Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Tag: #WritersLife

• Daily Prompt: Do It Yourself Ambitions

  Posted at 4:17 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on February 28, 2023

  

  Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

  I shouldn’t take the time right now to write this, especially when I have an unfinished prompt sitting in my Draft Folder. My blog has been lonely too long. Besides, I miss all of you. So, here goes:

  Projects

  I could have written a post for a manual labor project of remodeling a room, or rooms, an outside garden project, or installing a generator in a car. I chose something else. My first self-published book Howdy, Ma’am. The book has such a history, it took two blog posts to write the full timeline: Howdy, Ma’am: the Journey Part one and Timeline Part Two, the Journey of Book. It wasn’t my intention, but it reads like a chapter taken from my memoir, if I ever wrote one.

  

  Brain Work & Responsibilities

  When I say DIY, I mean the mental anguish work of plotting it out, writing the book, editing and revising it on my own. Proofreading and uploading it for publication. Add marketing to the DIY batch.

  Let’s not forget we have to find the time for sitting-the-fanny-in-the-chair. Do you have kids and a full time job? Good luck.

  Learning

  We could count all the studying and research necessary to do the aforementioned as a project too. Albeit, I can’t call the project in its entirety a Do It Yourselfer. If so, I would have formatted it myself, created the book cover, and edited it all myself. Big mistake on all sides – for me. I’m smart enough to know what I can’t do.

  Getting Out of Your Own Way

  This girl is creative but not talented enough to create a cover or good enough to edit my own book. Many of you do your own covers and formatting. Pat yourselves on the back, my friends. A while back, I had to learn how to format when my formatter retired. I still don’t call myself an expert. Every new book takes me through a multitude of emotions from the joy in finishing it to freaking out about preparing it, publishing it, and whatever happens next. I’ve accepted this will not change.

  So, yes, in conclusion, I still say one of the biggest DIY projects I’ve taken on is my dream job of writing and publishing a book.

  Dear friends and visitors, can you think of an ambitious DIY project you have taken on?

  Thanks for reading!

  Mic drop and out. 😎 Peace.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife | 7 Comments | Tagged #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, book publishing, bull rider series, Daily Prompt: Do It Yourself Ambitions, DIY Project, Howdy Ma'am, mary j mccoy dressel

• Reboot – Guarding Generations: A Writing Prompt

  Posted at 8:38 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on February 16, 2023

  

  Hello folks. I’m publishing this previous post from 2012 as a Reboot. It’s Thursday, but I’m not calling it Throwback Thursday. Instead of using “Press This” or “Reblog,” I made a copy of it to start fresh. Besides, all “older” comments are turned off on my blog and the original post. The first title for this post was “The End of the Story.”

  This was first written for a word prompt from a site I used to follow called Write on Edge. I don’t think they’re still operating. The site didn’t show up in a search. I’ve updated bits and pieces to bring parts of it up to date, and also because the original had a word count of 400, so I added a few more words this time. At the time of writing this in 2012, I followed a prompt from the info below:

  This week is PERSONIFICATION. The dictionary defines personification as “the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.”

  Why Reboot This post?

  I rediscovered this post when it showed up in my Stats as a click, so a visitor to my site came across it. This brought it to my attention again.

  ---

  My take on the prompt – Personification:

  Here I sit in the cold again. I’ve seen it all – cold, heat, sun, rain, and snow. But I don’t even care. You see, I’m just an old yard pump now. Oh, in my day they depended on me for water. You betcha, I’m that old. After the grandma sold the farm I went with her family to the next house where they used me for my looks. The middle son, “E.H.” and his wife, took care of me after a while because his mother thought I would look nice in his flower bed. She was right, for I looked grand.

  E.H. painted me blue. Nice! Years later, he painted me yellow. I beamed like a ray of sunshine all year long. I sat in his flower bed for a lot of years in two different homes. The family reminisced about grandma and the farm house when they sat in lawn chairs, looking at me standing there like a yard guard. Secretly, I did guard them. hehe.

