Kaye Spencer's favorite childhood toy - #prairierosepubs #modelhorse #childhoodmemories

 

My favorite toy during my childhood was one piece in a collection of 150 (estimate) similar items. I still have this collection but, along with other keepsakes, it’s been packed and stored for decades.

Because this toy isn’t available for me to take a picture of it, I went to the website that made this toy: BreyerHorses.com.

This is Diablo, the buckskin mustang model horse. He is Breyer mold #87. He was released in 1961 and his mold was made through 1986.

I was six years old in 1961. The first model horse I received was a birthday gift, but I don’t remember which horse it was. I do, however, remember when I bought Diablo.

It was the summer of 1964. My favorite singer, Marty Robbins, had released a new song in May: The Cowboy in the Continental Suit. The local radio station (KFTM) was giving the song a lot of airtime. I waited eagerly every morning before school as I ate breakfast for the radio to play the song. If you’re not familiar with this classic country song, listen to this video or look up the lyrics, because they relate to this model horse.

If this video doesn't show on your device, this is the url: https://youtu.be/ftetdzHNtgI

B & B Western Wear, a western clothing store where I lived (Fort Morgan, Colorado), sold Mattel and Breyer model horses. Most of my model horse collection came from this store. By chance or coincidence, that summer, the store owners displayed a new model horse in the front window—a semi-rearing buckskin.

One look at that mustang, and I knew he was “The Brute” from Marty Robbins’ song. I spent my own money to buy Diablo. He and I went on many adventures together.

As an aside, if you’re wondering what a continental suit looks like, here is a picture of the actor Cary Grant c. 1960 wearing a continental suit.

What was your ONE favorite toy when you were a kid?

Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
writing through history one romance upon a time

www.kayespencer.com

Images: fotolia, Breyer website, Pinterest

Under a Western Sky boxed set and The Comanchero's Bride by Kaye Spencer set #westernromance #PrairieRosePubs #boxedset #amreading

My novel, The Comanchero's Bride, is in the company of five other outstanding western romance novels in the Prairie Rose Publications’ boxed set, Under a Western Sky. Six great novels in one tidy package. How wonderful is that?

A little about The Comanchero's Bride...

The country music artist, Marty Robbins, has been an influence in my writing since...well, since forever, it seems. Themes and snippets from his gunfighter ballads and songs of the Old West show up in my stories as my little way to pay homage to a man I greatly admire.

His ballad, Meet Me Tonight in Laredo, is the inspiration for The Comanchero's Bride. I expanded upon the 'forbidden love' between the woman (Elizabeth Bradford White) and the former Comanchero (Mingo Valderas), and added the woman's spurned and revenge-seeking suitor (a well-connected politician).

Meet Me Tonight in Laredo on YouTube

Here is an excerpt from The Comanchero's Bride.

At the livery, Mingo remained in the shadows where he could see both ways along the street. Opening the wagon doors just wide enough to allow him to pass through, he eased his way inside. Speaking in a low soothing tone to his horses, he packed and saddled them under the moonlight coming in from two windows. Opening half the double doors, he led the two riding horses out the back, tied them to a corral rail, and returned for the packhorse.

He no more than reached the packhorse when a cold voice in the shadows stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t turn around, Valderas.”

Mingo froze. A few more steps and he would have been on the off side of the packhorse, but where he was, he had no protection.

“I’ve got a good bead right between your shoulders. I know about your fast draw and the price on your head. I’ve also heard stories about your throwing knives, so keep your hands where I can see them.”

“You know me. But who are you? What do you want?” Mingo didn’t care. He knew the challenge from the shadows was a bounty hunter. He needed the man to talk so he could pinpoint his location.

“I came out of El Paso. A man named Jack added to the price on your head—dead or alive—and some politician is offering a pretty penny on top of that to bring in the woman you have with you. He wants her alive.”

From the sound of the man’s voice, he hadn’t moved and was off to his right. Mingo fought the urge to whirl and fire, but shooting blindly was not his way. He wouldn’t risk wild shot that could injure a horse, and gunfire would bring others into the fray. Shadows were both his enemy and ally, depending upon how he used it.

