Mary J. McCoy-Dressel ~ Contemporary Romance

Sensual western romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel ~ Contemporary Romance
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  • Tag: Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge

    • #AmWriting Living With A Writer #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 3:45 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 16, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, marketing for romance authors blog post week 46

      Welcome back to Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge. I’m so late getting this out today.

      Week 46: How My Family Survives My Writing

      This week’s topic is easy and a quick answer. I don’t have to deal with this other than to say my boys want me to get out more and be sure to take care of myself. #MFRWauthor

      If you want a full answer to this topic, I’ll have to back up quite a few years when my family was together. I had young boys and a husband at home, and like many authors with a family, I worked around them and their schedules, as I dabbled in putting words to paper—yes paper—pre-computer. My family came first because I didn’t know any different.

      As time went on, my boys survived their mom trying to become a writer by knowing I chose to do something for myself. They’ve always had that kind of compassion where I’m concerned and have always supported me.

      Without them, I wouldn’t have become computer savvy. Many nights while they were out doing whatever, and dating, I’d call them all freaked out when I thought I broke the computer. LOL. They talked me down and explained what I had to do to make it work again. Now, I’m geeky when it comes to my computer. They survived, even when I called them on dates.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blog post Marketing for Romance Writers Week 46

      My poor husband (at the time) would go to bed early and have to sleep alone while I sat downstairs with the dog, as I hammered away on the computer in another world. He wanted to see me finish the book. It took place where he grew up in the Allegheny Mountains. Once I had written the first book, I’d read it to him in bed. It surprised me that he wanted me to. So, yeah, they all survived in their own ways.

      Things haven’t always been that way. I’ve been with men who didn’t understand or want me spending time writing, so I didn’t. I gave in, for a while, but I couldn’t stop writing forever, so I didn’t. My oldest son bought my first laptop so I wouldn’t have to give up my writing when around those who didn’t understand how important it was to me.

      I think it takes a strong and kind person to survive living with a writer. IMHO

      Now, I’m alone—not because I left anyone to write—I’m stronger than that, but because life gets in the way and takes you in directions you never thought you’d go. So, today I have no other schedules to work around. I’m fine with that because I won’t survive with someone who doesn’t want me to live my dream.

      You all know this is a blog hop. Let’s visit the others at Marketing for Romance Writers Blog who are hopping.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books, 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Post Week 24 Don't Take it Away,

       

      Image credits: Pixabay

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 4 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, blog hop, Can You Survive Living With A Writer? Living With A Writer, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance
    • #AmWriting Blog Hop Challenge Week 45: Allergies, Oh, My! #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 7:37 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 9, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blog post Allergies

      Week 45: Ugh, Allergies. (What Am I Allergic to?)

      I don’t think you’ll care about my allergies, albeit, I’m back on a roll and doing my best to continue posting in Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop, so I’m responding to this topic. Our hashtag is #MFRWauthor.

      I’ll mention the normal ones first. The ones that aren’t life-threatening. Simply, I’m allergic to spring and fall. Our autumns seem to be lasting longer. As we speak, leaves are falling all around and getting moldy on the ground from lots of rain. I’m allergic to mold, too. These are allergies I’ve learned to deal with until I get a sinus infection. Eww. Then my head gets spacey, hurts, I feel like I’m falling over, and sometimes I get BPPV vertigo. Before ever hearing about vertigo, I had numerous tests done to learn why I kept getting dizzy. No reasons were ever found. Thankfully.

      Vertigo happens when the crystals in your ears move away from where they should be.

      My type of vertigo is:

      BPPV. These initials stand for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. BPPV occurs when tiny calcium particles (canaliths) clump up in canals of the inner ear. The inner ear sends signals to the brain about head and body movements relative to gravity. It helps you keep your balance. WebMD

      At the above link, WebMD writes about other causes, too. Check with your doctor before trying to treat yourself.

