the train would be carrying a big payroll in the express car. The point where they planned to rob the train was a bit of genius. They chose a remote spot between Kamela and Meacham, at the summit of the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon. The train would slow down there to check its brakes, and that’s when they planned to rob the train.

When the train neared the summit and slowed to check the brakes, out came the guns, and the outlaws set their plans in motion. They collected all the train crew members, starting at the back of the train. One of the porters was shining shoes when he was forced to leave his post at gunpoint, and reportedly carried the shoe in his hand all the way to the baggage car where the outlaws would keep the crew. As they moved through the train, Manning pulled the emergency stop, and the train came to rest a few dozen yards past the crest of the summit, nose down on a 2.5 percent winding downhill grade with the airbrakes locked (for those who are train aficionados – yes, that was a very bad thing!).

Stoner went forward to get the engineer and fireman, bringing them back to the locked baggage car. Manning approached the express car and demanded entry. The clerk opened the door, and Manning soon learned there was no money inside. The outlaws were robbing the wrong train.

Instead of cutting their losses and disappearing, they decided to rob the passengers. Stoner was left to guard the train crew at the baggage car while Manning and Meadors started going through the passenger cars, stealing money and jewelry.

It just so happened that one of the passengers was Morrow County Deputy Sheriff George McDuffy. He watched as the robbers made their way toward him, waiting until they were distracted, then pulled his single-action six-shooter.

Who shot first varies, depending on which account of the event you read, but Manning shot McDuffy in the chest and the bullet hit his pencil case, which likely saved his life. Reportedly, McDuffy shot Manning through the heart, and the second shot hit close to the first. A third shot to the head ended the outlaw’s life. McDuffy’s shots, though, filled the car with smoke and made it hard to see.

Meadors escaped and was reportedly heard yelling at Stoner to run.

The outlaws had purchased a getaway car. It isn’t clear if the car was stolen, they couldn’t find it, or the getaway driver took off, but when Meadors and Stoner got back to where the car was supposed to be, it was gone, and they were left to escape on foot. They were caught walking along the railroad tracks twenty miles from the scene of the crime.

Thankfully, the brakes held until the train could get underway, otherwise the entire load of passengers and crew may have died in a train crash that day.

As for the two outlaws, Stoner reformed himself when he got out of prison and lived a fairly normal life, purchasing a farm in Idaho and leaving his career in crime behind him. Meaders was just getting started on a life of crime. After the train robbery, he was in and out of prison for any number of crimes including burglary, bootlegging, and even manslaughter.

Deputy Sheriff McDuffy was hailed as a hero and was able to return to his home after spending time recovering at the hospital in Pendleton. You can read about the robbery in an article on Offbeat Oregon, or old newspaper articles.

And you can read about Hunter and Luna, my hero and heroine, and their experiences during the robbery in Luna, coming July 2!

She’s searching for peace and grace

He’s ready to step into his next big adventure

Haunted by memories of the fateful day that changed her life, Luna Campanelli seeks a fresh start in Pendleton, Oregon. Life in the wild western town is nothing like she imagined, although the rugged beauty of the area soothes her troubled spirit. An unlikely friendship with one of the area ranch hands lifts her hopes, until she discovers the cowboy isn’t who he’s led her to believe.

Hunter Douglas didn’t intend to hide his identity from the woman he met on the train, but when she assumed he was his sister’s hired hand, he didn’t correct her. He never anticipated forming such a deep connection to her, especially when thoughts of her continue to infiltrate his carefully made plans. As a recent college graduate with an inheritance he intends to use to start his own ranch in Pendleton, Hunter must decide if he is willing to open his heart and include Luna in his future.

Will they embrace the unexpected love that has blossomed between them, or let fear tear them apart?

This sweet and wholesome romance is a story of love, healing, and the power of hope in a delightful western setting. Join Luna and Hunter on their journey as they discover what it truly means to love unconditionally.

What would you do if you found yourself in the midst of a train robbery? 

Share your answer for a chance to win a mystery prize! 

 

Winter Wonderland Romance

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When I was thinking about the third book in my Winter Wishes series, I knew who the heroine would be. She was the former love of the hero in the second book, Sleigh Bell Serenade. Olivia Burton left town quite suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving Bo with a broken heart. Thankfully, he’s moved on and is ready to find his happily ever after – eventually.

Anyway, I knew Olivia needed her own sweet romance and the opportunity to fall in love. The only questions was what hero would be perfect for her.

I happened to see a cover Covers and Cupcakes had for sale one day and it just screamed “buy me for Olivia’s story!” so I did. Who was I to argue with a screaming book cover?

It was perfect for the title of Winter Wonderland Romance.

So, after studying the guy on the cover, the story for our hero, Alex Adams started to take shape in my thoughts.

Turns out, Alex is a veteran, dealing with PTSD,  and in desperate need of peace and quiet away from his well-meaning but suffocating family. Alex heads to the wintery mountain town of Pinehill with his dog, Dude. (Yes, the dog’s name is Dude and every time I type it, I might smile.)

Olivia has returned to Pinehill to take over the medical practice there when the old doctor who was her mentor wants to retire. Although her teenage self had vowed to never return to her hometown, she finds she doesn’t detest living there as much as she anticipated.

When Dude eats something he shouldn’t, Alex races to the clinic and begs Olivia to help his dog (there isn’t a veterinarian in town). She does, swears him to secrecy, and the two of them begin to form a tenuous bond.

She never wanted to return to her hometown.
He needed an escape from his family.
When a chance meeting brings them together, will their attraction keep them from drifting apart?

Doctor Olivia Burton never intended to return to her hometown of Pinehill. After graduating high school, she set off on a new path, eager to leave her past behind. However, years later, an unexpected phone call from her mentor pulls her back to Pinehill to take over a thriving medical practice as the town’s primary physician. Determined to avoid the local gossip mill, Olivia attempts to keep a low profile as she settles back into the community.

Alex Adams is desperate for an escape from his well-meaning but suffocating family. After a life-altering explosion ended his military career, he finds himself plagued with post-traumatic stress disorder. Surrounded by his loud and overbearing family only intensifies his struggles. Seeking respite, he retreats to his aunt’s mountain cabin in Pinehill, desperate for peace and quiet.

When a chance encounter brings Alex and Olivia together, the sparks begin to fly. Olivia, cautious and hesitant to let anyone into her guarded heart, begins to question if it’s time to leave her past behind and embrace the possibility of a winter wonderland romance. Alex, yearning for connection and understanding, finds himself drawn to Olivia’s warmth and kindness.

As they spend more time together, will Olivia and Alex discover that love, much like freshly fallen snow, has a way of blanketing everything in a layer of beauty?

Uncover the joys that come with new beginnings, the transformative power of love, and the magic that can be found in the simplest moments in this sweet, wholesome, and tender romance.

If you could stroll through a Winter Wonderland,

where would it be and who would be with you?

Share your answer for a chance to win a digital copy of all three books

in the Winter Wishes series!

She Steals My Breath — Interview With The Romance Studio, plus a Giveaway

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Howdy!

Welcome to Tuesday — only two days until Valentine’s Day.

Do you and yours have plans?  Dinner?  A quiet evening at home?  Maybe a romantic movie?

I’ll love to hear from you!

Well, today, I thought I post a recent Interview soon to be uploaded at The Romance Studio.  https://www.theromancestudio.com

It’s called Author Spotlight and they asked some rather deep questions that were thoughtful.  The interview is set to be posted on the 27th of February, but I thought I’d post it here because the questions were insightful.

The number four is an important number to many medicine men.  After all, there are four directions, four seasons and even a day could be divided up into four sections: sunrise; afternoon; night; the early hours of the morning or the darkest part of the night before sunrise.  There are also four tribes of mankind: red, yellow, white and black.  The medicine wheel shows these different tribes of mankind.

In view of this, I’ve decided to give away four (4) e-books of THE STEALS MY BREATH to four different bloggers today.  So please, come on in and leave a message.

AUTHOR  SPOTLIGHT

Karen Kay

INSPIRATION for SHE STEALS MY BREATH, Book #1 of the Medicine Man Series

 

Well, the inspiration for this story started during an emotionally rough time in my life.  A family member was taken ill and I was, of course, quite upset and not knowing quite what to do.

Now this is a true story I’m telling you in this, my recounting of the inspiration behind SHE STEALS MY BREATH.  Because the medicine man series delves into the paranormal category — mostly because the American Indian medicine men often “lived” in the spiritual realm — these stories, while being solid Historical Romance, must — because of the character of the hero — be lived partly in the spiritual world, also.

Now, I’m not talking about magic and particularly not about black magic.  What I’m saying here is that American Indian’s healing methods included prayers, rituals — such as the drum and particular songs given to them — usually by an animal — a closeness to the Creator and a knowledge of plants and herbs, as well as the medicine pipe to help him communicate to the Creator.

All medicine men and many of the scouts of the tribes could communicate with what I call in my book, Mind Speak.  Distance has no part in it, by the way.  There is on record an entire council of medicine men held in the not so long ago past, that decided on a course of action to take without a single word being spoken between them.

