Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Sensual western romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
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    • Featured Book ~ Lassoing the Last Dance: A Man Like Randy

      Posted at 10:11 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on May 19, 2019
      fresh fruit in wicker basket, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, image used for excerpt on website, featured image,

      Lassoing the Last Dance is my featured book this month. Enjoy a rather long excerpt.

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      Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight™ #4

      To set it up for you:

      Previously, Randy and Roxanne shared a long-distance relationship. Roxanne had cut it off after a year with no explanation, and their mutual friends, Nora and Tristan remained tight-lipped. Now, Roxanne has moved back to Canyon Junction™ without telling Randy. His heart has never healed from losing her, but when he finds out she moved back, he can’t stay away.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Western romance, series romance, book cover, cowboy, barn, two horses

      He slowed down a bit when he neared her house. Indeed, her pickup sat in the driveway. A decal of sparkly red cowboy boots had remained in the rear window. He got out and went to the other side for the basket, but now the idea seemed silly again. He left it. Albeit, he trudged up the steps, knocked on the door. Hoped for the best. Sighed. To his surprise, a guy opened. Well, hell, this is uncomfortable.

      “Yeah?” was all the stern-faced, square-jawed guy said when he pushed open the outside door.

      “Is Roxanne around tonight?” He held eye contact with the man, having no clue who he was. Of all people, it better not be her ex-husband. If so, Randy might deck him right there just for the reason of all the things he had done to Roxanne in the past. Then he’d be disappointed in her for having him here. Was this guy her so-called story?

      “I’ll get her. Hold on.”

      All he did was yell for her, not go get her. Asshole.

      She emerged with widened eyes and a gasp. “R-Randy.”

      He tapped his heel against the porch and his breath caught when she appeared. He was right about her hair. It was darker blonde than it used to be. Straight now, not wavy like before. Her eyes remained fixed on him as she stood there. Spectacular light blue eyes. A long skirt with vertical stripes looked great on her, making her appear taller than he’d remembered.

      Finding his voice, he began, “I stopped by to welcome you back to Canyon Junction.”

      She turned to whoever was inside, “I’ll be right in.” Roxanne stepped out the door, waited a moment, then strode to the glider to take a seat. “I’m rather shocked to see you here, Randy.”

      Had she limped? “I bet. You didn’t tell me you were coming back. Hard to hide things in a small town.” Gulping, he nodded toward the door. “It’s not like you had to let me know. I’ll take off. I didn’t know you had company.” He stepped down two steps and removed keys from his pocket. “You take care, Roxanne. Nice to see you again.”

      “Randy? Wait.”

      He peered at her while trying to get his heart back in its place. A painful look appeared on her face—something between a scowl and shooting daggers. He gripped the handrail and didn’t make an attempt to move. Was she about to lambaste him? Well, he had a few things to throw right back.

      In a soft voice, she asked, “Will you come back and have a seat?”

      Randy nodded toward the door again. “Maybe another time if you don’t mind.”

      “That’s my cousin inside. He’s always been like a brother to me, and he drove my vehicle here from Broken Arrow while I flew to arrive early. He was here when I got back from Nora’s tonight. I mentioned Brett to you before.”

      Yeah, so long ago that he’d forgotten. He went up the steps and took a seat beside her. Her subtle yet sensual fragrance brought back the memory of her in his arms. So much so that he wouldn’t mind taking her into his arms and closer to her perfume. “Where’s your cousin live?”

      “Near my dad’s new condo outside of town, but he was kind enough to help me out by doing the driving himself. Tonight, he’ll be staying and helping out tomorrow here at the house. There’s so much work to do to make it mine.” She glanced down at clasped hands in her lap.

      Tension lay thick between them. Something was different about her. Roxanne looked frail, downtrodden. He wanted to hold her, or at least pick up those clasped hands. “My place too. It is how it is, and I don’t know what would make it mine. I see it as my parent’s home.”

      “The Circle D Ranch was theirs a long time ago.” Her hands wrung, then she clenched them together again. He must’ve made her nervous, or angry. “Well, Nora’s mom, Sandy, was nice enough to sell this house to me once she realized she wasn’t able to move back home from her son, Brody’s. She was happy it was me who bought it. Everything worked out.”

      She stared at him straight on, a slight tilt to her head. It made his heart race even faster because she was in the right position to be kissed. “It’ll be a good place for you.” He shifted sideways and used his foot to make the glider move in a slow glide. He lowered his hand over hers in her lap. Her soft skin felt nice next to his, but her hands were cold. “I better go. It was great to see you again. Maybe I’ll see you around town, huh?”

      Her throat tightened then her lips parted. Had she wanted to say more? His own words didn’t come out right away. He stood. “Have a nice night.” She took his hand, pulling on it quite hard to stand. “You okay, Roxanne?”

