Give me a C-O-W-B-O-Y


Christi's topic pick of the week is genres.


I got hooked on romance by reading Gothics, the old Victoria Holts. Loved 'em. Couldn't get enough. Then I went to Harlequins. The ones where there was a hero named Alexander and the heroine was Ariel or Phoebe.


But then I discovered contemporary westerns. Ah. Something I could relate to. I loved the exoctic locations where Alexander and Ariel fell in love, but they weren't places I'd ever been, and places I'm not likely to ever go.

But plunk me down with a cowboy in Colorado, Texas or Montana, and I'm there. I have to put in a disclaimer here. I cannot stand westerns where the author doesn't know a cow from a pony, or thinks a cowpony is a combo of both. But the ones where the author has done good research or knows their stuff, ah nice. I'm home.

I like all kinds of heros, except like I said yesterday, I can't really get into Weres, vamps or ghosts. I love firemen, military men and athletes.

But a softspoken cowboy, especially one who loves horses, that's my kind of guy. The kind I like to write about best. I understand them. The lure, the lore. I've got a true cowboy for a dad, and one for a husband.

Once in awhile I go outside my box and write about other types of men...one of my latest heros is a reporter and doesn't know a thing about horses. But I always drift back to cowboys....my kind of hero.

Add him to some kind of suspense and that's my favorite genre!

Comments

  1. Hi, D'Ann,

    Love cowboys myself! True American literature. I've only written one western, but my husband and I both have loved our trips to the West and won't hesitate to return.

    I'm also fond of gothic romance which isn't in favor these days but I sure loved as a kid. First romance I ever sold was a gothic.

    Harlequins are great fun as well.
    TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS is a paranormal romance set in the Regency era. It's not a formula novel. I really like being a bit different. But I still go for the happy ending. Next published novel is the third in my romantic mystery series. THE TRUTH SLEUTH will come out in May. Keeping my fingers crossed for good reviews!

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  2. I used to read some Zane Grey and James Michner's Centennial was a fave, though Lonesome Dove is my all time favorite western. Sad to say I will probably never write a western. I'm firmly stuck in the past: Medieval, Georgian, Regency, Victorian. Can you tell I was a history major? :) Just finished work on a Georgian and have jumped 130 years to my current WIP a Victorian.

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  3. I write paranormal beacuse that is my passion. I love breathing life into a non existant character or world. It makes me feel free when I write. I am not big into cowboys but give me a sex indian any day. LOL! So if it was a cowboy story with a sexy indian then I am there. I think it all comes down to writing what you love. I don't write what is hot at the moment I write what I love. If para died tomorrow I would still write it. I think if you write what you love and know, it will show in your story. Great blog!

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  4. LOL...LOL..LOL, a cowpony: a combo between a cow and a pony! OMG I laughed hard. Good one!
    I like all genres of romance, but when it comes to writing, I love paranormals. I do love cowboys, I find them very very sexy. Maybe one day I will try my hand at writing one--hey, maybe a vampire cowboy, lol!!!

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  5. Horses? Love them. Soft spoken cowboys, really sexy. I'm read most of the romance sub-genres. But my number one love is fantasy, the magic of science, paranormal abilities of characters and the exploration of times an places that can only be visited in the mind. Put a cowboy on Mars and I'd have to read that story.

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  6. Thoughtful post! I write non-traditional erotic romance, mostly contemporary. That includes BDSM, menage and spanking stories, aka "smut." There is always a HEA in my stuff and the characters are very much in love with one another. In the more traditional romance sub-genres, I love western novels with strong Native American heroes. There is just something appealing about the way so many Native American men are portrayed as rebels in romance.

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  7. I LOVE MEN! lol..there's no chance in heck of me batting for the other team...i love their masculinity, the vulnerability, the way they look, they way they sound, kiss...etc...so for me it's every genre...I do have one stipulation though- he not be a misogynist! and in the same breath, he not be a door mat....i dig sassy people getting together, no matter the setting

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  8. It's so perfect that you write westerns, too, because not only do you love to read them but you know what you're talking about!

    Oh, and I got started with Victoria Holt, too. She was responsible for so much of my melodramatic middle school and high school writing.

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  9. I started reading Regencies in middle school when all the other girls were reading all those baby-setting and valley girl books.

    Tabitha and Patricia--I'm with you. Give me a strong Native American man instead of a straight-up cowboy.

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  10. Cowboys are some of the last truly Alpha men - they know what they want, they know how to get it and they go right after it. Great post, D'Ann!!

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  11. I'm one of those people who would think a cowpony was a mix of cow and pony. Which is why I would NEVER write a western. Not big on reading them either, but I have read a few I liked.(hint to you D'Ann:) Love paranormals though. I like the fact that you can go outside the laws of nature in them. Also a big fan of medievals, but not regency. Go figure. That said, I would never write one. Not a big fan of research.

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  12. I started writing a western, that time travel of mine. One day I just might fix & finish it. I stumbled into my current MS, never intending to write fantasy - if that's the category it fits under. But I couldn't get completely away from horses and cowboys either. Even in my current work! Living the life of shoveling crap, throwing hay, and breaking ice on water troughs drills it into me daily.

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  13. I remember Victoria Holt. And Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney, too.

    I'm with you on contemporaries. I like the cowboys, but I like other men, too. My real weakness seems to be men who are competent in all other areas but are sometimes stymied by their woman because they don't understand us any better than we understand them. Love that big, strong guy when he looks helpless.

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  14. Thank you, everyone, for coming by! Really appreciate it!

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  15. Good post, D'Ann. To be honest, I never read Cowboys until you and you've made me appreciate them. Kudos. And Kristi's right, they are the true alpha male.

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  16. Ah - Victoria Holt/Jean Plaidy totally prepped me for my AP European History class - I knew it all!

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  17. I have a problem with reading novels featuring firefighters. I've been one myself for 30 years, so I tend to start picking apart the details, or noticing when the writer has researched well and gets the details right. It ruins the enjoyment of the story for me!

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