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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Bowie Hart

Erica here:

I love me a wounded hero. There's just something about a wounded warrior that makes my heart ache. When I knew my character Bowie Hart would be a Civil War veteran, I knew he was going to carry some battle scars inside and out.


The outer scars make him self-conscious...and people's responses to those scars make him angry. He's been called a monster and a freak, he's been used as a scare tactic to get children to behave, and he's been pitied, which feels the worst.

Bowie also carries inner scars. He was wounded and captured at Gettysburg, shunted from one hospital to another, (Which is where he meets the heroine, Elise Rivers.) and eventually sits out the remainder of the war as a prisoner in Elmira, NY. None of his other brothers who fought were captured. Austin was wounded, but his wounds aren't evident, and certainly aren't on display on his face as Bowie's are.

These insecurities mean that GW Hart's pronouncement of marry-or-be-disinherited lands a devastating blow to Bowie's hopes for the future. The ranch, training horses and cattle dogs, those are the ways that Bowie contributes to his family. If he is forced off the Seven Heart, what's left to him?

Bowie is complex, wounded, wary, and buried deep inside, he's a romantic. Before he was wounded in the War, he had dreams of becoming a builder, or even an architect, and he dreamed of having a wife and family, a happy home. Now he's sure no woman would have him and that happiness is something that happens to other people but not him.

He's also the kind of man who would keep and treasure the handkerchief of a woman he fell in love with a decade before.

The template I originally used for Bowie is Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans. Then I found this one on pinterest for Tom Mison. Since Bowie has lost his left eye and has scarring on the left side of his face (The result of a caisson explosion.) this picture in profile of Tom Mison is perfect.




Every day this week, I'm giving away a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the musical!


To win a copy of the DVD, leave a comment here telling me what you wanted to grow up to be when you were a kid. (For me, I wanted to be a vet, then I wanted to be a nurse, and then I wanted to be a teacher, and then I wanted to be a writer. I never became a vet or a nurse, but I managed the other two.)

Enter our Rafflecopter for a LOADED KINDLE FIRE, and please, share this blog post on facebook, twitter, etc. We'd love to spread the word about this collection!

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24 comments:

  1. As a child I wanted to be a meteorologist because I was fascinated by the weather. As I grew older I thought I'd like to be a teacher. I ultimately became a librarian, a decision I do not regret in the least. I love my job!

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    1. I love librarians!! I worked in the library when I was a college student, and it was the most fun ever!

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  2. As a child I wanted to be a vet. I thought working with animals, especially dogs and horses, would be just the PERFECT job. Then I wanted to be a mom. Then a writer. I studied to be a teacher but ultimately was a lost cause at the classroom discipline thing. I am now the church secretary and librarian at my church where I have plenty of extra time for my passion, READING.

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    1. Bless you for doing those unseen hero jobs at the church! And yay for extra reading time!

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  3. I wanted to work in medicine, as a nurse or a vet. However, I became a mom and never really thought about anything else. I have thought about going back to school, but just can't seem to make up my mind on what to go for. It has been suggested that I go for a teacher our a librarian since I love reading so much. But I love to cook/bake and have a love of photography. So who knows what I will decide to do, if I ever decide to grow up. :)

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    1. :) You are one creative and talented lady to have so many options and interests. And I've heard that growing up is over-rated. ;)

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  4. I always wanted to be a teacher and a mom. I have my degree in secondary education and I am a mother to six amazing children. I haven't officially taught in the public school system but I use my degree everyday as a mother and wife.

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    1. Terressa! I have a degree in secondary ed, and while I only taught for a couple of years outside the home, I homeschooled for 12+ years, so I feel like I got my money's worth. And I was a history teacher, which played right into my love of historical research and prepared the way for writing historical romance. Kudos on being a mom of six! You are a busy woman!

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  5. You did a great job creating Bowie. It's easy to see why readers are falling for him hard and fast. I'm so happy he found Love at Last.

    When I was a girl I dreamed of being a teacher and a writer. I did some Sunday school teaching, which I enjoyed, but I didn't end pursuing that career after all. I worked as a bookkeeper before our daughter was born, but numbers aren't my thing. I love words! When our gal was in high school, I dusted off my dream of being a writer. Five years after that, our agent sold my first story.

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    1. I understand about being a bookkeeper. I am currently a bookkeeper and it is not in my natural wheelhouse.

      Yay for dusting off dreams! You're living that dream now!

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  6. I wanted to be an author, a quiltmaker, a rancher, a chef, a bible translator, and a wife.

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  7. I'm so glad to get a closer look at Bowie.
    When I was 5 I wanted to be a toad. Seriously, it was in the newspaper. As I grew up I wanted to work with special needs children. I babysat for several families that had special needs children and adult children. After I got married I worked many different jobs then I got the best job ever. MOM. I volunteered in the classroom, office and school library until I decided to home school my daughter from fourth grade on.
    I never did get to be a toad.
    *I already own the movie. Please don't enter my name.

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    1. You must have a caring, servant's heart. Working with special needs, volunteering in any capacity. Too bad about the toad thing though...

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  8. I liked designing clothes for my paper dolls when I was young, so dreamed of being a fashion designer. I also thought it would be fun to be a librarian but I mostly just wanted to be a mom. The first wasn't feasible at all, I'm not sure why I didn't pursue being a librarian, but I did get to me a mom.
    I'm almost finished reading Seven Brides for Seven Texans and am loving it.

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    1. I loved paper dolls as a girl. I have several paper doll books now, but mostly as costume references for research.

      Glad you're enjoying 7 Brides for 7 Texans! :)

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    1. My daughter is a pre-school teacher. She knew after her first day of kindergarten that's what she wanted to be. :)

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  10. I wanted to be a librarian. I worked in the library at my collefe and also was my church librarian, but that is the started I got. I went into the Army as a Communications officr

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  11. For awhile I wanted to a nurse like my mom,but unfortunately wasn't up to the blood part am hoping to still work in the medical field ,even though right now I'm in retail. (Would like to back to go back to school and study physical therapy)In the end will go where God leads me. :)

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    1. Lynne, that's a great attitude to have, doing your best where you are, planning where you'd like to be, and knowing that God is in charge of it all!

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  12. I wanted to be an explorer and find Big Foot, and look for lost civilizations. I wanted to be an archeologist or paleontologist, a writer, a teacher, a Peace Corps volunteer, and work for UNESCO. I managed to be a Peace Corps volunteer, a teacher, and a children's librarian. Now I seem to be a professional volunteer, working mainly with the Red Cross on disasters and service to the armed forces.

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  13. I've been out of town and am now trying to catch up on my blog reading! :) Above all else, I wanted to be a wife and mother.

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