I’ve got a special guest today here on my blog. Thanks to Rebecca Goings for taking over and talking about one of my very favorite subjects. *insert swoon here* Cowboys! Take it away, Becka…

What is it about my obsession with cowboys? I’ve always loved them. Ever since I became a fan of romance novels (at the tender age of twelve), I’ve been in love with one cowboy or another. Perhaps it was the fact I grew up in Nevada, a state that embraces its Wild West past. There’s nothing quite like seeing a REAL herd of wild horses or walking the streets of Virginia City while learning about the silver rush of the Comstock Lode.

Whatever the reason, I can’t get enough of them; men who ride the range, who are kind to animals, polite to women, and who are the ultimate gentleman. Of course, there are bad boys of the range as well, men who aren’t repentant in the least for ravishing you under the stars…

I think it’s the combination of knowing cowboys can be unpredictable coupled with the love they have for their animals. They’ve got guns, and they’re not afraid to use ‘em. They’re wild and untamed, and can do amazing things on the back of a horse (SAVAGE THUNDER by Johanna Lindsey, anyone??). But they’re also carefree, they don’t live by the rules of society, and they symbolize (for me) shucking convention to ride the range with them.

I also believe my love for cowboys stems from my own love of animals and nature. Moreso than stuffy dukes and viscounts, cowboys seem to be more in tune with nature and the great outdoors. In a way, they are stewards of the land, and they’ll defend their woman until their last breath, defending her honor with their own brand of justice.

I’m saddened at the lack of Western historicals there are out there. It seems historical England reigns supreme. I know a handful of authors who are trying to bring them “back” and make cowboys popular again.

I want to be one of them.

YEEHAW!!