Today we're welcoming western romance author of To School a Cowboy Susan Shay to The Cozy Page....
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a cowboy.
No matter how often my cousins told me I had to be a cowgirl, I was adamant. I wanted to be Roy, not Dale. John Wayne, not Maureen O’Hara. I wanted to be the rescuer, not stand around and flap my hands while someone else had the good times. What fun was it to just watch the guys? I wanted to be in the action!For Christmas every year when I was small, I got a doll, and a pair of guns, which I used to shoot my dolls. I loved cowboy boots, riding horses, playing cowboys and Indians, all those fun boy games. You’ll find a lot of me in my book. And you just might find a few of my real life friends, although not by name.
Cathy has been a friend since my first memories. Like my family, she’s always had horses, but she went a step farther. She learned all about them, has shown and exhibited them. She can back a horse trailer with the best. And she wore her hair in two braids until we went to junior high.
I met my other horsey friend, Meg, after I was grown, but we became instant friends. She’s raised and raced horses. She loves them from full size to miniatures. There’s nothing she doesn’t know about them, including terms. She’s the best when it comes to catching my boo-boos.
When I started writing, I naturally wrote about cowboys. (In case you’re wondering, I’ve never even dated one.) One day DH asked, “Do you wish you were married to a cowboy?”
;) “Uh, no.” I explained, “Cowboy is an American icon. It’s shorthand for a brave and honorable man.” Much like DH, but I didn’t tell him that.
Many real life cowboys are missing teeth, have bad dip (aka smokeless tobacco) problems, they’re gone a lot if they rodeo and, because they’re gone so much, often have an eye for the women, so I was never attracted.
I really enjoy researching them, though. Rodeos are my favorite research venues, and even though my DH has never been close to being a cowboy, he often accompanies me on those research trips.
My very first book I sold is, TO SCHOOL A COWBOY, available from The Wild Rose Press.
You probably won’t be surprised to learn it’s NOT about a cowboy who rescues the heroine.
It’s about a cowboy, his daughter and her teacher, the heroine. The cowboy doesn’t rescue the teacher, and she doesn’t rescue the cowboy, but in the end, after a twist or two, they fall in love.
And don’t we all love stories that end that way?
Susan Shay
http://susanshay.net/
http://the-twisted-sisters.com/
http://writingsluts.com/
Thanks, Susan! Stay tuned for more fun from western romance guest authors this weeks!
And today's the last day to enter Anna Kathryn Lanier's giveaway for Salvation Bride and TWRP Gift Card...
5 comments:
Susan:
You captured the true essence of what a lot of girls wanted--the hero, not the little lady in the kitchen--although I can do that too, plus rope and ride.
A great interview. Who knew cowboys were such bad boys. I might have to join you Susan on some of those research trips! Great site Amberleigh. LOVED the round robin.
RD Carter
Twisted Sister,
Thanks for dropping by! Question: Can you rope and ride at the same time? I always thought that was so cool!
Susan
RD--Glad you made it by. Research is definitely the fun part with cowboys.
You'll have to try writing a western. They're fun!
Susan
Alas, you're right about a lot of real cowboys not being like the ones in romance novels. I was sorely disappointed when I "researched" for my book at the rodeo and every single cowboy was bald. bow-legged, and generally unattractive. ) - : At least they had some hawt marines there. LOL!
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