  Then came grandsons. Five of them, but after five months and one day, the number dropped to four. Sadness encompassed their family. Later, the four boys went back to playing with my handle; up and down until I thought I’d break.

  Boys will be boys.

  

  E.H. tossed small fireworks in my direction at least once a year. Being a hard piece of cast iron, I guess they thought I could take it. Wrong! His wife kept weeds from overtaking me until she disappeared.

  After another while, I didn’t see E.H. much. His kids were grown and the grandkids didn’t play with my handle anymore. One day a big black car pulled into his driveway, and I never saw him again. His daughter, Mary… Excuse me, I mean her husband, because he had more strength, pulled me out of the ground, and I landed in her yard right beside the garage as you see below. Often, she’d sit on her deck top step and look at me. She cried sometimes.

  

  A few years later, and without warning, I didn’t see her anymore. Her husband called an ex now, yanked me out of the ground and tipped me over on my side for a long time! One day she appeared again and took me on a long ride. Lo and behold I had my life back in another yard. Mary had a gigantic dog at that house. Whew, I’m glad it wasn’t a male!

  Then, some years later, Mary disappeared and something bad must have happened in the house because everything got moved out. No one remained, not even the dog, the little girl, or the man who lived there with Mary. I saw the day they got married and took pictures near me, but… he was really gone. I got shoved in a cold garage on a concrete floor with some of his tools. What would become of me?

  Almost a year later she came back for me. Happiness reined! I lived again to guard Mary in a new yard. One of those boys who used to pull my handle lived there, so there I was with another generation. Again, their dog wasn’t a male! Somehow I knew she was a part of E.H., and he was a part of Grandma who started it all.

  A final word: “Somewhere along the line, I had a white paint job, so yes, the pump, aka guard, in the photos is yours truly.

  ---

  2022 UPDATE: Two moves ago when I had no place to keep “the pump” we parted ways. I hope wherever he is, he has forgiven me. MJ

  Thanks for taking the time to read. It may look like I haven’t visited your blogs, my friends, but I’ve been reading them without commenting. I hope to get back to commenting on them soon. I’m taking some “me” time and writing or thinking about writing.

  Enjoy your weekend.

  Posted in #AmWriting, Word Prompt | 12 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, generations, grandkids, grandma, Guarding Generations, mary j mccoy dressel, memories, parents, personification, yard pump

• Daily Prompt: Canopy Walk

  Posted at 4:27 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 26, 2023

  

  Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t visited.

  January 26, 2023 Daily Prompt

  In a town named Midland, Michigan, there is a place called Dow Gardens with a Canopy Walk and other activities. I’ve visited Midland for breakfast or lunch on my way up north.

  One thing I want to do while there is experience the Canopy Walk on the grounds in Whiting Forest. Read more about Whiting Forest at this link.

  Guests of all ages and abilities are immersed in the forest on the nation’s longest canopy walk, 1,400 feet long, soaring up to 40 feet above the ground.

  Dow Gardens https://dowgardens.org/forest/

  The Canopy Walk is a walk through the forest but this walk is high above the ground. Since I’ve never been there, I can’t describe it to you or give my experience. It’s on my agenda to go next spring. I’m trying to talk my cousin into going with me. We both like to walk, and he likes to drive. Win-win for me. Ha-ha.

  Note: The photo above is there for effect and isn’t related to Dow Gardens.

  Here’s a video with a great explanation!

  Dow Gardens is approximately two hours from where I live, so it’s close enough for a day trip. Apparently, you have to walk over a mile from the parking lot to get to the Canopy Walk, so keep that in mind. Oh, and they’re open year round except for major holidays. They also have an admission fee. With so many other things to do at Dow Gardens in Midland, Michigan, I plan on making a day out of it to see as much as possible like Butterflies in Bloom happening in March and the first part of April.

