Stetson Hat

Jane Porter: Life with the Alpha Hero

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TheLostSheenanBride-MEDIUM

We’re heading towards Valentine’s Day and I’m in the thick of writing my next, and final, Taming of the Sheenans story, set in Marietta, Montana and I love this series because it celebrates tough rugged men and equally strong women.

The series started with five brothers that grew up together on the Sheenan ranch in Paradise Valley and each of the brothers (including the lost brother, Shane, that shows up this April) is a true alpha hero.

American actors Robert Redford (left) and Paul Newman in a still from the film, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' directed by George Roy Hill, 1969. (Photo by 20th Century Fox/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
American actors Robert Redford (left) and Paul Newman in a still from the film, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ directed by George Roy Hill, 1969. (Photo by 20th Century Fox/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

An alpha hero is my favorite hero to write, and read. He isn’t defined by money or success. He might be powerful and successful, but that’s not what sets him apart.

 

What makes him riveting reading is that he is almost always a masculine, primal male. He doesn’t need to be rich, but he must have the means to provide for his woman. And he can and will, because he is strong, mentally and physically.

But alpha males are not perfect. They make mistakes…maybe even more than other men…and that’s because they take risks and they aren’t quitters and they refuse to walk away from a fight where something important is at stake.

john-wayne-movie-poster-1971-1020222804These heroes may have painful pasts, too, and because they’ve had to overcome challenges and tragedies, they can be overly confident. Possibly arrogant.

But when they love, oh how they love. Once an alpha hero finds his match…his mate…he will never be content with another woman.

I adore reading and writing alpha heroes because they sizzle and are sensual in bed (whether they seduce the heroine before marriage or wait til after), but he’s complex, and he demands more from his woman. He doesn’t want a doormat. He wants an equal, and he’s going to demand a lot from his woman. Maybe even in bed.

UnknownA great alpha hero must know how to satisfy a woman. He must focus on her, and focus on her pleasure, ensuring she is going to have the most sensual, satisfying experience of her life. He’s a man that’s gifted in foreplay, and can, and will, put her needs before his.

Readers that enjoy love scenes, want to read love scenes where the hero does satisfy the heroine…but not just sexually, emotionally, too. A great love scene requires connection and time. In real life people are rushed and tired and there might just not be enough foreplay, but in a romance novel, the hero better make sure he has endless time and energy to please his woman.

4343437733_remembering_paul_newman_photos_02152009_43_820x1003_answer_3_xlargeAnd thank goodness this same hero doesn’t ignore his ranch responsibilities. We don’t read about him leaving his socks or boots all over the bedroom. His dirty Wranglers aren’t crumpled on the bathroom floor. His truck isn’t filled with junkfood wrappers. Even better, he always takes care of the livestock and the chores so that she doesn’t have to pick up his slack. No, the great alpha hero in our western romances is concerned about making life better for her. He isn’t there to make life harder, but easier.

images-1I love that.

I love that in a romance, we get a man who wants and needs his woman, but doesn’t want her trapped in the laundry room, or the kitchen.

Heaven.

Do you have a favorite type of hero? What makes him special? I’d love to hear what kind of man makes you swoon! (He can be real or fictional!)  Leave a comment for a chance to win a $15 gift card from Amazon!

TheTycoon'sKiss-SMALLWinner announced on the 10th!

PS: In case you’re interested in catching up with my Sheenan Brothers, Book 2, The Tycoon’s Kiss is on sale for .99 until Feb 8th so be sure to get your download soon!

 

SEVEN RULES OF COWBOY HAT ETIQUETTE by ERICA VETSCH

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Seven Rules of Cowboy Hat Etiquette

VetschcowboyhatJohn Wayne, Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, James Arness. Epic cowboy actors all. When you call them to your mind, what are they all wearing?

A cowboy hat! The iconic image of the Old West.

Though there are many different styles of cowboy hat, they all mark the wearer as a cowboy. From a ten-gallon, to a wide-awake, to a silver-belly, they’re all cowboy hats. But are you aware that there is a certain code, an etiquette if you will, to wearing one?

