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 my upcoming book. 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.
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Well, I’m an author with books published. 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 into my document folder and delaying my current WIP. (The story never stops working in my head, though.) Hers will be the first out in 2019.
It was hard enough to finish book three in the spin off series while stressing over researching and working on GDPR compliance. Good news! I did finish Wade’s book, but I’m still revising. Believe it or not, I think it has a title, and not one from my original list I mentioned a few posts back.
Oh, Secrets!
I’ve probably mentioned a secret project. Well, I’m about nine-thousand words into it. I’m not allowed to talk about the collaboration yet. This will be a standalone book. (So far.) This time I got smart though and gave my hero three brothers and a sister and my heroine siblings, just in case. Know what I mean? Their siblings might make friends with my muse, and we all know what that means, but goodness, am I ready to write another series? I shudder thinking about it. On the other hand, I’m excited about the prospect.
I haven’t published a standalone so I’m curious as to how it will go over with my current readers. Everything about this one is brand-new with a new setting and characters you’ve never heard of before. My small town will have a fictitious name. This second chance romance has a title. Wow. Of course, it has cowboys. ❤
What’s Next for a Retiring Cowboy?:
***Bull Rider Series SPOILER*** (New to the series? Scroll down slowly to avoid the next paragraph.)
Skip this section…
Another thing. I’ve been asked again about adding 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.
Start Back Here:
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 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, there are no cliffhanger endings in any of my books, so if a reader choses to read only one, they will have a complete story in itself.
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. If you were interested in reading about my author updates, 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.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel ~ Contemporary Romance 
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