Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Cowboys...What's the Appeal?

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I promised I'd share more about the Nemours and DuPont families in Delaware, but the past few weeks have been crazy with writing, marketing, Easter, and my daughter and son's birthdays within the past week. In fact, my son's birthday is today. He is now 2. My daughter turned 4 last Tuesday.


Needless to say, I'm up to my eyeballs in kids, household duties, book deadlines, proposals, birthdays, and planning for two conferences where I'm speaking in the next 2 months.

So, I'm resurrecting a post from another blog back in 2010. It brought a lot of great discussion, and I thought it would be fun to have it posted again for an entirely new, vibrant audience that has come to gather here at the Historical Society. I do hope you'll indulge me and forgive me.

I confess. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved watching westerns. And the sight of a man in jeans, boots and a Stetson have always made my heart skip a beat. If that man happens to also be astride a fine horse, all the better! :)

Right now, I'm working on a couple of books with a western setting. In fact, the very first complete book I wrote was set in a small western town and featured a hero who was a successful cattle baron. And although my latest series is set in Delaware at the turn of the 20th century, with my most recent contracted novel being a contemporary romance, I'm also continuing to write what I love...stories about horses, cowboys, ladies, and ranches in the west.

So, what is it about cowboys that appeals to so many of us? Why do little boys love to don the hat and boots and swing that lasso? Why do little girls get a twinkle in their eye when they see one? What about them makes ladies want to hop right on their horse and ride off into the sunset with them? What about the way they tip their hat makes you feel that all is right with the world? Why do stories of them always catch our ear or seeing movies of them catch our eye? And what is it about the way they drawl the word, "ma'am" that can make you weak at the knees?

Perhaps it's a desire for those simpler times when a man's handshake and his word was his bond, when men treated women with a high measure of respect and courtesy, when loyalty was a highly-prized character trait, and when you had all you could ever hope for if you had a good woman, a good saddle and a good horse.

To me? It's the love of horses and the image that cowboys represent. They might be a little rough around the edges, and they might even stink if they've been riding range for days on end without the luxury of a creek or a shower. But we love them anyway! There is just something about them that has stood the test of time, and I'm sure will continue to do so for years to come.

Before I end, I'd like to share a web site another friend sent that's entitled:

True Cowboy - The Last Cowboy Stronghold

Whether you're looking to delve into the history of the cowboy or want to scope out some modern-day ones, or even if you've got a hankerin' to don the gear and become a cowboy or cowgirl yourself, this site has it all. Enjoy!

Oh! And I'd love to hear what YOU feel is the reason for the appeal of the cowboy. What about them makes YOUR heart beat faster or puts a smile on your face? Share your thoughts in the comments.

** images courtesy of the following sites: http://www.art.com, http://domainnamenews.com, http://www.buckaroostyle.com, http://www.fineartamerica.com, and www.pinterest.com.


BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood. Today, she is an award-winning author, speaker, and virtual assistant, who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, and an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie. She has sold fourteen books so far and is represented by Sandra Bishop of MacGregor Literary Agency. Read more about her at her web site: http://www.amberstockton.com/.


23 comments:

  1. I think one of the attractions of a cowboy has to be their rescuing the "damsels in distress". There is just something intriguing about the west, as a whole!

    bonnieroof60@yahoo.com

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    1. Bonnie, I agree. That rescue can almost always bring a smile to your face!

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  2. I think the appeal of cowboys to many Americans is that they are a part of our heritage. They are a symbol of America. People my age grew up watching the cowboys shows of the 1960s, and fell in love with them and what they represent.

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    1. Part of our heritage and a symbol of America. You've got that right, Vickie. I only hope we don't lose that appreciation and love.

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  3. The horses!!! Yep, that's what I love about cowboys. I must admit that I prefer the captain of a ship or a medieval hero, but cowboys do have their appeal. :)
    Have a great day and God bless.

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    1. Debbie, the captain of a ship can certainly turn heads--provided he's taken good care of himself and isn't unkempt in his appearance. :) Then again, any well-groomed man in uniform can set my heart racing!

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  4. Me too! chaplain debbie.
    Like the horses and the men who ride them.

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    1. Yep. Horses hold a certain appeal as well, Patrica. I've always been drawn to them from a little girl, but that likely had to do with family ties to Chincoteague Island and Misty of Chincoteague (a book written by Marguerite Henry).

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  5. Part of the appeal of cowboys, I think, is the rugged lone wolf aspect combined with the code of honor and deep protectiveness and respect they exhibit for women and children that seems to be so much a part of who they are

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    1. Winnie, you just put into words what I was thinking! That's exactly how I feel about them. :)

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    2. Oh yes, Winnie. That code of honor, respect, protectiveness. It just screams a man of honor, and that alone is worth its weight in gold! The lone wolf wooed by a persistent woman always makes me smile.