  

  The video and links above will tell you more than I can, but one day, I’ll have my own story to tell.

  Doesn’t Dow Gardens sound like a fun place to visit?

  Posted in #AmWriting, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife | 10 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, Butterflies in Bloom, Canopy Walk, Dow Gardens, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Pure Michigan, walking trails, Whiting Forest

• Writing Prompts at Your Fingertips

  Posted at 9:58 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 22, 2022

  

  Bloganuary

  Well, in January 2023, Bloganuary begins again. I’m not sure if I’ll participate this year because I have enough writing to keep me busy. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it, and doing it again would force my procrastinating mind to not procrastinate (maybe) at least for thirty-one days. I enjoyed reading the other participants posts too.

  If you followed my blog posts all of last year, then you know in January I participated in Bloganuary. My post at this link explains it. Or in the search bar, type in Bloganuary and you’ll see my month of posts in 2022. Oh, wait. Oops, I didn’t post throughout the entire month of January because I started late.

  Check it out and let me know if you will participate.

  ---

  Weekly Prompt

  You may not know, but WordPress has a weekly prompt. I wanted to participate in the weekly prompt in 2022 but never remembered to look. It’s posted on Facebook. This week’s prompt is Travel. Use Word Prompt with a hashtag to tag your post and on social media. You will need to scroll through the posts to find the prompts or click to view photos. They aren’t hard to find because a photo accompanies the prompt post. They will post other information there too, so it isn’t only prompts. Notice you can share other media besides writing. Here’s what they say:

  WordPrompts are designed to help inspire your creativity. We’d love to see what new recipes, photos, blog posts, or stories this week’s word inspires…

  WordPress on Facebook

  FYI Update about the above Weekly Prompt. It looks like the Facebook page has replaced the daily prompt with Bloganuary. Maybe they’ll bring the weekly prompt back in February.

  Daily Prompt

  Recently, I noticed Daily word prompts in the back-end of my blog where we find announcements and news. For example, today’s daily prompt is: “What was the last thing you did for play or fun?” When did daily prompts begin, anyway?

  ---

  On another topic, WordPress sent out a post about writing and posting newsletters. If you’ve read about it, have you considered checking it out? I asked a couple questions in the comment section and received a reply. I might look into it after the new year. It sounds like it’s a regular blog post with newsletter themes. Subscribers from other platforms can be imported.

  DISCLAIMER: I’m mentioning it a lot here, but I’m not affiliated with WordPress or Automattic in any way other than having this dot com website/blog. I wrote this post because if I’m interested in word prompts, maybe you are too. A simple search for writing or word prompts can be found in many other places as well.

  Thanks for reading. Stay warm, healthy, and happy! Peace and Love.

  Happy Holiday Wishes!

  We have a blizzard headed this way. Oh my!

  

  As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessèd world.

  ~Terri Guillemets via The Quote Garden

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Bloganuary | 11 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Romance, Word Prompts

• Let’s Get Real

  Posted at 5:28 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 15, 2022

  

  It’s hard, sometimes, when nothing’s stopping you, to know what’s stopping you. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

  Are you stressed in your rush to meet a goal before the year ends? I haven’t decided if I am or not. Sure, I’m stressed, but it’s not the same stress I experienced the last two years of rushing to get books out before the year ended. It’s not stress of meeting any goals before this year ends. It isn’t illness, though I’ve had my share of doctor appointments in 2022.

  This Year it’s Personal Stress

  My oldest son learned of a major eye condition. I came close to hopping on a jet bound for California. He’s going through treatment which includes shots in his eye. After the specified number of shots, they’ll determine if he needs more treatment.

  A very ill close friend I’ve know for years is having a difficult time with her health and is losing everything she has including her cat because she can no longer care for herself. Giving up her cat at this stage isn’t good for her mental health. Of all times, she needs her cat. She’s devastated.