      A car driving past grabbed her attention for a moment. “Yeah, sure.” She clenched his hand tighter and made eye contact, their gazes holding beneath a muted sky. “Nice seeing you again, too. I suspect we’ll see each other around. Small town living, you know.”

      “Yup. Rox?” He hesitated and couldn’t, shouldn’t ask why she seemed so different. “Night.” Randy rushed off the porch and got in his truck. He breathed like he had run a mile down the road. She stood there with both hands on the railing. Was it that simple for her to just say good-bye without as much as a reason? Shit. He opened the door, grabbed the fruit basket from the seat, and took it up the steps. He set it on the glider since she didn’t seem prepared to take it herself. “Night.”

      Down the steps and back at his truck, he shifted into gear and pulled out of the driveway feeling more like an idiot than anything else. On the way home, he observed the mountain standing in the glow of the moon, which had slipped out from an opening in the clouds. Maybe love wasn’t meant for a man like him.

      End of Excerpt.

      Thank you for reading.

      Available:

      Apple, Nook, Amazon, Kobo

      Universal Buy Link if interested: https://books2read.com/u/4N1BlY

      graphic with cowboy in corner of squar graphic, girl with red dress dancing pose, book cover cowboy two horses barn, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, image to accompany blog post snippet

      Now, the business stuff…
      First Digital Edition, April 2017 United States of America
      Lassoing the Last Dance © 2017 by Mary J. Dressel

      EXCERPT / Website Information:
      Copyright © Mary J. Dressel Author Mary J. McCoy-Dressel and Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and owner Mary J. Dressel, Mary J. McCoy-Dressel is strictly prohibited.


      Fruit Basket Credit: diapicard at Pixabay

      Book Cover Copyright Dawné Dominque

      Posted in #AmWriting, Excerpt | 6 Comments | Tagged amazon, Apple, Arizona, cowboy, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, eBook, full-length novel, Kobo, Lassoing the Last Dance, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Nook, sensual contemporary western romance, small town romance
    • #MFRWauthor What Your Eyes Can See~ Reading Formats #AmWriting

      Posted at 8:55 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on July 28, 2017

       

      #MFRWauthor Week 30 Topic: Paperback, Ebook, or Audio?

       

       

      Here we are again. From Marketing for Romance Writers Blog: “Each week, authors use our writing prompt to create a meaningful blog post. We’ll be posting every Friday… join us as often as possible.”

      As you can see, this week for the 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop, we’re talking about what format we prefer for reading.

      This is easy for me. These days I read eBooks. I have moderate macular degeneration, which scares me to death. The reason I prefer to read eBooks is simple. My eyesight prevents me from reading most print books today. I could read large print, but I’m in a habit of reading on my Kindle Fire or iBooks on my iPad. I love using my Kindle App on my iPad because the device is larger, but I mostly read on my Kindle Fire because it can also read to me. Plus, you can change the size of the font. To be honest, I’ve never used an audio book.

      Due to a dry eye condition, I need to rest my eyes after hours of writing. I can still listen to the stories I love. I own print books, and when I see them in stores, I have this yearning to buy them, but I know I’ll never be able to read them. Sometimes I buy them anyway because, well, it’s a book!

      All my photography, first writing books, cookbooks, and favorite novels from the past are in print. They sit on my bookshelf staring at me as I write. These books can all be found online now, but I’ll never get rid of these favorites.

      How about you? What is your format choice for reading?

      Remember this is a Marketing For Romance Writers BLOG HOP, so hop on over to see what the other authors have to say. You don’t have to be a romance  ❤  reader/writer to enjoy these posts.  🙂

      Marketing For Romance Writers.org, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance

      Thanks for taking the time to visit today. Y’all have a fantastic weekend.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 25 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, Arizona, Audio, cowboys, dry eye, eBook, macular degeneration, Marketing for Romance Writers, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Paperback, Reading #Readers, western romance, What Your Eyes Can See~ Reading Formats
    • Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing–Your Choice, My Choice

      Posted at 11:16 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on July 3, 2012

      If you follow my blog or one of my other social network sites, you know my current work in progress, Howdy, Ma’am, is with an editor. Self-publishing has weighed heavily on my mind, so my book needed to be professionally edited. There is a long list of eBook publishers I’ve considered sending this W.I.P. to, but the decision to self-publish still sits at the top of my list.

      Since I’ve been through the publishing route with a publisher, it’s not something I want to do now since I’m free of a contract. That’s not to say I’d turn down a contract i320px-NYC_wideangle_south_from_Top_of_the_Rockf I opened my email and found an opportunity, but I would have to give it a lot of thought.

      Some of you know I had my first manuscript (MS) with a publisher for two years. Yes, you read that correctly. The manuscript was requested so it’s not like it sat in the slush pile. When I finally contacted them I learned it had been lost. When found, the editor requested some changes, which I did, and then I sent it back per his request. This meant more waiting but happiness and hope empowered me.

