When I decided to write a series centered around a cattle ranching family, I knew there would be many hours of research involved. Ranching is more than a job—it’s a way of life, and it’s often an inheritance. You pick up right where your parents left off.
I grew up on a cattle farm in rural Alabama, so I knew a little bit about the duties of a rancher. I’m still not sure about the difference between farms and ranches. The best I could gather was the regional naming coupled with the acreage.
I grew up running in pastures, climbing fences, and hiding in hay barns, but while I was playing, my family was working. I didn’t pay much attention to the long hours in the fields or the backbreaking work.
I know neighbors knocked on our door every so often and let us know one of the cows had gotten past the fence and wandered into their yard which meant my dad would put on his boots in rain or shine, day or night, to bring it home. Then, he’d have to fix the fence so it wouldn’t happen again.
I know that my grandfather stretched his eighty-five-year-old bones this morning before he checked fences and fed the cattle.
I know you better think twice before planning anything in the summer because it’s hay season.
I know that sometimes you pray for rain, and sometimes you pray the rain holds out.
For everything I knew about farming, there are fifty things I didn’t know. So, I called my dad. I asked the questions. I listened when he mentioned where he was going and what he was doing. I think he has gotten used to my random text messages by now.
How much does a cow cost?
How often do you go to auction?
What do you do when it rains?
In case you didn’t know, not much changes when it rains. The cattle still need feeding, and the fences still need to be checked.
When I was writing Mistaking the Cowboy, the latest book in my Blackwater Ranch series, I was interested in the bull. I say “the bull” because there can only be one.
A few weeks ago, I was at my sister’s house talking to her while our kids played on the swings. Her husband rode up on the four-wheeler and joined us.
“It’s gone,” he said, scratching his neck.
“What do you mean it’s gone?” my sister asked.
You see, sometimes farmers run into problems they don’t know how to fix. That’s what happened when the neighbor’s bull found its way into our pasture.
The day before, the two bulls had been fighting. How were they going to keep them from hurting each other? No one wanted to get near the angry bulls. There was also the damaged fence situation, which was easy enough to fix.
So they fixed it and hoped the bulls wouldn’t kill each other before morning. They had formed a loose plan to herd it into a trailer and haul it back to the neighbor. Again, the mechanics of this plan were sketchy at best.
Imagine everyone’s surprise when the neighbor’s bull was back in its own pasture the next morning.
“I mean, I fixed the fence yesterday. Somehow the neighbor’s bull tore through the new fence and got home on his own,” my brother-in-law explained.
“What does that mean?” my sister asked.
He shrugged. “I guess that means I have another fence to fix.”
So, I started asking my dad about the bull. He said that the bull isn’t one animal, it’s half your herd. A bad bull can cause a lot of problems, and to top it off, you need a new one every few years.
Buying a bull isn’t easy or a task to take lightly. You study the veterinarian records, inspect the health history of the new bull’s current herd, and check for diseases. I don’t know why I was so fascinated by the process of buying a bull, but I ended up writing it into Mistaking the Cowboy.
When I decided to write the Blackwater Ranch series, I had no idea I would learn so much about my own family in the process. I got a chance to reconnect with my childhood and understand the sacrifices my family made to keep up the farm.
And once again, books have enriched my life. I try to learn something new every day, and it’s easy when I’m seeking out the answers to questions I should have asked a long time ago.
What’s something interesting you’ve learned from reading fiction books? Leave us a comment below so we can all learn something new today.
If you want to read more about Blackwater Ranch and the Harding family, check out my new release, Mistaking the Cowboy.
Mandi Blake was born and raised in Alabama where she lives with her husband and daughter, but her southern heart loves to travel. Reading has been her favorite hobby for as long as she can remember, but writing is her passion. She loves a good happily ever after in her sweet Christian romance books, and loves to see her characters' relationships grow closer to God and each other.
I read a LOT of historical novels. I learn something new with every book.
This one looks like a good one
The difference between farms and ranches… having written both, and having lived on a farm most of my life, this is my opinion. Farms tend to have a larger variety of animals, where ranches are focused on cattle, and don’t forget the horses, which a farm may not have at all. Ranches are usually much larger, and the land may not all be fenced or cultivated. And the most important, I think, is the public perception that a cowboy in jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat is sexier than a farmer in overalls, gumboots, and a straw hat!
I love reading historical novels for that reason! There is so much that I don’t know, and it fascinates me.
Thank you, Yvonne!
Ha! I agree with everything you said.
Plus, my dad definitely wears a straw hat instead of a cowboy hat. I have seen very few cowboy hats here in Alabama.
I so enjoyed learning about “the bull” and the rancher’s way of life! Thanks! I love just about all history and imagining what it would have been like to live then.
