Before we talk weddings, I want to invite all the followers of our American Romance Blog to join me and other E-Harlequin readers for my *Free* weekly online read, The Bull Rider's Surrender. One chapter a week will be posted at E-Harlequin beginning Monday March 7th. I'll be giving away copies of my books so please join the discussions following each chapter. Hope to see you there! Now,on to weddings...
My niece recently became engaged and March of next year she'll be walking down the aisle. Watching her go through the process of shopping for a wedding gown, picking her bridesmaids and planning the details of her wedding brings back fond memories of my wedding planning days. For those who are superstitious I thought it would be fun to share a little folklore about weddings. Some of these I'd never heard of before I married and after reading them I believe it was a good thing! I was married on a Friday in the month of May and did not have a sixpence in my shoe. And I know for a fact I fell asleep first on our wedding day because hubby is a night-owl and I come from a long line of farmers…early to be—early to rise.
WEDDING DAY
Certain days of the week, and certain months of the year are better than others for a wedding.
Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday for no luck at all
Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true,
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
FOR A LUCKY BRIDE
Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
And a lucky sixpence
In her shoe.
Married in White, you have chosen right
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Blue, you will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Brown, you will live in the town,
Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.
OTHER BELIEFS
If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall - hence the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.
The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.
Weddinng Cake
If a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.
Anyone care to share a superstition they followed on their wedding day?
Marin Thomas
The Bull Rider's Surrender March E-HQ Weekly Read
Roughneck Cowboy Feb 2011
Rodeo daddy April 2011
The Bull Rider's Secret July 2011
Showing posts with label Roughneck Cowboy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roughneck Cowboy. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Roughneck heroes
New release--Roughneck Cowboy *Men of the West* (Feb 2011) by Marin Thomas
Blood Is Thicker Than Oil
When his mom passed, roughneck Travis Cartwright thought he’d lost the only family he and his daughter Charlie had. That is until he discovers an estranged father and siblings living just a few hours away. They might be strangers, but they’re blood; and Travis needs to protect Charlie should tragedy strike at his dangerous job.
Dominick Cartwright offers his son more than peace of mind. He gives Travis a new job, a place to live, and a side project--to convince Dominick’s stubborn neighbor, Sara Sanders, to sell her ranch. Travis is confident he can smooth talk the plain-Jane teacher into selling quickly; but there’s more to Sara than meets the eye. Soon Travis loses sight of his mission…and his heart.
As their relationship grows, they uncover painful family secrets, and Dominick’s real motives. Then, the sparks fly!
Why a Roughneck for a contemporary romance hero?
These rough and tumble men have always fascinated me. These guys don't flinch when hot oil splatters their hard-hats or drips down the back of their necks. Their duties on the "rig" consist of pulling cables, chains and thongs around the platform for eight to twelve hours per shift. They work in terrible weather conditions on rigs in the middle of the ocean or rigs in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. They're risk-takers by nature and genuinely fearless individuals. While researching material for my story I learned some fascinating facts about Oklahoma.
The setting for Roughneck Cowboy is outside Tulsa in the fictional town of Tulapoint, OK. The oil history of this state dates back to 1859 when oil seeps, known to Indians as "Medicine springs" were discovered in Indian Territory. The first unintentional oil find was made near Chelsea, OK in 1889 and it produced one half barrel per day. In 1897 The Nellie Johnstone #1, the first commercial well drilled in OK hit pay dirt in the Bartlesville Dewey Field in Washington County. Tulsa changed from a small frontier town to a boomtown.
