Is your ideal romantic lead the Marlboro Man? Do you like any story with spirited horses and men in ten-gallon hats and scuffed boots? Well, then, perhaps you should reach for one of the many Christian western fiction novels that are proving very popular. The wild west is a perfect setting for the strong heroines preferred today, since living close to the land requires fortitude. Of course, cowboys are alive and well and just as attractive as ever.
Adventure isn't hard to find in the West, and this makes it easy for writers to create believable plots. And, of course, the Christian slant eliminates some traditional problems and keeps the action within acceptable parameters. For those who hesitate to choose a modern novel for fear of finding some of the content offensive, this genre is perfect.
Some things never change, like the fact that women like men and horses. Whether the heroine is young and inexperienced or older and sadly wiser, there are many challenges in the horse world and many ways to ease a broken heart. Running a riding school, saving the family ranch, reclaiming an old homestead, or rescuing a horse with immense, hidden potential all make for good, believable stories, and all can easily require the help of a handsome man.
The hero can be a guy with a mysterious past - prison, witness protection program, failed romance or marriage - or a man who simply never thought he'd settle down but blam! the heroine's blue eyes hit him between the eyes and stop him in his tracks. Perhaps he's the Christian and leads her to the Lord, or she's the believer who helps him see he doesn't have to fight everything alone. Children can complicate the mix, or aging parents, or old boy/girl friends. The possibilities are endless.
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.
However, our heroines have God on their side to help these cowboys see the emptiness of the untrammeled life and the value of commitment and love. This is great for those of us who want a happy ending to the complicated interaction of our fictional favorites. Obstacles to love's fulfillment are fine as long as they are overcome in the end.
The fact is that romance is endlessly interesting. Most of us have one or more in our own past that we can relive a little when we read tales of love under the western skies. It's also fun to read about sincere conversions, when men and women accept the love of God and get healing for their past and hope for the future.
These novels, whether set on the frontier or in contemporary times, make reading fun for anyone old enough to appreciate a good romance. If the writer obviously knows the western world intimately, it's even better.
Adventure isn't hard to find in the West, and this makes it easy for writers to create believable plots. And, of course, the Christian slant eliminates some traditional problems and keeps the action within acceptable parameters. For those who hesitate to choose a modern novel for fear of finding some of the content offensive, this genre is perfect.
Some things never change, like the fact that women like men and horses. Whether the heroine is young and inexperienced or older and sadly wiser, there are many challenges in the horse world and many ways to ease a broken heart. Running a riding school, saving the family ranch, reclaiming an old homestead, or rescuing a horse with immense, hidden potential all make for good, believable stories, and all can easily require the help of a handsome man.
The hero can be a guy with a mysterious past - prison, witness protection program, failed romance or marriage - or a man who simply never thought he'd settle down but blam! the heroine's blue eyes hit him between the eyes and stop him in his tracks. Perhaps he's the Christian and leads her to the Lord, or she's the believer who helps him see he doesn't have to fight everything alone. Children can complicate the mix, or aging parents, or old boy/girl friends. The possibilities are endless.
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.
However, our heroines have God on their side to help these cowboys see the emptiness of the untrammeled life and the value of commitment and love. This is great for those of us who want a happy ending to the complicated interaction of our fictional favorites. Obstacles to love's fulfillment are fine as long as they are overcome in the end.
The fact is that romance is endlessly interesting. Most of us have one or more in our own past that we can relive a little when we read tales of love under the western skies. It's also fun to read about sincere conversions, when men and women accept the love of God and get healing for their past and hope for the future.
These novels, whether set on the frontier or in contemporary times, make reading fun for anyone old enough to appreciate a good romance. If the writer obviously knows the western world intimately, it's even better.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment