Another year of NaNoWriMo bites the dust. This was my third win. I finished with 56,392 words. Since I was a rebel this year, I can take those words and add to my original manuscript for a total word count for Book Two in the Bull Rider Series of 73,060 total words. After major editing and revisions, I think this will still be longer than what I’d hoped for, but I won’t cross that bridge, yet. Sorry for the cliché. NaNoWriMo 2012 is over, and I’m done talking about the days and nights of literary abandon.
Next
Do you ever get burned out when you do so much of something, and you just want to take a break from it? I’m that way with marketing and promoting right now. Of all times, why does it have to be now when my 
book could be out very soon? Weird how Murphy’s Law comes into play. Maybe I should say— busy learning as much as I can about marketing and promoting. Tons of research, reading, visiting blogs, webinars, videos… The take-away-from-writing kind of research. Yeah, maybe break time is needed, for at least a couple days.
More
Even though this burned-out feeling has crept over me, I am excited about some future guest spots on blogs. I will do something similar here one day. I’ve hosted a few interviews with other people, but they’re tucked back in the archives. Yes, I’m looking forward to talking about my book.
If you haven’t checked out my book page, there is a new blurb there. It’s kind of a long blurb, but my book is full length—okay—long. How can I create a short blurb for a long novel? (I do have a twenty-five word blurb) I cut almost a thousand words out of my novel before sending it back to my editor the last time. I wonder if she noticed. I wish I could post my editor’s first paragraph about my story in her last email. It almost made me swoon to see my story in someone else’s eyes. (Swoon is my new word, by the way. I have used it a lot lately.)
For You
For your pleasure, I will enclose a short excerpt from Howdy, Ma’am, Book One. Keep in mind this was edited, but in the final round, my editor might have suggested some changes that I haven’t seen, yet. Set up: My heroine is a photographer and is having dinner with her new, ahem, client…the bull riding hero. (Could he be the reason I use the word swoon?)
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She saw innocence and shyness, but still something strong and sexy. His sexiness seemed natural and the strength had to come from hard work. There was so much she’d like to learn and know about him.
She watched the hostess and female wait-staff examine his looks behind his back. She wondered if women at the shows did the same thing. Velia vowed to figure out this man and his personality, and how he fit into his world. If she did, she could capture it in her photos. Once she knew him, her photographs would be even better. She wanted to capture the real man, even the sexy part, but maybe she would keep some of those for herself.
“Hello? Got your tongue wrapped up in a rope?”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry.” Velia caught herself smiling while gazing into his eyes. “You caught me lost in my personal thoughts.”
“I’d love to know what you were thinking with a smile so sensual on your face.”
“Hmm, I give myself away too easily.” She dug into her salad when it arrived with her meal. “We’ll have to get to know each other better. I think you’ll like my photographs when we do.”
“I hope to like them before we get to know each other because you’ll start right out on day one at the opening ceremony. It’ll be crazy and we’ll get through introductions and stats. People will be excited because the season is starting.”
“Girls will be wishing to crawl all over you.”
“Shucks, ma’am. They already want to. I can’t seem to shake it off. They want to get my attention any way they can. I’ve been flashed before getting on a bull. You have no idea.”
“Should I be photographing those stunts as well?”
“Sure, but keep those parts out of the public eye. I want some for myself.”
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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