      A simple exercise gets those crystals back in place with this kind of vertigo:

      Canalith repositioning maneuvers. Guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology recommend a series of specific head and body movements for BPPV. The movements are done to move the calcium deposits out of the canal into an inner ear chamber so they can be absorbed by the body. You will likely have vertigo symptoms during the procedure as the canaliths move. A doctor or physical therapist can guide you through the movements. The movements are safe and often effective. WebMD

      Disclaimer: The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his or her health.

      My doctor printed off a sheet of instructions for me. Here’s the procedure (BPPV) on You Tube. I often have to do these more than once. This exercise works for me. Before learning about the exercises, I’d take the drug, Antivert for more than a week before the world stopped spinning.

      But there is one big allergy that scares the daylights out of me—a life-threatening allergy. This is a contrast dye used for a heart test I had done. Of course, I found this out the hard way a few years ago while in the Emergency Room. I thought I had died–after the fact. It started with severe itching over my entire body, even my tongue. While I went into anaphylactic shock, I had no idea that I had passed out until I came to. I would’ve died peacefully.

      To wrap up this post, I have seasonal allergies, plus a bunch of other ones like duck feathers, a few I can’t think of, and Kapok– A mass of silky fibers that surrounds the seeds of the kapok tree and are used especially as a filling for mattresses, pillows, life preservers, and sleeping bags and as insulation. Merriam Webster.

      That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting!

      This is a blog hop. I wonder what my fellow writers are allergic to. We can all find out by clicking HERE.


      Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books, 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Post Week 24 Don't Take it Away,

      WordPress notified me that it’s my eleventh WordPress anniversary. It’s hard to believe I’ve had this blog for that long. Growing this blog has been and still is a slow go, but I have no plans on giving up except while completing a book or getting ready to publish. I hope WordPress doesn’t mind that I used their logo.

       

       

       

      Pictures are from Pixabay except for the WordPress Logo and the 52-Week Challenge image.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 17 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, anaphylactic shock, blog hop, Blog Hop Challenge Week 45: Allergies, BPPV vertigo, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, My!, Oh, Seasonal Allergies, western romance
    • #AmWriting Week 42: Prologue or Not? #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 2:54 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 19, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, Blog Post Prologues

      Week 42: Prologue or No Prologue?

      If last week’s topic was about Epilogues then this week must be prologues. Indeed, it is, and here we go again. It’s Friday. T.G.I.F. Friday equals Marketing for Romance writers 52-Week Blog Challenge.

      This should be simple to write. I’ve only written two books with a prologue. After revising one of them some years later, I removed the prologue and revised Chapter One to update the beginning to fit what was happening right now. That book is Howdy, Ma’am so anyone with an original copy has the prologue.

      In that book, the prologue was a recommendation from my editor. I agreed. It fit the criteria for using a Prologue. What had happened, had taken place earlier than where Chapter One originally had started.

      I’m including links for different sites I’m familiar with to explain the criteria for a prologue:

      • When to Use a Prologue Writer’s Digest.
      • Pros and Cons of Prologues from The Editor’s Blog.

      My time-travel was my first book with a prologue. It makes sense after all since Chapter One started in the present time. The prologue took place in 1882.

      When I was young, I didn’t read the prologue in books because I didn’t understand why they were there. All I wanted to do was get into the story. Once I understood them, I haven’t skipped one since.

      Have you ever skipped reading a prologue?

      It’s weird this topic comes up now because I had an “episodic hero intrusion” the other night who thinks my current WIP should open with a prologue in his POV. Unfortunately, I don’t want to write this book with a prologue. Soooo…

      I’m the boss here. If I have to tie him to his ranch signpost to make him sweat a little, I damn well will. However, it won’t be easy at four in the morning when he comes out to play in my head. I like to write hero focused romance, which means I can agree about beginning in his POV, but it will be in chapter one, not a prologue. Nope, not for this upcoming book.

