Bella Settarra: Cowboy Romances? YOU?

Hello again,

With my new series, The Cowboys of Cavern County, having it's second novel published recently I thought it a good time to explain a few things...

Cowboy Romances? But you’re British!

I’ve heard this so many times I thought it a good idea to address the proclamation head-on. The thing is I LOVE cowboy romances. Something about the smell of leather and rope, the sight of cowboy in his tight jeans, boots and hat – or even out of them ;) just does it for me. I enjoy reading about them and I adore inventing my own and writing about them!

Okay, so it might seem a little unusual – we don’t have cowboys in the UK. I’ve been asked many times how I can write about something which is so far removed from our culture. Here’s what I think – it doesn’t matter. There are millions of stories out there depicting myths, fantasy, the paranormal, Sci-Fi etc. I’ve never seen a dragon, a fairy, a vampire or a werewolf – that I know of – and I’m sure I’d remember if I’d ever been to the moon! I’m confident that the authors who pen those books haven’t either, but it doesn’t stop them writing about them, does it? I admit there are some ‘rules’ when writing about these things – a vampire wouldn’t be a vampire without fangs, for example – but even then rules are often made to be broken.

We’ve all heard the old adage ‘write what you know’ and in a lot of cases that’s pretty sound advice. But it’s also a good idea to write what you want to know. I have learned about everyday life on a ranch, how to lasso an object and how to crack a bullwhip (okay, so that last one may have been more to do with my BDSM novels, but you get the idea ;)). If you have an interest in something – and why would you want to write about it if you didn’t? – you take the time and trouble to find out about it. I worry so much about offending anyone by getting my facts wrong that I have studied hard to make my stories as authentic as possible, while keeping the fun and enjoyment of a fictitious story. I hope I have succeeded and that you enjoy my foray into the wild (west) side of life!