 

Doing a basic search of cowboy hat etiquette turned up lots of rules and requirements, and I’ve distilled it down to seven that seemed fairly consistent.

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Here are Seven Rules of Cowboy Hat etiquette:

 

Rule 1: Always remove your hat when you enter a place where people live. It’s fine to keep it on when you enter a public building like a bank or store. Exceptions are churches and courtrooms.

 

Rule 2: The first time you meet a lady take your hat off when you say howdy. After that, it’s fine to tip your hat to her.

 

Rule 3: Never let your hat touch your bed. It’s bad luck.

 

Rule 4: Rest your hat on the crown. The crown will hold its shape better than if you rest it on the brim. Also, if any good luck falls your way, it might land in your upturned hat.

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Rule 5: Keep your hands off anyone else’s hat. Touching someone else’s hat is a serious fight-starting move.

 

Rule 6: Never tip your hat to another man. It’s like calling the fellow a girlie-boy.

 

Rule 7: Never show the inside of your hat while you’re holding it. Hold it against your chest or your leg.

 

Follow these rules, and you’ll never be considered a rude buckaroo!

 

Vetsch headshotevetsch-5Author Bio: Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing in Minnesota. She loves history and romance, and is blessed to be able to combine the two by writing historical romances. Whenever she’s not immersed in fictional worlds, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business, mother of two, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate, and avid museum patron.

 

 

VetschCactusCreekChallenge_F-page-001About the book: Anything he can do, I can do better. At least that was what Cassie Bucknell thought before she pinned on Ben Wilder’s badge and took to patrolling the streets of Cactus Creek, Texas. Cassie has been in love with Ben since primer school, but Ben treats her like a little sister. When they are picked to swap jobs for a month as part of the annual Cactus Creek Challenge in their Texas hometown, the schoolhouse is thrown into an uproar, the jail becomes a temporary bank vault, and Cassie and Ben square off in a battle of wills that becomes a battle for their hearts.

 

 

I’d love to give a copy of The Cactus Creek Challenge to one US resident who comments on the blog.

 

Here is the Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Cactus-Creek-Challenge-Erica-Vetsch/dp/1630589276

 

The Birth of the Stetson!

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Phyliss sig horse and sunsetI received some interesting information about the birth of the cowboy hat from my friend in New Jersey.  Can you believe that the birth of the Stetson was in New Jersey at a well known and successful hatter the No Name Hat Company.  The company known for their superior quality hats; and it was said the No Name Hat Company made hats for George Washington.  The company was led by Stephen Stetson and his son, John Batterson Stetson, learned the trade as a child.

In 1860, John B. Stetson headed west to recover from tuberculosis, which he’d had mostBoxx of the Plains 2 of his life.  He decided to try his luck ad venture to Pike’s Peak to seek his fortune in gold.  Roughing it in the wilderness, John used primitive felting techniques to create water repellent blankets and the first hat to protect him from the elements.  This was the original “Boss of the Plains”, a Western hat that would become the cornerstone of Stetson’s hat business and is still in production today.

Stetson did not strike it rich as a gold miner and so headed back East to start a hat manufacturing company—the only trade he knew.  With only sixty dollars loaned to him by his older sister, Louisa, he purchased tools and fur, rented a small room in Philadelphia and hired two workers.  To differentiate his products from his competition, he sent a “Boss Stetson Company 2of the Plains” hat to each South-Western dealer with a letter asking for an order of a dozen.  By the early twentieth century, Stetson owned the world’s largest hat factory and became the essence of the Western Spirit.  The current factory covers over nine acres and produce over three million hats annually.

Man, does the “Boss of the Plains” not look like today’s Stetsons!  The “Boss” certainly reminds me of a miner’s hat.

To one lucky person who leaves a comment, I will send you a “Bed and Bath Works”

gift certificate and a gift certificate from Amazon to purchase either an

eBook or trade size book which is the first book in the Kasota Spring Romance

series “The Troubled Texan”.

 

TheTroubledTexan(eBook)