Contemporary Western Romance stories

Tag: Contemporary Western Romance stories

#AmWriting Yank On Those Bootstraps #MFRWauthor

Posted at 10:57 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 17, 2017

Here we go. Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop. Are you onboard with me and #MFRWauthor again this week?

Pixabay

Week 46: Let Me Brag for a Moment

Let me Brag for a Moment? Bragging is the topic for this week? Oh, for Pete’s sake! This isn’t going to be easy. I’m not a bragger, per se, so how do I write on this topic? It’s easier for me to write about what I CAN’T brag about. I could mention my kids, but I have during this past year. There are no grandchildren to post pictures or talk about. I’m not a great cook. It’s true. You can get out of practice by not cooking often. I don’t bake when I’m the only one here to eat it.

Here’s a good one: I could brag about my inner strength and the ability to persevere, but I believe we’ve covered those topics this year. Where does this leave me?

Hmmm…

I try not to brag about my books, reviews, etc. I’ve posted reviews and Amazon Best Selling list placement before. I find when I do much bragging about my books, bad things happen, so I don’t make a habit of this.

I deleted the rest of the original post from this point on. Instead, as hard as it is to brag, I will brag about my ability to pick myself up at the bootstraps and survive. Seven years ago I didn’t know how I’d survive financially after leaving my job and moving across the state to live with my youngest son. Thank you, Jim.

Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance author, cowboys, bull riders I admit, moving in with my son encouraged me to get serious about reaching for my dream. I published Howdy, Ma’am after struggling, for personal reasons, to write that book for over two years. It’s hard to write when your mind is in turmoil. In the end, the turmoil helped me to finish this book. It opened the door for me to continue writing western romance. I’m about to publish book number eleven. As soon as Finding Kimber is published, it’ll be my third book this year. Now, I’m proud to say I’m in my own apartment and comfortably taking care of myself. The point is, I picked myself up because I was determined to survive. These books contributed to that survival to this point. This is worth a little bragging to me.

Phew. This week’s topic is over. Can we move on now?

Hey, how about moving on with me to see what the other authors have to brag about because y’all know this is a BLOG HOP.

Heck, in reality, I think all of us authors, creatives, and everyone should be bragging about our accomplishments. We send our hearts out into the world every single day and are judged. Doesn’t that take some guts? Again, I think we might’ve covered ACCOMPLISHMENTS this year as well.

Enjoy your weekend. I can’t believe it’s Friday already.

Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 18 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, accomplishments, blog challenge, blog hop, books, Bragging, Contemporary Western Romance stories, cowboys, Let Me Brag for a Moment, Marketing for Romance Writers, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, Yank On Those Bootstraps

Greeting Card Overload Equals A Lifetime Of Memories

Posted at 12:02 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on September 7, 2015

Earlier, I had posted a blog about writing love letters. It reminded me of the greeting cards I’ve saved throughout the years. If I had love letters, trust me, they’d be saved.

As I began cleaning out ‘stuff’ to move, I came across a box with greeting cards I’ve saved over the years. I compiled them all into a box, and wrote a note on the outside to my sons who will one day have to go through that box. (*Maybe) The cards represent the many people who have loved, or cared for me, for one reason or another.

They go back as far as my early adult years—starting with wedding congratulations, high school graduation cards, and college graduation cards. (I graduated as an adult with children.)

Also included are “welcome new baby cards,” homemade/purchased birthday cards, and wedding anniversary cards. Oh, of course I have a multitude of ❤ Valentine’s Day ❤ cards. I have many from my best friend—who is still my best friend. I have funny, sad, and photo cards. Of course, you can’t live a life without sympathy cards involved, too.

This isn’t to say I’ve saved every single card I’ve ever received.

One in particular stands out. A handmade card that came straight from someone I knew in prison. The card is absolutely gorgeous, and was created by an artist who made cards for inmates—an inmate himself.

My goal has always been to make a large collage out of those cards that show me as a wife—an ex-wife once and a widow another time. Therefore, I have step-mom cards from my second marriage. Cards that show me as a mom, aunt, niece, sister, friend, teacher. Many are from people who have passed away.

I told my youngest son if I made them into a collage, he could show it at my funeral instead of making a photo board. Of course, if they do make a photo board, I’d instruct them to add all my book covers. 🙂 That’s a big part of my life so I believe it would be necessary. Do you agree?

Everyone can look at my sexy cowboys and maybe not be sad because I died. I might be off to cowboy Heaven for all I know.

This collage is a visual in my head. It might be on a big poster board, or maybe something sturdier. I’d cut out the reason for the card, be it mom, wife, etc. Then, I’d cut out who the card was from and add it beside the title of the card. I’ve loved creating photo collages for a long time, so this would be easy and fun. After the collage was finished, it could be laminated so it’d last. Depending on how it was made, it could even go into a frame. I know there are sites online where you can do Scrapbooking. Maybe I could also do a collage online instead. It isn’t like I have time to scan all those cards, though.

Why bother? The collage would be more important to me than anyone else, so after I was gone, they could trash it along with the funeral flowers if they chose.

My youngest son and his girlfriend recently helped me get my storage tubs and smaller items moved before my movers came for the heavy load. I showed my boy’s girlfriend the box of cards. Her reaction surprised me…

Her grandmother had recently passed away and she told me that she and her family had to go through every card, letter, and pieces of old, saved mail, etc., and trash it all. “No one will want to go through that stuff,” she said. In reality, she’s right because as I said, the cards are more important to me. *Hmm, on some cold winter day, I’ll create the collage for myself. No harm in letting it hang on the wall for a time. If I get sick of looking at it, the Dumpster is right down at the end of my parking lot.

What do you do with Greeting Cards?

Do you save all of your greeting cards?
Are you choosier about the ones you do save?
Do you save them at all?
For a long time?
A short time?

Is it just me?

My son says I’m weird. Does this make me “weird”?

It’d be my pleasure to have you follow my blog if anything I’ve said here is of interest to you.

If you’re interested in my novel writing at all, I also have a Mailing List. This mailing list is to be notified of new releases or important book updates. In other words, I don’t bombard your Inbox with newsletters.

Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂

Moving Van Photo: http://morguefile.com/, Greeting Card #1 Photo credit: © Retro Clipart | Dreamstime.com, Greeting Card #2 Photo credit: © Vladimir Ovchinnikov | Dreamstime.com