      To wrap it up: I don’t use prologues now and don’t know if I ever will again. I do read prologues and don’t mind when they begin stories.

      What’s your take on Prologues?

      To me, it’s not the same answer as the epilogue post. It seems like a prologue doesn’t have the option if the story calls for one unless you want to do a lot of rewriting or write it into your Chapter One. IMO.  🙂

      Thanks for reading. You know what’s next…

      Visit my fellow author participants for Week 42 and Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge. If interested in my take on “Epilogues,” click HERE.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books, 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Post Week 24 Don't Take it Away,

       

      I appreciate you stopping by.

       

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blog post Prologues

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor | 8 Comments | Tagged blog hop, bull rider series, Howdy Ma'am, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Week 42: Prologue or Not? #Amwriting #MFRWauthor
    • #WritersLife ~ Comfy Works For Me~ #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 8:03 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 5, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Western Romance, Blog post for #MFRWauthor

      Week 40 – MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge #MFRWAuthor

      Week 40: What I wear when I write

      Isn’t that kind of personal? Ha-ha, just kidding. Hi, I’m back after a long hiatus from Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge. This is a blog hop, baby. #MFRWauthor

      Since I’ve been away, I moved, got settled in, wrote a couple blog posts and a newsletter, published a new book, and I’m nearly at thirty-thousand words in the new one I’m writing that is due out in November 2019. I’m procrastinating on another one. Oh, I can’t forget… I also published a Boxed Set.

      I looked at today’s topic and thought: Hmm, I can answer this one. What do I wear when I write?

      Admittedly, it’s kind of creepy to know others know what I wear when I’m lost in another world. I’m lucky enough to be a full-time writer at home. I’m a romance writer and sometimes the romance is steamy, well, warm. What do you expect me to wear while I write those sexy scenes? Do you think I have candles burning? Chocolates within reach? Wine chilling? Music? A cowboy with a lasso to keep me on task? Do I wear something sexy and silky? A short little nightie?

      You’d be wrong if you imagined me writing in something other than Jammies or fully dressed. Romantic scenes with candles, wine, and soft music aren’t all I write in my romance, so there is no need for a silky or a short little nightie to inspire me. Sometimes I have candles burning and soft music playing. For me, it’s all about being comfortable.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, Blog Post for #MFRWauthor

      Ninety-five percent of the time, I wear jeans and some kind of top depending on weather. My computer comes on early in the morning and I’m usually in my PJs (or gown in the summer) for the first couple hours, or four, but then I get dressed. I can’t deny there have been a few days when I didn’t get out of PJs, especially if I’m staying home or still writing in bed, and when I lost my doggie.

      Since I retired, I have been putting on regular clothes. I moved into an apartment and had to take my dog out on a leash, so I had to get dressed. Now, I no longer have my sweet fur-baby, but I still dress.

      I walked for exercise at my old apartment, but I could bounce out the door and drive to the park seeing no one. In my new apartment, I not only get dressed, but I get myself ready with hair and makeup, and go for a morning walk. In this apartment, I have to go into a hallway where there are four apartments on this level, including mine, and four upstairs. Chances are, I will run into someone, and I want to look presentable to new neighbors. Oh, don’t I sound so vain. Don’t judge. Ha-ha.

      If I was twenty I wouldn’t have to worry about looking good, because, you know—twenty!

      The day may come when the snow falls and I don’t leave my apartment, I will stay in those Jammies all day. Though regular clothes are warmer when the temperatures outside are blustery and cold. However, I might remain in those comfy flannel pajamas and thick socks more often this winter.

      Now see? As I type this, fully dressed, who shows up but the guys who are replacing the windows in the basement, and my storage unit down there has a window in it. Off I go to make sure they have enough room to work.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blog post #MFRWauthor

      How about you writers? Are you ready to tell us what you wear while writing? How about while reading? Oh, that’s a whole different story!

      This is a Blog Hop. Let’s see what other authors wear while writing. I’m curious myself. Click on over.