“The way’s clear behind you, so back towards the open wagon door, and keep your hands away from your body. When I heard the talk of a Mexican man traveling with a white woman, and they were staying at the hotel, I fig-ured I’d hit pay dirt. I was just supposed to worry you into making a wrong move. Never thought I’d be the one to catch you.

“I’m taking the woman to El Paso. You, I’m locking up in the back room of the saloon for safe keeping…unless you give me an excuse to kill you right now, which I’ve a yearning to do. I can’t miss at this range. It wouldn’t do my reputation any damage to be the man who took down Mingo Valderas.”

Now, he knew who he was up against. Earl Johns was vicious and a killer, a back-shooting coward. Mingo inched backward, buying thinking time.

“Where’s the woman, Valderas?”

“There is no wom—”

“She’s too close for your comfort.” Elizabeth’s voice cut through the night. The sound of a shotgun hammer pulling back was an angry, lethal sound that made the hairs on Mingo’s arms prickle.

Under a Western Sky is available on Amazon.com
$0.99 digital
Read for free with KindleUnlimited

Purchase Link:

Digital | KindleUnlimited

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

 

Stay in contact with Kaye—

Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

Rodeo Songs by Kaye Spencer – Part 2 of 4 – Countdown of Kaye’s 7 Favorite Rodeo Songs #rodeo #rodeosongs #prairierosepubs

This is Part 2 of my four-part series about my favorite rodeo songs, which came about because July 4, 2019 was the 150th anniversary of the Deer Trail Rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado. It was a rodeo from my younger days that I didn't miss.

You can read about my teenage rodeo years in Part 1 HERE.

Also in Part 1, I promised to post pictures of me as the Brush Rodeo Queen c. 1970 before this series is finished. I haven’t located those pictures yet. I will, though. I promise. Hopefully, I’ll have them for Part 3 in November.

Now, on to my favorite rodeo songs…

To remind us, coming in at Number 7 was Bad Brahma Bull sung by Chris LeDoux and Number 6 was Marty Robbins’ Strawberry Roan. The link above to the Part 1 blog has the videos of these songs.

Counting down, my Numbers 5 and 4 share the same theme:

Rodeo cowboy falls for a woman who breaks his heart and his spirit.

Number 5 is Bandy, the Rodeo Clown by Moe Bandy. It was released in 1975. Moe followed the rodeo circuit as a bull rider in his youth, but he turned to a career as a country music artist when the rodeo-related injuries weren’t worth the ride anymore.

Number 4 is another Marty Robbins song called All Around Cowboy (1979). Marty wrote this song, which isn’t surprising, since he wrote many of his songs.

Next month, Part 3 of my favorite rodeo songs will have Numbers 2 and 3. Any guesses?

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

Stay in contact with Kaye here:

Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

Images Courtesy:

Bull and rodeo clown: Fololia.com - license purchased for use

Rodeo Queen: Creative Commons license "At a small town rodeo (22)" by 4nitsirk

Countdown to Kaye Spencer's Favorite Rodeo Song – Part 1 of 4 #rodeo #rodeosongs #prairierosepubs

July 4, 2019 marked the 150^th anniversary of a rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado. Deer Trail is proud to claim the honor of being “world’s first rodeo. In fact, The Handbook of Texas Online states: “One of the earliest 'bronco-busting contests' on record was held on July 4, 1869, in Deer Trail, Colorado Territory.”*

Thinking about the Deer Trail rodeo took me back through the years, and I consequently spent a good deal of time reminiscing about my own rodeo years.

During my teenage years and into my early twenties, my best friend was part of a family of small-circuit rodeo-ers. This family and my parents were friends during their school years, so rodeo was part of our collective entertainment. Although, my dad didn’t ride saddle broncs much past his early twenties, my family rarely missed attending a rodeo that was within a day’s drive from home.

From about age 14 through 21, I didn’t miss attending these three rodeos:

*The Brush Rodeo in Brush, Colorado, which is ten miles from where I grew up in Fort Morgan. The Brush rodeo began in 1954. I was the Brush rodeo queen when I was 16. The Brush Rodeo Facebook page is HERE https://www.facebook.com/BrushRodeo/

If I locate a picture of me as a Brush Rodeo queen, I’ll include it in a later post.

