Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Sensual western romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Mailing List Sign Up
  • Contact Mary
  • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
  • Holiday Books
  • Two-Five Ranch Outlaws
  • Double Dutch Ranch Series
    • Visit Canyon Junction
  • Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love
  • Bull Rider Series
  • Character Family Connections
  • Reading Order
  • Meet Our Heroines
  • About
  • Tag: book title

    • #AmWriting Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse: Completion and Friends

      Posted at 9:55 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on May 1, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, cowboy romance, Blogging

      Well, now. What is my inspiration for the muse today? As I started writing this, I hoped the precise reason would come to me, and I’d have real inspiration for posting under this Tuesday theme. It took writing this entire post before it came to me…

      Completion. Pride. Relief. Stress.

      Yep, it’s all four of those bundled into one. Completion and its friends.

      I’m not finished. I’m a chapter away from writing the end to a first draft on a still untitled book. Therefore, completion, pride, and relief came in. I feel like jumping up and clicking my heels together for being close to completion. Now I have a dilemma. I’ve been faced with this before, but I don’t think I ever came this far before choosing a title. Oh, except for Of the Cowboy’s Own Accord. I wrote about it here. To be honest, I had this difficulty with Hey, Cowboy, too. Must I remind myself?

      This is where the stress comes in. Stress, as bad as it is, makes me determined not to be satisfied with any old title, and to strive to come up with the perfect title.

      However, for now, here I sit again. Out of four possible titles, one of them is the one I’ve been leaning toward. I wanted this one. Now, I want to kick and scream! Waah waah. Sob. Cry. Pout.

      Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, western romance, rodeo, blogging, pixabay

      Pixabay

      Quiet, crybaby. Yesterday before writing this, I found the same title on another romance published less than a year ago.  😦  Drats. It’ll be hard to reword this four-word title to get the same meaning.

      Another choice is from a line I wrote in the book—part of something my heroine says and using that one would put a keyword in the title. So far, there is no book with this title. This is the heroes story though. Should my title reflect something the heroine says? It’s a good title, but longer than what I’d like. Of course, the story is hers, too, and she has her own difficulties to overcome. It might work. I could write Wade’s Story. Hahahaha. Not. I believe there are titles with only his name, anyway.

      The third one sounds more like a travel book than a romance title, but I love it, too, because it fits. My cover designer might work with this title for the design. (I know her so well now.) This one was my first title choice and the one I keep going back to.

      Last but not least, the other title is also a song title. I checked. It isn’t trademarked. Sure, I could use it, but yesterday I found the same title, again, on another piece of music by a Jazz player. That’s kind of like two strikes, so we’ll scratch it from the list.

      Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blogging

      Pixabay

      The thing about stress is, it also drove me to brainstorm. Brainstorming took me down another path yesterday, and now three more new titles were added to my long list of four=seven now. Another word for all this might be obsession. I know it’ll come to me sooner than later. Please?

      There’s time. No rush. I have to revise. I’ve had to start reading this book over from page one thirty times or more continuously because of delays and distractions, and each time of reading it from the beginning, I’d do more revisions, so the draft is fairly clean. This is what I do. Don’t try to change me.   🙂

      Anyway, maybe through a hundred a few more revisions I’ll come up with the perfect title. My muse keeps telling me ‘you already have it,’ but she isn’t telling me which one it is. Let’s get with the program here, Ms. Muse!

      Thanks for lending me your shoulder as I go down the path to preparing another book and another title dilemma. I’m sure my author friends understand this.

      Readers, I hope you see how much work, stress, sweat, stress, tears, sweat, stress, hours, HEART we authors put into every aspect of a book, but we love it.  IMHO  ❤

      Happy Tuesday. Thanks for reading.

       

      Posted in #AmWriting, Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse | 11 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, book title, cowboy, determination, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Revisions, stress, The End, Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse: Completion and Friends, western romance
    • Another Part of the Job: Brainstorming a Book Title (Again)

      Posted at 12:47 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on March 7, 2015

      What the heck?