We all have this ability to speak to one another with our minds, I think.  I have personally experienced this with a Lakota friend and so I know it is real and it exists.

Anyway, this is a little backstory before I tell you about what inspired me to write this series on the medicine men.  As I said, I was going through a rough time because of a family member’s illness.

In my dreams — by the way dreams are important to the American Indian — but in my dreams, a medicine man came to me.  I call it a dream, but it was really in that state of mind one can get into when one is going to sleep, but isn’t quite asleep yet.  This medicine man was gentle and kind to me and encouraged me to write about the Medicine Men.

It was then when the story for book #1 in the Medicine Man series came into being.  The hero in the story is kind, yet strong and tough, but mostly, he is kind and considerate of the heroine and of others, and he is completely straightforward and honest.

My next inspiration came from a man by the name of John Trudell.  He is a Lakota man who was active in the American Indian Movement in the 1970’s.  Because of a tragedy in his life, he began to write poetry and eventually he set his poems to music and made albums.  One of his poems is “Takes My Breath.”  Oh, my goodness what an emotionally powerful poem/song.

You can listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m5YKnBqQ4o

And from there, the heroine came into being, met the hero of the story and away we went on an adventure into realm of Montana’s Little Big Horn Mountains (where the little people live, by the way).  Just ask a Crow Indian about the little people.

 

CHARACTER  DEVELOPMENT, SETTING AND WORLD BUILDING

The characters in my stories take on a life of their own and they pretty much, once the story is started, live their own story.  Sometimes I get in the way because I don’t understand what or why they’re doing what they are doing and so I have to back up and try to understand why they’ve suddenly done something I didn’t expect.

I never try to change them.  It’s their story.  Sometimes I’ve had characters do things out of character for them and then they talk to me.  This particularly happened in the second book in the Medicine Man series, SHE CAPTURES MY HEART.  The hero in this story had to “school” me on the mores of a medicine man because I was thinking of having him do something he would never do.  But, I listened to him and wrote the scene the way he wanted it.  One time, long ago, in the story, THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF, I didn’t listen to my characters and the story stopped right then and there.

I had to back up and really listen to these people who were upset with me because I forced them NOT to do something that was right for them to do.  I realized I hadn’t properly set up the scene so that it could easily be seen it was right for them and then the story continued on just fine.  I think maybe this is when I began to really listen to my characters.

As far as setting up the scene and world building, I am constantly reading historical accounts of people who lived during the time periods I’m writing about.  Some of the stories are incredibly paranormal, but are true.  And, although my writing is fictional, I do draw on these true accounts from the early 1800’s (and sometimes earlier), fictionalizing something that did take place.

In this modern age, it’s nice to go back to simpler times.  Although the American Indians at this time were people, just like all peoples, they had high standards for themselves most usually.  By this I mean they valued family and friends; they lived by a code of honor that would make the knights of old pale in comparison.  I love writing about these times and these people.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

In writing this series, it is my intention to show the medicine men for the heroes they were.  They were in close communication with the Creator and prayed every day; they used their knowledge to help and to heal, to the best they could, those in need of their services; they learned about the body and how to set bones and such.  But, mostly they were men of honor and of integrity.  They married for life, they counselled the needy, they prayed for any war or raiding party for a safe return.  They lived by a code that by their own words was a very tough path to follow.  But, follow it they did because when they veered off the path, their medicine might fail them and then their power to help another dimmed.

But most of all the message I’m hoping the reader will come away with is the message of love and helpfulness and understanding.  These medicine men were often written about by people who didn’t understand them and so invented all manner of stories about them, much of those stories lies.

And, although evil shamans did exist at this time, such men were never looked upon by the people as medicine men.  A medicine man was a friend, a man who did his best to protect his people and who used his spiritual powers to bring about health in others if he could.

The medicine man in the tribe was loved and respected sometimes even more than the chief.  The evil shaman, by comparison, was feared and despised by the people.  It’s my wish to bring back this more truthful image of the American Indian Medicine Man.

 

Karen Kay

February 2024

A Cowboy with a Different Kind of Ride

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Good Morning (or whenever you choose to read this),

When we think of cowboys, we certainly have a prototype in mind, a clear picture of what a cowboy is. I would bet that cowboy is not in a wheelchair for most of you. Well, in the book I’m releasing the end of next week, the hero is a cowboy with all the heart, honesty, and beliefs of a cowboy, he lives on a ranch and works hard. In fact, he works very hard, and he’s also in a wheelchair.

You may be thinking, how can that be? If he has no legs or no ability to use his legs, how does he ride a horse? Those are good questions (and also questions people are sometimes afraid to ask for fear of legitimately hurting others). The answer is, in many cases, yes. Paraplegics can ride horses. Let’s chat about it.

