Wildcard Weekend - Cowboy Addiction

This weekend explore the wonder of the cowboy with Marin Thomas!

“Each year since 2005 the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution designating the fourth Saturday of July National Day of the American Cowboy.”

"Whereas pioneering men and women, recognized as cowboys, helped establish the American West...that cowboy spirit continues to infuse the nation with its solid character, sound family values, and good common sense; Whereas the cowboy embodies honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, respect, a strong work ethic, and patriotism."

Howdy Gals! There have been a ton of Blogs written about Cowboys--what woman doesn't love a Cowboy--the kind in romance novels, anyway. I confess I first fell in love with cowboys when I began reading my mother's historical romances during high school. Those shoot 'em up, rescuing-damsels-in-distress guys had me at "Yes, ma'am."

But before we explore the COWBOY I'd like to remind readers that I'll be giving away an autographed copy of my newest release to two lucky blog posters today.

How many different kinds of COWBOYS are there anyway?

First, we have the Old-Fashioned Cowboy--He's too clean-shaven--I'll pass.

Next, we have the Naked Cowboy (see left)--he's famous. You'll find him listed in wikipedia.

On to the Cowboy Scout, Jerry Potts--now there's man to set a woman's heart fluttering!

How about the famous Urban Cowboy--who doesn't love John Travolta!

Oops, here's a Dead Cowboy--Yeah, he's seen better days.

Yum…! Calendar Cowboy to the right!

Outlaw Cowboy…any takers for Billy the Kid?

And the Hollywood Cowboy--John Wayne, last of the good guys!

Thanks to this website http://www.freakingnews.com/ we know who shouldn't be a Cowboy.

Here's a Dallas Cowboy.

A Cowboy Clown--what a sweet smile!

Lookin'-for-a-Date Cowboys

Rodeo Cowboy--these guys are widow-makers.

A Real Working Cowboy--not quite so romantic-eh?

Corporate Cowboy

Doctor Cowboy

And What woman can resist a Baby Buckaroo?

And ladies, we best not forget that all cowboys eventually end up looking like an: old Buckaroo

Now that we've had an eyeful of Cowboy Candy….let's discuss what women find so sexy about the Cowboy Way of Life.

It for sure ain't the food these guys eat.


Sonofabitch Stew
2 pounds lean beef
Half a calf heart
1/2 pounds calf liver
1 set sweetbreads
1 set brains
1 set marrow gut
Salt, pepper
Louisiana hot sauce

Kill off a young steer. Cut up beef, liver and heart into I -inch cubes; slice the marrow gut into small rings. Place in a Dutch oven or deep casserole. Cover meat with water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Take sweetbreads and brains and cut in small pieces. Add to stew. Simmer another hour, never boiling.

Vinegar Pie
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup cold water
4 eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
Combine sugar and flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and place in a saucepan. Cook until thick and pour into a prepared pie crust. Bake in a 375-degree oven until the crust is brown

So, we've established that Cowboy Food isn’t romantic. Let's talk about COWBOY INCOME--how much do these rope-throwin' chaps make? The average Old West cowboy drew $25 to $40 a month--I can't get my nails done for that little money. Today, a typical salary for a cowboy in New Mexico is about $1,400 a month. Cowboys may also get free housing, paid utilities, insurance coverage and perhaps some beef--thanks, but I'd rather have diamonds.

So we don't chase after Cowboys for their cooking or money or gifts of beef. We do however love these guys because they practice COWBOY CODES OF THE WEST (authorship unknown)

Don't wave at a man on a horse. It might spook the horse and the man will think you're an idiot.

After you pass someone on the trail, don't look back at him. It implies you don't trust him.

Riding another man's horse without his permission is nearly as bad as making love to his wife.

Never shoot an unarmed man. Never shoot a woman at all.

A cowboy is pleasant even when out of sorts. Complaining is what quitters do, and cowboys hate quitters.

Always be courageous. Cowards aren't tolerated in any outfit worth its salt.

A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy.

Real cowboys are modest. A braggert who is "all gurgle and no guts" is not tolerated.

A cowboy doesn't talk much; he saves his breath for breathing.

Cuss all you want, but only around men, horses and cows.


What about Cowboy Codes of Wooing?

