For other uses of the word, see Freckles (disambiguation).
Freckles are clusters of concentrated melanin which are most often visible on people with a fair complexion. A freckle is also called an "ephelis". Freckles do not have an increased number of melanin producing cells (melanocytes). This is in contrast to lentigines and moles.
Freckles can be found on anyone no matter their genetic background; however, having freckles is genetic and is related to the presence of the melanocortin-1 receptor MC1R gene variant. The formation of freckles is triggered by exposure to sunlight. The exposure to UV-B radiation activates melanocytes to increase melanin production, which can cause freckles to become darker.
Freckles are predominantly found on the face, although they may appear on any skin exposed to the sun, such as the shoulders. Freckles are rare on infants, and more commonly found on children before puberty. Upon exposure to the sun, freckles will reappear if they have been altered with creams or lasers and not protected from the sun, but do fade with age in some cases. They can also be treated with citric acid.
Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown was a rodeo performer born in Wheatland, Wyoming on January 18, 1921. He died March 20, 1987, at his ranch in Soper, Oklahoma.
His career spanned from 1937 to 1974, competing in bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, team roping, and bulldogging. He was the PRCA World Champion Bull Rider in 1962. Brown was inducted into the PRCA Hall of Fame for Bull Riding in 1979.
Brown is remembered for riding an "unrideable" bull named Tornado in 1967. The bull, owned by Jim Shoulders, had thrown over 200 riders over a 14-year period before Brown's successful ride. Brown, this ride, and Tornado are all memorialized in Red Steagall's song, "Freckles Brown".
Brown later retired to his ranch near Soper, Oklahoma. He was a friend and mentor to bull riding champion Lane Frost, who is buried next to him in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma.
In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve year old girl. The novel won several awards such as the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel By An American Author, the 2008 Barry Award for Best First Novel, the 2008 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, and the 2008 Anthony Award for Best First Novel.
Twenty years prior to the novel's events, twelve year-old Adam and his two best friends failed to come home after playing in the familiar woods bordering their Irish housing estate. A search is called by the families, and the police find Adam shivering, clawing the bark of a nearby tree, blood on his shoes and slash marks on his back. He is unable to tell them what happened or where his friends are. His amnesia holds to the present day, where he goes by his middle name, Rob, to avoid the attention of the media to his famous case. His friends were never found.
The plot of the novel circles around the murder of a twelve year old girl, Katy Devlin, whose case Rob and his partner Cassie Maddox are given to investigate. The body is found in the same woods where Rob’s friends disappeared, at an archeological dig site, and the coincidence is enough to make Rob nervous, though he insists to his partner that he is fine.