*The Deer Trail Rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado, which is about 70 miles straight south of Fort Morgan. The Deer Trail Rodeo Facebook Page is HERE. 

Colorado Map - Deer Trail and Fort Morgan marked in red and blue respectively**

 *Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is 100 miles from Fort Morgan. Website Here

Quick anecdote: When I was the Brush Rodeo Queen, I participated in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade and in the rodeo arena parade. At that time, visiting queens weren’t allowed to bring their own horses, so horses were supplied by rodeo cowboys.

Fast forward thirty-ish years to my job as Director of Exceptional Student Services for 13 school districts…

One evening, and in the midst of deep conversation in the hotel’s bar at an educational conference, one of the school superintendents I worked with and I discovered he was the cowboy who loaned me his horse for those parades all those years ago. (Yes, I know, TMI.)

Back to the title of this article and rodeo songs.

In the course of my reminiscing, rodeo songs naturally cropped up, and I spent a few minutes… okay… hours… on YouTube searching for, and listening to, rodeo songs. Consequently, I decided to write this four part article leading up to my favorite rodeo song. I’ve chosen my seven favorite rodeo songs, which I will share in similarly themed pairs, until the last post, which will focus on my favorite rodeo song.

Now for Numbers 6 and 7…

While one of these songs isn’t technically a rodeo song in that it doesn’t take place inside a rodeo arena, bronc riding is a rodeo event and that’s good enough for me. Pay attention to the similar theme in these two songs. In fact, the lyrics are quite similar.

Number 7

Bad Brahma Bull - Chris LeDoux

Number 6

Strawberry Roan - Marty Robbins

 

What are your favorite rodeo songs?

Until next time,
Kaye Spencer

You can find Kaye here:

Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest

Attribution:

** “Large Detailed Roads and Highways Map of Colorado State with All Cities: Colorado State: USA: Maps of the USA: Maps Collection of the United States of America.” Maps of All States, Regions and Cities of the United States of America | Maps of the USA, https://www.maps-of-the-usa.com/usa/colorado/large-detailed-roads-and-highways-map-of-colorado-state-with-all-cities.

*Handbook of Texas Online, Sylvia Gann Mahoney, "RODEOS," accessed September 10, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/llr01. 

Bull and Rodeo Clown images: Fotolia.com - author purchased license

Bronc image: Morguefile.com - photographer beat0092

New from Prairie Rose Publications: The Comanchero’s Bride by Kaye Spencer

      My new release, The Comanchero’s Bride, is a western tale of love, jealousy, and revenge. The story was originally published nine years ago as a 40k novella, but even then as I finished writing the story, I knew there was a larger story to be told.  So, over the ensuing years, I wrote and rewrote the story, and expanded it to its current full-length novel edition that releases today with Prairie Rose Publications.

The story-behind-this-story has two components:

• It is a retelling of the Marty Robbins song, Meet Me Tonight in Laredo.
  AND
• The underlying themes of strength and sacrifice are based on the Germanic rune, Uruz.

So what are runes, and what are the lyrics to the song? Well, I happen to have a quick-read article about runes and Marty Robbins and their relationship to The Comanchero’s Bride. It's just a click away:

The Comanchero’s Bride – from idea to book

 What is the story about?

Beautiful heiress Elizabeth Bradford White is exiled to Texas with family friends until she “comes to her senses” and agrees to marry the prominent politico her parents have chosen for her. Grayson Beal is certainly not the man of her dreams—she finds him so revolting she welcomes her exile and makes a new life for herself in south Texas.

When she is approached at a fiesta by dark-eyed, handsome Mingo Valderas, she knows her heart will never be her own again. But Mingo has a checkered past—a reputation as a Comanchero, and a man who is as fast with his knives as he is with his gun. An ex-outlaw with many secrets, Elizabeth gives her trust to him, and their whirlwind courtship begins.

