Mary J. McCoy-Dressel ~ Contemporary Romance
Sensual romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
And that isn’t the only surprise.
“There you are, I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” she said, entering Dickens’ stall. “I need help.”
Aaron finished filing his horse’s back hoof before patting the smooth flank. He looked at Sophia over the broad back. “I knew it couldn’t last,” he sighed. “Okay, what do you need?”
She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Don’t sound so excited. I’m doing this for the ranch, you know.”
He did know. Unfortunately, it didn’t make having their home overrun by strangers any more palatable. In all fairness, Sophia had gone over and above on the website and the hacienda. He was no tech guru but even he would pay the astronomical prices to stay as their guest. Her sales pitch was nothing short of genius.
But she looked tired.
If only the agricultural firm he’d shown his ideas to would call back with a contract—none of this would be necessary. He ducked under Dickens’ neck and came up next to his sister. “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”
She patted her growing baby bump and smiled. “You sound like Tony. I’m fine. It’s just there’s a hundred and one things to get done and only a few days left before the big event. This ball will give us the free advertising we need to get the guest ranch off the ground. I’ve invited some of my old contacts from New York and Trish promised to put the word out, too. She’s been great, Aaron. I would have been lost without her.”
The mention of Trish sent the now familiar fluttery feeling to his stomach. He’d spent the last few days rehashing that kiss by the fountain; the near-desperation in his voice when he’d begged her to come away with him. Her negative reaction.
He was an idiot to keep bashing his heart against the stone wall of Trish’s soul.
Jacquie lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and loves to hear from readers all over the world! You can also join her street team on Facebook called Biggar’s Book Buddies.
National First Responders Day was October 28th.
The first name on the list is from 1867. The last five were added in 2018.
Short and Sweet post today for a brand-new giveaway: Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
💋Love Kissed Book Bargains
Welcome to the October New Release Giveaway! 10/28 – 11/04!
Find your new favorite author.
Then enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Enter here: https://lovekissedbookbargains.com/2019/10/25/october-new-release-giveaway/
Before the month of October is over, I wanted to share The Common Elements Romance Project October Giveaways for books published this month.
Who wants to enter for a chance to win a free eBook? Visit THIS LINK to see the Common Elements Giveaway participating authors published in October 2019!
Each month from October thru January, some authors publishing in those months will be doing their own giveaway for their project book. You can sign up at the link above then to a Google Sign Up form. It’s that simple to enter.
When we had the Facebook Launch Party last month, our books weren’t published yet. Authors gave away books from their back list. Now the authors who choose to participate in the October Giveaways, have a chance to do their own individual giveaways on the new common elements releases.
Stop on over to check them out. The list keeps growing as more books are being released this month.
Touch of Breeze by Kelynn Storm
Forbidden Noble by Victoria Pinder
Evil Wind Rising by Jillian Chantal
The Haunted Love Affair by Constance Bretes
Beguiled by Amanda Jayde
That Summer by Candy Caine
Resistance: A Common Elements Romance by Regina Kammer
Bohemia Chills by Lucy Lakestone
The Heartless Earl by Regina Jeffers
Forever Better Together by A.D. Ellis
Haunting Miss Fenwick by Alina K. Field
In the Lady’s Heart by JoMarie DeGioia
Blood Will Tell by Pamela Gibson
Kisses & Kismet by Kris Jayne
I’m not participating in this giveaway, but Imprisoned in a Cowboy’s Heart is still at a promotional price of $0.99 for a limited time. Oh, yesterday the book jumped into the Top 100 Paid Best Selling Books in Contemporary Western Fiction. I haven’t been on that list in a long time. Sure, it isn’t a big deal because it isn’t a USA or other “Official” best selling list, but regardless, it’s another milestone for me.
FYI: On the website, the bag shown on the page is not part of this new giveaway. That contest is closed.
If you missed earlier posts about this project, read on:
The Common Elements Romance Project.
What is it?
From the website:
*We’re over seventy romance authors who have come together to write stories that have just five things in common:
1. a lightning storm
2. lost keys
3. a haunted house (really haunted or rumored to be)
4. a stack of thick books
5. a person named Max (or short for something else)
Everything else is up to the individual authors.
*I’d like to note that each author wrote their own book. This isn’t an anthology or boxed set.
If you enter for a chance to win, good luck!
Thanks for visiting.
Top photo credit dancing skeleton: Pixabay – anaterate
#Autumn color changes. Leaves. #WritersLife
In in my new single title holiday romance novella, Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh, I mention “Mighty Mac” or “Big Mac” referring to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac connecting the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. It was built in 1957. The bridge is shy of five miles long, so “five” miles. Ha-ha. You can walk across it on Labor Day—the only time pedestrian’s are allowed to stroll, run, walk on the bridge. I’ve done it and plan on doing it again.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority says:
The center section of the bridge is much higher than it looks in the photo. Freighters go beneath it with lots of room to spare. In the book, Terra, my heroine, mentioned waving down at the ship’s captain when she walked across Big Mac. In deed, I did the same thing. It was “awesome to see the captain standing on deck and waving back,” as Terra says, wink wink. Mind you, I have a fear of heights, but I did this walk and stood at the railing to look down. Oddly, I’ve ventured up to many high places that still give me tummy tumbles to remember. Nope, I don’t regret one of them.