      Waiting. More waiting…

      Again, after a long wait I contacted them. My luck had run out because the editor who had requested the manuscript LEFT that publishing company. My MS was sent back with a nice letter mentioning the first editor left, and it wasn’t what the current editor was looking for. I won’t give the name but I can tell you it’s a top publisher in New York who kept my paper baby for two years.

      Another thing—they did not accept *simultaneous submissions which means while my novel sat on someone’s desk for two years, I couldn’t send to another publisher. That doesn’t mean I gave up. In the interim I started the second book in the series. It was a needed distraction, but without publishing book one, there would never be a book two. Those two books eventually got published. Times have changed and most submissions are through email. Many publishers will accept simultaneous submissions. Keep in mind, most big publishers prefer you go through an agent these days.

      There are many reasons for me to become an Indie Author. I’ve weighed the options.

      Submitting to a publisher means:

      (I’m talking about ePublishers, but submitting to a traditional publisher will have about the same steps.)

      · Write a Query Letter

      · Write a Synopsis

      · Wait

      · Sign a contract

      · Assigned an editor

      · More hours of revisions

      · Possible Rejection

      · Convert document for an eReader

      · Possible print book (Some publishers turn your eBook into print after so many sales.)

      · Lose certain rights to your book

      · They provide cover design

      · They do some Marketing but you’ll be expected to promote your book.

      · Prestige of having a publisher If this is important to you, you’ve already made your choice.

      Self-Publishing means:

      · No contracts

      · Hire an editor

      · Still more revisions

      · Purchase a cover (Or take the time to do your own if you know how.)

      · Format document for eBook conversion (Research this thoroughly so you know how.)

      · Could hire someone to convert for you

      · Retain rights to your books

      · Convert document for an eReader (More research)

      · Self-print (Lulu, CreateSpace, etc.)

      · Write your book blurb and author biography

      · Will need to write some kind of synopsis for website and blogs

      · Market and Promote yourself

      · Looked down upon for being an Indie Author (Yes, it does happen)

      **Indie Author seems to be my way to go at the moment. It might not be yours. All of the work falls on the author when it comes to self-publishing/printing. Money will come out of your bank 400px-Kindle_Fire_web_browser_05_2012_1430account instead of a publisher’s account. You don’t really have to pay to be published, other than the usual expenses that go along with marketing, cover, editing, etc. Doing everything yourself steals writing time so that needs to be factored in.

      This doesn’t scare me off. How about you?

      Marketing your book might not be a lot different with any publisher. Many times you must submit a marketing plan when you submit to a publisher, either traditional or online. If you’re thinking you won’t have to market with a publisher, think again. You will unless you hire a PR person to do it for you. Can you afford the cost?

      Coming Soon

      Can you afford to hire someone to design your cover? There are some great designers out there with reasonable prices, and you get the cover you want. I loved working with Dawné Dominque, the designer who designed my cover for Visions of Enchantment and Howdy, Ma’am. So, far I’ve worked with three different designers on different books including Dawné. It’s so much fun to see your idea turn into perfection. Feel free to ask about the other two designers I’ve used for other books.

      Do you want to pay an editor? I’m in the process of doing this as we speak. My decision to hire an editor is because I’m putting a book on the market with my name on it, and I want it to be as flawless as possible.

      You can also use what is called a Beta Reader who will read your finished product and give you feedback. Or, use an Alpha Reader who will read your work as-you-go to give feedback on what you are writing, as you are writing. An Alpha is usually someone you trust like a friend or family member. Remember they are not usually editors.

      Many of m649781q0vhzgr6l0y Facebook friends and Twitter followers use Beta Readers, at least for the first run-through of their finished manuscript.

      Laying out these choices make it easy for me to see why I choose to self-publish. It’s not because I don’t think I’m good enough. I know I’m good enough. The main reasons are because I’m tired of the waiting game, and I want control. With my previous publisher I went around and around over the title for my second book. This took a couple weeks. Then there’s the contract issues I won’t go into.

      From the time I received the rights back to the Enchantment series books, I knew they would be revised and self-published.

      If you have any questions or comments about anything I’ve said here, or have your own experiences you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you.

      Whatever your choice, make sure you research, ask questions, and feel comfortable with your decision. Always think twice before you hand over money to have a book published, edited, or cover designed. Again, research is the key.

      ~~~~

      *Where you can send to more than one publisher at a time as long as you let each know it has been sent to more than one.

      **Independent author and publisher.

      To update this post, I’d like to say I have, indeed, self-published Howdy, Ma’am, Book #1, and I’m glad for my decision. A lot of work, yes, but I think it’s so worth it. Book two coming 2013.

      IMG_0065

      Paperback Coming Very Soon

      Paperback Coming Very Soon

      ~~~~

      Photos:Creative Commons

      & Glitter-Graphics

      Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments | Tagged contemporary romance, cover design, eBook, editor, enchantment series, eReader, Indie Author, Kindle, mary j mccoy dressel, self-publish
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    © 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.

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