Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Sensual western romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
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    • #MFRWauthor Blog Hop ~They Keep Calling My Name

      Posted at 1:25 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 30, 2017

      #MFRWauthor 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop.

      I wasn’t in the mood to do this post this week, but I’m trying to keep up with the 52 Week Challenge, though I have missed posting some weeks and I’ll probably miss again. This topic is important to me. WHY I WRITE.

      I jotted down a few thoughts during the week, and decided I had a post. I’m still nearly incapacitated from a hip/back injury, but luckily sitting is not too bad, and I’m trying to rest it to see if it improves. It’s been a week with no improvement. Life still has to go on. My dog still has to be fed and be taken out. I’m doing the best I can.

      Topic for Week 26: Why I write

      This should be easy for me because I’ve been doing it for so long, but I had to sit and really think about it. There are many reasons I write. I’ll list them in no particular order.

      I can’t NOT write. That’s right. If I’m not writing, I feel like something is missing. I’ve been like this for as long as I remember, but when I began writing full time, it became a habit I don’t want to break. Maybe I’m obsessed now, but I’m having fun. Yes, writing is fun!  🙂

      Stories and characters live in my head. I write to get the stories out of my head. Oher writers understand. If you’re a reader, think of the book you’re reading now—or one you love to read over and over as if you are living it. Are those characters in your mind calling you back to finish the story? Do you picture the setting? Think of what happens next? While you’re busy during the day, do you wish you could get back to it?

      Then you finish the book and move on to the next one!  ❤

      Well, imagine you are the person who created that story and have lived with that setting and those characters day in and day out, hour after hour, to guide them on their journey for sometimes a year or more. Not to mention these characters don’t sleep much.

      This one is an important reason for me—I write for the readers waiting for the next book and for the readers who tell me to keep writing. Believe me, readers, I wish I could write faster for you.

      I write because I like to spend time with my characters and the settings I’ve created. It’s true! I miss my characters after I’ve published the book.

      Self-satisfaction. Sure, I hire editors, a formatter, and a cover designer, but I get self-satisfaction from having the power over creating a complete book.

      I write to survive financially. This is true. Without my book royalties, I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own, and there is no one I have to live with. In fact, my rent will jump thirty dollars in August. Ouch. Good thing I write because I can’t not write.

      Thanks for reading another post for the Blog Hop. Jump on over to see why the other authors write. Are there similarities between us? For some reason I can no longer paste the whole list into my blog. Please CLICK HERE. Thanks!

       

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 24 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge, Blog Hop ~They Keep Calling My Name, cowboy, full length novel series, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Romance, western romance series
    • Short Snippet Saturday on Wednesday…And Then Some

      Posted at 12:46 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 28, 2017

      western romance, contemporary romance, Mary J McCoy-DresselNope, this isn’t Saturday, but it’s a snippet. Read down far enough you’ll find it after a bit of whining. I’ve attempted to write a post all week, but I’ve been living in pain since last Friday, and each day seems worse than the one before. Due to my own stupidity, I injured my back and hip by doing something, well, stupid. The worse part is I knew better than to lift the two extremely heavy blue shopping bags at the same time. I knew better than to try to move a huge, filled ceramic planter on my patio. I rolled, not lifted it, but the bending over position while moving it did me in, I guess.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romanceIt feels like it did when I ruptured two disks in my back and suffered from Sciatica some years ago and missed six months of work. It wasn’t until I had a steroid shot in my back, that I found relief and life began again. At this point, I can’t stand and/or walk for even five minutes without pain, and I have to sit down, which means I can’t walk into my doctor’s office, which is a long walk from the parking lot.

      I’ve tried ice and heat. Aleve and Tylenol. I don’t know what to do at this point other than moan and complain to avoid crying and cursing. My doggie is suffering from pain in her hips, legs, and now it seems, a foot. Sometimes she can’t get up. Now, I can relate to what she must go through 24/7. And tomorrow, the 29th, is my birthday. It’s okay, I stopped counting them a while ago. Unfortunately, friends and family haven’t. It’s better than the alternative, and I appreciate their thoughts and wishes.


      UPDATE: What’s happening with Finding Kimber, #2 in Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series? Remember the challenge I had with this book? I changed the genre when it was about 3/4 finished? Well, I also had to change part of the plot because I drove myself crazy while trying to work with something that wouldn’t have worked. Once I changed it, I sailed to the end. It’s been through three revisions with thousands of words cut, and now I’m trying to let letting it sit for a while. I hate to plan too far in advance these days, but it looks like this book is on track for a 2017 release. Lord willing…


      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romanceToday I decided to post a snippet from Lassoing the Last Dance. I’m proud of this fourth book in the series–my newest release.

      Set Up: This evening, Roxanne is headed to the Double Dutch Ranch to help her best friend Nora set up for an important dinner the next day. She’s feeling on-top-of-the-world, if you’ll excuse the cliché. But…

      Modified to avoid spoilers. Enjoy…

      He rammed her again. She gripped the steering wheel even tighter. Fear she had lived with until last month returned to the forefront. Enough of this. She stomped on the gas pedal and took the speed up to sixty, and she wasn’t comfortable driving like this on rutted Rocky Road.

      Another glance into her mirror as she increased her speed, showed the car continuing close behind. She peered back at the road in front of her with barely enough time to avoid hitting a dog, or some animal of the night. Roxanne swerved and ran off the road. She hit the brakes and her front tires settled into a dip. She took a deep breath then lifted her eyes to the rear view mirror.

      Was this going to be where she died?