The discovery of oil in 1901 at Red Fork, a small community southwest of Tulsa on the opposite side of the Arkansas River brought in wildcatters and investors. In 1901, an official survey was done and streets lay out and neighborhoods were established in Tulsa on the opposite side of the river from the drilling sites. In 1905 the Glenn pool oil field was discovered. The strike created such a large supply of oil Tulsans were forced to build storage tanks for the excess oil and later pipelines. Tulsa soon became a leader in the growing petroleum industry, resulting in many oil companies choosing Tulsa for their home base. In 1906 Oklahoma Natural gas Company was formed. In 1907 Oklahoma and the Indian territories became the State of Oklahoma. Also in 1907 Oklahoma becomes the largest oil producer, with Tulsa claiming the title of "Oil Capitol of the World." Below is a picture of an oil-producing well that sat out front of the Oklahoma City capitol building in 1939.
A second oil boom hit Oklahoma between the years of 1925-1930. The population rose over 72,000 and many of the new residents came from Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. Wealthy oilmen Waite Phillips, William Kelly and J. Paul Getty built their mansions and modern headquarters in the state. Another community that flourished in Tulsa was greenwood. It was the largest and wealthiest of Oklahoma's African American communities and was known as "Black Wall Street." The neighborhood was a hotbed of jazz, and blues music in the 1920's. The area over 600 businesses and 36 square blocks with a population of 15,000 African Americans. "Black Wall Street" is now also sadly remembered as a "Black" mark in the state's history. On June 1, 1921 one of America's most affluent all-black communities was bombed from the air and burned to the ground by mobs of envious whites. It took fewer than 12 hours to destroy the model community. Over 3,000 African Americans died, over 600 businesses were lost: 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores, 2 movie theaters, a hospital, a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law offices, a half dozen private airplanes, and even a bus system.
Like a lot of western states, Oklahoma's history is filled with men and women who've risked their lives performing dangerous jobs in order to provide for their families. You'll find that pioneering spirit in Travis Cartwright, my hero for Roughneck Cowboy.
A Roughneck's Dream--Author Unknown
I was working in the oil fields one cold West Texas day,
And there on the rig floor a dying roughneck lay,
He said, "I am off to the Big Rig, the Big Rig I'm told
Where the crown is purest silver, and the kelly's made of gold
Where a diamond studded cat line hangs from a pearl gin pole,
And the the driller makes all the connections,
and you never come out of the hole.
I run a Wild West Trivia Contest each month in my author newsletter. Sign up for my newsletter at www.marinthomas.com and I'll e-mail you my February Wild West Trivia Question. If you answer the question correctly your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of Roughneck Cowboy.
Happy reading!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Blood Is Thicker Than Oil
When his mom passed, roughneck Travis Cartwright thought he’d lost the only family he and his daughter Charlie had. That is until he discovers an estranged father and siblings living just a few hours away. They might be strangers, but they’re blood; and Travis needs to protect Charlie should tragedy strike at his dangerous job.
Dominick Cartwright offers his son more than peace of mind. He gives Travis a new job, a place to live, and a side project--to convince Dominick’s stubborn neighbor, Sara Sanders, to sell her ranch. Travis is confident he can smooth talk the plain-Jane teacher into selling quickly; but there’s more to Sara than meets the eye. Soon Travis loses sight of his mission…and his heart.
As their relationship grows, they uncover painful family secrets, and Dominick’s real motives. Then, the sparks fly!
Why a Roughneck for a contemporary romance hero?
These rough and tumble men have always fascinated me. These guys don't flinch when hot oil splatters their hard-hats or drips down the back of their necks. Their duties on the "rig" consist of pulling cables, chains and thongs around the platform for eight to twelve hours per shift. They work in terrible weather conditions on rigs in the middle of the ocean or rigs in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. They're risk-takers by nature and genuinely fearless individuals. While researching material for my story I learned some fascinating facts about Oklahoma.
The setting for Roughneck Cowboy is outside Tulsa in the fictional town of Tulapoint, OK. The oil history of this state dates back to 1859 when oil seeps, known to Indians as "Medicine springs" were discovered in Indian Territory. The first unintentional oil find was made near Chelsea, OK in 1889 and it produced one half barrel per day. In 1897 The Nellie Johnstone #1, the first commercial well drilled in OK hit pay dirt in the Bartlesville Dewey Field in Washington County. Tulsa changed from a small frontier town to a boomtown.
