The Appeal of the American Cowboy

BUY!

If you're a regular reader of Harlequin American Romances then you must be a lover of westerns and cowboy-rancher heroes.  I've always been in awe of the American Cowboy and never tire of writing about the men who wear Wranglers, Stetsons and scuffed boots.  I love the old west as well as the new west!  For those who haven't dropped by yet, I invite you to check out my Sunday blog All My Heroes are Cowboys where each week I blog about a topic that relates to cowboys and the west. 

I think this pretty much sums up why cowboys are so popular in romance novels: 

"America needs the Cowboy both to remind us of how far we have come and to bring us back to the simplicity of the values he represents. He is also needed because he is a piece of who we are as a country. He represents a lifestyle and a time period that is a cherished part of our History. Little boys want to grow up to be him and the little girls want to grow up to marry him." ~cowboycrew.com

When I'm writing my cowboy stories I often turn to my file of "favorite photos" that I've collected over time as inspiration for my characters. 

This photograph melts my heart…each time I envision one of the heroes in my books becoming a father I think of this picture.

 This is what I picture when my heroine gets her first glimpse of my rodeo cowboy hero…

And this picture is my inspiration when I create a "Geezer" for one of my stories.  Each line in his face tells a different story about how he tamed the west. 

Even though I don't write inspirational romances, I believe "Faith" is a core trait of the cowboy and when I imagine my hero struggling with his internal conflict I recall this photo and it helps me get deeper inside his character.

And this photo is your reward for reading the blog…a little cowboy eye candy!

Tell us what you like most about reading cowboy romances set in the American West!

Marin

Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)

A Cowboy's Duty (Aug 2012)

Beau: Cowboy Protector (Nov 2012)

www.marinthomas.com