Background to Cowboy Kota and Laramie.

I have been making up stories for as long as I can remember, "publishing" some with my aunt, too. Throughout the years, I have wrote several different little stories that I have never been able to finish to date. Someday, I hope to finish at least one haha! This children's story is the first complete story of mine. Yes, I know it's not that long and yes, I know it's easy to write a children's story. This is exciting for me though.

Cowboy Kota first came into the picture when Dakota was around one. He got this stuffed animal horse from Carriage Crossing and they became inseperable. He couldn't sleep without him. We had to figure out a name for this horse and at the time, one of the character's in my books that I was working on was named Laramie. So Laramie it became.

As Dakota got older, he started to ask me to make up bedtime stories for him. I would ask who he wanted in it and, of course, the answer was almost always "me" (Dakota) and "Laramie". There, the adventures began.

Cowboy Kota is a little daredevil. He doesn't like to wait, he doesn't like to think about the outcome of things, and is extremely adventurous. So God decided to send him a friend to keep an eye on him-Laramie. Laramie is the level-headed one of the duo. He reminds CK to be patient, to be careful, and is always able to cheer up CK or come up with ideas of things to do when, on that rare moment, CK can't think of anything to do.

The inspiration for this first book came about in a funny sort of way. Due to the fact that sometimes I don't proof read my responses before I send them...well, one response didn't come out correctly. My friend Jenny made a comment about one of my pictures on Facebook and said something like, "Is this the author photo for the back of your books?" haha and I replied, again not proof reading, "Why trees!" lol It was suppose to be "why yeees". So Jenny said it would make for a great children's book and there you have it, my first children's novel.

Now I just have to find a publisher and/or be very patient for a while.

An Intro to Cowboy Kota and Laramie

The Adventures of Cowboy Kota and Laramie

(No pictures yet)

This is Cowboy Kota. He’s six years old and likes to act like a ninja…while dressed as a cowboy. He’s silly sometimes. (Do you like to be silly, too?)

This is his best friend/sidekick, Laramie. He is the one that keeps Cowboy Kota from getting into trouble. He’s a very busy horse. (Do you have a best friend? Cool!)

On their very first adventure together, Cowboy Kota took Laramie out into the backyard. The backyard was his favorite place to be. It was full of all kinds of flowers, plants, and trees. (Where’s your favorite place to be outside?)

On this day, Cowboy Kota was full of questions. “Laramie,” Cowboy Kota drawled, “what is the point of havin’ trees around?” Cowboy Kota looked up at a huge tree. (Have you ever wondered why trees are around?)

Laramie looked up at the tree as well, outlined by a blue sky. The warm sunshine was blocked by the bright green leaves. Under the tree, it was cool as could be. “Well, Cowboy, I imagine God wanted to give us a place to rest. Notice how we aren’t so hot in the shade of the tree?” (Have you noticed that, too?)

Cowboy Kota plopped down in the soft, dark green grass and felt the coolness of it. The grass was cool because it was in the shade, protected by the tree. “Come to think of it, you’re right. So God made trees for shade and stuff. What else?”

Laramie looked up at the tree again, seeing how tall it was but noticed how easy it would be to climb. It had perfect branches for a tree house too. “Well, maybe He made trees so you could climb it and look around, maybe have your Dad build a tree house. Be extra careful climbing though!” (Are you careful?)

Cowboy Kota grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself up. “This is fun!,” he yelled after he climbed a couple more branches up. “This would be a perfect place for a tree house! I’m happy to just sit on this branch, too.” The branch was like a chair, molded from the trunk. (Wouldn’t that be a good place to sit?)

“Why else did God make trees, Laramie?” Cowboy Kota asked as he climbed down from the tree. A pretty robin flew by, landing in a nest higher up in a branch. “Looks like the birds like trees.” A squirrel hopped from one of the branches, chasing another squirrel. “Squirrels, too. Did God make trees for them?” (What do you think?)

“Yes, He did,” Laramie replied.

“Why else Laramie?” Cowboy Kota asked.

Laramie looked at the tree one last time, noticing how the roots spread out far from the ground. He knew they went deep into the ground too.

“Well, Cowboy,” Laramie said, “I imagine God made trees to remind us of Him. The trees are big, just like God. The trees give us shade and shelter. God does that too. The roots of the trees are wide and deep, just like His love for us. There’s probably a whole bunch of other reasons too!” (Can you think of any other reasons why there are trees?)

Cowboy Kota picked up his cowboy hat and put it on his head. “Sounds like God sure does know what He’s doing.”

“Yep, partner, He does,” Laramie answered.

“Say does He know how much I like to go on adventures?”

“Sure thing, Cowboy,” Laramie said.

“That’s why He sent me you,” Cowboy Kota yelled as he raced off to the next adventure. (What will yours be?)