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Post by mlhearing on Feb 17, 2014 19:36:04 GMT -5
A lot going on here. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'll read carefully and respond when time permits.
CB, I like those covers, and I would really like to use that font.
Daniel, hope you enjoy your first. Just keep in mind that those horses and bulls are athletes too and love what they do. If it weren't for rodeos, a lot of them would be in Alpo cans.
That Bodacious was one bad dude--he broke several faces.
This book is only slightly Western, so I'm not sure if emulating covers from that genre would be wise.
Thanks!
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 17, 2014 19:41:30 GMT -5
My wife and I are both a little nervous about going. Being vegetarian, tree-hugging, animal lovers, our first experience may be our last. In truth, I think you're more likely to witness a human injury than an animal one. There aren't too many sports where contestants wear body armor. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 17, 2014 19:47:56 GMT -5
That Bodacious was one bad dude--he broke several faces. I looked him up on Wikipedia when I was writing that post and saw he was retired after hurting someone particularly badly. He was a beautiful animal. And yeah, he seemed to love the job. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Feb 17, 2014 21:29:55 GMT -5
My wife and I are both a little nervous about going. Being vegetarian, tree-hugging, animal lovers, our first experience may be our last. In truth, I think you're more likely to witness a human injury than an animal one. There aren't too many sports where contestants wear body armor. Exactly. The animals usually get the upper hand in these events. Hopefully the humans don't get injured.  I'm from Costa Rica and the rodeo is very popular, they also have bullfights, but you can't kill the bulls, which is a good thing, I could never watch one of those bullfights in Spain where they stick swords into the poor animal. The big thing there during the Xmas holidays is that anyone can go into the bullring while they let loose the bulls. It's kinda like the bull run that Hemingway made famous in Spain. You can watch the Costa Rican bulls toss these guys in the air here: Amazingly the humans don't usually get seriously injured or killed. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 17, 2014 23:28:34 GMT -5
That's insane, Alan. Why would anyone want to do that?
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Post by mlhearing on Feb 18, 2014 7:50:46 GMT -5
I don't think I'll be doing that. Good thing those bulls are young and inexperienced.
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Post by vrabinec on Feb 18, 2014 8:52:54 GMT -5
In truth, I think you're more likely to witness a human injury than an animal one. There aren't too many sports where contestants wear body armor. Exactly. The animals usually get the upper hand in these events. Hopefully the humans don't get injured. I'm from Costa Rica and the rodeo is very popular, they also have bullfights, but you can't kill the bulls, which is a good thing, I could never watch one of those bullfights in Spain where they stick swords into the poor animal. The big thing there during the Xmas holidays is that anyone can go into the bullring while they let loose the bulls. It's kinda like the bull run that Hemingway made famous in Spain. You can watch the Costa Rican bulls toss these guys in the air here: Amazingly the humans don't usually get seriously injured or killed. I would definitely root for the bull. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Feb 18, 2014 13:32:56 GMT -5
That's insane, Alan. Why would anyone want to do that? I would imagine it's a little bit of peer-pressure (group of friends get together), machismo bravado, and adrenaline rush seeking which when combined together can lead to making poor decisions as a bull comes charging your way. |
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Post by vrabinec on Feb 18, 2014 14:00:48 GMT -5
This book is only slightly Western, so I'm not sure if emulating covers from that genre would be wise. Thanks! If the book is only "slightly" Western, then what is it "mostly"? Because that cover screams Western to me. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Feb 18, 2014 14:11:23 GMT -5
This book is only slightly Western, so I'm not sure if emulating covers from that genre would be wise. Thanks! If the book is only "slightly" Western, then what is it "mostly"? Because that cover screams Western to me. Excellent point. It does have the Western genre look to it, which is why a lot of us assumed it was a western. You definitely want a cover that fits your genre. If not you'll have western fans lighting you up in the reviews because it was not a western or just slightly western. Just something to consider. |
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Post by Suzy on Feb 18, 2014 15:36:05 GMT -5
I fractured my pelvis two years ago,trying to school a newly broken young horse. He turned into a bucking bronco. I spent two months in bed with a steel contraption screwed into my hips. Then it took nearly a year of hard work to get back to normal. And I had to give up riding, which had been part of my life since childhood.
