Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Guest Post w/ Sarah M. Anderson + Giveaway!

WELCOME TO THE BLOG, SARAH! :) 



Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux.  She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.
When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son. You can learn more about Sarah at www.sarahmanderson.com.
 
Where to Find Sarah:


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Real Cowboys vs. Sexy Cowboy Heroes  



Who here doesn’t love cowboys? I’m quite fond of them myself. They wear their Wranglers well, look darn fine on horseback and—whether they’re stringing barbed wire or two-stepping their lady—they’re exceptionally good with their hands.


So very good with their hands.


Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. Cowboys. We love them.


But do we really? Or do we love some romanticized versions of cowboys that has disconnected from reality? Let’s look at some of the ways my cowboy heroes might differ from an actual cowboy out on the range using our five senses:


1. Smell: A real cowboy does not smell . . . pleasant. If he’s been working cattle, he smells like cattle—and manure. Cattle alone smell like, well, cows—but manure is poop, no matter how you look at it. Plus, if he’s been working cattle in the summer, he’s been mixing hard-earned cowboy sweat with cow and manure. This becomes a certain kind of funk that can emotionally scar a lesser woman.


Our sexy cowboy heroes? That’s a whole different story. No matter how grueling the work day, no matter how many cows stepped on them, they smell manly. Traces of earth, maybe, along with a clean musk that is uniquely his.


Advantage: Cowboy heroes.


2. Sight: A real cowboy has spent all day working cattle, preg-checking cattle (which can only be done by sticking their arms into a cow’s hind end) and, as I mentioned before, sweating. They often have manure stuck to their boots, ground into the seat of their jeans, and way up under their fingernails. They are rumpled and dirty—which, on a certain level, does have some appeal—but sweat-soaked and manure-caked is not a pretty thing, no matter how many muscles they have.


Our sexy cowboy heroes? Good Lord, they look hot. Shirts usually unbuttoned a few buttons, cowboy hat jauntily on their heads, buckles prominently displayed—and not a trace of manure or sweat stain in sight. Our cowboy heroes pair best with a golden sunset, an open meadow—and shockingly few cows.


Advantage: Cowboy heroes.


3. Sound. Real cowboys talk, joke, curse in mild-to-moderate quantities and listen to everything under the sun. Sure, they deal with a lot of mooing, but other than that?


Our sexy cowboy heroes also talk, joke, curse (although probably more than actual cowboys do) and listen to either country and western or hard rock. (Really, those appear to be the only two kinds of music sexy cowboy heroes actually listen to.)


Advantage: Tie.


4. Touch. Real cowboys have stubble, sweat-slicked skin, blue jeans and cowboy boots.


Our sexy cowboy heroes? Stubble, sweat-slicked skin (especially in the bedroom!), blue jeans and cowboy boots.


Advantage: I believe we, the readers, win this round. Also known as a tie.


5. Taste. This one really depends on when one is tasting their cowboy. For all the aforementioned reasons (sweat, manure, etc), real-life cowboys may not taste all that good before they’ve showered very, very thoroughly. If you can catch them early enough, they probably taste of coffee, which can be quite manly. But they usually have such a work ethic that they’ll be out saddling up the horses before you can get much more than a good old fashioned smooch out of them.


Our sexy cowboy heroes? Well, because they always smell good, then it naturally follows that they also taste good. That manly musk that is theirs and theirs alone—maybe with a hint of salt on the skin (not that I’m licking!)? Very good.


Advantage: Cowboy heroes (but just barely).


In short, the difference between a good, real cowboy and a sexy cowboy hero really boils down to one thing: cow poop. Cowboy heroes just don’t spend that much time covered in it, whereas for real cowboys, it’s a daily fact of life.


But then, that’s why they invented washing machines and hot showers, isn’t it?


Which do you prefer—real cowboys or cowboy heroes? One lucky reader will win a e-copy of Mystic Cowboy and everyone who comments will be entered to win a Simple Touch Nook (read more info here)!




~Sarah M. Anderson


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Mystic Cowboy by Sarah M. Anderson
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (Jan. 1st, 2013)
Series: Men of the White Sandy, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
The White Sandy Reservation needs a doctor, and Madeline Mitchell needs to do a little good in the world. It seems like a perfect fit, until she meets the medicine man, Rebel Runs Fast. As far as Madeline can tell, Rebel's sole mission is to convince her patients that modern medicine can't help them.  And the fact that he makes her heart race every time he looks at her only irritates her more.
Rebel swore off the white man's world—and women—years ago. But he's never met a woman like Dr. Mitchell. She doesn't speak the language, understand the customs, or believe he's anything more than a charlatan--but she stays, determined to help his people. He tries to convince himself that his tribe doesn't need her, but when patients start getting sick with strange symptoms, he realizes that he needs her more than ever.
 

Where to Buy*:
More Info:





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One lucky reader will win a e-copy of Mystic Cowboy and everyone who comments will be entered to win a Simple Touch Nook (read more info here)!



How to Enter:


  • Leave a comment answering Sarah's Question (or ask one of your own) WITH your email addy! 
  • Follow the rest of the tour for more chances to win! 




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Loved your post, Sarah! We've got a few cowboys around where I live, but unfortunately most of them are older men or married. Damn it! LOL So at this point, I'm loving the hero cowboys more than the real life ones, but if I find the right  cowboy...I may change my mind! *smirks* 

How about you? Answer Sarah's question for a chance to win! 


Which do you prefer—real cowboys or cowboy heroes? 




Enjoy!



Until Next Time,


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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

30 comments :

Mary D. said...

Well, when you put it like that, the cowboy hero certainly has the advantage. But if you really want a cowboy, I guess you've got to go with the real cowboy!

Rebe said...

I'm afraid I HAVE to go with the cowboy hero (not that I'm complaining) - manure gives me wicked bad hay fever. :( rwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom

Sarah M. Anderson said...

I mucked a horse barn while I was a teenager. Eventually, you get to the point where manure doesn't really bother you that much!

Sarah M. Anderson said...

If only sexy cowboy heroes were real, Mary!

Rita Wray said...

I think I prefer the cowboy hero.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

Sarah M. Anderson said...

He is pretty darned delicious! Thanks for stopping by!

Joanne B said...

Not a big fan of cow poop, so I'll have to go with the cowboy hero, not that a real cowboy would be a hardship.
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

Sarah M. Anderson said...

I'm willing to make a few trade offs--but it all depends on the amount of poop, right?

Julie said...

I prefer the real cowboy, preferably showered and smelling manly. :) There are other smells that go with a cowboy, such as hay and leather, that in the right circumstances are quite tolerable. :)
Julie - riveroftimefan(at)gmail(dot)com

Sarah M. Anderson said...

Oooh, yeah--the leather. YUM. But you're right--the shower is vital!

Fiona Marsden said...

I never really cottoned to cowboys. I was brought up out west in Australia and there were lots of real cowboys. And to be totally honest, when I was a kid I always wanted to be on the side of the Indian's. (all photos of me in Indian gear appear to be lost) So in this case I would have to say I prefer a Mystic Cowboy who is really an Indian. *drools*. Not entering the draw thank you.

bn100 said...

How about both?


bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Erin F said...

thanks for the fun post and congrats to Sarah on the new release! I love cowboys in my books. I think they'd drive me crazy in real life :)

efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

Carin said...

I grew up around enough real cowboys to know that the advantage is to the cowboy heroes for sure. Thanks Carin
mawmom at gmail dot com

Sarah M. Anderson said...

It's the hair, isn't it? Rebel's just so...yummy.

Sarah M. Anderson said...

You're the first person to suggest that! :)

Sarah M. Anderson said...

At the very least, the laundry part of things would probably push me over the edge...

Sarah M. Anderson said...

Haha! Thanks for the input!

Kame said...

Oh Wow - never met a real cowboy - but I love to read about cowboys! And since I can use the voice I want with the cowboy hero in my head (which is always country artist Chris Young's voice) I will go with cowboy hero.

kame said...

sorry I would rather keep my e-mail private - Twitter handle is KameBookReview

Sarah M. Anderson said...

No problem--thanks for stopping by! And that's a pretty fine voice to have in your head!

The_Book_Queen said...

Sorry Kame--never thought about that. I should change this on giveaways I host. The only reason I do the email requirement is sometimes it's hard to contact the winner, especially if they are not a regular visitor. But I'm going to start editing this to include either an email or Twitter handle. :)
Thanks for stopping by!
TBQ

Leni said...

Well, I haven't met a real cowboy and have read a whole lot of cowboy heroes. And think I'll go for the real because they are real :)
This was a fun post


lenikaye@yahoo.com

Sarah M. Anderson said...

I know--wouldn't it be something to see a real one? After he'd showered? :)

Anna@herding cats said...

Omg I busted out laughing. Yeah book cowboys definitely win some points because of the "poo" issue. But damn if I wouldn't mind helping the real one, um, clean up?

Sarah M. Anderson said...

And now I have some *very* dirty (but very clean!) images in my head! :)

Kame said...

I don't mind putting it on the form to not be seen by the general public - but seeing people write their e-mails in their comments makes the IT professional in me cringe - the impression I got was that it needed to be in the comments. No worries - of all things I know you know where to find me!

kame said...

yes nice voice - and not bad to look at either...Listening to him right now!

Natasha said...

The cowboy hero. Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

Sarah M. Anderson said...

Thanks for stopping by, Natasha!