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
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
ReplyDeleteSo 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
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