More Than a Cowboy and a Horse
Hi everyone! Brandi Creek here.
If you've read any of my books, you've probably noticed one thing pretty quickly. I love horses.
I'm also an avid reader of Western romance, and over the years, I found myself wishing for something I wasn't always getting enough of in the books I read: more horses.
Of course, I'm reading romance because I want the romance. Give me the chemistry, the tension, the falling in love, and that happily ever after. But as a lifelong horse lover, I also wanted to see the characters actually interacting with their horses. I wanted the riding, the training, the barn work, and all those everyday moments that come with having horses in your life.
When I started writing my own books, that became really important to me.
I didn't want horses to simply be part of the scenery because the story happened to take place on a ranch. I wanted them to be an integral part of my characters' lives and the worlds I created.
My characters don't just own horses. They work with them, ride them, train them, care for them, and occasionally argue with them. Because anyone who has ever owned a horse knows they have plenty of opinions of their own.
I figured if I was searching for Western romances with more horses in them, there had to be other horse-loving readers looking for the same thing.
There's another side to writing horse-heavy stories, though.
Horse people know horses.
We've all watched a movie or television show where something happens with a horse and immediately thought. That's not how that works.
And once you notice it, it's really hard to ignore.
That's something I never wanted my readers to experience with my books. I spend a lot of time making sure the horse scenes are as realistic as possible. Whether my characters are working cattle, training a horse, competing, dealing with an injury, or simply saddling up for a ride, I want the details to feel authentic.
It takes more research and sometimes a lot more time to write those scenes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Because for me, writing Western romance isn't only about putting a cowboy in a hat and giving him a horse.
It's about bringing readers into the entire world that surrounds them.
And if you're anything like me, there's always room for a little more romance, and a lot more horses.
Happy reading,
Brandi
3 comments:
Good for you for following your passion and telling the stories in your own way. For me, the passion is history in my stories, making sure it's a true as I can make it. Doris
So agree that horses are a huge part of our history and especially the Old West. How the hero treats his horse is a good indication of his character. In Cowboys, Cattle, and Cutthroats, my hero rides Sadie a big mule he won in a poker game. they have a fun relationship.
I always love a horse in a western, be it a movie or a book. Kind of like the dog, where you root for the 4-legged character from start to finish, sometimes more than the 2-legged characters.
Post a Comment