      I’m going for a walk. Catch you all later.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books, 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Post Week 24 Don't Take it Away,

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 7 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #AuthorsLife, #WritersLife, Alpha hero, blog hop, Comfy Works For Me, Cowboy hero, Hooked by Sundown, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, New Release, nightwear, pajamas, Reading, Romance
    • #AmWriting Quickie Update & Short Snippet Saturday

      Posted at 11:01 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on July 7, 2018

      Happy Saturday!

      It seems I’ve missed another week of Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge or #MFRWauthor. I wrote it. Honest, I did, but that’s as far as it got. I wasn’t into the topic, anyway. Yesterday turned out to be a busy day though I didn’t accomplish a lot if that makes sense. Last week I missed signing up for the blog challenge, and as you know, I posted it.

      To be truthful, some upcoming topics don’t relate. So… This fooling around and not sticking to the schedule tells me it’s time for a short break from my blog.

      I’m packing and writing. Packing and writing. Packing and writing. You get the idea. The new apartment isn’t mine, yet, but I have to pack as if it is. Today, is the day I check out the place and talk to the manager. Then I’ll do whatever it takes from that point on. Either way, I am moving somewhere. In the meantime, I’m playing the waiting game while– ha-ha– packing and writing while taking care of daily chores and necessities. One book will soon be going to the editor. (YES, it finally has a title.)

      In the next few weeks, if I have something to say, I’ll come back to post and say hi, and I’ll check your blogs, because I’d miss you if I didn’t. Readers, you can contact me, and I’ll reply, but give me a couple days. Okay, now that this business is out of the way, let’s get to the snippet…

      Find all my books in one place with blurbs and buy links in series order on my page at Books2Read or click on the image above to go to the Bull Rider Series page here. Available at Apple, Nook, Amazon, and Kobo.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance author website page for the series

      Since it’s Saturday and Christmas in July, I’m posting an excerpt from my holiday novel, Christmas at Love House: A Bittersweet Interlude. This scene is not close to sounding Christmassy, but hey, that’s how my Bull Rider Series rolls.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Bull Rider Series new cover, western romance

      Bull Rider Series 3


      Mary J McCoy-Dressel

       

      Caulder is a cousin to Jase, Tristan, and Dane Carlson from the Double Dutch Ranch Series, but these books aren’t connected. However, on occasion the cousins appear in each others books. Jase is visiting Love House for Christmas this year. Jase is who Caulder is talking to in the first paragraph.

      In this scene, a fun outing turned to devastation in an instant. Bull rider Caulder McCutchen is a brave, strapping guy, but not so much when he’s in fear of losing everything he loves. Again.

      Modified from the original to avoid spoilers. 

       

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, blog post Christmas at Love House, Bull Rider Series 3,

       

      See you all when I see you! Enjoy the weekend.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Bull Rider Series, Short Snippet Saturday | 10 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, bull rider series, Christmas at Love House: A Bittersweet Interlude, Double Dutch Ranch Series, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Short Snippet Saturday, western romance
    • (Unofficially) #AmWriting #MFRWauthor Week 26 Blog Hop: Favorite Indulgence?

      Posted at 3:29 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 30, 2018

      I’m too late to get into this week’s Marketing For Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop, but I had this mostly written, and here I am. Ha-ha. It still took me this long to get it posted.

      Ready for excuses?

      • Yesterday was my birthday. 🎂
      • In the early morning a friend picked me up, and we went on a short little drive to have something repaired. This was an unfamiliar area to both of us, so we made it an adventure with lunch out, too.
      • Last night, I forgot to finish and post this.
      • I’m working on two books which can be quite distracting.
      • Did I mention I was up early? Tiredness crept up on me.
      • This morning I made myself presentable to rush over to an apartment complex because the manager called to tell me an apartment was available! She wasn’t there. I’m moving next month if everything goes to plan. Things often don’t go “to plan” for me.