  Another friend and I communicated with one of her family members, as we bounced ideas off of each other to find the best place for our friend to live. Her family member found a place two days ago. She’s moving in today. Through her illness, I’ve learned a lesson about doing a better job of caring for myself so this doesn’t happen to me.

  Whoever this new me is, has had a lazy year. It isn’t like I haven’t been writing, but four partially written books later, not one of them is ready to publish. It’s no different with reading books with none finished. The year started out in a new apartment, so for the next ten months, I “waited” to see where I’d be at the end of the year and dreaded making a decision on moving or staying. It’s good to know this is no longer a stressor.

  

  Back to the First Paragraph Above

  Maybe I am in a rush to see a new year arrive, but can it change me back to me? Since COVID came to my state, I’ve lived as if I’m waiting for something. Know what I mean?

  Next, it’s procrastination that has me stressed and the fact I can’t find a way to move on from it. Have you heard of Decision Fatigue? I think I’m experiencing this. Combining this with procrastination seems like a losing battle. Again, this has been common in people since COVID too.

  One of my best friends is a psychologist. The other day on the way to the hospital to visit our ill friend, I asked her about Decision Fatigue. She wasn’t familiar with the term. As I described the definition, she said she wasn’t surprised that it exists and was familiar with the symptoms. Have you heard of it?

  Here’s some info:

  “Decision fatigue is “the idea that after making many decisions, your ability to make more and more decisions over the course of a day becomes worse,” said Dr. MacLean, a psychiatrist. “The more decisions you have to make, the more fatigue you develop and the more difficult it can become.”

  Lisa MacLean, MD via Sara Berg, MS
  Senior News Writer at AMA.

  Distraction

  For the last half of this year, I’ve turned my TV on earlier and earlier in the day. To my credit, this doesn’t happen every day. This is odd for me, since I’ve never been a Daytime TV watcher since watching soap operas with my mom. It doesn’t help though I’m grateful – but my cable provider gives us the Premium Peacock streaming app as part of the package. Now, it has the Hallmark Channel on the app and free to me. Admittedly, it’s a nice distraction.

  It took two years to make the decision on when and where to get my hair cut since my regular person retired. It’s been six months now since the haircut, and I’m procrastinating and questioning where to go this time. It’s a simple haircut! Ekk.

  Here’s another article with a quiz:

  “Decision fatigue is a new term based on studies finding that the more decisions we make, the worse our judgement gets as we become increasingly worn out from, yes, the very process of decision making.”  

  Ellie Hughes via Women’s Health

  The article in Women’s Heath was written in 2013, so I guess Decision Fatigue isn’t as new as I thought. I know I’m not the only one going through this. It’s too personal of a question for me to ask, but I wonder if any of you are experiencing anything similar. Maybe it is time to set goals for next year so this doesn’t happen in 2023. Then again, I’ll need to do more than look at a goal list.

  Thanks for reading. Many of you are taking a blogging break for the holidays. Wishing all who celebrate a Happy Holiday season.

  Don’t forget to take care of you, my friends.

  

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, #WritersLife, new year | 18 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Decision fatigue, Let's Get Real, mary j mccoy dressel

• Whatever it Takes

  Posted at 11:55 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 6, 2022

  

  Hello. Are you all doing well? Having fun. Staying warm?

  Here we go: During the summer, I posted this post and this post where I mentioned a new holiday story as a second book to Blue Snow in the Moonlight. I’m no longer in a hurry to get this book out in 2022. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get it finished and edited in time for the holiday season.

  Fork in the Road

  So, I will continue writing it with no intention of publishing in 2022. Am I sad? Yes and no. Well, more yes than no. This way, I can give it the time it deserves. It’s the holiday season, so I’ll finish the draft of this book now while the inspiration of the season surrounds me. 🎄🎁⛄❄❄❄🎅🤶🤠 On a positive note, it’s nice revisiting Cullen’s family from book one while writing this, since my hero is his best friend.

