Like horses? Like handsome young men in denim and boots? Well, Christian western fiction novels might just be your cup of tea. The world of horses, mountains and plains, living close to the land, and adventure calls for strong women - the preferred heroines of today - and strong men.
Adventure is always at hand in the untamed mountains or the endless plains. You can fall off a horse or a cliff, freeze in an unexpected blizzard, get snakebit, lose your ranch to the bank, and, of course, get your heart broken. The Christian framework keeps the action and the complications within acceptable boundaries. This is great in these days when a modern novel can be a lot more graphic than many readers want.
Women like men - a simple fact - and they like horses. This sets the scene. It's not hard to place a woman - young and inexperienced or older and available because of past mistakes or tragedy - in charge of a riding academy specializing in barrel racing and cutting, or trying to save the family ranch in the face of overwhelming odds, or rescuing a horse or two and needing the help of a handsome veterinarian, farrier, or horse breaker. And voila - you can probably think of a thousand complications to these and other scenarios.
The man, of course, will have his own shrouded past or present entanglements, and either or both might have children to add to the mix. Secrets can include failed marriages, children born out of wedlock before salvation turned things around, time spent in prison, or problems with drugs or alcohol. Christian principles and compassion can overcome obstacles that ordinarily might make a happy future impossible.
Furthermore, the Christian framework solves another traditional problem with loving a cowboy. In the standard stories, the strong and silent man might linger for a time, setting female hearts aflutter and arousing hopes in a young girl's heart, but he then rides away - because cowboys need the open range or the open road and can't settle down to a life of domesticity. With a tip of his hat and no backward look, he'll ride off into the Texas sunset, never to be seen again.
Well, bummer. However, the cowpoke who's found Jesus will have overcome these philandering ways and found solace for broken dreams. He'll be ready, willing, and able to make a girl a steady husband, once all the misunderstandings and obstacles are out of the way. This is the happy ending most romantic women prefer, and lots of men, too, if the truth be told.
The ways of the human heart are endlessly interesting, and the story of how someone comes to the Lord and learns to handle life's problems with God's help is always fascinating. This extra dimension adds to the story, especially when a skilled writer creates vital and believable characters and develops a clever, twisted plot. Who cares if the end is predictable, if the journey to get there is engrossing?
The horses, the dust, the rugged country, and the wide blue sky are the touches that make this genre special. Whether the time-frame is the early days on the frontier or life in the twenty-first century, the land is the same. When the author has an intimate knowledge of western life and of the hearts of men and women, the reader is in for a real treat.
Adventure is always at hand in the untamed mountains or the endless plains. You can fall off a horse or a cliff, freeze in an unexpected blizzard, get snakebit, lose your ranch to the bank, and, of course, get your heart broken. The Christian framework keeps the action and the complications within acceptable boundaries. This is great in these days when a modern novel can be a lot more graphic than many readers want.
Women like men - a simple fact - and they like horses. This sets the scene. It's not hard to place a woman - young and inexperienced or older and available because of past mistakes or tragedy - in charge of a riding academy specializing in barrel racing and cutting, or trying to save the family ranch in the face of overwhelming odds, or rescuing a horse or two and needing the help of a handsome veterinarian, farrier, or horse breaker. And voila - you can probably think of a thousand complications to these and other scenarios.
The man, of course, will have his own shrouded past or present entanglements, and either or both might have children to add to the mix. Secrets can include failed marriages, children born out of wedlock before salvation turned things around, time spent in prison, or problems with drugs or alcohol. Christian principles and compassion can overcome obstacles that ordinarily might make a happy future impossible.
Furthermore, the Christian framework solves another traditional problem with loving a cowboy. In the standard stories, the strong and silent man might linger for a time, setting female hearts aflutter and arousing hopes in a young girl's heart, but he then rides away - because cowboys need the open range or the open road and can't settle down to a life of domesticity. With a tip of his hat and no backward look, he'll ride off into the Texas sunset, never to be seen again.
Well, bummer. However, the cowpoke who's found Jesus will have overcome these philandering ways and found solace for broken dreams. He'll be ready, willing, and able to make a girl a steady husband, once all the misunderstandings and obstacles are out of the way. This is the happy ending most romantic women prefer, and lots of men, too, if the truth be told.
The ways of the human heart are endlessly interesting, and the story of how someone comes to the Lord and learns to handle life's problems with God's help is always fascinating. This extra dimension adds to the story, especially when a skilled writer creates vital and believable characters and develops a clever, twisted plot. Who cares if the end is predictable, if the journey to get there is engrossing?
The horses, the dust, the rugged country, and the wide blue sky are the touches that make this genre special. Whether the time-frame is the early days on the frontier or life in the twenty-first century, the land is the same. When the author has an intimate knowledge of western life and of the hearts of men and women, the reader is in for a real treat.
About the Author:
Christian Western fiction novels are now available for sale online. Take a tour of our bookstore and select your novel at http://www.booksbyguy.com.
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