Here's some Cowboy relationship advice found in Just one Fool Thing After Another: A Cowfolks' Guide to Romance by Gladiola Montana & Tex Bix Bender

Just because you learned a lot from you last lover's leap don't mean you ain't jumpin' off a different cliff this time.

When a man asks a woman to share his lot, she has a right to know how big it is.

You gotta wear the boot to know where it pinches.

When you don't have a thing to worry about, you go and get married, and suddenly the world is a worrisome place.

For better or for worse means for good.

A man in love is incomplete until he marries--then he's finished.

No matter how much he loves you sometimes he'd just rather have an inch of rain than anything else in the world.

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

When a woman makes up her mind you can always be sure she's gonna do exactly what she says--or not.

Have I made my made my case that Cowboys are addicting--not because of their looks, their cooking, their income, their sage advice or wooing practices but because…well, just because? Long Live the Cowboy!


Marin's current release for Harlequin American Romance just happens to be the COWBOY for the *Men Made in America* inline series. A Cowboy's Promise is in stores now! This book is the second in the Cartwright Brothers series. The first book The Cowboy and the Angel (Nov 08) received a TOP PICK from RT Magazine.

For more information on Marin and her books please visit www.marinthomas.com.

Must Watch Friday : : Burn Notice

Anne McAllister is getting a lot of writing done because there is a dead spot on Thursday nights at the moment. The hour between 9-10 pm (Central and Mountain) or 10-11 pm (Eastern or Pacific) on USA network is sadly empty.

Or if it's not, I have no idea what's on because I'm not watching. I'm waiting for Burn Notice to come back in June. June 4th to be exact. It's on my calendar.

Haven't seen Burn Notice? Check it out.

I was a latecomer, myself. I missed the whole first season. In fact I missed the first half of the second. It wasn't until I first saw the boxed set of season 1 of Burn Notice in Target browsing for Christmas gifts that I thought, hmmm, that looks interesting.

It caught my eye because the cover is cream and that turqouisy-aqua color generally associated with sunshine and the tropics and Miami Beach. We in the snowy frigid midwest find that sort of thing instantly appealing in mid-December.

I bought a copy. Two actually. One for me. One for Kate Walker.

Kate isn't as color deprived in the winter as I am, but she likes a good hero, and from the sound of things Michael Westen, he of the 'burn notice' -- that's how spies get fired -- had hero potential.

I'm not entirely sure what Kate's opinion of him as a hero is. We haven't discussed it. But he is definitely on my radar.

I like honorable, tough, competent guys with a can-do spirit, a dry sense of humor and a smart mouth. That's Michael Westen in spades.

For those who haven't met Michael, (played by Jeffrey Donovan with just the right amount of sarcasm, deadpan commentary and kick-ass action), he is an out-of-work spy, having been 'burned' -- that is basically disenfranchised by the government agency he works for, blacklisted, and dumped without resources in Miami Beach, from whence he came ten years before.

He has no money, no resources, no evidence that he really 'exists' -- and people keep trying to kill him.

He isn't happy about this.

He's done his best for his country and his agency and he wants to know who burned him and why. That's the overall arc of the stories as they've developed.

On an episode by episode basis, Michael ends up using his expertise -- such as it is -- to help the 'little guys' who are being pushed around by people in power (be they drug lords, crime bosses, art gallery owners, neighborhood enforcers, or just general all around jerks).

His efforts are aided by a terrific cast of helpful characters, each quirkier than the last:

• his former -- and present -- girl friend, Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), an explosives expert whose answer to most problems is a) shoot them or b) blow them up,
  
• his old buddy, Sam, former FBI agent, slightly more flippant than Michael, always on the lookout for a free drink and a willing woman, played by the wonderful Bruce Campbell,
  
• and, to his everlasting despair, his mother, the wonderfully dysfunctional chain-smoking Madeline, played by Sharon Gless.
  
  There are other characters in Michael's world who appear on a sporadic basis: Nate, his scapegrace brother, Barry, the money launderer, Seymour, the arms dealer, Jason Bly, the current government agent who is sometimes foe and sometimes friend, and Victor, who was burned even before Michael was.
  
  Together with other characters who have occasional or on-going roles, they create an entire mind-bogglingly believable alternative world for Michael to inhabit on a weekly basis. I'm always wide-eyed to discover what they're going to do next.
  