      There is no excuse as to why I didn’t set this up to automatically post at a certain time.

      Now we find ourselves at Week 26. Yikes!

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel Books, 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Post Week 24 Don't Take it Away,

      My Favorite Indulgence

      An older #MFRWauthor post about guilty pleasures gives a better idea of what I might indulge in, but some are now off-limits.

      This week’s post is going to be short and sweet—well, not sweet since I’m rarely eating sugar these days, which means I can’t say I indulge in chocolate. Boo Hoo. That takes the fun out of indulgence.

      Sigh.

       

      I don’t miss chocolate, too much, but enough to want it sometimes. If I sampled it again, I’d want more, more, and more. Same with Pringles.

      I’m on a special diet due to health issues, so I’m not indulging in certain food. You know, like steak or any red meat, which rules out just about anything except fish and poultry. Yep, you got it.

      Of course, I’m eating lots of veggies. I don’t indulge in eating anymore. I still crave what I can’t have. I miss pizza! Weighing the options, though, makes it easier to do what’s right for me.

      Did I turn this week’s topic around and mention what I don’t indulge in? It seems so. Oops.

      At this point in my life, I’m walking most days. I watch Netflix and read on my Kindle—my escapes once I walk away from my computer for the evening. If only my characters would get the hint that I’m taking a break. Gotta love them anyway.

      But I don’t call this indulgence. It’s more like giving my brain a break. I’m treating my body better. Maybe that’s my favorite indulgence these days. Ask me again next year.

      I know. I know. How exciting. You don’t have to tell me how boring this sounds. Even so, I am in a good place in my life for now.

      Today is extremely hot here. Stay cool wherever you might be.


      Nope, I’m not participating, officially, this week, but it’s still a Blog Hop topic. Let’s go see what everyone else is indulging in by clicking HERE.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, 52-week blog challenge | 10 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, blog hop, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Week 26 Blog Hop: Favorite Indulgence (Unofficially Posting), western romance
    • #AmWriting Warm Fuzzy Gifts #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 10:22 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 1, 2018

      Week 22: Best Gift I Ever Gave

      Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop is upon us again. #MFRWauthor “Why is time flying by so fast?” I ask rhetorically.

      I planned on skipping the topic this week because I didn’t have time to dig deep to come up with the best gift I ever gave. Plain and simple? I didn’t want to take the time, plus many things took me away from thinking about this topic.

      However, this morning an idea came to me. I won’t call this the best gift I ever gave, but this gift had been appreciated. This gift gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

      Ah, F#%k:

      Well, my best friend wouldn’t read my books because she didn’t want to read curse words or sensual love scenes. Again, I’ll remind you that my scenes aren’t erotic. I don’t consider the curse words all that harsh though many do, but I tell ya, when my cowboy gets bucked off a bull, he isn’t going to say, “Ah, shucks, that hurt.” I can read lips, and I’ve heard announcers mention fines for athletes’ language on screen, so IMO, my guys saying, “Ah, f&*%,” is justified, even if only in my head.

      A little backstory: 

      I know, I know…backstory…

      Margaret constantly hounded me about changing how I write my books—she wanted to read them. What a gift it would’ve been to me if she had read them. She even sent me a message via her husband. Shortly before she passed away, she told him to tell me, “Christian books are hot on the market now.” He told me this at her memorial.

      This added to my guilt trip and made me feel bad. Not that I have anything against the market, but it isn’t mine. I don’t read it, I couldn’t write it. Yes, I know, and have read the Bible, but financially, I can’t stop writing long enough to learn how to write in the genre.

      Back on topic: The Gift

      I wanted her to read my series starter because I knew she’d love the story. She, of all people, knew what had inspired the book. We had talked about the story and characters while I wrote it, making her want to read it even more.

      My gift to her was in the form of a cleaned up edition for her eyes only. I no longer have that copy saved.