  Take a Good Look

  Blue Snow in the Moonlight sales had stalled in the beginning of the season. Why bother with book two if no one reads book one? On a side note, after tweaking my Amazon ads, sales mildly increased on both holiday books.

  I know what experts say about low sales:

  • Take a good look at the book cover. Check.
  • Examine the book description. Check.
  • Get reviews. It has barely any reviews and ratings. The last time I looked on Goodreads, it had a 4.67 rating and on Amazon it has a 4.7. Not bad, but there aren’t many.

  First, I took a course on creating A+ Content for Amazon retail pages. Some of my author friends have created A+ Content on their pages. I saw the A+ Content on your latest book, Jacquie B. Any advice? I’m guessing you used Book Brush. Second, I took my own advice and published it wide to see if new eyes on it will make a difference.

  

  To Date

  • I tweaked my description in hopes of making it clearer to the reader.
  • I talked with my cover designer and mentioned I had a few things to try first, but if nothing changed, I’d want to tweak my cover.

  A day or two later my cover designer sent me a couple of cowboy stock photo images we could use to replace the first one. I chose one to have ready. Well. Well… WELL!

  Then this happened when I opened my email:

  I almost did a “Which do you like best” poll. The answers might’ve made my decision harder. Truthfully, I was afraid to ask.

  

  I could have uploaded this new cover and book description weeks ago, but I didn’t until yesterday. Again – procrastination came into play. This cowboy fits my hero’s attitude about Christmas, and the cottage is a better fit for Cullen’s rental cottage. Don’t get me wrong. I love my other cover, but maybe I like it more than readers do. A single hero on a cover is appropriate for my genres. I’ve included the revised book description if you want to read it.

  Revised Description

  He makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

  If it was up to Cullen Hollister, he’d hibernate this time of year. But he has a renter in his cottage, cattle to tend to, and kids waiting on Santa Claus. So, instead, he’s in the town square, ready to light up Sugarton in a festive Christmas display. In the crowd of onlookers, a stranger’s smile captures his attention and awakens lost desires. After the hoopla, an acquaintance introduces her, but her heart seems as cold as his.

  As his luck goes, a blizzard forces them together in the cottage he loathes. He’s drawn to her and admires her assertiveness, down-to-earth nature, and blue-snow eyes. Cullen discovers a yearning more powerful than stubbornness. If Christmas magic is real, will it show him how to trust again, or is it as fake as his previous marriage?

  Elle Palmer-Shaw uses her cousin’s wedding in North Dakota as an escape from sorrowful memories. She meets the handsome green-eyed owner of the cottage, and a simmering attraction grows. Christmas takes on a new meaning while spending time with Cullen and his kids.

  His memories of the cottage are painful, yet he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. It’s a simple solution until she’s called back home. She tries to convince Cullen to keep the rental cottage available—to give them a chance when she returns—even after dropping a bombshell about her past. But will he destroy his walls and let her in, or will he continue to exist instead of live and love?

  Learn more at Amazon and at this Universal Link.

  ---

  So, here we are. It can’t hurt to try something new. If nothing changes, I’m giving up. Ha-ha. I’m not a quitter. Let’s say we’ll see what happens.

  ---

  Off topic, but as of yesterday, I published “wide” the Two-Five Ranch Outlaws series books too. They aren’t available at all the retailers yet. The holiday season is likely slowing down the publishing process. It shouldn’t be long. Whatever it takes, right?

  It seems like ages ago already, but I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Can you believe we’re on a countdown to Christmas now? I’m not ready! Are you?

  Apologies for not getting around to your blogs, my friends.