I like learning about history in books, other cultures, and how different yet the same things were and are. Our perceptions of things color what we see and how we interpret things. I’m loving this series of yours, but I have to say, I think farmers in overalls can be just as sexy as a cowboy! As the Kenny Chesney song says, “She thinks my tractors sexy.” My family was made up of farmers in NW GA.
Mistaking The Cowboy sounds like a great read and the cover is Stunning! Something I have learned about any book is that it takes alot of researching to write a book, and you authors are greatly appreciated for your Awesome books! God Bless you all. Have a Great rest of the week and stay safe.
I have learned, especially where IR is concerned, how different relationship situations can play out. We never had young children in our home so stories with kids always teach me something. I like learning about other professions and about living in different areas. I grew up in a rural dairy farming area but did not live on a farm, so even stories about dairy farms have something to teach me!
I also enjoy reading about new ideas in science fiction and new puzzles in mystery stories. And if we switch to non-fiction, I’m like a sponge for science, apologetics and philosophy of mind. But that’s probably taking it too far afield. :)
My favorite genre is Historical so I can learn something new while enjoying a story.
Like Lincoln I grew up in a farming community (mostly dairy farms) but lived in town. Our school had an ‘optional’ attendance day in both junior high and high school on November 15th! There were always more kids gone than in school anyways, even girls. Hunting was just the way of life & the way to eat. I learned much more about the running of dairy farms as an adult though. Two of my best friends worked milking cows for many years. My husband worked for a while with one of my friends. We found out a couple of years after that time that they were birth siblings, now that was an experience!
I love to read many different types of books but one I tend to learn the most from is historical fiction. I find they are such an important reminder to me not to forget how many luxuries I take for granted these days! I remember keeping that as a constant thought when I took care of my Grandma for her last few years with us. She had lived through the depression and many more “modern” conveniences that she had she still found it hard to use. She preferred to work hard for what she was doing. I can say that I liked to learn the way she did things where it kept me grounded and not as apt to take so many things for granted myself. For her adult life she kept a journal of many things, one was writing down major purchases like appliances to vehicles. When her eyes failed she had me do all of her writing and those were part of it. After she passed away my Aunt gave me all those journals saying that Grandma told her she knew I would appreciate them. Whenever I wrote something in them we would sit for a spell just reading back through some of the older ones. Those times were priceless!
I love learning various tidbits when I read. A while back I discovered that women’s dresses during the Victorian era could weigh between 20-40lbs!! (The lighter weight dresses had smaller bustles or were for “indoor/family” wear, only – too risqué). And those corsets were cinched tight!
This made me understand better why women could drown so easily during that time (20-40 lbs wet clothing in a lake with all those skirts – even if the woman Could swim) – and also why women fainted so frequently (they could barely breathe!). All because of fashion. Crazy! And fascinating.
depending on the book and setting, I’ve learned about customs, carriages, society, and so much more
I can’t imagine what it would have been like to live in the past either. There are so many things we wouldn’t even expect that are different.
Ha! Thank you for the laugh. I should consider dressing my characters in overalls to see how that would go over. I’m glad you’re enjoying the series!
Thank you, Alicia! I enjoy writing books AND reading them, and I’m glad you love the books too. I hope you have a great weekend too.
I enjoy reading non-fiction too sometimes. The possibilities of things we could learn are endless, and I love that idea.
That’s a perfect combination!
That is a wonderful memory. I love learning things from my grandparents too. Times are so much different now. Even my dad used to talk about riding his bike to school (uphill both ways, of course) and getting his farm chores done before he could leave for school.
That’s WAY too heavy! I can’t imagine carrying an extra 20-40 lbs around every day. I learned once that the corsets could cause women’s ribs to break or puncture lungs. I’m glad society doesn’t expect us to dress like that anymore!
I love that books can be set in such drastically different places and teach us so much. I wrote a contemporary story set in Scotland, and a Scottish friend of mine helped to make sure I was using the correct UK wording. I once said a man was wearing “pants,” and she quickly corrected the word to “trousers” because pants would reference his underpants to UK readers! Whew.
Many of my friends had to do farm chores before school. Then again, you are likely younger than my daughter too! It’s funny you mentioned your Dad riding his bike to school…. I had to walk to the other end of town to school and in high school to catch the bus. When I complained about walking in bad weather I heard many stories like that from friends’ parents and the distance and weather was always worse! My Daddy couldn’t say that where he grew up a couple of blocks from where we lived & what was our junior high had been K-12 in his school days. But we were bound to hear it from someone!
Love it! Can’t wait to read it!
I read quite a bit of historical fiction so I learn a lot from there. The last one I read it was set in 1932 and talked about a women’s reformatory (A Haven for Her Heart by Susan Anne Mason).
I always learn something new with each book!
I got the year wrong, it’s set in 1939, sorry!
I knew in my head the suffering that happened to the Jews in WWII. By reading some fiction books, I found the numerous heroes that helped to save as many as possible as well as more struggles the Jews went through than I even imagined. I pray for peace and good will throughout the world.