Monday, March 22, 2010

Guest Blogger, R.C. Ryan

Please join me in welcoming New York Times bestselling author R.C. "Ruth" Ryan as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress.

Ruth is beginning her blog tour here today for her latest book, “Montana Legacy." It’s the first in a trilogy about three rugged, sexy cowboy cousins who will inherit the family ranch, if they seek the treasure hidden on it. However, even more precious are the women who can tame their wild hearts.

Thanks to Ruth, Anna and the folks at Hachette Book Group, I have five copies of “Montana Legacy” to give away. The details of the giveaway will follow Ruth’s post.

Ruth is here today to tell us why she writes novels with a western flare.

Give me a cowboy, a horse, and some vast rangeland, and my imagination goes wild. Most of us who have never had the opportunity to live on a real working ranch tend to romanticize it. 

I know that the hard, back-breaking work that goes into maintaining a big spread is more than most people would care to take on in this lifetime.  But isn't that exactly why we  find it all so fascinating?  The very size and scope of the west makes it seem, to the rest of us, larger-than-life.  As are the men and women of the west.  A cattle ranch pits man against nature, and that challenge is so intriguing.

In this series I tried very hard not to glamorize life on a working ranch. Instead I used the relentless cold and snow of winter, the sun-baked earth of a scorching summer, the floods brought on by spring rains, to show how these cowboys could rise above every obstacle to find joy in their daily lives, as well as to find real and everlasting love.  I honestly don't believe I could ever grow tired of reading, or writing, about the west.

With your love of the west, is there a western hero from the past that inspires you? 

No particular hero that I can think of. But I grew up loving Western movies, TV shows, and books. Could never get enough of them. 

Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates on Rawhide. The big diverse family on Bonanza. Who can forget the miniseries of a few years ago - Lonesome Dove, from the novel of the same name? All of us are familiar with the legends - Annie Oakley, Wyatt Earp, Jesse James.  
 
The old west is a marvelous background for a wealth of stories, from drama to family saga. Just talking about it makes me want to start another series set in the west as soon as possible. Happy reading.

Ruth, thank you so much for sharing this information with us. The love of the west and a good western are hard to bet.

Now for the giveaway, I have five copies of “Montana Legacy” to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and no post office box addresses can be accepted. The deadline for entering the giveaway is Wednesday, April 7. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with “Win Montana” in the subject line and include your name and address in the body of the e-mail.

A little background on Ruth, she has written more than 90 fiction novels, both contemporary and historical. Quite an accomplishment for someone who, after her fifth child started school, gave herself the gift of an hour a day to follow her dream to become a writer. 

The Lost, an anthology of stories by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, and R.C. Ryan writing as Ruth Ryan Langan was published in Fall 2009. Ruth’s story, “The Legacy,” is an exciting tale of intrigue and other-worldly adventure. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Ruth has given dozens of radio, television, and print interviews across the country and Canada, and has been quoted in such diverse publications as the Wall Street Journal and Cosmopolitan. She has also appeared on CNN News, as well as Good Morning America.

Do you enjoy reading and/or watching westerns? Do you have a favorite western hero from the past or present? Have you ever considered writing with a western theme?



15 comments:

  1. Mason, I am a western junkie. I don't admit to many that I watch the old westerns from time to time and that I secretly would like to marry a cowboy.

    Ruth, I love the description of your book. I KNOW I would love it because I love books with a western flair. I am in awe of your authoring 90 books. I also like the idea of giving yourself a certain amount of time to write.

    Teresa

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  2. Mason - Thanks so much for opening your blog to Ruth.

    Ruth - The American West has captured the imagination of millions of people for many, many years. There's just something about the legend of the cowboy and the big, open west that, I think, makes us believe anything is possible. It's no wonder that you love western themes. I wish you much success with Montana Legacy.

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  3. 5 children and 90 books--Wow! What an amazing accomplishment! I love the western focus of your books.

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  4. I'm not a western reader, but my older cousin owns a ranch in Eastern Oregon - and yes, it is incredibly tough work! Even with modern day technology, they face so many struggles. They live at the bottom of a 2000 foot canyon, so medical emergencies are real life threatening. (And more than one family member has been bitten by a rattlesnake.)

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  5. The West is so inspirational with its sense of possibility, its can-do attitude. The New Frontier, pushing the boundaries. What a wonderful backdrop to your stories. An hour a day has certainly worked out well for you!

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  6. You've brought back wonderful memories for me - watching westerns with my dad. Cowboys are the sexiest men! Remember Little Joe? I've put your book at the top of my TBR pile.

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  7. What's not to like about a cowboy in a pair of Wranglers? Sounds like a great trilogy.

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  8. Teresa, I know what you mean. I met my cowboy 30 years ago and he's still around. :)

    Margot & Elizabeth, thanks to both of you for stopping by.

    Diane, I think we sometimes forget there are still working ranches around.

    Joanne, I had never thought of the west as having a can-do attitude but now that you mentioned it, the fits.

    Deb & Carol, cowboys are sexy with their jeans, boots, cowboy hats and wicked grins.

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  9. Ruth, thanks for stopping by and sharing your information with us. You have been a very busy lady. Looking forward to reading your trilogy very much.

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  10. 5 and 90!? Those are some amazing stats, Ruth!

    The Old Silly

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  11. 5 children and 90 books -- that's AMAZING. I'm also a sucker for sexy cowboys, and Montana Legacy looks like a great read. Thanks for the introduction, Mason, and to Ruth, good luck with the blog tour.

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  12. I lived on cattle and sheep ranches in Idaho and have some small idea of the work that goes into it--and would probably really enjoy the book. When I was on the ranch, it was colder than 40 below in January.

    Sounds great.

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  13. Karen, living in the Southwest would be most interesting to me. I remember watching Rawhide and thinking it would be fun to be on a cattle drive. :)

    Marvin & Cricket, thanks for stopping by. 90 books is amazing isn't it?

    Mary, I can see where living on ranch could be both fun and hard work.

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  14. There's something so romantic about the West - gotta love those cowboys and ranch men :)

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  15. We're big on the westerns here. My husband really loves them and i enjoy them too. John wayne movies, Clint Eastwood. You name it. I really enjoy them in stories as well.

    Lisa

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.