Mary J. McCoy-Dressel ~ Contemporary Romance

Tag: readers

• #AmWriting, 2019 Week 1: Time is Money~ Or Is It Something Else? #MFRWauthor

  Posted at 7:02 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 4, 2019

  

  2019 Week 1: Doing it for Fun, Profit, or Other.

   

  🎉  Happy New Year!  🎉

  Look what’s back in 2019. For the heck of it, I checked the Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge page and found the first topic for this year. So, it looks like you have something to read over here on Fridays. These days I need a topic to get me going.

  Here’s a look back to the first topics in 2017 and 2018. (In 2017 my first post was the fifth week of the challenge.)

  Week One: Doing it for fun, profit, or other. I should make this about writing, huh? My mind went somewhere else for a moment. Ha-Ha.

  #AmWriting Time is Money ~ Or Is It Something Else? #MFRWauthor

  Why not all three?

  Fun:

  Writing is fun. When it stops being fun, I’ll quit writing. However, I don’t know if I’ll be able to set it aside if the day comes. Writing calls to me. It would hurt so much if I couldn’t write. I’ve already said in an earlier post, if I don’t see changes in the upcoming year, I will stop publishing, which doesn’t mean I’ll stop writing. Would I continue to nurture what is published? I don’t know.

   

  All the other jobs that go hand-in-hand with writing aren’t fun, anymore.

   

  Profit:

  If you aren’t new here, you know I also write for profit—for survival—to live the simple lifestyle I choose to live on my own. Simple in the true sense of the word. Without the book income, well, it’s too scary to think about. Writing for profit is an addition to the fun part.

   

  Other:

  • For my readers who wait patiently for the next story.
  • Self-satisfaction.
  • Pride.
  • My love of writing. Putting pen to paper or having my fingers on the keyboard soothes my soul.
  • To quiet the voices inside. If I allowed the voices inside to be let loose without writing the ideas down, Lord only knows what might happen. My head might burst.  😱  Would you be willing to take the chance of your head exploding? Not me. This takes me back to the question about writing when it’s no longer “FUN” and the ability to stop or not. How would I fill my time if writing wasn’t a part of my life?
  • I love creating characters and their stories.
  • ❤  I choose to believe in happily-ever-after, but I have considered adding an additional genre later on.

  What about you authors reading this post? Have you asked yourself why you write? For fun? For Profit? Other reasons?

  Authors taking part in this 2019 52-Week Challenge blog hop have answered the question in the topic this week. Check them out here.

  Thanks for reading!

  Note: I’m behind in reading last week’s blogs. I will catch up on this and last week.

  
  

  Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 16 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, 2019 Week One Blog Hop, blog hop, fun, Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, pride, Profit, readers, self-satisfaction, Time is Money~ Or Is It Something Else?, Western Romance Author

• #AmWriting A Grateful Heart #MFRWauthor #WritersLife

  Posted at 9:17 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 14, 2018

  

  #MFRWauthor Week 50: I’m Grateful For:

  Oh, boy. Get ready!

  A Grateful Heart.

  This is a topic I didn’t want to write about because it puts my heart on the spot. With our 52-Week Blog Challenge almost over, I didn’t want to skip this week, so here I am.

  There are so many things I’m grateful for each day.

  Where shall I begin without making this an autobiography? Haha. Don’t worry, I’m teasing.

  Strength: Since my early beginning—I learned in order to survive—I had to be strong. I’m grateful for that strength. Basically, I’m grateful that I know God, and that he has, and does protect me in life or death situations.

  Each Day: Some years ago, I had a severe back injury and again two years ago. Ten months ago, I had some scary health news. I’m grateful for each day I can rise and shine to a normal life.

  This one gets to me and can make me cry bittersweet tears. It might sound silly to you. I’m grateful for my empathy—that I cry over Kodak Moment commercials, humans being kind to one another and to animals. Happy endings. This stuff melts my heart in ways I can’t control, nor do I want to. I’m grateful to experience this emotion.

  Children: I’m grateful for my oldest son. He’s one of the first best things that happened to me—he changed my life. To this day, I’m grateful he can live his life with strength and passion in whatever he does.

  I’m grateful for my youngest son who changed my life in other ways. I’m grateful for his compassion and joy for life. I’m grateful that he has found the most wonderful woman to go through life with—my daughter-in-law, Christie.

  Friends: Of course, I have to say how grateful I am for the fantastic friends I’ve had and still have in my life.

  Love: I’m grateful to have known true love and to have been loved.

  I didn’t know I could go on and on with this topic until I put my fingers on the keyboard and started typing, but I’ll only mention a couple more things yet I’m leaving out so much.

  

  Reading and WRITING: I’m grateful for my READERS, and those I work with in my writing career. Every single day, I’m grateful and thankful for this gift I get to do full-time, and yes, I call it a gift.

