romance writing news | Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Howdy. Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. I posted the quote below on Facebook this morning. I chose it because it says so much and is fitting for today:

“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” ~Johann Schiller

Moving on:

I’ve recently been asked if I still have plans for my Double Dutch Ranch Series matriarch to get her own story. For newcomers, Judy Carlson is the mom to Jase, Tristan, Dane, and a few other cowboys she’s taken under her wing. She says, “I call them all my boys.” She’s specifically referring to Randy Drake from Lassoing the Last Dance and Wade Emory in Hooked by Sundown. These friends have both lost their parents, but she treats their friends like family.

Unfortunately for them, this means she wouldn’t hesitate in making them toss money into her cussin’ jar if the need arises, which it does. Judy doesn’t care if they’re three or thirty-something—they will be donating to the grandkids college fund even if they are a grandchild donating, hence, the three-year-old. I won’t tell you which of her sons he belongs to. You probably think it’s Jase, but it isn’t.

Mary J McCoy-Dressel, author western romance, Blog Post updates — Pixabay

Some of you are readers of my books who like to know what I’m working on. After being asked the question about Judy, I figured by now it was time for an update on my author life.

Yes, Judy’s book should’ve been my second book out this year, but when I took two months to revise Cowboy Boss and his Destiny, it dipped into my writing time, shoving Judy’s story back. (The story never stops working in my head, though.) UPDATE: Judy’s book Seasoned with Destiny: A Gift of Love is now available.

Oh, Secrets!

I’m happy to say this secret project is called Common Elements Romance Project and after writing Imprisoned in a Cowboy’s Heart, I turned it into a series. Book Two, South of True North is now available. Expect book three in 2024.

What’s Next for a Retiring Cowboy?

Another thing. I’ve been asked on occasion refers to my Bull Rider Series. The third book wrapped up Velia and Caulder’s story with no doubts about their future and Caulder’s upcoming retirement, but now readers want to see that future.

Bull Rider Series

What am I to do when readers ask for another Bull Rider Series book? Book Three, Christmas at Love House: A Bittersweet Interlude, didn’t go over as well as I’d hoped, albeit, it does sell copies all year. This makes me leery of writing a fourth book.

I’m sure only Bull Rider Series fans of the series read the third book. It isn’t a standalone series, and to appreciate the characters and stories, it should be followed in order, so that’s an investment in the series. However, if a reader chooses to read only one book, they’ll still get a full-length story in itself with no cliffhanger endings.

Starting a new series and adding to Velia and Caulder’s story leaves me with decisions I don’t have answers to yet. The more bull riding I watch, the more I want to continue the series. Don’t be surprised if you come across another bull or bronc rider or two in upcoming books.

GDPR:

A quick note about the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since I brought it up above. After sending out a re-opt-in campaign written by my cowboys, and then we sent a reminder, some subscribers didn’t re-opt-in by updating and approving the new Marketing Permissions on my Mailing List. I had to unsubscribe these subscribers after May 25th. 😪

Stats: What I thought was fantastic is that most of those I had manually added to my mailing list via a list-building event or who had been brought over from my old website, all re-opted-in. ❤ Thank you!

What surprised me was some subscribers who opened each and every newsletter year after year, didn’t.

Some subscribers opted-in only to Email meaning I can’t send them book updates. Others opted-in to Email and Tailored Book Updates, so they will receive book news. Ideally, both tick boxes would be ticked. Sound confusing? Yes, it is. Thankfully, MailChimp allows me to segment these subscribers into two separate lists.

I know I could’ve done this a different way instead of sending to all my list, but this is the way I chose to handle my list and GDPR.

Finally:

That’s enough blabber for a Sunday morning. Thanks for coming all the way to the end! 😊

Again… HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, guys, and everyone who is in the role of being a father.

Cheers to you! 🍼

I can’t help but think of my own dad today who has been gone many years. To those of you who can, give your dad a big hug or at least a phone call today. Sending you hugs, Dad.