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  6. I like the hats ~ you used to be able to tell who they were by character of white hat or black hat ~ except for the good cowboy I liked named Jack who wore a black hat at the picture show on Saturday afternoons at the theatre next to the feedmill in the little town we lived in when I was from fourth-sixth grade! He was the best. He was between the cartoons and the main feature and rode around the same mountain range several times being chased or chasing the bad guys ~ couldn't really tell who was in front or back they rode so fast! Whew! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House

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    1. You know, Lane, there's a certain charm to that hat and the way a cowboy tips it in deference to a lady or in greeting. Throw in that drawl, and phew! Melt in a puddle right there. :)

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  7. I think if we had met a cowboy in the Old West, we might not be nearly so enamored of them! lol Like much of history, cowboys have been romanticized in novels and movies, and I think that we now have a picture of cowboys as seen through the filter of such. I lived in Wyoming for almost 10 years and saw cowboys, and I have to say that my heart never beat faster at the sight of them! lol Of course, some of them rode motor bikes and wore tennis shoes, so it kind of takes away that "cowboy" image! ;)

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    1. LOL, Bethany! I too have been around REAL cowboys up close and personal, and while a man sitting astride a horse with his Stetson tilted just so and a firm hold of the reins will command my attention any day, the reality of the job can certainly take the romance right out of it. A gal can dream, though, right? I mean, that's why we write and read fiction!

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  8. Oh yes, cowboys have an awesome appeal! I grew up on a farm and we wore hats and boots. I had a cowboy theme wedding (hats, boots, etc) and the hubby even wore spurs!
    Loved this post, Tiffany!
    Susan

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    1. Oooh, Susan, the groom in spurs? Tell me you have pictures to share. :) I'd love to see some via email.

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    2. Do you go by the name Amber? Sorry for not realizing that. :) I will have to look at my pictures and see if I do! That was over 13 years ago and I don't remember what all I have in my wedding album. lol I'll let you know!

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  9. Well, you're definitely right about the appeal. I married one!

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    1. Really, Davalyn? From right here in Colorado or another state?

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  11. I've always loved cowboys. Always loved ranches and they had cowboys. Horses to ride and cattle drives to make. My Joe was a cowboy. Always wore boots and a Stetson. And his suits were western. They still get my attention.
    Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com

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  12. Good afternoon, Ms. Stockton,

    I've been wrapped up in cowboys, horse dramas, and the Old West since I was a young girl! I think for me, the transition of appealment was a natural one, as I always had been curious about horses long before I rode them! :) This is one branch of literature that I want to dig my spurs back into, because I haven't really focused on it since I was a teen! Oy. Far, far too long, indeed! :) My love of the West was parlayed into tv series that showcased in through various incarnations such as: Walker, Texas Ranger, Legend, Peacemakers, Little House on the Prairie, and of course, the Love Comes Softley Saga on Hallmark! :) I even remember the other ill-fated short lived tv series: Harts of the West with Beau Bridges! Laughs. Legend & Peacemakers were cut off too early, I think, but sadly, the same is happening for another series I love, although about Broadway not the West! Smiles. I'd love to travel into Wynoming and Montana, as much as Alberta, as I've heard that riding up in Alberta is not to be missed! The Canadian actor, Paul Gross, who is the maine character of Due South is a musician who sings about this very thing! :) The song is called: Ride Forever, and it's included on the series soundtrack! :)

    As you were outlining in your post, it is difficult to pin-point exactly what draws our attention into cowboys and the wildness of the west, but I think the whole inertia of forging a whole new life elsewhere, taking your chances on a whole new lifestyle, new climate, and a new approach to making the most of what you have as much as being self-sufficient,... I think that holds a strong appeal for most of us! :) I loved the bits in history that spoke about the brave souls who took wagon trains West, who were the first to settle the untamed lands,... on that vein, this is why I love the Mountain Family Robinson trilogy of films. They were a modern family in the 70s, who dared to dream of a different life, and I think there are elements of the past, where cowboys, cattle herds, and the wild call of nature's doorstep were the underpinnings of what drew them out of Los Angeles! :)

    What are some of your favourite Western authors!?

    I haven't yet dug into Louis L' Amour, but I do have several of his novels, as well as John Jakes. I loved the novel Fiddler & McCann but I cannot remember the author's name, and an internet search came up empty! :( Sighs.

    Oooh!! I hit gold!! :) :) :) The missing infomation on the settler books I've talked about off/on these past few months?!!? They were by *Dana Fuller Ross!* OOh boy!! Happy day for me!! :) :) Golly, and all I said was "western trilogy" on Powells!? Oyy.

    I read the *Wagon's West: the Frontier trilogy* {Westward, Expedition, & Outpost} as I wanted at the time {mid-teens} to have something to read ahead of digging into the larger Wagon's West series that starts with "Independance"!! Now, this is interesting, I appear to have not realised all of this continued and I am eager to jump back in!! :)

    Ooh would you look at that!? He wrote a trilogy to go alongside the Frontier one, called: the Empire Trilogy!

    Not to mention I didn't realise it was a pen name! :) Cheers!

    Oh, I forgot to say I started to read: the Holts, an American Dynasty too, but I had difficulty getting the rest of the books back then,... so now I have a 'new' project to add to my current one, where I go off in search of out-of-print editions or titles in print I have not yet gathered wanderings!! Always a blast though! :)

    The best page I found is on fantastic fiction:
    http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/dana-fuller-ross/

    It helps me heaps especially as the stories have merged together a bit in my memory and so the cover art is helpful to draw forward the books in general! :)

    Thanks for such a hearty topic!!

    Jorie

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