Thursday, July 19, 2012

Jacquie's Western Roundup - Snag Some Great Books!

Men In Chaps

You just can't talk about sexy cowboys without including chaps.  There's nothing like a well-worn pair of chaps to set of the, um, physique of a hardworking man.  And you can always tell the dimestore cowboys from the real cowhands, too.  It's all in the chaps.


You can win
a Kindle copy of all three books in the
♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ series!
Yes, the entire series!
Details below


But back to chaps... Chaps have been worn since ancient times.  Medieval knights wore them, motorcycle riders and modern cowhands still do.  Chaps weren't invented to be sexy (they just are), but to protect the rider's britches and legs.  Anyone who has ridden through brush knows what a gouging and scratching you get.  Leather chaps are tough and provide not just protection from stickers and scratches, but also minimal padding against impact.

And, let's face it--they look totally cool.

(from photo-dictionary.com)

The first thing to know is the 'ch' is pronounced 'sh,' so shaps.  Chaps is a shortened version of the Spanish chaparajos or chaparreras, and they were introduced to Texas from the Mexican vaqueros, as was so much of our Western gear, methods, and lore.  In Texas, the first chaps where called "shotguns" (the straight-legged kind), and in the early 1880s, batwings became popular.  Batwings are what the cowboys in the B-westerns wore, and what the rodeo cowboys use today.  Then there are the woolies worn in the northern areas in the winter.


But let's take a scenic tour.






Nat Love aka Deadwood Dick










This classic pose by Nat Love personifies the coolness of chaps.  It also shows that the man has to wear the chaps, not the other way around.  Nat Love was capable and confident, and it sure shows.

I use chaps to demonstrate the metamorphosis of a Boston greenhorn to a cowhand in the third book of the Hearts of Owyhee series, Much Ado About Mavericks.

Reginald Morris is a secondary character.  He comes to Henderson Flats with his sister, who's determined to marry the hero, Ben, because her father wants Ben to take over as senior partner in the family law firm.  Reginald has never been good for anything except spending money on women and fun, but once he gets to Owyhee County, he sees there's more to life.  Chaps.

Cast:
Jake: The heroine--she's foreman of the Bar EL Ranch.  Her name is Janelle Kathryn, shortened to J.K, but everyone calls her Jake.
Ben: The hero--he left home (the Bar EL) when he was 15 to attend Harvard and is now an attorney of high repute in Boston, but comes home to settle his father's estate.
Reginald: The son of the man who owns the Boston law firm where Ben works.
Patience: Reginald's sister, bound and determined to marry Ben.
Fred: Cowhand at the Bar EL
Whip: An old cowhand, now the Bar EL cook.


Ben watched as Fred, whom everyone knew coveted Jake’s job, managed to saddle the mustang, crawl on, and take the reins.  At the nod of his head, Crip and Slim let go.  The horse exploded, bucking high, and spinning right.  Fred stuck through the first burst, then the second as the wiry mustang reared and twisted, bucked and spun.  In a spit second, the horse locked his front legs,  skidded to an abrupt stop, and Fred sailed over his head.

“One minute and eighteen seconds,” Crip shouted.  “Good job, Fred.”

Jake rested her arms on the fence beside Ben.  “That’ll probably get him in the money round.  Too bad he won’t win.”

Frowning, Reginald asked, “Money round?”

Jake rolled her eyes and Ben explained, “The Bar EL pays twenty dollars to the winner of round two.  That’s why it’s called the money round.”

“Number twenty-two,” Crip called.

Reginald gritted his teeth.  “Aw, hell, that’s me.”

The cowhands hooted and hollered.  “Let’s see the greenhorn ride!”

Whip handed him a pair of worn chaps.  “Know how to put these on?”

“No.”

Jake rolled her eyes again.  Ben didn’t want Reginald to be too humiliated--after all, his father was Ben’s boss.  “Whip, you help him with the chaps and tell him what to do.  I’ll get my saddle for him to use.”

 Patience pushed her way through the cowhands and confronted her brother.  “You simply can’t mean to do this.  Why, it’s not dignified, let alone civilized!”

“Sister, you’re annoying me.  Go tat some lace, or something.”

Jake moved between them.  “Ma’am, if you ain’t riding, then get out of the way.  Otherwise, draw a number.”  Ben had never been prouder of Jake than at that moment.  Ladies all over Boston cowed to Patience’s every whim.  But not Jake.  Never Jake.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Patience snarled.

Reginald took her arm and led her away.  “Trust me, she can.  Now go away and let me take my turn before they give it to someone else.”  He turned to Ben.  “I’m ready for the saddle, now.”

Patience stood back, her lips pursed.  Ben figured she was angrier at Jake for showing her up than at Reginald defying her wishes.  “Go over to where the other women are, Patience.  You could get hurt out here.”

“As if you care!” She spun around and flitted to Mabel and Suzanne.  Her lips were still going.  Ben was thankful he didn’t have to listen.

Reginald put on a respectable show.  Over thirty seconds was considered a decent ride on a rank horse.  He came back dirty, sweaty, and grinning.  “Damn, this is fun!”

“Even eating dirt?” Jake asked.

He wiped his face with his sleeve.  “That part, I could do without.”


