Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Under the Dirt & Grime…by Amber Bentley

 Please blow Amber a Cowboy Kiss.  We hope once she has her contemporary cowboy romance written, she'll come back and let us know more about it.  Welcome, Amber. - Ginger


 Under the Dirt & Grime ~ Why We Love Cowboys

            As I embark to a different writing pace (contemporary cowboy romance), I've been considering a lot about this new series. And of my love for the historical cowboy.
            The cowboys of old had a protective nature. No one, absolutely no one, was getting to their wife or children (sisters and mothers, for that matter,too) unless they were dead. Ahh, the chivalry that makes us all sigh. They worked long hours trying to keep their homes (the outside), land, barns, livestock and so on. Failure, in that time, was such a high price to pay.
            Who would want to see their children go to bed with grumbling stomachs because they were hungry? When gardens didn't grow, livestock died or were stolen – there was serious impact. If there was a drought, it was tough all around.
            Even in the historical romance books, we often portray cowboys as smelling like leather, even whiskey (or something similar). Maybe the cowboy had a bit of dirt covering him and some sweat coming from his forehead. (Think stunning slow motion entrance of what is supposed to be the hottest guy ever laid eyes upon.) However, more than likely, in that time, he was head to toes in grime and some kind of livestock poop. His cowboy hat probably smelled worse than he did.
            More to think on, within a family, men would often take a bath first. Wives and children after – in the same water. It kind of makes you wonder how clean anyone really got.
            Still, even when faced with the hard truth of cowboys past, you can't help but feel some twinge. Some spark. Some desire to have known the over-protective, hard-working cowboy.
            Though today's women profess to be tough, capable of doing anything a man can. Most of all, not needing a man to provide for them or to protect them. I find myself disagreeing.
            Yes, I've been independent for ages. I've taken care of myself. I've worked hard.
            But some part of me longs for times of old. Of not having to be the strong one. Of having that protective, strong man there to take some of the burden from my own shoulders. The time when it was okay for a woman to cry.
            Historical cowboys were often thin. But don't let that make you think them weak. The hard work put a tough ruggedness on them that no gym could ever deliver.
       
     Moving forward to my new venture – writing that contemporary cowboy romance series – the modern day cowboy is portrayed as a centerfold hottie, thick with ripped muscled and an 8-pack set of abs. As though he was pulled right from the gym (which he likely was).
            I'm documenting my journey (on my blog, tagged as City to Country) into actual hands on research for this new series. I'm relocating to a “farm” town. There I've got a few friends that have friends that are willing to turn this city girl into a country one. I'll be going hands on behind the scenes at rodeos, getting a close up look at ranches, livestock and the work that goes into them. As well as the cattle auctions and so much more.
            And real modern day cowboys.
            Will I find they're just like every other man? Or will I find that chivalry isn't completely dead?
            I think, one of the main things I'll find to be true, even in this later time period – being a cowboy, especially a rodeo cowboy, is a lonely rode. Many ranchers still work sun up to sun down and come in to eat dinner exhausted. On the rodeo side, I can't imagine too many girls tying themselves to a rodeo cowboy. Months gone at a time, chasing one rodeo to another trying to be that big winner.
           
We'll see if the new cowboys can live up to my love for the historical ones.

My Blog - http://neversquatwithyourspurson2014.blogspot.com/

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for being our guest today, Amber. I have to admit that sharing your post on FB and seeing the hunky cowboy was a great way to get this old blood pumping. :) I've shared on FB and Google, and your post will be multi-tweeted via Triberr. Come back again. We'd love to have you when your book is finished, too.

Ginger

Caroline Clemmons said...

Amber, until six months ago I lived in a part of Texas where cowboys were everywhere. Especially in bad weather, they came to town to do their errands like visiting the feed store, bank, etc. Their boots are dirty and scuffed, hats stained by sweat, and their faces bronzed by the sun. I don't remember them smelling bad, but maybe I wasn't close enough. At our church, the ranchers and cowboys usually wore either jeans and starched white western shirts or a western cut suit. Most left their Stetsons in the truck for church. All wore boots, shined just for church or else their best pair. All were very polite to women. Don't know where you live, but I live in Texas.

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Amber,
Great blog. What woman doesn't have a soft spot for a cowboy? I know I do.

Cheers

Margaret

Amber said...

Hi Ginger, Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad I gave a little kick start. I apologize for not stopping by sooner. Out of town company was killing me. I'm promoting over the next few days as much as I can, so hopefully there will be a few after sparks :-)

Hi Caroline,
I honestly love cowboys and they do clean up very nicely. I'm in Northern Arizona currently, a recent move to expand and research on this book series. Thanks so much or stopping by.

Hi Margaret,
You know, honestly, I didn't until very recently. All of a sudden, I'm obsessed with the contemporary ones. I've always loved the "old time' ones. But the current day ones are new for me. :-)

♥Amber