  There will be those who say Michael isn't an alpha hero, but I disagree. He might not be wealthy. But wealth is a shorthand way of saying a guy has made a success of his life. There are other ways -- like Michael's.
  
  When it comes to street cred, he's your man. Ask him for help, and you've got it. Pile up the odds against him, and he'll find a way to whittle them down (or blow them up, if Fiona helps). He's the leader of the pack -- however strange that pack might be. He's the guy you definitely want on your team.
  
  Matt Nix, the show's creator, said he wanted to go back to basics when he wrote Burn Notice. He wanted a show like the ones he liked when he was a kid -- where you knew who the good guys were and they came through, though perhaps a little quirkily, in the end.
  
  He's got it in Burn Notice. Give me a show with an honorable hero who has an offbeat sense of humor and a knack for doing what needs to be done, and I'll tune in every week. I'm counting the days until June!
  
  Anne is currently reliving her few days in Cannes as she tries to get a book written before Burn Notice comes back on in June.
  
  If you look quick you might still find copies of her most recent release, Savas' Defiant Mistress, on bookshelves near you.
  
  It has a hero who can get things done, has enough of a sense of humor to deal with a sister planning the wedding that ate Seattle (and not resort to murder), and believes that, if Michael Westen can live in a loft over a bar, a Presents hero can live in a houseboat if he wants to.
  

Soundtrack Thursday - Yanni Voices

A new book means a new soundtrack, and while I'm also popping out later for the new Il Divo cd (which I had a wee listen to yesterday and now want the whole thing), I also managed to get a copy of a new CD, Yanni Voices.

"Discovery" of new artists seems to be a going thing these days and Yanni's jumped on the bandwagon. Actually, after seeing the youtube vid with the preview, the first thing my husband said was, He's cut his hair. That made me laugh.

The CD itself has tons of tracks and a huge range of sounds. Yanni's "voices" consist of:

Nathan Pacheco. You can catch his individual page on Yanni's site HERE. Personally, there are times when he sings that he reminds me of Urs Beuhler of Il Divo - especially in the beginning bars of Vivi il tuo sogno. Only I think Nathan might be even better. This guy has control that is fantastic. I listen and wonder exactly where all the power - and AIR! - is coming from.

Leslie Mills. What I like about Leslie is that her voice has a richness and yet a sweetness that reaches in and grabs you. I find her song, Before The Night Ends, running through my mind when I'm not even listening.

Leslie's page is HERE.

Next up is Ender Thomas...he talks about Desire being a "sexy song"...well Ender brings the sexy to it. Hearts will go pitter patter...

He does lots of Latino flavoured stuff on the album and better than other singers I've heard . You can read his bio and see his interview etc. HERE.

And finally- Chloe. Her page is here and she's a real go getter. And so versatile it's sickening. At the beginning of Kill Me With Your Love, the first person I thought of was Dido. And I was blown away by Mi Todo Eres Tu that she sings with Ender.

There's a range of everything on here - from soaring operatic selections, to sexy latino songs, to weeping ballads, and even a Groban-esque upbeat Set Me Free. Add in some eastern influence and modal play in Orchid and Our Days and you have a diverse, well rounded album with lots to choose from.

Appropriately, I think, the album ends with a gorgeously rich Amare di Nuovo (Adagio in C Minor) by Nathan Pacheco - a song that will be going on my current playlist for the new book. The true magic begins at 2:27 - the first time I heard this segment my jaw hit the floor.

Have a listen - I bet you'll be captivated too.

Donna's next release is HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE - available in a few short weeks on eharlequin and the Mills and Boon sites.

Writer's Wednesday - THE BIG R

I think the title kind of gives it away... the book that I had at Richmond came back with a BIG FAT R!! And it was a big fat R, I was lucky enough to get some great feedback about why it worked and why it didn't work. The editor has obviously read the whole thing even when it was obvious that it wasn't going to work for which I am eternally grateful.
And so the waiting is over. The verdict is in *sigh*
To cut a long story short my hero just didn't work. Which I can't say I am that surprised about because I had such a tough time with him I'm sure it showed. They loved the heroine though, thought I'd done a pukka job with her. There were some comments on was I writing for the right line. My voice seems to be Modern Heat but my stories are more Romance... hmmm and guess which are my two favourite lines? Yup... Modern Heat and Romance. Obviously all those Liz Fieldings I read are seeping in.