  Enjoy your week. Thanks for reading. 💖

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Blue Snow in the Moonlight | 8 Comments | Tagged #eBooks, #WritersLife, Christmas romance reads, cowboy, Forced Proximity, Holiday romance reads, Kindle eBooks, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance

• November NaNoWriMo 2022 aka NaNo

  Posted at 5:00 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 2, 2022

  

  Ha-ha, try saying the title fast. Are you participating in #NaNoWriMo this year? I’m not, but as I’m writing this post, I want to. However, when I participated, I always took my own advice… So…Write as much as you can, when you can to stay ahead of the game. Good luck!

  Gather snacks. Don’t forget a beverage. Stay hydrated. Have fun!

  

  In Comments, post a link to your NaNoWriMo profile if you’d like others to find you.

  If you’re new to NaNoWriMo or don’t know what it is, check out the link HERE.

  Need some inspiration? Five or more of my books written through NaNo are now published. They weren’t competed in thirty days, though. Also, after NaNo, it took hours and hours of editing before hiring a professional editor.

  Have a great rest of your week!

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, nanowrimo | 8 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, NaNoWriMo 2022

• Wordless Wednesday: Nature’s Way

  Posted at 9:37 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 2, 2022

  

  

  

  

  Posted in #WritersLife, Seasonal, Wordless Wednesday | 0 Comments | Tagged #AuthorsLife, #WordlessWednesday, #WritersLife, fall colors, Kalamazoo River, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, walk in the park, Wordless Wednesday

• Short Snippet Saturday: Scars and Fake Records

  Posted at 3:44 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 29, 2022

  

  Here we are on Saturday. The sun is shining brightly through my windows today. It’s nice out, too. The morning hours brought thick fog.

  This Saturday Snippet is from Finding Kimber, the second book in a spin off series to the Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight. Kimber is a newcomer to Arizona. You can read more about Kimber and how she got to where she is at this LINK from Meet Our Heroines.

  The actual snippet is short. All this other writing around it makes it look long. ❤

  ---

  This book is available wide at this Universal Link.

  Brief setup: Earlier in the day, Tressa experienced the worst moments of her life. She’s giving up her identity to keep her family safe and is about to enter her new life in Arizona with a new name. Jerry is her godfather. Before retirement, he had a career in a branch of law enforcement. Everything he’s doing for her now is off the books. Melinda has been hired to accompany Jerry in getting Kimber settled.

  Saturday Snippet:

  Later in the hotel in Boise, Idaho, Melinda came to stand beside her. “Think of your parents and Charlotte. They’re safe because of your decision. A murderer is off the streets.”

  At fifty-three, Melinda didn’t look her age. Her auburn hair shone, and her green eyes were friendly most of the time, though they had darkened and hardened as of late. Tressa took a deep breath. “If I must do this, I’ll make the best of it. I have a good incentive to make it work—my family’s life.”

  Melinda patted her back. “And don’t forget it’s for your life.”

  Tressa buried her face in her hands. “I can’t stand them being hurt.” She pounded her chest. “It aches so much right here.”

  Jerry sat beside her, waiting until she got control of herself. “All of us will keep you safe, Kimber.”

  It was the first time she’d been called Kimber. She clutched her chest again. “I don’t know if I can do this. My heart is broken.”

  He handed her a degree from San Francisco University. There was a high school diploma, awards from high school, report cards, and her new credit history. “Like the passport, we’ll create your driver’s license and other photos when the scar from the removal heals. Are you sure you want the mole above your lip removed?”

  “Yes, it always stood out. Yes.”

  “All your records prove you are Kimber Kay Sinclair. You’ve nothing to fear. You need to do what we suggest. In my job, we warned, ah, our witnesses, to obey our rules. You’ll survive as long as you do what you’ve been told.”

  Tressa went through the motions while trying to distance herself from all the horror of the past and then today. Over a period of the last thirteen months, she had set money aside for later. Untraceable money meant for Kimber Sinclair. “But how? How, Jerry, did you do all of this?”

  “Kimber…” He smiled upon using her new name. “You know I can’t answer your question. And it’s best you don’t know, either, my dear.”