This is Brendon Ruse, he is a former Army Ranger and suffered a debilitating spinal injury. After recovering, he becomes a clinical psychologist and offers counseling to victims of human trafficking at Wayside Ranch. While he’s not a wrangler as many of the men on the ranch are, he still enjoys riding.

Brendon has worked hard and enjoys his life on the ranch. He has an all-terrain wheelchair that helps him move around on the rougher terrain of a rural setting. His chair looks something like this one (this one is from Razor Blade Terrain).

  This chair with wider front wheels is light and maneuverable 
This is similar to what Brendon would use, except Sam made his and it’s a manual hoist that he uses himself. Image from lifelifts.com

 

 

 

With this chair, Brendon can go almost anywhere he wishes to. The only places really inaccessible are homes with stairs and no railing (he is capable of using a narrow railing and his arms, but he doesn’t prefer to do so).
With his riding mount assist, he can mount a horse without help, though it does perturb him that Connor requires a spotter for him in case the chain would slip from his grasp and he’d land on the floor, potentially injuring himself). All of this came through research. I knew paraplegics could ride from another story I wrote, but I never understood (because while I had mobility issues, I certainly felt disabled) that many people in wheelchairs actually don’t feel disabled. They don’t want to be treated differently. They just want to happily live their lives. And that’s kind of the revelation I wanted to pass on in Operation: Discovery.

Now, to be honest, there’s a lot more in the book than just Brendon’s grappling with one particular woman who he thinks treated him as incomplete when they dated in the past. It is a second-chance romance, but it also sheds light on a horrible situation in this world, human trafficking. The whole series does, but this one is sensitive because it’s about children. Fair warning if you preorder the book.

Bottom line, if a cowboy is made by the condition of his heart, character, and work ethic, Brendon is definitely a cowboy and he’ll ride off into the sunset to prove it.

 

Men and Their Trucks

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I don’t know why but lately I’ve been thinking about trucks. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard so many songs that contain references to them or the fact that I live in Texas. Who knows. Part of my ruminating included the revelation that a truck is the twenty-first century cowboy’s horse. Nowadays we only see folks who work ranches riding a horse to check the far pasture fence or find a stray cow in Hallmark movies. In real life while some ranchers ride horses to cut cattle, most drive their truck, ATV, or a four-wheeler around their place, . (Please correct me if I’m wrong those of you that have working ranches or farms.)

My oldest son on the day he got his Big Blue Truck.

My oldest son bought a truck when he was in college. A couple years ago he hydroplaned in the rain during his long work commute. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt, but his truck was totaled. As it seems is always the case, he couldn’t afford another truck with the insurance money. (His truck was paid for.) Instead, he bought a small sedan. It’s never sat right with him driving that car, despite having a truck again, he still misses that first one. His truck, merely having one, was tied to who he was—a born and bred Texan.

With that on my mind, I started looking at country songs with truck in the title. Here are some of my favorites.

  • Getting Married to My Pick Up Truck by Rodney Carrington—the comparison between his truck’s loyalty and a woman’s is hilarious. Click here to listen.
  • Truck Yeah by Time McGraw—is just plain fun. Click here to listen.
  • My Truck by Gretchen Wilson—is one of the few truck titled songs sung by a woman. Click here to listen.
  • My Ol’ Bronco by Luke Bryan—while while the word truck isn’t in the title, a Bronco is a specific truck so I’m counting it. The line “I ain’t never gonna let her go” sums it all up. Click here to listen.
  • Boy Gets a Truck by Keith Urban—these lyrics are a wonderful love story, “Boy gets a truck. Truck gets a girl. Girl gets a midnight feeling he’s the one, one night turns to love. Love turns into one knee down, down payment on a three-bedroom house filled with the sound of little feet. Then you blink and he’s asking for the keys to pick her up. Boy gets a truck.” Wow. I wish I’d written that. Click here to listen. 
  • That Ain’t My Truck by Rhett Akins—I feel the pain and anguish the singer feels from the moment he starts singing about driving past the house of the woman he loves and sees another man’s truck at her house. Click here to listen.
  • Look at My Truck by Chase Rice—Yup, a man’s truck says a lot about him. “If ya want to get to get to know me it ain’t that hard. It’s sitting on some Goodyears there in the yard. Got some dents, got some dings, been my best friend since I was 16, baptized in dirty water, handed down to me from my father. If ya wanna know, wanna know what I’m made of just look at my truck.” More words I wish I’d written. Click here to listen. 
  • Pick Up Man by Joe Diffie—I included this one, too because a pickup is a specific kind of truck. I love the lines about the singer getting his first pick up when he was three, driving 100,000 miles on his knees, and how he moved a Barbie doll bed for the girl next door. And the lines, “there’s something about a pick up man” and “if it weren’t for trucks, we wouldn’t have tailgates” are priceless. Click here to listen.
  • We Rode In Trucks by Luke Bryan—sums up how a man’s life and his truck are intertwined. Click here to listen.
  • Mud On the Tires by Brad Paisley—again, this one doesn’t have the word truck in the title, but the tires are ones on his new Chevrolet truck but adding that to the title isn’t as catchy. ? This is one of my favorites. Brad Paisley paints a picture of him and his girl spending time with each other and getting “a little mud on the tires.”
  • I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice written by Connie Harrington, Jessi Alexander, and Jimmy Yeary—my other favorite song with truck in the title, but grab a handful of tissues before you listen to it. Here’s the poignant story behind the song. One Memorial Day weekend, songwriter Connie Harrington heard a father on radio show talking about his son, fallen soldier, Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, who died in Afghanistan while trying to save a fellow soldier. When asked how he would commemorate his son, the father said, he’d drive his truck. “What can I tell you? It’s him. It’s got his DNA all over it. I love driving it because it reminds me of him, though I don’t need the truck to remind me of him. I think about him every hour of every day.”
  • Click here to hear the song. Then click here to listen to “Mud on the Tires” to make you smile.