      Yep. I removed all the scenes she wouldn’t read and gifted her a copy. Her joy gave me joy, hence, the warm fuzzy. She would’ve liked if I had revised all my books for her, but I chose not to.

      This is the book but not the version I changed for her. This is from the recently republished, newly revised edition. (I saw an opportunity to stick in a little tease. Sorry.)

      This turned out to be longer than I’d anticipated, so let’s end this here. This is a blog challenge and Blog Hop, so remember to check out the other posts this week. Thanks for reading.

      Happy June 1st!

      Image Credit: Pixabay-YUKIHIDE

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 14 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #MFRWauthor, Best Gift I Ever Gave, blog hop, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Movie Ratings, Warm Fuzzy Gifts, western romance
    • #AmWriting #MFRWauthor 52-Week Blog Challenge Week 21: Big Red

      Posted at 9:25 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on May 25, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance author, blog post week 21 MFRWauthor

      Marketing for Romance Writers

      52-Week Blog Challenge

       

      Week 21: My Best Gift Ever

      #MFRWauthor

      Yousa! Where o’ where has the year gone? It’s less than a month away from summer. Is it? I’m still holding out for spring to act like spring. It did yesterday and will for the upcoming week! Dare I hope? My one and only rose bush is growing.

      Grab a cup of coffee or glass of wine. This is a long one.

      On to the Topic:

      How do you choose one favorite gift out of a lifetime of gifts? I’m curious to see what other participating authors wrote about. I call a few things favorites. The birth of my boys—a wonderful gift. I can’t count all the gifts from my sons, my best friends, or parents. My best friends and family are/were gifts.

      My choice today may sound selfish to you, but this post is about a gift I gave myself. It took five years to pay for it.

      Here’s how it all started

      My husband and dad subscribed to Popular Mechanics. Haha, you didn’t see that one coming, I bet. Do any of you remember the magazine? I first read about this “gift” in my dad’s copy while visiting him. I came across a page for a newly designed pickup truck. Yes, I said pickup truck. As weird as it sounds, I fell in love with the body style. When this truck finally became available a couple years later, I bought one for myself. Me, a person who throughout life always put others first. Edited to add: I didn’t buy the redesigned second-generation model that came out in 1994 but thought about buying it and waited until 1995.

      MYSELF:

      I remember the day I dragged my husband to the dealership to look at said Ram. Well, I tried the first day, but he wanted nothing to do with it, but I talked him into coming along on the second day while he did his best to talk me out of buying it. Backing up a bit… First, I called the dealer, told him how much money I made a year, and asked him how he could get me into a brand-new Ram truck. Of course, his response was, “Come on down, and I’ll fix you up.” I imagined him rubbing his hands together thinking I’d be an easy sell.

      The day we went to look and test-drive one—the dealer, a tall, dark, and handsome guy ignored my husband and totally catered to me, since he knew this truck would be mine and all mine.

      We took it for a test drive, all three of us. The dealer knew who’d be paying his commission, so he pushed his way past my husband to sit in the middle to point things out to me on the biggest dashboard I’d ever seen. Someone once told me the console could be used as a picnic table because of the size. I’m surprised the dealer didn’t get decked and knocked to the ground by my husband. Oh, I liked the idea of being in control this time and my husband’s reaction to me taking over the conversation while he kept saying, “We’re only looking.”

      I wasn’t only looking.

      I Came to Buy:

      I chose black as the color. Bad-ass black on a bad-ass looking truck. The dealer tried to talk me into red. Nah, I wanted black.

      At home later, I glanced into the driveway. My oldest son had a black truck. My youngest son had a black truck. Well, I grabbed the phone and said to my dealer, “Clean up the red truck.” So, ladies and gents, that was that. I became the proudly-in-debt owner of a brand-new Ram. A gift to myself. Yeah!

      Kodak Moment:

      My dad took me to get BIG Red. I remember his pride—a look I’d seen before after I’d given birth to his first grandson. He always wanted me to be independent. Here I was a grown woman and my dad took me to pick up my first solely owned vehicle.