  However, concerning writing full time… I’ve learned that dreams can come true, and I’m learning now that dreams can end. If I have another publishing year like 2018, I’ll reluctantly force myself to be grateful for a new kind of job. I’m not a quitter, and I’ll never stop writing, but my days of writing for publication will come to an end if that happens. I’ll still finish the book commitments I have planned for 2019. No matter what though, I’ll always be grateful for the ability to put sentences together to create a story.

  I hope it goes without saying, but I’m grateful to have you here visiting and reading my posts. Thank you.

  ---

  Check out this week’s post about the Kindle Book Review #Giveaway where I’m one of the sponsoring authors. No purchase necessary to enter for a chance to win a $500 Amazon eGift Card.

  This Blog Hop Challenge is counting down. If you haven’t visited the other authors participating, I’d say this is a good week do check them out.

  Enjoy your weekend.

  

  Featured and Top Image is from Pixabay.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 9 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, children, Gratitude, love, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, readers, Strength, western romance, writing

• #MFRWauthor ~A Reading Writer~ Week 25 Blog Challenge #AmWriting

  Posted at 9:17 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 23, 2017

  

   

  Favorite Books to Read

  Is it just me or are the weeks (years) flying by? It’s week 25 and we’re off to another week of the 52 Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop.

  There must be something wrong with me, or I’m trying to be too analytical when it comes to figuring out these topics. Does this mean what books I read over and over? Favorite books from my past? Favorite books I’d recommend? I have many favorites.

  I prefer to read romance, but it isn’t the only thing I read. What’s wrong with a  Happily-Ever-After?  ❤  ❤

  

   

  As a teenager, I read historical romance—my favorites then. I got hooked on Rosemary Rogers and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.

  Some old favorites from long ago written by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss:

  • The Flame and the Flower
  • The Wolf and the Dove
  • Ashes in the Wind
  • A Rose in the Winter.

  The list goes on.

  Some of my favorite books were written by Nora Roberts. Other favorites are written by John Grisham. Oh, I read a lot of self-published books in different genres by Indie authors I’ve connected with online or have come across. Many are favorites.

  I don’t write erotic romance but I read it sometimes. One of my favorites was purchased by the cover alone while browsing books at Barnes and Noble. It’s called Submission by Cherie Feather. OMG. Today I might not think of it as a favorite. My reading style seems to change over the years. I should reread it to find out.  🙂  Another old favorite paranormal author is Christine Feehan. I say old favorite because I haven’t read anything by her for years because I can’t get back into paranormal.

  My favorite New Adult book is Easy by Tammara Webber.

  Today, my favorite western romance authors include Linda Lael Miller and Delores Fossen to name a few. When Delores friended me on Facebook, I about jumped over the moon. A favorite by her is Wrangled, but I have a long list of books yet to read. Louis L’Amour and Craig Johnson are favorite western authors. If Craig’s name is familiar, he wrote the Longmire books. (Longmire used to be a TV show, but is now on Netflix with the final season coming in September 2017.)

  I can’t say I have one favorite by Linda because many of them turn out to be my favorite after reading. I’m reading book #1 in a new series right now. I’m inspired by reading Linda’s westerns because it puts me in the mood to write my own stories. Does that make sense?

  

  It’s difficult for me to read, even a favorite book, without my muse, or characters, drawing me back to them. They’re a selfish lot, I suppose, because they want my attention. This prevents me from sitting down to relax and get lost in a story for long.  Once I am lost in the western environment—an environment I love— I’m reminded that I have a book needing attention in the same environment. So, if I have to answer the question about favorite books, I’ve proven to myself that my favorite books are contemporary western romance.

  I have favorite non-fiction books too:

  • God’s Strength for This Day by Lloyd John Ogilvie
  • Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing written by Mignon Fogarty
  • The Emotion Thesaurus Series by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
  • Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran
  • Women Who Kept the Lights- An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford. (I’m from the state with the most lighthouses. How can I not be interested in them? I love lighthouses!)
  • All my photography books are my favorites. (My hobby)

  And last but not least, my own books are on my favorites list, too. Please don’t think less of me for admitting it.

  I appreciate you taking the time to read.

  You can visit the other participating authors by clicking BLOG HOP. We’re all romance writers in many different genres. I’m curious as to what favorite books we might have in common.  ❤

  

  Week 25 – MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge Participants

  Books & Kindle image credit: Pixabay

  Disclaimer: I don’t get any compensation for mentioning Kindle. I also read on iPad, and I don’t have any compensation for mentioning iPad, either.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge | 29 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, #AuthorLife, #MFRWauthor, 52-week blog challenge, blog hop, books, Contemporary #western romance series, cowboys, favorite books, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, readers, Romance, series romance

• #NewRelease ~Western Romance~ Lassoing the Last Dance is Live!