I forgot to mention that the two inner lanes of the bridge are a grid. Spooky!
In addition, the bridge closes during high winds. In fact, there was a high-wind warning on their website yesterday when I wrote this. Today it’s all clear. On June 25, 1998, it had its one millionth crossing. Find more Facts and Figures at this LINK.
Here’s a cool website LINK with pictures and live cam links. Plus, a gorgeous sunset picture of the bridge.
I’ve taken numerous pictures from every angle I could think of, but I don’t know where they reside at the moment. Meaning they’re packed away. LOL
I didn’t name the village where my story takes place, but I do mention other “real” places such as Mackinaw City where Terra’s mother lives. St. Ignace, which is right across the bridge, Mackinac Island, Gaylord, and Cheboygan are briefly mentioned. South Haven is where Terra has resided since she graduated from college.
I’ve had trouble with this blog post not separating paragraphs. Hopefully, it’s finally corrected and will look as good as it did in the preview. If not, I apologize for a bad layout.
Thanks for reading this little tidbit from one of my newest releases.
What kind of author would I be if I didn’t announce Release Day! This is not a traditional new release announcement.
It isn’t often I get to release two books in one day. Wait, what? I NEVER have! I might not again, either. So, here we go today, folks, and then I probably won’t bother you for a couple days. I’ll post excerpts later when I’m not posting these two together. Both books are on Goodreads.
Is it weird to post both of them in one post since they’re so different from each other? I never said I wasn’t weird.
Full-length Contemporary Western Romance
Two-Five Ranch Outlaws, Book #1
Imprisoned in a Cowboy’s Heart
Cover Design by DusktiDawn Designs.
I dedicated this book to my daughter-in-law.
My heroine is both a psychologist and a cowpuncher. I have no idea how that happened. Ha-ha!
One of the Five Common Elements was a “lightning storm.” That element turned out to be one of my favorite scenes in the book. So much, that I had to have it on my cover. It was either that or a sunrise in Sedona.
Here’s the description so you don’t have to click over to the BOOK PAGE here on my site. However, if you want to learn more about The Common Elements Romance Project and the Five Common Elements, you’ll find it there.
—
Four knife-piercing words in a frantic phone call from her mother, caused Dr. Karis Sutton to leave her cowboy in Northern Arizona to return home. While grief-stricken over a tragic loss, she’d let the man she loved slip away instead of allowing him to console her in a time of need. Now, a year later, and ready to break free from her world of gloom, she drives north to seek a second chance with the moody yet irresistible alpha-owner of the ranch. But she’s forced back to Phoenix to fight to keep two fatherless kids. While doing so, will Tanyon think she’s leaving him again and give up on any chance they might’ve had? She’s pulled in different directions. How will she make it right with so much distance between them all?
Tanyon Outlaw never thought he’d see her again. Now, she’s returned as part of the summer crew on the Two-Five Ranch. In her sad eyes, he sees straight through to her pained soul while memories of their past love invade each thought. What will it take for his cold heart to grow warm toward her again? Then, when bad things happen on the ranch, it comes in droves. Karis is called back home. A lawsuit looms over his head. Fences are cut to maim or steal his cattle. Someone else has an eye for the woman he longs to love. He’s running out of time. How can he discover why people are out to get him, while figuring out what his heart wants before he loses her forever?
Once again, Karis and Tanyon have separate, life-changing matters to attend to, so how will they keep it all together and still find a way to capture the love they once shared?
Single Title – Two-hour read
A Feel-good Holiday Romance Novella
Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh
Cover Design: DusktilDawn Designs
I dedicated this book to my cousin and his family who live “up north” and grew up in the village in this book. Three of his brothers live there too. We had fun times when we were kids.
I had fun writing this book and would like to write more like this.
Description:
A feel-good holiday romance novella. The heat level in this little tale is on the lighter side. Contains kissing, mild cursing, and alcoholic beverages.
Why does a stroke of bad luck happen now while on her way to Mackinaw City, Michigan on a blustery weekend? Two days before Christmas, Terra Westbrook and her young daughter have nowhere to stay. How can she convince her child that Santa will find her while sleeping in their car in a gas station parking lot—if they don’t die from hypothermia first? For her child’s sake, she accepts an invitation of a warm home from a resident in the village, but Terra soon learns, the kind person had no right to offer. However, she never expects the homeowner to be a lonely widower who hides tenderness and a big secret under his hard-hearted exterior.
Jude Overton isn’t interested in a relationship let alone a wife. He tried marriage once. Sometimes his heart still aches. Now, if only his sister would get the message to stop matchmaking him with single women. His life is complete raising his daughter. He’s doing the best he can to make her happy. Jude accepts this as enough until he gazes into a stranger’s melancholy eyes that hold an unspoken yearning. As the big day rolls around, he expects it’ll be just another day like the past five Christmases as a single dad, but maybe this year, he wants his sister to ignore his wishes.
On the book page here on my site, I have a list of the differences between this book and the other books I write. I surprised myself when I wrote this novella. Maybe it’s a new calling.
Thank y’all for reading this non-traditional and weird new release announcement.
Late 2019 / Early 2020