      While waiting for it to be brought around to me at the dealership, my dad smiled, and said, “This is a real Kodak moment.” He followed me home. Little old me behind the wheel of that big truck, with Dad following behind, almost brought tears to my eyes. So, yes, this is a selfish post about what I gifted myself, but I don’t care this time.

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance author, blog post #MFRWauthor Week 21I LOVED driving this truck and had wanted to make it mine—to stand out from the other thousands of 1995 red Dodge Ram pickup trucks on the road, so I bought chrome bed rails and had them installed, and a black bug deflector for the hood. Of course, I added a Mopar® front license plate. I called her Lady in Red and had logo made (in red lettering) as a decal for my back window. Oh, boy. Doesn’t this sound crazy?

      To wrap up an already too long post, I’ll say I drove her for eighteen years. Sure, she had rust on the doors and here and there but only about 126K miles on the motor, albeit, things began to go wrong one little expensive item at a time. When the gas tank strap fell off, and I prayed to get home safely one day, I knew the time had come to say farewell.

      I donated her to Wheels for Wishes benefiting Make a Wish and almost cried when the guy came to tow

      Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, western romance author, #MFRWauthor blog post, week 21

      Eighteen years later.

      Red away. In fact, I did have tears in my eyes while snapping a picture pictures of her going down the street on a flat-bed. She and I had gone through many life-changes together. Go ahead and laugh at me for referring to my truck as if she were a relative or best friend.

      Oh, Jeez. I am certainly good proof of my astrological sign of Cancer with all these emotions of late.

      Cancer: Deeply intuitive and sentimental, Cancer can be one of the most challenging zodiac signs to get to know. They are very emotional and sensitive, and care deeply about matters of the family and their home. (In this case, their pickup truck.)

      That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

      Remember, this is a 52-Week Challenge Blog Hop. You can find other posts at the Marketing for Romance Writers Blog with a whole list of participants. Also, remember, Marketing for Romance Writers isn’t only for romance authors.


      On a personal note, I have to say I’m sorry for not getting around to visit as many #MFRWauthor or other blogs as I wanted to last week. Preparing for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had me crazy, even after I researched and worked on it for months because it went into effect today, May 25, 2018. Many of us as a whole complained about doing this, but in the end, it’s never a bad thing to protect our privacy and to learn what the sites we visit do with the information we give to them. 

      Finally, I added my privacy policy both for my newsletter and this website to my menu, and I set up the newsletter sign up form to be GDPR compliant. 


      One more thing… If you’re on my mailing list, I’d like to ask you to check your Spam folder if you haven’t received a newsletter this week. It isn’t too late for you to respond, but it’s too late for me to contact you via newsletters as of today.

      Enjoy your weekend.

      For those of you celebrating Memorial Day weekend, please be safe.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 20 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, blog hop, Cancer astrologial sign, Favorite Gift, Make a Wish, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dresel, Wheels for Wishes
    • #AmWriting Favorites to Read and Write #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 7:18 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on April 27, 2018
      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, author western romance, Blog Post updates

      Week 17: Favorite Romance Genre to Read or Write

      The topic for this weeks Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge says genre and not genres. Romance and romance sub-genres are my go-to favorite. What’s wrong with Happy Endings? ❤  🙂

      It will come as no surprise that my favorite genre to write is contemporary western romance. I love cowboys, horses, and the ranching and western lifestyle. This genre is something I will, most likely, always read and write.

      Can I say I like to read other genres? Maybe write them? I’m going to… Who’s going to stop me? LOL. I’m only teasing…but…

      I can see myself writing a contemporary romance novel not in the western genre because I have novels on my hard drive that are non-western romance. I do read other romance sub-genres beside western, and I like reading women’s fiction novels.