      What is Mary working on now, and why isn’t she writing blog posts? Easy question. Easy answer: 😉 #AmWriting and #AmRevising says it all. It sounds easy, but it entails much more than just revising a book. It sounds easy on paper. Next step: Editing.

      Before I could get back to revising, it was necessary to search for another book title.

      Think… Check. Double Check. (Good Thing I Do This)

      Here I was, only one heartbeat away from sending images, title, subtitle, and tagline to my cover designer. Excitement ran rampant through my veins. Soon I’d have a cover.

      Then…

      I did one final search for my title at major retailers, as I always do. That search brought up another book with this title. Ackk! No, I mean ACKKKK! (Life was good when my first search didn’t bring up that title on another book.)

      Now what?

      I admit: The title was a song title, but I didn’t care about the song title. Another book with the same title? Well…no, but I almost said *%&* it and use it anyway. I remembered how awful a friend felt when his title was used not long after he published his own book, so I couldn’t.

      question-markOf course, I could use it because titles can’t be copyrighted, although they can be trademarked. This one wasn’t. I postponed my date with the cover designer while I brainstormed for a new title. This was not an easy feat, I tell you.

      For months, I had my heart set on this title. It fit my book perfectly. This title sat proudly at the top of my manuscript. Each time I opened it, there it was, beaming back at me as it said, “You did it!” I had written a line in the book to go with the title. Imagine me with a frown on my face. 😦

      Disappointment loomed in my soul

      The only choice was to write different combinations of the title. An author friend brainstormed with me. Nothing else seemed to fit. Even my subtitle had been used as a title. Was I doomed? Not yet.

      After I’d settle oFireworks with copyspace at the top..n what I thought could be a new title, I’d search retailers to see if it had been used. Most were already taken. Crimminy!

      My heart was heavy. Insert four-letter word of your choice because I said a few. But…one search led to another and then it came to me.

      Exploded into my psyche like fireworks was more like it. I had my new title!

      Now, this new title sits at the top of my manuscript and says, “You did even better this time.” Truly, I came up with the perfect title for this book—even better than the first. It was meant to be. Guess what? The cover is finished and the title looks so fine with my cowboy. One day I’ll explain, not that it needs an explanation, but according to what my hero is, it falls into place.

      Monster SmileyI’m confident with the perfect model to fit my hero and the right title to fit his character and the story.

      Many aspects of this job are hard, but nonetheless, this job is FUN. One I hope to do for the rest of my life—one freaking title at a time.

      Onward…

      By the way:

      The History Channel is running a series about searching for the Lost Dutchman’s gold in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona called Legends of the Superstition Mountains.

      I’m enjoying this show as I picture my characters from the series roaming through the Superstitions. The title for my Double Dutch Ranch Series isn’t a coincidence. Please don’t let the spooky accounts of past happenings in these mountains sway you about my series…

      Remember, I write romance with happy endings. No spooky stuff here. 🙂

      Thanks for reading.

       

       

       

       

      UPDATE: Here is the cover and title this post talked about.


      If you’re an author, have you ever changed your title because you didn’t want one someone else had?

      @MaryJDressel

      Mailing List Sign Up

      Posted in #AmWriting | 10 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, book cover, book title, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, mary j mccoy dressel, Romance
    • This Site is Not Intended for Children Under the Age of 13.

    • COPYRIGHT 2007 – 2023 by Mary J. Dressel All Rights Reserved

    • Follow Mary J. McCoy-Dressel on WordPress.com
    • Click to sign up for Mary’s Newsletter. Powered by MailChimp.

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Link
    • THANK YOU READERS!

      I appreciate your support.

