There’s
just something about the Old West, about cowboys and gunslingers, saloon girls
and fancy ladies, about the grim determination to carve a new civilisation out
of an untamed land. I LOVE the Old West...But what is it I love about the Old
West?
I
keep thinking of this poster I have for the remake of 3:10 to Yuma,
starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. It’s of a man, his back to us,
staring down an oncoming steam train. His Stetson is drawn low, a leather
jacket stretched across his shoulders, and around his hips two guns are slung,
his hands poised ready over the hilt of both. Coloured in sepia and with the
bold type of Western font proclaiming the title, the poster is just the bestest
ever. However, it’s such a massively romantic view of the Old West.
In
reality, the Old West would have been a tremendously hard place to exist. There
was little to no infrastructure, as pioneers pushed further and further into
the Western US. People were scarce, making it a lonely existence. Lawlessness
abounded, and most of the rules and niceties were thrown out in favour of
practicality.
But
you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story ;) The Old West
represents a hardy spirit, a time of new beginnings and the excitement of
possibility. Anything could happen, a hundred thousand different things, and
that more than anything is overwhelming attractive. There’s the romance of
making things, of using your sweat and blood and own two hands to carve a place
for yourself in a brand new land. A lack of rules and society can bring out the
best in people, just like it can bring out the worst, making heroes and
villains of everyone.
So
I guess I’ll keep that poster of 3:10 to Yuma... and be thankful that
gunslingers and cowboys look overwhelming sexy in dusters and Stetsons :)
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Here’s the question, peeps:
In
FOOL’S GOLD, what feature of
Pearl’s makes Ethan haul her into a passionate embrace? (Hint:
Check out the excerpt, peeps!)
Christmas in
Freewill
Christmas Eve, the
Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to
retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion.
Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing
outside.
Ethan Garrett has
a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer
scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on
how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in
her company.
When a blizzard
storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their
irritation for each other disguises something more?
Available from Decadent
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Excerpt:
Turning on her heel, Pearl marched off toward the stairs.
A weird kind of panic jolted through Ethan, one he’d never felt before in
all his days. It was…he didn’t…. She couldn’t leave him. “Where are you going?”
She whirled to face him, her irritation plain. “I was seeking my bed before
your arrival, and now I’m seeking it again. Help yourself to whiskey this one
time. I got better things to do.”
Shoving to his feet, he strode to her. “Don’t just walk away when we’re
discussing things.”
“We ain’t discussing nothing. You’ll be down here, waiting out the
blizzard. I’ll be in my bed, doing what I was gonna before you arrived. That’s
the end of it.”
Taking a step, she made to leave him. Again.
He grabbed her arm. “Don’t leave me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Glaring at him, she stood before the bar, her
magnificent hair slipping from its pins, her breasts rising and falling.
Abruptly, his mouth went dry. Clearing his throat some, he said, “You’re
supposed to offer succor to those in need.”
“We’re closed, remember?” Paint-less lips pressed tight together, she
glared up at him.
They were so close he could see the faint marks of freckles on her skin.
Pearl La Monte had freckles.
A kind of haze came over him, tightening his skin and bringing with it
something all-fired powerful and completely unstoppable. All the years he’d
known her crashed through him, all the times she’d flirted with him and meant
something else, all the times he’d seen her perform on stage and wished he
could have held such fire.
Grabbing her upper arms, he hauled her against him and, ignoring her
shocked gasp, he covered her mouth with his.
Bio:
Cassandra grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous
adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story),
she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and
marvelous adventures.
Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe
detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance
and a true passion was born.
So, once upon a time, after making a slight detour into the world of
finance, Cassandra tried her hand at writing. After a brief foray into horror,
she couldn’t discount her true passion. She started to write Romance and fell
head over heels.
The love affair exists to this very day.
Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.
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3 comments:
The feature is freckles ;) I'm a freckled girl, so I know how that can be LOL.
brookeb811 at gmail dot com
The feature was her freckles!
ej_fitz@hotmail.com
Great post, Cassandra! He pulled her into a passionate embrace because of her freckles. All the best!
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