Thursday, May 3, 2012

Y is for Y'All

I was born in Chicago. Other than a three and half year college stint, I've never lived anywhere except in one of its suburbs.

But I'm a country gal at heart.

What can I say? Bull riders, boots and hats, pick up trucks, and John Deere tractors just do it for me. I don't have any desire to move to the country. I love my town and my house and my friends and my job. But I do tend to write stories with country or small town settings. And even if my hero doesn't wear a cowboy hat or boots, he at the very least drives a truck. It's one of the (many) perks of being a writer. I can experience things (and help others experience things) without actually living those things.

If I went back in time I'd definitely be a Southern Belle rather than a Northern Rose, and my hero would wear grey, not blue.

It's a fiddle, not a violin.

The next best thing to patriotic red, white, and blue is camouflage.

Unless it's got twang, I won't listen to it.

There's something sexy about a slowly drawled, "Yes, ma'am."

A man's butt looks best in Wranglers.

And yes, my hubby definitely has some Redneck tendencies.

How about you? Do you gravitate toward a particular style in your writing? Or in real life?

Until next time,

Y'all come back now, y'hear.

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

7 comments:

  1. I grew up a city girl, but have lived in the country since 1972. What struck me first was how total strangers always stopped to help if I was in trouble. That didn't happen in NYC.

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  2. Ana,

    I have a scene about that in a mss I'm revising...glad I got it right!

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  3. In reply to Ana's comment, I found people in NYC to be really helpful, especially when I was standing on a corner with a street map in my hand wondering which way to go! Several times people stopped and said 'Hi, can I help you? What are you trying to find?' One time a young woman actually took us to the subway station we were looking for.

    And when I was in Florida at Christmas, I met a Texan guy and if I had a dollar for each time he said 'Yes, ma'am' in the course of a 10 minute conversation, I'd be rich LOL!

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  4. Mmm, I do like country, but I prefer big sky, like Montana or Wyoming. Love country music because of its lyrics, not necessarily the instruments. But warning, don't move to Montana, Deb. According to the weird laws on its books, you can't own cowboy boots unless you already own at least 2 cows.

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  5. Paula, I was in New York once for a whirlwind weekend...I don't really have a desire to go back.

    Jennifer...eeek! That's definitely not the place for me. I already own too many pairs of boots and not enough cows. Now that I think of it, my country books do have more of a 'big sky' setting. I never actually say where it is, but there are mountains around.

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  6. I love NYC, Debra! Maybe not as much as I love Washington DC, but New York is magic. Brash and tacky, maybe, but I love the buzz in Times Square, the thrill of actually being on Broadway, the relative calm of Central Park, the charm of Greenwich Village, the view of the skyline (especially at night) from the Staten Island Ferry - oh, I could get as lyrical as Sinatra LOL!

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  7. I own a goodly number of cows. Two heifers, Lucy and Lizard, are grazing my front yard right now. I'll rent them to you so you can wear those boots!

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