I had to
think about what I do when I create a hero in one of my westerns. He has to be bigger than life. Think, John Wayne in the western movies of a
time gone by. Big. Strong.
Think of Tom
Selleck in Quigley Down Under or any of the Sackett TV films he did with Sam
Elliot (also another portrayer of western heroes to die for) based on Louis
L’amour’s series of books.
Who were our
real western heroes? How about Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill
Hickok? Like them, he must have a strict
sense of justice and be a generally upstanding citizen. Hickok and Earp were lawmen in several
different towns, but Abilene, Kansas and Tombstone, Arizona come to mine. Their
reputations were that they didn’t put up with lawlessness and used their guns
to bring order out of chaos.
We wouldn’t
want that kind of law and order in today’s world. It wouldn’t work, but in
those days, when the justice system as we know it was unavailable, these men
did what they had to do.
Also, for my
books, although, he and my heroine might make love before marriage, the hero
knows there will be a marriage. And
if the heroine doesn’t want to get married, he will do everything in his power
to change her mind.
He’s a
wonderful father. Teaching his children,
sons or daughters, to ride, rope and shoot with the best of them.
My heroes
are also caring and gentle. They know
their strength and make sure to rein it in when dealing with the heroine. No matter how obstinate or ornery she gets he
never physically harms her. He may
intimidate her, he may restrain her, but there is always an innate respect for
her.
He is always
slow to anger but once riled, look out.
And don’t even think about harming someone he cares for, he’ll always
make you sorry you did, assuming you live to make it to the hanging. He won’t kill you outright or without reason,
but you’d better not give him a reason. He won’t hesitate to use his gun if he
needs to.
Creating a
western hero is not any easier than creating a Regency or Highland hero, or any
other kind. They are as strong and have
as great a sense of right and wrong as any of those other heroes. But I tend to think of them as quieter, more
reflective. The strong but silent type
who never toots his own horn. I think
that’s one of the reasons that I love them so much.
Cynthia Woolf is the author of six historical western romance
books and one short story with more books on the way. She was born in Denver,
Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years
running wild around the mountain side with her friends. Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother
was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his
death in 2006. Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new
books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling
bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy
she liked at the time. Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A
Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia’s
father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place
in Creede that is the only similiarity between the stories. Her father was a
cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now)
not the ranch owner. Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the
great friends she's made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to
explore her creativity.
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