The discovery of oil in 1901 at Red Fork, a small community southwest of Tulsa on the opposite side of the Arkansas River brought in wildcatters and investors. In 1901, an official survey was done and streets lay out and neighborhoods were established in Tulsa on the opposite side of the river from the drilling sites. In 1905 the Glenn pool oil field was discovered. The strike created such a large supply of oil Tulsans were forced to build storage tanks for the excess oil and later pipelines. Tulsa soon became a leader in the growing petroleum industry, resulting in many oil companies choosing Tulsa for their home base. In 1906 Oklahoma Natural gas Company was formed. In 1907 Oklahoma and the Indian territories became the State of Oklahoma. Also in 1907 Oklahoma becomes the largest oil producer, with Tulsa claiming the title of "Oil Capitol of the World." Below is a picture of an oil-producing well that sat out front of the Oklahoma City capitol building in 1939.
A second oil boom hit Oklahoma between the years of 1925-1930. The population rose over 72,000 and many of the new residents came from Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. Wealthy oilmen Waite Phillips, William Kelly and J. Paul Getty built their mansions and modern headquarters in the state. Another community that flourished in Tulsa was greenwood. It was the largest and wealthiest of Oklahoma's African American communities and was known as "Black Wall Street." The neighborhood was a hotbed of jazz, and blues music in the 1920's. The area over 600 businesses and 36 square blocks with a population of 15,000 African Americans. "Black Wall Street" is now also sadly remembered as a "Black" mark in the state's history. On June 1, 1921 one of America's most affluent all-black communities was bombed from the air and burned to the ground by mobs of envious whites. It took fewer than 12 hours to destroy the model community. Over 3,000 African Americans died, over 600 businesses were lost: 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores, 2 movie theaters, a hospital, a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law offices, a half dozen private airplanes, and even a bus system.
Like a lot of western states, Oklahoma's history is filled with men and women who've risked their lives performing dangerous jobs in order to provide for their families. You'll find that pioneering spirit in Travis Cartwright, my hero for Roughneck Cowboy.
A Roughneck's Dream--Author Unknown
I was working in the oil fields one cold West Texas day,
And there on the rig floor a dying roughneck lay,
He said, "I am off to the Big Rig, the Big Rig I'm told
Where the crown is purest silver, and the kelly's made of gold
Where a diamond studded cat line hangs from a pearl gin pole,
And the the driller makes all the connections,
and you never come out of the hole.
I run a Wild West Trivia Contest each month in my author newsletter. Sign up for my newsletter at www.marinthomas.com and I'll e-mail you my February Wild West Trivia Question. If you answer the question correctly your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of Roughneck Cowboy.
Happy reading!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Calendars
Calendars help people manage their personal schedules, time and activities. They also remind us of friends' and family members' birthdays. Each New Year I look forward to buying a kitchen calendar. I have a huge, boring utilitarian calendar on my office desk—serves as a blotter, coaster, and keyboard pad. The calendar I keep in my kitchen is the one that "Inspires" me. When I say "Inspire" I'm not referring to inspirational quotes or words of wisdom. I'm referring to "Visual Inspiration". Pictures that serve as the inspiration for my next Harlequin American Hero. When I saw the hero on the cover for my February release, Roughneck Cowboy, my first thought was that the guy should be on a calendar!
Below are examples of the types of "Inspirational Calendars" that have been found in Marin Thomas's kitchen through the years.
Firefighter Calendar
Cowboy Hunk Calendars
Hockey Heroes Calendar
Movie Star Calendars
What type of Calendar inspires you the most?