So rodeos don't appeal to me. In any way.
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Post by Alan Petersen on Feb 18, 2014 16:16:12 GMT -5
I fractured my pelvis two years ago,trying to school a newly broken young horse. He turned into a bucking bronco. I spent two months in bed with a steel contraption screwed into my hips. Then it took nearly a year of hard work to get back to normal. And I had to give up riding, which had been part of my life since childhood. So rodeos don't appeal to me. In any way. I have horse phobia. I grew up in a horse family. My grandfather was a rancher so horses everywhere. My Mom and Sister love to ride. I fell twice, the second time was pretty bad, and that was it for me. I haven't gotten back up on a horse in over 30 years. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 18, 2014 16:35:15 GMT -5
A rational response, Alan! But it must've been hard to be phobic of horses while being surrounded by them. I'm sorry about that.  Riding is certainly dangerous. Several people in my local horse community died in accidents, back when I was riding. (Of course, several people I know have been killed and seriously injured in car and bike accidents, too.) Personally, I was never a brave rider. I never liked the sorts of jumps that don't fall apart when the horse hits them -- no eventing for me! -- and by the time I quit I was moving into dressage, which is a lot more my speed. I'd love to get back to it, but there are many equestrian sports you couldn't pay me to do. No siree. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 18, 2014 16:36:58 GMT -5
That's insane, Alan. Why would anyone want to do that? I would imagine it's a little bit of peer-pressure (group of friends get together), machismo bravado, and adrenaline rush seeking which when combined together can lead to making poor decisions as a bull comes charging your way. Yeah, but how about not putting yourself where a bull is likely to come charging your way to begin with?!? It's nuts. (Cue "nuts" joke.) |
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Post by Suzy on Feb 18, 2014 16:45:15 GMT -5
I miss horses. I miss riding and jumping fences on a great horse I could trust. I miss the thrill of foxhunting across the Irish countryside, jumping hairy,scary fences. Id' go back to riding in a heartbeat. But my family don't want me to. So I had to give it up. Here's a photo of me on the wonderful thoroughbred,Pat.  |
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 18, 2014 17:24:16 GMT -5
Yeeeeeah that's the kind of thing I never wanted to do.  Maybe you could go back to it in a more limited way, Suzy. No green horses, no hunting. There's so much you could do that's way safer. You could dial it back from 8 to 1-2 on the risk scale, instead of all the way to zero, and still get your horsey fix. |
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Post by mlhearing on Feb 18, 2014 19:56:57 GMT -5
Suzy, looks like you know exactly what you're doing in that photo. And you can still do some things.
My wife crushed a vertebra in a freak accident. She now has rods and pins and all kinds of metal in her back. (At the hospital, the first back doctor told me that four wheelers and horses keep him in business.)It's been a long road back, but she still rides with me occasionally. I'm on pins and needles every time, but, still, ya gotta live a little.
I'm the one who messes with the green horses. And this old body don't like it so well anymore.
Alan, don't you reckon there's a good bit of alcohol involved too?
Becca, in my day we didn't wear armor--helmets and vests and all that shite. Listen to Donnie Gay commentate on the Finals some time--he always makes fun of all that.
Okay, rodeo rough-stock events are not all that western anymore. Back about 1980 or so, Charlie Sampson won the world in the bullriding. He was a black guy from Watts. But he wanted it, and he did it. And Butch Kirby was from New Jersey, of all places.
In this book, rodeo is really just a vehicle--thought rodeo fans will like it too.
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Post by Becca Mills on Feb 18, 2014 23:13:22 GMT -5
That shite sounds good to me. It's dumb to die or spend the rest of your life as a veggie because you want to feel the wind in your hair or hate getting sweaty, or whatever.
(Yup, I'm one of those well insured, seat-belt-wearing, watch your kids with an eagle eye types!)
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