      I’ve already gone overboard with this topic I suppose, but I’m adding that while I wrote time-travel romance novels in the past, they were my favorite genre to write and read at the time, but I’ve always loved western romance. I love reading time-travel novels, but will I ever write another one? It’s doubtful. I’m too wrapped up in new projects as it is. In fact, I have a secret project coming out late next year, and believe it or not, I’m not sure if it’ll be a western, but I’m leaning in the cowboy direction. After all, it is my favorite genre to write, but I’m not limited to reading only western. Now look at that last sentence. I could’ve written a one-sentence post and been done with it. 


      It’s beginning to look and act like spring around here. Knock on Wood. We’re still holding our breath for decent weather. Look! Buds are on the tree in my front yard. I woke to frost on my car windows yesterday. Sigh.

      Mary J. McCoy-Dressel Books, Western Romance, Blog Post Favorites to read and write

       

      Hope you enjoy your weekend.

      In our Blog Challenge group, we have authors who write in many genres and sub-genres besides romance. However, this topic calls for romance. I’m interested to see what their favorites genres are to read and write. Let’s visit the Blog Hop by clicking HERE.

      Thanks for reading.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor | 14 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #AuthorLife, #MFRWauthor, #WritersLife, blog hop, contemporary western romance, cowboys, Favorites to Read and Write, horses, mainstream, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Ranching, time-travel romance, Victorian Era
    • #AmWriting Better Watch Out: Family, Friends & Pets in Books #MFRWauthor

      Posted at 10:53 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on April 20, 2018

      It’s hard to believe it’s already Friday, but in the same breath I’ll say it’s been a long week. Regardless how fast or slow, it is time for another Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge post. We use the Hashtag #MFRWauthor.

      Week 16: Family, friends, and pets I’ve written into my books.

      Let’s begin.

      Family:

      In one of my books, a character is in martial arts. She’s a test away from getting her black belt in Tae Kwon Do. My son is a second-degree black belt. I brought his character into this book for a brief scene. As a black belt, he teaches classes, so he advised me on what would happen when a new student comes to observe a class to see if they might be the right fit.

      Friends:

      Many of my heroines have best friends. I base their relationship on my own relationship with my best friend though I’ve never brought her into the book as herself. Those of you who have been around a while, might remember my best friend passed away not long ago.

      Another character is based on a friend’s mother though I haven’t used her name nor have I written in any of the things she had done to her daughter. It was only the idea for this particular fictitious mother’s attitude to be patterned after this mother. And, no, it isn’t Judy Carlson for readers who are familiar with my Double Dutch Ranch Series. Quite the opposite of Judy, in fact.

      Fur Babies Large and Small:

      By now, anyone who knows me, knows I wrote my dog Kasha into Whispers of Forever: Mending Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, Marketing for Romance Authors Blog hop Post, my dog KashaChristmas because I knew her days were numbered, and I wanted to do it as a tribute to her. I’m so glad I did because now she’s gone, but she lives on in my books. She’s mentioned in Finding Kimber and Hooked by Sundown, too. I can see her in future books even if she’s doing nothing more than wandering around the barn or having a character reach down to pat her.

       

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, #MFRWauthor Blog Post, April 2018One of my senior and most gentle horses in the Double Dutch Ranch Series is based on an elderly horse from the stable where I used to spend time.

       

       

      I don’t know if I responded to this topic correctly by saying some characters are based on real people. If not, then the only real family/fur baby members I wrote into a book is my son and the real animals are Kasha and the horse. How about you, authors? Do you use animals in your stories? Readers? Do you like reading books with fur babies in them? Do you think it brings something to the story?

      Please join us on this Blog Hop by visiting other participating authors HERE.

      Enjoy Your Weekend!

      Thanks for reading.

       

      Featured Image: Pixabay with some editing by yours truly. Little girl and horse: Dreamstime. Kasha: Image and graphic by me. ❤

      Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor | 10 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, Better Watch Out: Family, blog hop, Dogs in books, family in books, Friends & Pets in Books, horses, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance
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