Overall I seemed to want to write more about my heroine's journey than the relationship... which in the case of this story is probably true. Not that Jack wasn't gorgeous!! I just was more invested in Zoe. I already think I could take Zoe from the book and give her a different story maybe for a different publisher.

All in all lots to mull over and think about whilst I finish 'Bah Humbug'.

I sound all calm and resigned don't I? Ha! You should have seen me the moment I got the email! It arrived at lunchtime on a Monday. I was at work. As soon as I saw who the email was from I just knew. So I opened it and skipped to the end. They didn't want it. Yup there were tears. I will admit that was some bottom lip wobble and some stomping and stropping.
I called a friend and sent her the email... which was when I was told what a FRICKIN' EXCELLENT REJECTION it was. People would kill for this sort of rejection. Huh. Who knew.

And then strangely enough I felt relief... NOW I KNEW!!! Curiously liberating!

And I have discovered something very interesting about myself... rejection makes me come out fighting. I AM SOOOO GOING TO DO THIS!!!




BRING IT ON!!










If you hit a bump in the road, what do you do?

Biddy is currently lazing around her sister's apartment in San Francisco between trips to Sonoma to taste wine and do "research" on potential stories. Honest. She will be back in the saddle soon...

Temptation Tuesday - Bargain Hunting!

This Temptation Tuesday Kay Thomas brings us a Bulletproof Bargain!


Ah…spring is in the air, at least if you live in Texas. I know many of you up North are still wearing wool scarves and overcoats, but for Texans, April marks some of the best weather our Lone Star state has to offer. Along about May it’ll be hotter n’ blue blazes, but with spring comes one of my favorite things. Garage sales. They’re definitely a guilty pleasure.

I simply adore finding something I’ve needed for a while but can’t locate in a store or discovering that wonderful bookshelf my neighbor doesn’t have room for any longer. I particularly love uncovering a treasure at a rock bottom price. And who knew I could experience that bargain-hunting thrill without leaving the comfort of my office chair. Apparently about a million folks have known for years and I was extraordinarily slow on the uptake.

Enter ebay.

I’ve had a couple of brushes with ebay over the years, but I only discovered how far one could fall into this ahem….addiction two years ago when I was shopping for a Dickens “Christmas Village” piece. You know those quaint little Department 56 china decorations that look like shops from Victorian England? I decided I had to have a Globe theatre (I know, I know, not even a real Victorian era piece—this could doubtless be the subject of another blog post).

I went looking on ebay thinking I’d find a quick bargain. It was November and there were half a dozen Globe theatres for sale just in time for the holidays. I quickly learned ebay requires patience, discipline and restraint. Not qualities I possess in great quantities. But I am very persistent. I stalked about four Globe theatres over two weeks before it finally dawned on me that I was burning time I didn’t have and I had to get back to work. This shopping for a bargain was about to break me in terms of time wasted.

For those who have avoided the siren call of ebay, they have a lovely little “buy it now” feature. (The only way I’ll shop there now.) After two weeks of hours whiled away at my new “habit,” I clicked the “buy it now” button, got my “new in the box” Dickens Village Globe Theatre and called it a done deal.

While I enjoy having the piece as part of our Christmas tableau, what I love more is that every time I look at it I think about what I learned about how I spend my time—at work, with family, with friends. Sometimes my time is worth more than money and sometimes it’s not. I’m learning to make the call.

So what’s a writer to do with an experience like that? Why put it in a book of course! In BULLETPROOF TEXAS (my April Harlequin Intrigue that’s being released today!) a brooding ex-park ranger and a sexy research scientist fight for control over a cave that holds the secret to curing cancer. My heroine, Dr. Maxine (Max) O’Neil, is racing against time and nature to study cancer-eating bacteria in a flooding Texas Hill Country cave.

As part of Max’s backstory she “discovers” ebay. Max collects Toby mugs—antique china mugs shaped like faces. When her ex-fiancé moves out and steals her collection, Max is determined to replace it. So she turns to ebay, only she’s somewhat competitive and finds she has to watch her competitive streak in the bidding or it will get her into trouble.

I can truly say my pain was Max’s gain. Ebay, you’ll find everything there—killer deals, life lessons and plotlines, too!

