What it's about

Sometimes, in life we need breaks. Those can be to reflect, rest, or just sit back and be for awhile. There are times to ask-- Where do we want to go with our lives? If you are young, you might think those questions get answered by the time you get old. They haven't for me. My life has continued to offer new challenges and choices-- many I never dreamed would be part of my old age.

Looking back, something I don't do often, I see that my life has broken down into quiet periods and those with more stress involved. As a writer, we call that a WW. You write high tension, then give breaks for release before it starts again. Of course, a book has an ending. Ours only comes with death-- if then. We write WWWs because it's how life is for most of us. Maybe some are able to protect themselves from the stress times, but for those involved with others, care about their lives, they realistically can't as they will be caught in their WWWs.

What follows is a little blog break for fun and something about the inspiration for my writing and life. For some of you, that break would involve reading a classic novel, cooking a gourmet meal, or listening to classical music. Me, I am a simple farm type gal and my break involves simple, basic thoughts. I will be using a couple of YouTubes to illustrate those themes and feelings.

In my romances, the hero and heroine face challenges. The first YouTube has a hero with a duty and facing a life and death challenge. Duty is an issue for most of us- to lesser degrees, of course.  I like Marty Robbins for his songs of the  West and some mythic themes. This song is brought to life with movie scenes.

The next song is Ian Tyson's-- about an aspect of life we all face-- if we get old enough. Where did it all go? The singer is remembering the past and choices-- wondering if he made the right ones. Old now, he's looking back on years when he had strength and abilities that made him proud-- but did he hold onto something too long or release it too soon? 

One thing about Ian Tyson's songs is they are not country western but are Western. They depict the West as it has been and still is many places. When you have time to explore his music, you'll find it speaks to nature, animals, and yes, ordinary lives.

The key in the best westerns, for those who enjoy them, is finding ground between what we know it was really like, due to research, and the mythology that quickly became an important part of the story of the West. The real West could be brutal and didn't offer happy endings for a lot of folks. We get enough of that in reading our newspapers. What westerns and western romances provide are places where we can find that happy ending. The rug by the way in the video looks more Mexican in color than Navajo-- maybe even Pendleton blanket, which wouldn't be very good in a song probably... :). In addtion, I own three, gorgeous Navajo rugs and can't imagine making love on any of them (scratchy) that's where the mythology comes in.

As an addendum here, when I began publishing my books, I learned books have teaser trailers that use music, images, and words. Who knew! I learned of them when I came across the topic in an Amazon forum for writers. I learned the formats and what it would take-- like buying music where I could get the rights at a reasonable or even free price (You will be kicked off YouTube if you use popular music without permission-- and permission is generally either impossible or too expensive). To create the slideshow, I also needed to find the right images and words. I've done that now for almost all of my books. I don't do it to sell books. I do it for the love of the process and for my characters.

 

You can find more of my trailers on their own site and my YouTube channel.

Rain Trueax YouTube Channel
Rainy Day Trailers