Marin Thomas
Roughneck Cowboy *Men of the West* Feb 2011
The Bull Rider's Surrender *E-HQ Weekly Read* March 2011
Rodeo Daddy *Rodeo Rebels* April 2011
The Bull Rider's Secret *Rodeo Rebels* July 2011
Riley's Story (w.t.) *Rodeo Rebels* Dec 2011www.marinthomas.com
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Cowgirl Sayings
Today I posted a blog over at www.sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com about using Cowboy Slang in western-themed romances. After I stumbled across this website http://theurbancowboy.net which posted a list of cowgirl sayings I decided it might be fun to give the cowgirl her own say right here, so…I surfed the internet, found a few more sayings and added them to the list.
I know the cowgirls we write about in our modern-day romances must display the proper decorum to be considered heroine material but we authors can play fast and loose with cowgirl "secondary characters." I'll be launching a new series beginning April 2011 called Rodeo Rebels. We've all heard about the "Buckle Bunnies" that follow the cowboys around the circuit and those sweet honeys make perfect secondary characters that add color and humor to our books. In Dexter: Honorable Cowboy (July 2010) I mention a buckle bunny named Roxy who hounds Dusty--Dexter's infamous "Wild" twin brother. If you've read a rodeo cowboy story then you know it just wouldn’t be any fun without a buckle bunny around to shake the cowboys' spurs loose from their boots.
Cowgirl up!
Cowboy butts drive me nuts!
So many cowboys, so little rope!
Cowgirls do it in the saddle.
If you get in the saddle, be ready for the ride!
Boots, chaps and cowboy hats… nothin’ else matters.
If it doesn’t involve ropin’, ridin’, or saddles, count me out.
Cowboys are proof that cowgirls can take a joke.
When you count your blessings, count your horse twice.
You wish you could ride like a girl.
When in doubt, let your horse do the thinking.
Tell a gelding, ask a stallion, discuss it with a mare.
My other ride is a cowboy.
Cowgirl: A better-looking cowboy with brains.
Pretty in pink…wicked in spurs.
Thanks to http://www.zazzle.com/ here's the last saying!
Have any favorite cowgirl sayings you'd like to share?
Marin
Roughneck Cowboy (Feb 2011)
Rodeo Daddy (April 2011)
www.marinthomas.com
www.firstfamilyofrodeo.blogspot.com
www.sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com
I know the cowgirls we write about in our modern-day romances must display the proper decorum to be considered heroine material but we authors can play fast and loose with cowgirl "secondary characters." I'll be launching a new series beginning April 2011 called Rodeo Rebels. We've all heard about the "Buckle Bunnies" that follow the cowboys around the circuit and those sweet honeys make perfect secondary characters that add color and humor to our books. In Dexter: Honorable Cowboy (July 2010) I mention a buckle bunny named Roxy who hounds Dusty--Dexter's infamous "Wild" twin brother. If you've read a rodeo cowboy story then you know it just wouldn’t be any fun without a buckle bunny around to shake the cowboys' spurs loose from their boots.
Cowgirl up!
Cowboy butts drive me nuts!
So many cowboys, so little rope!
Cowgirls do it in the saddle.
If you get in the saddle, be ready for the ride!
Boots, chaps and cowboy hats… nothin’ else matters.
If it doesn’t involve ropin’, ridin’, or saddles, count me out.
Cowboys are proof that cowgirls can take a joke.
When you count your blessings, count your horse twice.
You wish you could ride like a girl.
When in doubt, let your horse do the thinking.
Tell a gelding, ask a stallion, discuss it with a mare.
My other ride is a cowboy.
Cowgirl: A better-looking cowboy with brains.
Pretty in pink…wicked in spurs.
Thanks to http://www.zazzle.com/ here's the last saying!
Have any favorite cowgirl sayings you'd like to share?
Marin
Roughneck Cowboy (Feb 2011)
Rodeo Daddy (April 2011)
www.marinthomas.com
www.firstfamilyofrodeo.blogspot.com
www.sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com
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