So my question to you—with all this talk of bargain-hunting.
What’s your “favorite find” ever at a garage sale, flea market, or…ebay?

One lucky commenter will win a copy of my new April Intrigue, BULLETPROOF TEXAS.



BULLETPROOF TEXAS is Kay Thomas’s second novel from Harlequin Intrigue and is being released today. Romantic Times gave it 4 stars calling it “taut, tricky and worth the read.” Cataromance gave it 4 ½ stars calling it “non-stop action, nail-biting suspense and fiery passion.”

Her debut novel BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF was released in January. To find out more about Kay, her eBay habits and to see the book trailer for BULLETPROOF TEXAS go to www.KayThomas.net.

Male on Monday :: Jeff Bridges

With one of her first books being re-released next month in the UK Ally Blake thought it fitting to highlight the guy who was her hero inspiration at the time.

Jeff Bridges is old school cool. He looks great holding a cigarette. He’s kept his sexy signature overlong hair swept back off a forehead that creases on purpose. He has the cheekiest of smiles. And he looks fine in a suit.

But for me, with Jeff, so much of his appeal is about the voice. When romance novels describe a man with a voice like melted chocolate, they are describing him. It’s all smooth low tones, and lazy sex appeal. That alone should be enough to make him a sure thing in the Pink Heart Hall of Fame.

ABOUT JEFF:

Jeff was born on December 4, 1949 in Los Angeles, California he comes from a show biz family with his dad Lloyd, mum Dorothy and older brother Beau all actors. I have to say he won the lottery In that gene pool. He scored a few early roles theough his family connections, then served time in the Coast Guard –ah a man in uniform! – before studying acting at the Herbert Berghof school.

It wasn’t long before he became a movie star and a sex symbol. Think STARMAN – the first picture to earn him an Oscar nomination, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW – the film that set him up for the kinds of roles he has continued to play so well, as IMDB call his style “rambling, reckless, rascally”, and especially AGAINST ALL ODDS - seriously, how’s that for a movie poster! See, they really don’t make ‘em like they used to.

This is a working actor. He’s been in something like 75 movies. And he came really close to some of the most famous roles of all time: Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, 'John Rambo' in First Blood, and Don Jonson’s part in Miami Vice but was deemed too expensive – thank goodness! Was on the short list for the Michael Douglas role in Fatal Attraction and Christopher Walken's role in The Deer Hunter. All of which made those actors.

He’s multi-talented too. Go to Internet Movie Database and you’ll see him credited as an illustrator, a still photographer and as a composer. A man with artistic flair. A man with a true artist’s soul. Sigh… Check out his website. It’s literally hand written by him and is jam-packed with his amazing and diverse scribbles.

WHERE TO FIND HIM:

Somehow he’s never been considered an A-list despite the Oscar nominations and great roles. I read somewhere once that it’s his natural ease and charm that made him slide under the wire when compared with his contemporaries, and I reckon that could be it. He has none of that quiet desperation, and raging ambition that seems to spark off some of the top actors. No flash, no ego, he’s just all ease, and charm, and yummy appeal that rolls off him in waves.

My particular faves have been THE FISHER KING (magical, wondrous, glorious film) and THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS. It’s one of my favourite movies ever. He works nights, in a tux, playing the piano in smoky dives. Ah, yum right? Those long clever fingers, that concentration as he’s bent over the keys, that scene where Michelle Pfeiffer oozes over the piano top singing “Makin’ Whoopee” (a song that has a special place in my heart since Frank Sinatra (or a very good likeness ;))) serenaded my husband and I on our wedding night).

This here exchange I reckon sums our guy up to a T. Michelle Pfieffer's character Susie is talking to him about his piano playing:

Susie: You're good, aren't you?

Jack: I can carry a tune.

Susie: You're better than that.

He’s been married to the same woman since 1977, and together they have three daughters. Sexy, talented, artistic, successful, a family man…

And even if there wasn’t all that, there’s still that voice.

Available online now and in stores come mid-May in the UK is Ally’s first ever BY REQUEST reprint.

HOW TO MARRY A BILLIONAIRE is one of her best-selling books to date and has been reissued in a triple pack called BARGAINING WITH THE BILLIONAIRE.

You can read more about the book at Ally’s website, or simply order it now online!