Cowboy Wooing Advice

Okay so we've established our love for the cowboy hero and heroine in romance novels. And the Cody men, Walker, Dexter, Dusty, Mark and Jesse are among my favorite all-time romance heroes, each unique in their own way—not to mention easy on the eyes. Elly, the lone Cody daughter is a strong, stubborn independent heroine whom all women can admire. Cowboys and cowgirls have a unique way of looking at life and love compared to the rest of us common folk.

Here's a bit of cowboy "wooing" advice from the book Just One Fool Thing After Another/A Cowfolks' Guide to Romance by Gladiola Montana and Texas Bix Bender.



Sometimes flowers don't say it very well. You need to explain yourself.

Attention without intention is flirtation.

To bring somebody into your life, take a step into theirs.

When you fall into somebody's arms you're fallin' into their hands as well.

A heart that ain't broke thinks it's okay to go around breakin' others.

Marry somebody with brains enough for two, and if you're lucky you'll come out even.

It may be more romantic to be the first love, but it's better to be the last.

A woman wanted by men but disliked by women is nothin' but trouble.

When you go to town, go together.

The only time a woman can easily change a man is when he's a baby.

Try not to make a ring around a finger feel akin to a rope around the neck.

It's a lot cheaper to borrow money than to marry for it.

Be quick to mend fences.

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight it out.

Most marital graves are dug with a lot of little digs.

Stolen kisses require and accomplice.

A man in love is incomplete until he's married—then he's finished.

If women are foolish it's because the good Lord made 'em a match for men.

For better or for worse means for good.

Don't get involved with anyone whose wishbone is bigger than their backbone.

The ties of marriage are not slipknots.

Men react to specific needs. Women seldom have them.

Big problems will pull you together. It's the little things that tear you apart.

The best way to get married is with ignorance and confidence.

Never use a knife to cut a tender connection.

Man is straw; woman is fire. When the devil blows, it's hell.

If you're gonna leave, leave while you're still lookin' good.

Don't waste your time lovin' somebody you can't laugh with.

When the horse dies, get off.

Women don't make fools out of men; they just give 'em the opportunity.

Happy Trails!

Marin Thomas
Dexter: Honorable Cowboy (July 2010)
4 ½ Stars Top Pick RT Magazine!
Still available through online retailers
www.marinthomas.com

"Boss of the Plains"

A cowboy just wouldn't be a cowboy without a hat. The original "Boss" was manufactured by John Stetson in 1865. The hat was flat-brimmed, had a straight sided crown and rounded corners. The lightweight, waterproof hat was natural in color. A plain hatband was fitted to adjust to head size and bore Stetson's name. A cowboy riding the range wearing the "Boss of the Plains" showed the world that he was doing well.

The cowboy hat was made famous with 'Black and White' movies. Bad Guys wore the Black hats and the Good Guys wore White hats. Roy Rogers’ white Stetson with a silver hatband was one of the most famous Hollywood cowboy hats. We can't forget that The Lone Ranger and his White hat brought justice to the Wild West. Today, hats colors have changed into seasonal apparel. Black or felt hats for winter and straw or White hats for summer.

The modern Cowboy still uses his hat to communicate different messages. A man can stake his claim on a woman if he gives her his hat (signifies they are to start dating) If a cowboy gives a woman his hat in a bar and she accepts it and wears it that means she's agreed to go home with the Hat owner. As the old cowboy saying goes, "It’s the last thing you take off and the first thing that is noticed."

Other famous cowboy hat wearers….Clint Eastwood in The Good the Bad and the Ugly wore a distinctive hat. President Regan wore a cowboy hat not only in his movies but in real life. And we can't forget Festus' Gunsmoke hat or Hoss Cartwright's 10-gallon hat.

As an admirer of all things cowboy, the "Boss" along with boots and tight jeans makes any cowboy sigh-worthy.

Marin

Family Brawls

When the editors told me that the hero in my book, Dexter, and his twin, Dusty, team-roped together I knew what team roping was—I've been to a few rodeos in my day and had watched the event several times. But I wasn't as familiar with the difference between the header (Dusty) and the heeler (Dexter) http://rodeo.about.com/

gives a brief overview of the event.

Team roping is the only team event in rodeo. It grew out of ranch chores from the past. Larger cattle would have to be immobilized for branding and doctoring by two ropers due to their strength and size. Today, team roping is a timed event that relies on the cooperation and skill of the cowboys and their horses. The two cowboys involved in team roping have unique goals. The first, known as the header, does just what the name implies and ropes the head of the cattle. The other cowboy, known as the heeler, ropes the heels or legs. Team roping is great event to watch due to the amazing coordination and cooperation of all the competitors. Team members must work well with each other and with their horses respectively.

American Romance is all about family. When family dynamics suddenly change in a dramatic way, everyone's lives are thrown into chaos. What made writing Dexter: Honorable Cowboy (July 2010) so much fun was knowing that while the twins were supposed to cooperate and work together to prepare for their next rodeo, the exact opposite was happening. Dusty split and left town after his old flame returned and dropped a bombshell on him. Dexter was so ticked off at Dusty and confused about his feelings for his brother's old flame that any practicing they did was ripe with tension and frustration. Of course, any cowboy story worth its salt includes an all-out brawl.

In the end Dexter and Dusty butt heads and throw a few punches. Like true brothers, especially twins, they resolve their differences and make nice.

So how about you….do you like an occasional family brawl in your western romances?
Marin

Media Blitz Contest

Dear readers—let's rodeo!

June kicked off the debut of Harlequin American Romance's first-ever six-book continuity The Codys: First Family of Rodeo with Rebecca Winter's book, Walker:The Rodeo Legend. Following are the titles of the books in the series and their release dates.

June 2010 Walker: The Rodeo Legend by Rebecca Winters
July 2010 Dexter: Honorable Cowboy by Marin Thomas
August 2010 Dusty: Wild Cowboy by Cathy McDavid
September 2010 Mark: Secret Cowboy by Pamela Britton
October 2010 Elly: Cowgirl Bride by Trish Milburn
November 2010 Jesse: Merry Christmas, Cowboy by Lynnette Kent

In honor of this exciting occasion we ran a Social Media Blitz Contest at www.harauthors.blogspot.com on June 6th. Next month on Friday July 16th we'll be running another One-Day-Only Media Blitz Contest.

Contest Scoop: One day each month, one of the authors in the continuity will post a blog at www.harauthors.blogspot.com and discuss her contribution to The Codys: First Family of Rodeo series. After reading the author's blog, post the link http://www.harauthors.blogspot.com/ the title of the book and the author's name to your Facebook, MySpace and/or Twitter pages as well as your favorite blogs.

The more places you post the link and mention the book and its author the more chances you have to win! You can earn additional chances to win if you refer a friend and they in turn post a link to their favorite social media websites and blogs. Be sure to return to www.harauthors.blogspot.com and tell us where you're spreading the word so we can keep a tally of your activity. Remember its one day only each month through November 2010!

Authors will be giving away prizes to several lucky winners. Your name will be entered into a drawing for each social media site you promote Harlequin American's Continuity The Codys: First Family of Rodeo and for each friend you contact who in turn spreads the word through their favorite networks. You have twenty-four hours to link us and win!

The author will post the winners in the comment section of her blog the following day--be sure to return to see if you're one of the lucky winners.

Mark your calendars for Friday July 16th and stop by http://www.harauthors.blogspot.com/ to join the fun! Marin Thomas will be giving away copies of her book Dexter: Honorable Cowboy--RT Book Reviews Top Pick for July 2010 along with a few cowboy goodies to several lucky winners.