Novel characters what was I thinking?

If you haven't already heard, my first western historical novel Marshal in Petticoats is behind made into an audio book. I'm excited. I've heard the first fifteen minutes of the book and had shivers listening to my characters come to life.

What I hadn't expected was the narrator to ask me what TV or movie characters did I think best represented my characters. ???  It's rare that I base a character off a character from a show. I usually see, especially my main characters, as an independent person. Not a caricature of someone else.

Granted I have used a few- Holt, the hero in Bridled Heart, has some resemblances to actor Simon Baker. And the hero, U.S. Marshal Beck Harlan, in Improper Pinkerton was a composite of a football player I watched on Dancing with the Stars.

But when the narrator of Marshal in Petticoats ask me for TV and movie characters to stylize my characters after...I drew a blank.  And now thinking back, I should have told her Darcy Duncan, the heroine, was like Sandra Bullock's FBI characters, instead I told her Zoey Deschanel- a cross between her TV character and the one she played in Failure to Launch. And I told her a young Tom Selleck in a western for Jeremy Halsey the hero.  She already had the mayor figured out- Boss Hogg from Dukes of Hazard only not as goofy.

So now as I think about the next books in the Halsey series, because the plan is to get them all in audio, I've got to do some better thinking on the characters I believe my characters are like.

Outlaw in Petticoats-
Maeve Loman - She's going to be hard. She's stern and set in her beliefs.
Zeke Halsey - is more the young Tom Selleck. Kidding and then getting down to business when it needs to be done.

Miner in Petticoats-
Aileen Miller - a fiercely loving mother, who has been through a lot and doesn't want a man.
Ethan Halsey - Head of the Halsey clan. Feels the weight of his family rests on him.

Doctor in Petticoats-
Rachel Tarkiel - Funny but I think she is a good Keira Knightly character. She came easily to me when I saw Keira on a movie trailer. Everything she's been in speaks to me as Rachel.
Clay Halsey - Stubborn, independent - Almost a Rocky Balboa, nothing is going to keep him down. But not so silent.

Logger in Petticoats-
Kelda Neilsen- Strong, doesn't see herself as pretty, enjoys her loving family.
Hank Halsey - All business, out to prove himself. Probably Sam Elliott in his usual western portrayal.

So anyone out there have any ideas either from my descriptions or from reading the books?

Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop!

Join nearly 50 authors as we share why we love Cowboys and Lawmen. What is it that makes small town sheriffs, Texas Rangers, and ex-outlaws-turned-lawmen so irresistible? Whether you write or love to read about the Wild West or modern day cowboys, what do you love most about lawmen who are also cowboys? And what makes them so gosh-darn sexy?

Grand Prize: At least a $100 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble, your choice. The winner will be chosen at random from comments containing email addresses, and will be announced on May 7. This is open to both US and international readers.

When I think of the western movies and TV shows I've watched and the western fiction books I've read; the lawmen always tend to be larger than life with past history that made them the lawman they are. It could have been someone in their life was killed or they started on the wrong side of the law and had a change of heart or conscience. Whatever the catalyst that made them become a lawman, they exude a personality that gets the answers they need either by charm or sheer stubbornness. They are proud and help the downtrodden, especially women and children. 

It they are tall, muscular, and have a twinkle in their eye, all the better for a swoon-worthy lawman. There are a couple of actors who always play the good guy whether or not they are lawmen. Those are Sam Elliott and Tom Selleck. They are a couple of smooth-talking (love their deep voices), eye-twinkling, man candy cowboys. They always help those in need and take out the bad guys with swift vengeance. But they also know how to treat a lady. 

If a fictional western lawman has the grit to take on a town or a gang of outlaws and in the next scene pet a puppy and dry a child's tears, our hearts go out to them and we can overlook the ornery, cussedness they may have displayed earlier. And that's the contradictory nature of a good lawman character in a western romance.

My newest release, Western Duets- Volume One a novella with two short historical westerns has a short story with a U.S. Marshal who shows this contradictory side. 

Last Stand for Love
U.S. Marshal Chas Brown agreed to be Sarah's proxy husband in order for her to keep her dead husband's ranch. Little did Chas know, he’d lose his heart in the process.

Windtree Press

Kindle

Nook

Cowboy Charm Blog Hops now has a companion FaceBook Group. If you'd like to join to receive blog hop and prize announcements here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/453991144693516/

But that’s not all, as you enjoy some awesome blogs and find fantastic books, for every post you comment on with your email address, you will be entered for some amazing prizes.

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY FOR THE GRAND PRIZE AND AN EGIFT CARD FROM PATY***

Do you have a favorite fictional western lawman? Who and why?

Here is where you can find the list of the hop participants: Happy Hopping! http://cowboycharm.blogspot.com/