But Grayson Beal will stop at nothing to claim Elizabeth and her inheritance, along with the political influence her parents have. In a deadly cross-country race for her freedom, only one man stands between her and the monster who follows her. Fueled by their love and dreams of a future together, Elizabeth and Mingo stay one step ahead of Beal…but will that be enough?

Excerpt

In one long, powerful stride, Grayson towered over Elizabeth, shaking a thick finger in her face. “I have to be accepted into Denver political circles in order to gain some critical support in Ohio, and I expect you to do your part with entertaining the right people during our stay. You know these activities are vital for my political future. I won’t have it any other way.”

She batted his hand down. “Your political career is only important to you and my parents.” She clenched her fists at her sides, aggravated that she’d allowed herself to be drawn into conversation instead of walking away. It was fully dark and well past time to meet Mingo. “I have a prior commitment.”

Waving her off, Grayson said, “What you have is a duty to your family and to me as my wife, you missed—”

“I am not, nor will I ever be, your wife.”

He pushed right over her interruption. “You missed a gubernatorial inaugural dinner party in Columbus last winter and several other important events since then. I’m tired of making excuses for your absence. I won’t do it any longer.” He leaned forward. “So, congratulations. You’ve made your point. Now, it’s time to come with me and get on with the business of being my wife.”

Fuming, Elizabeth held her ground. “I’m not going to marry you, and I’m certainly not your political or social plaything. Don’t forget that it was you who convinced my father to banish me here. You sent me away from everything I knew—from all the things I thought I needed to be happy. Then I found out that not only do I not need them, I no longer want them. Listen to what I’m saying, Grayson. You’ve made the trip here for nothing. I’m staying in Laredo.”

“This is ludicrous!” His booming voice bounced off the walls. “Our wedding date is set and invitations have been sent.”

He loomed over her like large tree branches bending toward the ground in the raging onslaught of a violent wind. He was a formidable man when he wasn’t angry, and she’d often seen him use his physical size to intimidate people. Although she’d never once backed down from him, she now fought the urge to turn from his wrath.

Elizabeth drew herself up with every ounce of her courage. “Then un-announce it. I’m not marrying you. Not now. Not ever. I won’t—”

Grayson grabbed her, slammed his mouth on hers, crushing her lips as he lifted her almost off her feet. Struggling against the iron grip of his bear-like hands, she wrenched an arm free and slapped him with her gloved hand hard enough to knock his spectacles askew. Yanking out of his grasp, she reeled backward. Adjusting his glasses with deliberate care, he appeared outwardly under control, but Elizabeth knew he was seething, and would find some way to punish her for striking him.

“Had I bedded you a year ago, we would not be having this conversation. We’d be married, and there would be a child on the way.”

Until now, she’d never been frightened of him, only annoyed with his loutish manners toward her and everyone else he considered beneath him, but the lusty gleam in his eyes was new. A repulsive, crawling quiver skimmed along her skin.

She sensed movement behind her an instant before she heard the slight jangle of Mingo’s spurs. Whirling, she saw him in the middle of the room, feet spread, coat opened wide, and his eyes glowing with a dark, lethal fire. Grayson took advantage of her distraction and grabbed her arm. Jerking her back, he held her trapped against his body, and the more she struggled, the tighter he held her.

“Hombre, remove your hands from Isabel, or I will kill you where you stand.”

Recognition registered on Grayson’s face that Mingo didn’t wear his gun belt for show. Beal released her. Mingo motioned for her to move behind him. Grayson took his time looking Mingo over as he rubbed the deep red hand print on his cheek and smoothed his hair down.

“What is this Isabel nonsense? And who the hell are you?”

“Domingo Valderas.” His voice was level and sure. “If any man marries Isabel, it will be me.”

Grayson stared then burst into condescending laughter. “You? Good lord, man, you’re nothing but a Mexican—”

“Be careful with your words, pendejo.”

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Comment to win

I'll give away a digital copy of The Comanchero’s Bride to one commenter. Please leave your contact information with your comment, so I'll have a way to contact you in case I draw your name. I’ll keep this comment-to-win opportunity open until 6:00 p.m. MDT March 19^th, 2016.

 

 Until next time,

Kaye Spencer