Hearts of Owyhee

To win all three books, just leave a comment--who's your favorite man in chaps?  Be sure to leave your email address to be eligible to win.  Good luck!

Special thanks to M.K. McClintock for wrangling this roundup!


Want more sexy cowboys? Visit these blogs and enter to win even more stuff!

42 comments:

  1. LOVE the excerpt!! Can't wait to read Mavericks - got my copy a few days ago. :-D YEEHAW

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    1. Meg, I hope you like it, especially since I wrote this during the heyday of OFE. :)

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  2. Thanks for being a part of the blog! Great giveaway too! :)

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    1. I'm just happy to be included, MK. Thanks to you for hosting!

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    2. I love the interest in your giveaway Jacquie. So tell us--where did you come up with the "Much Ado" part of your titles. Great idea!

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    3. MK, thanks for a second visit. You really get around! :)

      The first book was a classic Shakespearean mix-up of no one being who you think they are, so Much Ado About Marshals (there are two imposters, plus the heroine has a secret, too). Then my critique group suggested I use Much Ado for the titles of the other books in the series since they all are based on humorous mayhem, so it was actually their idea. And a good one. The series name, ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥, came from the setting, which is Owyhee County, Idaho Territory.

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  3. Thanks for joining the hop and having the awesome giveaway, Jacquie!

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    1. Kimberly, thanks for being an instigator! LOL. Great idea.

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  4. Great post, Jacquie! There is definitely something sexy about a cowboy (a real cowboy) in chaps! Although, I've never been partial to woolies.

    Hope you have a great hop! :o)

    --Kirsten

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    1. I've never been fond of woolies, either, Kirsten. Just too . . . fluffy.

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  5. My fave literary man in chaps is Ransom Lake from The Visions of Ransom Lake by Marcia Lynn McClure

    kissyjensen at gmail dot com

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  6. Where I live we sometimes see ranchers in town wearing chaps during certain times of the year. Usually, they've come into town on an errand and are hurrying so they can return to the ranch. Just the sort of life I dreamed when I was a kid, and now I live it. LOL

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  7. I didn't even realize there was this hop until I got your newsletter today. Yee Haw, I do love anything to do with cowboys!! On the big screen, I loved Gary Cooper and of course, John Wayne. Those two were such heroes! I also thought Tommy Lee Jones made a fantastic cowboy/ranger in "Lonesome Dove". Thanks for being a part of this hop! landrybreaux@yahoo.com

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    1. Landry, there's lots of cowboys in this blog hop--nothing but. :) Wasn't Tommy Lee Jones perfect in that role? And he played off Robert Duvall so well. Loved that mini-series.

      Good luck with winning some good prizes!

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  8. Crap, I can't think of a name. But I'd prefer him out of his chaps.
    *wink wink* Oh, I'm picking Matthew by Emma Lang. Man he was sexy.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. Julianne, like lingerie for a women, the whole idea is to get the chaps off the man. LOL.

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  9. Thank you, Jacquie. I've learnt something new today. I used to love watching Westerns on TV when I grew up (mostly series from 60s and 70s).

    Your 'Much ado...' series has been on my TBR pile for a while now. Moving up quickly, though.

    Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the tour.

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    1. Thanks for the visit, Cathie! I loved watching Westerns, too, even though I knew they weren't anywhere near true to life. And of course I fell madly in love with Clint Walker when I was four years old.

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  10. woo hoo clint eastwood as roddy yates!!


    linda_bass@sbcglobal.net

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    1. Oh, yeah. :) Welcome back, Linda, and good luck!

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  11. ahh..yes...Clint Eastwood is a great one too.
    moma3homeschool(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. Hi, Michelle! Big Adam's apple and all, he does cut a fine figure of a man. :)

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  12. Thank you for the giveaway...I didn't watch to much westerns when I was little...but I do remember Clint eastwood also..
    GFC- follower
    email Follower

    ronnkelly3@aol.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Romancing The West, ronnkelly3. Enjoy, and good luck!

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  13. Thanks for the giveaway-I love cowboys and their code of the west they live by
    JWIsley(at)aol(dot)com

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  14. that is great and then the site is great way to do your books
    desi the blonde at msn dot com

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  15. I'm new to this so I don't have one yet but the ones pictured above are making me curious. Thanks for the chance to win!
    saltsnmore at yahoo dot com

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    1. I'm glad you ventured into new territory, Erika, and who knows, you might win a whole raft of good stuff!

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  16. Thanks for the giveaway. My husband looks great in a pair of chaps when is out riding.

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    1. Lucky you! Mr R wouldn't even wear a Stetson when he was the sound man for a rodeo. Sigh.

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  17. Love the bullriders on tv in thier chaps!! Course, all of them are way to young!! My favorite tv cowboy was Heath Barkley. These books sound awesome and I'd love to be entered to win.

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    1. Oh yeah. Definitely eye candy. Keeps us young. :)

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  18. forgot my email in my comment!

    marthajlawson@bellsouth.net

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  19. Men in chaps always look good. From reading the excerpt the book looks great.

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  20. My favorite man in chaps would be... the shirtless guy in this post. LOL
    chefamanda at gmail dot com

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  21. Give me John Wayne any day!
    thanks!
    ruthaw_1974@yahoo.com

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  22. Clint Eastwood

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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