I always knew trucks meant a lot to their owners,  but after listening to these songs, it will change my writing because they’re more.

Giveaway:  To be entered in the random drawing for a signed copy of Aiming For His Heart, the Happy Clips, and the phone pocket, leave a comment about your favorite truck song or just a comment about trucks.

 

  • After a comment from MaryEllen Cox I have to add another song. Wait In the Truck by Hardy, featuring Lainey Wilson. Another wow that will hit you emotionally. Click here to listen.

What Defines a Cowboy?

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I needed another photo and thought we could use a picture of a good looking cowboy.

Webster’s defines a cowboy this way. (1) one who tends cattle or horses (2) a rodeo performer (3) one having qualities (such as recklessness, aggressiveness, or independence) popularly associated with cowboys: such as a: a reckless driver b: a business or businessperson operating in an uncontrolled or unregulated manner. The first two are obvious and I agree, but the last definition? Who wrote that? Aggressive? Reckless driver? Maybe they’re confusing cowboy with renegade? I don’t know. But they don’t see the same “qualities” I see in a cowboy. And I refuse to even discuss the businessman one. The only part that definition has right is independent. In my opinion, Merriam-Webster blew it by failing to see what else makes a cowboy.

First, being aggressive makes me think of a bully. When I think of a cowboy, I think of John Wayne in movies where his character stood up for those who needed a champion. Big Jake and The Cowboys come to mind as examples. He stands up for what’s right, does what needs to be done no matter what the personal cost, and he certainly isn’t a reckless driver. See me shaking my head over this one yet again. He may take a risk, but he’s not reckless or as Webster says, “acting without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.”

A cowboy possesses what some today call old-fashioned manners and values. They’re willing to work hard and can be counted on to finish the job. The words “yes, ma’am” are part of their vocabulary, and more importantly, used. No matter what their age, they call their parents’ friends Mr. and Mrs. to show respect. When I wrote my first novel with a cowboy hero Big City Cowboy, (which happened to be the only idea of that type I had at the time), the inciting incident forced my hero to go to New York to model. However, I wanted a reason other than to save his ranch. I asked myself what a cowboy loved more than his ranch or his horse. The answer his mom popped into my head. For me, that’s the kind of values a cowboy possesses. He values hard work, family, his heritage, and respects women.

But I write non-traditional cowboy heroes. Not all of them live or even grew up on a ranch. I think my expanded definition of a cowboy resulted from my son going to Texas A&M University. While there he became more “western,” more cowboy-like. Though looking back, I see glimpses when in high school he worked at the Heritage Farmstead, a historical farm and museum, and drove a tractor. But I started seeing the “cowboy” in him more when he attended A&M. Mainly because the culture at the university and in College Station, Texas, has a lot in common with cowboy values. It’s why my Wishing, Texas series has cowboy in the title despite not all those heroes living or growing up on a ranch.

So, back to good old Merriam-Webster. What are your thoughts on a cowboy? Does he have to be someone who owns a ranch, grew up on one, or competes in rodeos?  What do you think makes a man a cowboy?

That last thing I’ll say is, the trick is how to weed out a nontraditional cowboy from those who are all hat and no cattle. But I’ll save that discussion for another day.