  Posted at 11:23 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on April 27, 2017

  It’s been a tough week and even more so as the week goes on, but it’s time to let you all know of a new book release. It’s already been doing well in my categories on Amazon and Amazon UK and not too bad at other retailer sites, so thank you to those of you who purchased early.

  ---

  A post similar to this appeared in my newsletter.

  I’m Proud to Present to you:

  Double Dutch Ranch Series:
  Love at First Sight #4

  

   

  About the Book

  Savvy horse trainer Randy Drake believed he’d met the woman of his dreams the day Roxanne strolled down to the barn and into his life. When she left town and broke off communication with him well over a year later, he was devastated. 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 is coming home. Struggling to pick up the pieces of her life, she swears their mutual friends to secrecy about an accident that nearly destroyed her. 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?

  Sensual Contemporary Western Romance.

  You can find an excerpt here from a recent blog post.

  ---

  UNIVERSAL BUY LINK: books2read.com/u/4N1BlY

  Available at Amazon Internationally, Nook, Apple, and Kobo.

  New Release Introductory Price for a limited time.

  ---

  Add on Goodreads.

  

  Check out the other Double Dutch Ranch Series Books and the new spin off series to the Double Dutch Ranch Series  —  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series.

  ---

  Theme Song for this Book:

  “Thinking Out Loud” by Edward Sheeran. Find it on You Tube.

   

  Book Cover Details:

  Cover Designer: Dawné Dominique. Cover Model: Vikkas Bhardwaj. Photography: Period Images. Dreamstime: Superstition Mountains ©Donaldford; Barn: ©Donna Kilday

  Posted in #AmWriting, Double Dutch Ranch Series, New Release | 15 Comments | Tagged Arizona, Arizona horse ranch, contemporary romance, Cowboy Romance, Full Length Novel, horse trainer, Introductory Price, Lassoing the Last Dance, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, New Release, readers, Sale, series romance, small town romance, western romance series

• 2016~ Welcoming the New Year and a Note of Thanks

  Posted at 12:06 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 1, 2016

  

   

  If only I had something profound to say to you all as we go into a brand new year. Thanks?

  Thanks sounds good to me yet isn’t profound. 🙂

  Readers of my books & blog:

  I don’t know how to say thanks to you—to get the point across to reiterate how special you are. ❤ Please know, you’re S-P-E-C-I-A-L to me. Did the capital letters help to emphasize? I’m not yelling. Honest.

  Thanks also for following my sporadic blog posting schedule. In yesterday’s post and in front of the world, I said I planned on working on consistency. Who am I fooling? I like to beat the drum to my own tune, or something like that.

  I’ve been accused of making my cowboys mushy. I’ll just stop here so I don’t make myself mushy.

  Happy New Year to each and every one of you.

  I’ll leave you with this quote.

  
  We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

   

  I’ve turned comments and sharing buttons off for this post.

  Posted in #AmWriting | 0 Comments | Tagged 2016~ Welcoming the New Year and a Note of Thanks, Cowboy Books, Happy New Year 2016, mary j mccoy dressel, Novel Series, readers, Thanks

• Cover Reveal: Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight #3 Of the Cowboy’s Own Accord

  Posted at 1:20 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on May 17, 2015

  I’d like to introduce you to the hero and heroine in the Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight Book #3. Meet Dane Carlson and Gracelyn Clark.

  Sensual Contemporary #Western #Romance

  

  Of the Cowboy’s Own Accord

  

  Blurb

  Army Ranger Dane Carlson never means to fall in love before leaving for another tour of duty, but unexpectedly, he does. While deployed, he finds himself being sent home early to the family ranch to make a heartrending decision. Little does he know he isn’t the only one making decisions. His first priority is to rekindle the flame after losing communication with Gracelyn Clark. The woman who owns his heart and has since the moment their gaze connects. But now, nothing is the same as when they met.

  The first round of news is surprise enough, yet Gracelyn continues to release shocking information detrimental to their future. Can they make it work after so few days together seven months ago? Adjusting to many new things in his life isn’t easy as it is, so to pull himself back to the man he’s become, could be the biggest test of all—in order to protect his own.

  Challenges abound even as Dane and Gracelyn come to terms with the decisions they’ve made. Whatever tomorrow brings, their only choice is acceptance—to take one day at a time and face life as it comes.

  Series Page is in the Menu at the top or click Here.

  Mailing List Sign Up to be notified of new releases or important book updates. You’ll get no spam from me. I don’t like it either. 😉

  Posted in Cover Reveal | 12 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, cowboy, Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight 3, Male focus romance, Of the Cowboy's Own Accord, rancher, readers, Romance, sensual western romance, series romance

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