Royce Weston is the 1st cowboy I brought to life. He lives on Wooded Acres, in Coyote, Colorado, both of which are also born from my imagination. Royce is my only blond-haired hero. He’s tall, handsome, muscular, loyal, hard-working, temperamental, and knows his way around horses, cows, and the land. He’s quick to help someone in need and loves his heroine fiercely, but don’t ever lie to him. Some emotional scars from his growing up years still run deep, and out of that handful, a few will never heal. One may ask how this cowboy came to be, if he’s based off of a real person. The answer to that is no, but I can tell you the many inspirations I drew from in creating him and his world. I’m a product of 1970’s and 1980’s television. Back then, westerns such as Big Valley and High Chaparral were on tv’s primetime lineup. Sunday afternoons, old movies aired. Many of them were westerns, and it was through watching several with my father that I was introduced to John Wayne and his style of cowboy. I instantly took to his tough-as-nails persona, his zest for good triumphing over evil. Peter Breck’s character on Big Valley (Nick Barkley) had that same grit and toughness… that same spit-in-your-eye determination. And both had a heart, soul, and weakness for family. Whether mother, sister, brother, or father, stepping outside the code of loyalty and protection to family was something they wouldn’t do. Cameron Mitchell’s character of Uncle Buck on High Chapparal was also cut from this cloth, plus he had a sense humor born only to him. The cowboys these three men portrayed stayed with me into adulthood, as did the horses they rode (my second favorite animal), the ranches they lived on, and the women they loved. (On a side note, little girl me always wanted to be Linda Evans’ Audra Barkley. I thought she was so pretty, and I envied her clothes, hair and makeup.) Fast forward to my teenage years, and one Friday night I happened upon what I thought was a movie on television. The plot had to do with one brother being mistaken for another brother. He was kidnapped, and most of what I watched centered around the family trying to get him back. The end was a cliffhanger, which ticked me off, because I wanted to know what happened him and thought I had wasted my time with a terrible ending. And then, next week’s sneak preview came on and I discovered I was watching the television show, Dallas. In that one episode, I was hooked. I loved the clothes, the hair and makeup, the back-stabbing, the family dynamic. More importantly, Patrick Duffy and Steve Kanaly played the Texas cowboy perfectly. They rode horses, lived on a sprawling ranch, wore the Wranglers and Stetsons, and had the same grit, heart, and swagger as John Wayne and Peter Breck. And just as important, the dialogue and interaction between Patrick Duffy’s Bobby Ewing and Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing was irresistible. They were brothers who hated each other in the office, sat down to family supper table, and always had each other’s back. And then, there was Jock Ewing, the weathered father and patriarch of the family, another cowboy to admire. Sadly, just like Big Valley and High Chapparal, Dallas came to an end. My desire to pen my own novel came afterward, and had nothing to do with any of these shows. Two authors I read were my inspiration and I tried my hand at contemporary romance, but after 2 stories, I wasn’t happy. Something didn’t feel right, and was missing. Not only in my writing but in myself. And then, somehow I came out of my funk and realized I missed all of the above; horses, a ranch house, the family dynamic… the heart and soul of a cowboy. Royce Weston was born in that moment. He lived on an enormous ranch with his father and two brothers. Like Nick Barkley, he was quick-tempered and enjoyed a fist-fight. Like Bobby Ewing, he often bickered with is older brother, but he always had Lucas’ back. And like John Wayne, he had a heart the size of Texas and a swagger in his step. Loyal to a fault and in desperate need of love, beneath his cowboy drawl and mannerisms, he had many layers that was truly rewarding to bring to life with the pages of a book. Get to Royce Weston in Luck of the Draw Available exclusively at Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0063VOS4E Blurb: Royce Weston knows firsthand women are exceptional liars, especially the one who has wormed her way into his family's good graces by claiming amnesia. Since Paige didn't heed his advice at the poker tables, he reasons a bit of friendly persuasion is needed to send her packing. But when she matches him trick for trick and has his ranch hands jumping to please her, Royce is thoroughly disgusted. A simpering miss she is not. Sassy and daring, if only she'd give him a reason to trust her… Paige Morgan knows Royce Weston despises her. But on his family's ranch, populated only by males, he seems to be the only one who knows about her past… a past she can't remember. Until he tells her what he knows, she isn't going anywhere. And if along the way she manages to tame this rough and tough cowboy, so much the better. Any girl will admit it's not how you play your cards, it's the Luck of the Draw that counts. Excerpt: "I'm ready to finish this water fight you started." "Me?" he exaggerated, turning to face her. "You're the one…" If the sight of her bare calf had caused his pulse to pound, the sight of her now was sure to kill him. She stood across from him, knee-deep in the water with a determined smile playing on her lips to match the gleam in her eyes. Her arms were bare to the neck except for the narrow straps of her soaked chemise, which clung to her body and did little to conceal her breasts from his heated gaze. She leaned forward to play her fingers on the water, and Royce bit his tongue as he watched a droplet of water trail down her skin to the valley between her breasts. With the sun glistening off her wet skin, his body hardened, throbbed, and ached with a need even Sandra hadn't provoked in him. "Paige." Her name was a ragged moan. "Come here." "Not on your life, big guy," she teased. "You have your space and I have mine. This is the boundary." She drew an imaginary line between them with her finger. "Whoever crosses it first loses." "The hell with the line." Royce dove beneath the water. He came up in front of her and lifted her out of the water. A little about Julie:
Julie was born and raised in New York. She married her high school sweetheart and accompanied him on his twenty year career with the Air Force. Currently, she resides in Colorado where she enjoys a career writing western romance, taking care of her family and home, and exploring the Rocky Mountains. To connect with Julie, visit her here: Website: www.julielence.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieLence Twitter: www.twitter.com/JulieLence 7/20/2024 07:42:07 pm
Welcome Julie! Thank you for helping celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy on my blog! 7/21/2024 06:59:41 am
Good Morning, D.K., Thank you for having me as your guest today!
Reggi Allder
7/21/2024 11:08:00 am
Hi Julie, I enjoyed the blog. I also enjoyed the Big Valley and never missed an episode. Royce Weston seems to be a cowboy a woman would definitely want to meet. :) 7/22/2024 07:24:08 am
Thanks for stopping by, Reggi. It's great to see you here. And yes, Royce has his faults, but he is definitely a cowboy worth keeping. 7/22/2024 07:25:17 am
Hi Sandra: Colorado is a beautiful state. I enjoy the mountains and the old towns. Comments are closed.
|
Archives
July 2024
Categories |