      She slammed one palm against the wheel and pressed on the accelerator. Nothing. Roxanne searched for her phone. The car behind stopped. A man got out and raised a rifle to his shoulder and just stood there. Without a doubt—her nightmare began all over again. No. No. This can’t be happening. A cold fear swept over her. This only happens in freaking movies! She dialed Randy.

      Glass shattered as he busted the window with the butt of the rifle. Glass covered her. Her cheek stung. “Get your ass out of there, Roxanne.”

      No way! Fear choked her. Leaning forward to block his view, she attempted to stick her phone into her pocket, but he yanked her out. She wiped at the blood on her face. “What is going on? I t-thought you didn’t have anything to do with w-what h-happened to m-me.”

      He slammed the door then shoved her against it and held her there with his hand against her throat. God, help me! Please. Not this again. As quickly as he held her, he released her. How far would she get if she ran? “Leave me alone, you jackass. What’s this about?”

      He leaned the rifle against his shoulder. His knee pressed into her thigh. “I’m not done. You’re still breathing.”

      “What? You were involved after all.” She damned herself for letting her guard down. Any minute her stomach would heave. Where could she go? Her thoughts of escaping were out of control. She didn’t know if the call to Randy went through.

      “I had nothing to do with what happened to you. I sat back and let the other ordeal play out. How lucky can one man get to have someone else take the blame?” A low and demonic snicker snarled from his throat.

      If she had learned anything about survival, this time she wasn’t going down without a fight. She had the flat heeled shoe today. “You’ll have to shoot me in the back,” she said, as she kneed him with all her might and took off running.

      End of Excerpt. Thanks for reading.

      Universal Buy Link

      Savvy horse trainer Randy Drake never loved a woman like he loved Roxanne, but after more than a year of a long-distance relationship, she cut off communication without explanation and broke his heart. Now she’s moved back to Canyon Junction without telling him, proof she’s not interested. But his stubborn heart can’t seem to let go.

      Professional dancer Roxanne Connor has a good reason for not letting Randy know she’s back. An accident nearly destroyed her, and she’s not the same person Randy knew. Avoiding him, she chooses to live in a self-appointed exile, if she can ignore the craving for his touch and the memory of his kisses.

      But secrets in a small town are never truly safe. When Randy learns the reason Roxanne cold-shouldered him, he’s willing to give their love another try, but someone else is determined to keep them apart. Will their rekindled love be strong enough to withstand the obstacles mounting against them, or will the embers that glowed in their past grow cold under the pressure?


      © Mary J. McCoy-Dressel and Author Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books 2007 – 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Mary J. McCoy-Dressel is strictly prohibited.

      Photo Credits: Road: Pixabay. Window: © Khajornkiat | Dreamstime.com

      Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Double Dutch Ranch Series, Excerpt | 12 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Arizona, Back pain, contemporary romance, cowboy, full length novel series, hip pain, Lassoing the Last Dance, mary j mccoy dressel, romance series, Short Snippet Saturday, Short Snippet Saturday on Wednesday, western romance
    • Short Snippet Saturday: Feisty!

      Posted at 11:01 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on March 26, 2016

      Last week y’all met Velia Armano, my heroine from the Bull Rider Series, in a short blog series I named Meet the Heroines. I thought it was time to show a little of the spunk that adds to her personality. Look out, Mr. McCutchen. He might be able to handle a two-thousand pound bull, but I wonder how he’ll handle this feisty photographer. Hey, he was the one who hired her… Live and learn! *wink*

      short snippet saturday2

      Snippet:

      He went to the door then right back to her with a deep breath. His hair fell into his eyes but he didn’t seem to care as he usually did. “We have a contract. I’m holding you to it, or I’ll sue for breach.”

      “You’d sue me? You’d keep me from helping my cousins’ mental state?”

      “Excuses!” He took another deep breath. “If I have to. I need your skills, and you signed a contract.”

      “Great. If this is how you want to do it, fine. I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.” She dropped her luggage, and it landed with a thud. She moved closer to him. If ever there could be a hateful glare, she had it. “But you remember I’m continuing on this mission because you leave me no other choice.” Velia moved even closer. Her bravery increased, and she proved it with her index finger as she jabbed it into his chest. “This is only a business deal. And don’t forget it.”

      Western Romance, Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books

      Caulder picked up her bag. “Yes, ma’am.”

      “And stop calling me maa’aaaaamm.”

      “Yes, ma’am. I mean, yes, Ms. Armano…ma’am.” He smirked and tried not to smile.

      Velia glared right back. Go ahead, I dare you to crack a smile. She seethed as he attempted to hold it in.

      Caulder set her bag down and strode to the window. Lifting both hands, he pushed his hair back from his face. “Damn, women drive me nuts sometimes.” He lowered his voice, talking more to himself than to her, “This hot-blooded, Italian spitfire does more than most.”

      She grabbed her jacket and slipped her arms into the sleeves. “I do believe this hot-blooded Italian is ready then.” She gathered her purse, laptop, and carry-on bag, and went out the door ahead of him.

      Thank you for reading.


      Oh, Howdy, Ma’am just happens to be on sale for a limited time in eBook format. 🙂

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel books, brand-new Bull Rider Series Cover banner 2021, cowboys, western setting, snow

      2021 Bull Rider Series Covers.

      Happy EASTER to those of you who celebrate. Happy Weekend to everyone!

      Camera/ Luggage image from Pixabay.

      Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn. ~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

      Posted in #AmWriting, Bull Rider Series, Short Snippet Saturday | 6 Comments | Tagged bull rider, bull rider series, cowboy, full length novel series, mary j mccoy dressel, photography, Short Snippet Saturday: Feisty!, travel, western romance series
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