  

  END

  ---

  Here is what the book is about and where to find it:

  She’s wary of her future. He’s burdened by his past

  Cattleman Zachary (Zach) Bryson arrives in Arizona with hopes of leaving the ghosts from his past behind. Hired by a stranger to run a ranch, he meets the owner—a secretive woman with no ranching experience. He’s seen her before, but she wasn’t a redhead with green eyes. In their first encounter, she swept him off his feet without their exchanging a word. Why did she change her appearance? What secrets lay behind those heart-stopping eyes? Seeing this job as a challenge, he sticks around to tackle this hottie head-on.

  After her life is threatened, Kimber Sinclair is forced to flee her lush Oregon county for a small town in Arizona with sand, saguaros, and dusty cowboys. She settles in to live a lie—to discover the person behind her new identity while she mourns the death of Tressa Garnett—her given name at birth. However, keeping a distance from her ruggedly handsome, broad-shouldered, wise-cracking ranch foreman, isn’t easy. She struggles daily to hide her secret from Zach who demands answers. By telling him the truth, his life could also be in danger.

  If trouble finds her, will she choose fight or flight? Can Zach set aside his own issues, or will his nightmares prevent him from doing what he was unknowingly hired to do?

  Universal Link

  

  I’d rate this book “R” by movie standards. If you only choose to read one book in a series, you’ll still have a complete story in itself.

  Thanks for reading.

  I hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy your weekend, especially if it’s as gorgeous as mine.<Waving>

  Posted in #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Short Snippet Saturday | 3 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, cowboy, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Romance, Short Snippet Saturday: Scars and Fake Records, western romance

• Rental Rant Update: It’s a Wrap

  Posted at 3:48 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 22, 2022

  

  In an earlier post, I wrote a rant about the high-cost of apartment rentals. How it would soon come time for my decision to stay or leave where I live now. After I wrote the previous post on this topic, I knew I had to come to a decision or continue to stress over it until my lease expired.

  So, after working out a plan, I decided to stay another year. Deciding lowered my stress level. Well, September arrived with a letter I expected from my manager, asking for my decision to stay or to give a two-month notice to move out.

  The letter indicated the rental fee for the next year. Honestly, I knew I’d be shocked, and I was, but not because it increased a ton. Yes, it increased, but it didn’t increase as much as first quoted. Well, I marched into the office wearing a smile as always, to inquire about the quote before signing the letter. She checked. Yay. No mistake.

  However, I recently learned my utilities increased too. No surprise. When I handed in my lease, I gave my manager a list of needed repairs. Yesterday, a newly-hired maintenance guy arrived to repair my bathtub drip. Drip is putting it mildly. He also installed a new faucet in my bathroom sink. I’m easy to please, and now with a new faucet, I feel like a queen!

  The lower-than-expected rental amount could be for two reasons:

  • The first estimate earlier in the summer was based on the cost of a renovated apartment. It’s my guess their plan fell through at this complex. My previous post mentioned they planned on renovating the kitchen and bathroom while we still lived here. To repeat from the other post, my apartment had recently been remodeled. Not totally renovated like their new remodels, though, where they’d tear the kitchen completely out and redesign it. Still, without a total renovation, my apartment is nice.

  • Secondly, maybe their summer quote wasn’t for my apartment model. My model is a hundred square feet smaller than some others. When I moved here, I lost one hundred square feet of space and storage.

  

  So folks, the debacle about where I’ll live for the next year has ended. Prayer works. Some of you know I didn’t choose to live here, but I was forced to move because an atrocious odor in my other apartment made me sick. By the grace of God, this is where they transferred me. This time, I am choosing to live here, and it brings a sense of calm. I don’t think this apartment ever felt more like home than it does now. Maybe I’ll even hang my pictures. I miss looking at them.

  Enjoy your day! Thanks for visiting.

  Featured Image: mastersenaiper @Pixabay

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife | 8 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, Cost of living, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Rental Rant Update: It's a Wrap

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