    • Search this Sight

    • Bull Rider #1
      Bull Rider #1
      #2
      #2
      #3
      #3
      Heartbreak's Reward, Mary J McCoy-Dressel
      #2
      Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Blog post snippet
      #3
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Western romance, series romance, book cover, cowboy, barn, two horses
      #4
      New Release, Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, western romance, small town romance, first love. second chances
      Spin Off Series #1
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh A holiday romance novella, New Release, Book Cover man and woman embraced at dark with snow falling, blog post Mighty Mac the Mackinac Bridge
      Single Title
      BlueSnowintheMoonlight_MED
      #3
      #3
      #2
      #2
      new release Seasoned with Destiny: A Gift of Love Book #5, Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, book announcement on Series page
      #5
      #1 Double Dutch Ranch
      #1 Double Dutch Ranch
      #1 Two-Five Ranch Outlaws
      #1 Two-Five Ranch Outlaws
      Book #2
      Book #2
    • Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, cowboys, series romance
    • Top Posts & Pages

      • Get Caught Reading — The Sign of the Ape 4
        Get Caught Reading — The Sign of the Ape 4
      • #AmWriting ~Life Lessons in Books~ #MFRWauthor Blog Hop
        #AmWriting ~Life Lessons in Books~ #MFRWauthor Blog Hop
    • Follow Mary J. McCoy-Dressel on WordPress.com
    • Website Last Updated February 1, 2023

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Link
    • Updated Mailchimp Newsletter Privacy Policy 2022

      Privacy Policy

      Terms of Use

    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    • © Mary J. Dressel, Author Mary J. McCoy-Dressel and Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books 2007 – 2023. All Rights Reserved.

      Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and prospective copyright holders, e.g., guest posters, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mary J. McCoy-Dressel and Mary J. McCoy-Dressel Books and/or the author of guest posts with appropriate and specific direction to the original content with this Site’s URL.

      Read additional Terms of Use.

    • Terms of Use & UPDATES FOR MAILCHIMP NEWSLETTER Privacy Policy

      Terms of Use

      Privacy Policy

       

    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Privacy Policy Link is in the Menu.

      Join 6,050 other subscribers
    • Blogroll

      • a) Professional Bull Riders (PBR)
      • Apache Trail
      • Automattic Inc.
      • Bloganuary 2023
      • Chicago Manual of Style
      • Marketing for Romance Writers Blog MFRW
      • Military Working Dogs: Facebook
      • MockupShots
      • Romance Writers of America
      • South Mountail Park Stables
      • Suguaro Lake in Arizona
      • Superstition 1 Arizona State Parks, Lost Dutchman State Park
      • Superstition 2 Superstition Mountain
      • Superstition 3 Apache Junction Public Library
      • Superstition 4 Welcome to the Superstition Wilderness Trails
      • Superstition 5 Superstition Search & Rescue
      • Superstition 6 Hiking Flatiron
      • Superstition Mountain Trail Rides
      • The Writer's Forensic Blog by D.P. Lyle, MD
      • Tonto National Forest, Arizona
      • WordPress.org
    • Follow Mary J. McCoy-Dressel on WordPress.com
    • Meta

      • Register
      • Log in
      • Entries feed
      • Comments feed
      • WordPress.com
    • Mary’s Publishing Imprint

    • Follow Mary on BookBub

      western romance, series romance, mary j mccoy-dressel, cowboys
  • Click to Subscribe to Mary’s Newsletter. Powered by MailChimp.

  • © 2007 – 2023 by Mary J. Dressel, Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    © Mary J. Dressel, Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, and Mary J. McCoy-Dressel Books, 2007 – 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mary J. McCoy-Dressel and Mary J. McCoy-Dressel Books with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

    • Get Caught Reading — The Sign of the Ape 4
      Get Caught Reading — The Sign of the Ape 4
    • #AmWriting ~Life Lessons in Books~ #MFRWauthor Blog Hop
      #AmWriting ~Life Lessons in Books~ #MFRWauthor Blog Hop

  • Follow Following
    • Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
    • Join 326 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.