B is for Bull Rider

Debra's Jake Hawkins is a champion bull rider.

There's not much of anything that's more cowboy than a bull rider. From his hat to his boots and the vest, chaps, and spurs in between...it's the quintessential cowboy look. And my little heart is not immune to the look nor the charm of the man beneath the hat.

I first fell in love with the rodeo and its bull riders when my hubby (back when he was merely 'the boyfriend') decided he wanted to ride bulls. He gave it a whirl a few times, wound up with some major injuries, and decided to hang up his spurs. For me, however, the love affair continued.

So I guess it's only natural that many of my romances have a cowboy/country theme. But so far, I've only written about one actual bull rider: Jake Hawkins.

We first meet Jake in This Time for Always, the first book in my Corral series. He's a secondary character, but I always knew he'd have a story of his own some day. This Feels Like Home is Jake's story.

The letter to the reader at the beginning of the book tells us a bit about Jake:

For those of you familiar with the first two books in the series, you’ll know all about this story’s hero, Jake. Jake is the third of a trio of characters I thought up way back when I first had the dream to write a romance novel.
Jake was the guy always there for his friends, and who often helped them find their way down true love’s path but planned on steering clear of love for himself, so he could focus on his rodeo career. But of course, we all know it takes just the right woman to come along and change a hero’s mind, so I brought Amber into Jake’s life.

Amber is an interesting contrast to the danger-addicted cowboy. She's a certified accessibility consultant and counselor who knows all too well the hazards of extreme sports gone wrong.

I wanted my story to be as authentic as possible, so I attended lots of rodeos, took copious notes, a million pictures, and 'haunted' the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) web-site.

Here are some of my favorite photos, taken at the Big Hat Rodeo, all in the name of research, of course!

Until next time,

Cowboy Up!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

This Feels Like Home is available from The Wild Rose Press.

Can a danger-addicted cowboy and a safety-conscious urbanite ever see eye-to-eye?

When Chicago native Amber Winfield visits her aunt in Texas, she's happy to absorb some local color--but dating a bull rider? That's more cowboy than she's prepared to go. As an accessibility consultant, she knows too well the hazards of extreme sports. Just one night with Jake Hawkins, though, and she's captivated by the caring man underneath the cowboy swagger. But she could never fall for a man so intent on chasing danger...could she?

Jake's got one goal--earn enough points to ride on the pro circuit--and he won't let anyone stand in his way. Especially not a sophisticated city lady who thinks bull riding is crazy. Women like Amber are the reason he's perfected the art of loving and leaving. So why can't he get her off of his mind...or out of his heart?

B is for Bull Riders

...my absolute favorite kind of cowboy!



I'm not sure what I like best. How his Wranglers accentuate the swagger in his step. The well worn boots. The Stetson pulled low to shade his brooding eyes. The chaps that outline his perfect butt. Or just the fact that he's willing to face off against a 2,000 pound beast and finds the danger exciting and exhilarating. He's the sexiest bad boy around, but he's always the perfect gentleman, which is why the ladies can't resist him.



That being said, there was no doubt in my mind that one day I'd write a book with a bull rider as the hero. I've been working on it for a while, and this summer I polished it up, sent it to my editor at Wild Rose, and waited.



Yesterday I heard back...ahead of schedule (the editor had promised to get back to me by December).

At first I was bummed. She felt the story needs some tweaking before it's ready to be published. Now don't get me wrong...I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and make it better, but when someone tells you your baby isn't good enough...it's a little heart-breaking.

But the more I thought about it, the better I felt. This will give me the opportunity to make this book the best it can be.

I'm confident that someday, Jake's story will be out there. It might not be as soon as I'd hoped, but it'll get there.



Plus, in the meantime, this gives me the prefect excuse to watch more bull riding on TV in the name of research. Or maybe catch some local rodeos live and in person at county fairs. (Which is where I took these pictures.) What more could a girl ask for?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Now available: A Christmas to Remember (from TWRP)