Crockett
Hart, age 28, is the fifth of the seven Hart brothers. The hero of my story,
Crockett, is a good rancher but also a bit at loose ends. He’s six feet tall, a
bit lanky, and has the Hart dark hair and brown eyes. Sometimes Crockett feels
overshadowed by some of his brothers and the heroes they all represent. He’s
not sure he can ever meet his father’s expectations.
Crockett’s
insecurities make him want to stand out somehow and to make his pa proud.
Though he doesn’t think about it much, his desire to stand out leads him to
choose bright clothing and a flashy tobiano pinto horse. A tobiano is a common
color pattern in “paint” horses. The gene produces white patches of hair on
pink skin within the base color of the horse. Here’s a picture of a tobiano
horse, but the pattern has a lot of variation:
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| Photo used by permission of Laura Kidder |
As
a kid, Crockett took some foolish risks, also a symptom of the middle child
syndrome and the desire to be noticed.
Still,
Crockett is a hard worker. His drive to excel pushes him and makes him very
competitive. If he doesn’t think he can perform a task perfectly, he’d rather
not do it—to avoid failure. This has caused some tension with his father and
brothers.
What about you? Are you competitive? Some people are TOO
competitive. If you think you might have this trait, or you just want to find
out, you can take a personality quiz here:
http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/20/are-you-competitive-personality-quiz/
If you comment here and leave a way to contact you, you will be entered in a drawing for my brand-new western novel, Echo Canyon.
The only thing I was competitive in was horse showing and school bus driving competition. I love to show horses. I usually showed in the halter class or western pleasure. Nothing like a blue ribbon! Yes we have driving competitions in school buses. Well we use to. Parallel parking a school bus isnt easy but I mastered it. Love meeting new authors, can't wait to read your books! My name is Kim Cornwell my email is zipstersclue04@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm impressed, Kim! No barrel racing in those school buses, huh? Thanks for taking part!
ReplyDeleteI grew up as the oldest of four. With so many of us around the dinner table, we had to work to be heard, which helped foster my natural competitiveness. I like to think I'm not as competitive today, but my husband and daughter might debate that, especially during a game of Scrabble. =)
ReplyDeleteOh, Keli, that probably helped you in your communication skills! No wonder you're such a good writer!
DeleteI'm not competitive but my daughter is! LOL
ReplyDeleteMaybe she takes after someone else in the family, ha ha! I don't really know what makes some people that way.
DeleteI am competitive, but only in certain things. My mom is super-competitive! She never took it easy on us as kids when we were playing board or card games.
ReplyDeleteI love Crockett. He's so manly and chivalrous. The perfect match for Jane, who is independent and self-sufficient, but longing for someone to come along to show her some affection. Such a romantic story!
Thanks, Erica! I love all the heroes in this collection!
DeleteI'm not competitive unless I'm playing a Phase 10 with family. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteleliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
Oh, I LOVE Phase 10. I recently got the "for kids" version so I can play it with my grandchildren, as young as 6 yrs old.
DeleteI'm the oldest of two daughters. Although I'm an introvert, I am competitive. One of my son's is the ultimate competitor--has to win at everything. I think he ranks in the "too competitive" category.
ReplyDeleteReally?!! I have to say I'm not surprised. Ha, ha!
ReplyDeleteMy kids would definitely say that I'm competitive. I show no mercy when playing games with them! :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to play some games with you sometime, Joy!
DeleteOh boy I'm competitive! One brother and three sons what's a gal to do but win!
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Pamela!
DeleteI took the quiz and got "You Have A Balanced Approach To Competition." I am the oldest of 6 but never felt the need to be highly competitive. I was a good student and my siblings felt the pressure to be as good. The comparison was unfair to them. I can understand the middle child feeling pressured to stand out and using what means they can to be noticed.
ReplyDeleteI took it too, Pat, and I'm also balanced. I think it's because I'm a little bit lazy, ha ha!
DeleteWhen I play games, I play for enjoyment. It is nice to win, but not necessary. It is a good thing my husband feels the same way.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great Christmas Susan. I did with all of my kids and lots of my grands, and great grands. I love cowboy stories. I had 3 brothers. Can't imagine. I was #7 in a gang of 8, so my main problem was finding a space to talk, so learned to talk loud. Had to talk loud. But, we were a very happy family. GOD blessed me putting me in a Christian family. Lots of good memories. I live in Texas, a great background of cowboy stories. I would love to be your winner. Maxie > mac262@me.com <
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maxie! I do think growing up in a large family makes us strive a little harder at some things. I'm the youngest of five, and I have six kids of my own. It can definitely get hectic.
DeleteAnd the winner of Echo Canyon is Lucy Reynolds! I will contact you, Lucy. Thanks everyone for taking part.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Lucy. Enjoy.
ReplyDelete