E. Joe Brown

Ever notice how a good book turns into a movie in your mind? You’re reading along, and suddenly you can see the characters, the land, the dust in the air. I’ll let you in on something: I do the same thing when I’m writing.

Folks ask me all the time, “Joe, what do Charlie and Susan look like to you? Did you picture them like the people on the book cover?”

Well, I’ve got a couple of answers for that.

First, there’s a little family history mixed in. My maternal grandfather worked as a cowboy on the Miller’s 101 Ranch when he was just a teenager. That kind of life leaves an impression. He stood about six-foot-four or maybe more, and I can tell you this: when I was eighteen and heading off to Oklahoma State, I was just over six feet tall and still a good two or three inches shorter than him.

So right from the start, I knew one thing for certain: Charlie had to be a tall man.

Now, Charlie isn’t my grandfather. He’s his own man. But I went looking for a little visual inspiration to help bring him into focus. I flipped through magazines, thought about a few well-known faces, and finally landed on someone who just fit. A young Tom Selleck back in his Magnum P.I. days. That’s the image that stuck. Strong, steady, with just enough charm to carry a story.

And Susan? Well, she came along a little differently. Truth is, Susan didn’t even exist when I first started writing A Cowboy’s Destiny back in 2020, right in the middle of COVID. But somewhere along the way, she showed up on the page like she had business being there all along. And once she did, I knew exactly what she needed to be beautiful, strong, confident, and capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Charlie.

In my mind, there’s only one woman who ever quite captured that presence: Lynda Carter. That’s right, Wonder Woman herself.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t borrow their personalities. Charlie and Susan are their own people. But I’ve seen enough of both of those actors to know they carry a natural sense of humor, and I like to think that same spark found its way into my characters.

Since we’re sharing secrets, I might as well give away a couple more. Nobody’s asked much about Boss Bellamy, the foreman, or Hank Thomas, the landman. But I’ve always had a picture in mind for them, too. For Boss, it’s Sam Elliott, no surprise there. And for Hank, I’ve always leaned toward Billy Bob Thornton. And let me just say this, I had those two picked out long before they showed up together in Landman. Funny how things come around like that.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these little glimpses behind the curtain. I’ve always believed stories are meant to be shared, and sometimes, that includes the pictures in a writer’s mind.

And now, if you’d like, you’ve got my full permission to picture Charlie and Susan as Tom and Lynda. I still do.

Happy Trails,
Joe