Monthly Archives: November 2013

Chuck Wendig’s 5 week Challenge Part 2: A Million Cats

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I’m participating in a 5 week challenge by Chuck Wendig. The first week I wrote a 200 word story start. You can see it in last weeks blog post.

I sorted through the many fantastic story starts and chose one by Rebecca Douglas. Here’s the link to her blog: http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2013/11/wendig-challenge-first-200-words.html

My task is to write a 2nd 200 words, moving the story forward. See Chuck’s site, http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/11/29/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time-part-two/ to get this week’s rules.

I’m keeping the title Rebecca gave the story so we all have some way to refer to it. So, here’s Rebecca’s start and my addition.

Millions of Cats Part 1 by Rebecca Douglass
November 26, 2013 at 11:52 PM //

Things never worked out according to plan when there were cats involved. I knew that, and I should have known better than to take the job. Either don’t try to plan or stay far from cats, and I knew which would have been better for me. But Keelan made it all sound so easy: we just had to pick up the consignment from Alpha-Centauri 4 and take them to Exilion 17. Four days, max, and two of them in hyperspace.

“What could go wrong?” I should really have run when Keelan said that, because you know as well as I do that anytime those words are uttered you should run, very fast, in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, we needed cash, and the cat people had it. So we went and picked up the load of cats.

That was where the trouble first began. They were supposed to be crated, sedated, and ready to be picked up by fork lift and stowed in the cargo hold. But when we arrived, a team of cat-wranglers was still chasing them around a pen. We had to wait an extra three days for all of them to be properly prepared for flight.

Part 2: 2nd 200 words Connie Cockrell
Now we were late. We hadn’t started and penalties were being assessed. “Don’t worry,” Keelan said. “There’ll still be plenty of credits. We’ll be able to pay off the bank as soon as we get to Exilion 17.”

I knew better, Murphy’s Law was in full effect. We loaded the crated cats and took off. The first day we built up to hyperspace speed and cleared the solar system. I hit the button. Nothing happened. I stared at Keelan. “I’ll fix it.” He unstrapped. I grunted in reply. He pulled the cover off of the panel after I got up to get some tea. He was tracing the wiring when I came back, cup steaming.

“Got it.” He held up a burnt wire. “I’ll just reconnect the two ends and we’ll be on our way.”

I knew what he meant. He was going to twist the ends together and tape it. I’m supposed to trust my life to that? “What if it fries again? We’ll never get out of hyperspace.”

“No, no,” he mumbled as he twisted the wires. “This will be fine. We’ll get it fixed the right way when we get to Exilion 17.”

Flash Fiction Friday: Hiking It Out

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Here’s the final installment of my Month of Thanksgiving Stories. I hope you’ve enjoyed them all.

Hiking It Out

Kelly picked up the ringing phone from the coffee table. “Hello?” She didn’t bother to sit up from her position on the sofa where she’d been napping.
“Kelly, it’s Marsha. It’s a glorious day and the weather this afternoon is perfect. Let’s go out to Monroe Lake and take a walk.”
Kelly ran her hand through her short, now graying, red hair. She didn’t want to go anywhere. Why didn’t everyone just leave her alone? “Ummm, I don’t know. I’m kind of busy.”
“It’s gorgeous out, Kelly. I’m dying to get out into the sunshine before winter sets in. Come with me.”
Marsha called every day. Kelly knew her best friend meant the best but sometimes the woman got on her last nerve. “I don’t know. I’m not ready to go.”
“Nonsense,” Marsha responded. “It’s been three months. I’ll be over in twenty minutes. Be ready.”
The line clicked off. Kelly sighed, phone still against her ear, head still on the throw pillow. She opened her eyes and hit the button to end the call. She didn’t feel like moving. Why was Marsha being such a pain?
She pushed up to a sitting position. The living room was dark. She hadn’t opened the curtains since her husband died in the car accident in early July. Kelly stood up. That seemed like more effort than it was worth. But she knew Marsha would be at the door in a few minutes. The woman was a stickler for being on time.
In the bedroom, Kelly peeled off the t-shirt and sweatpants she’d been wearing for the last four days. Should I take a shower? She glanced through the bedroom door into the adjoining bathroom. It didn’t seem like it was worth the effort. Instead, she pulled a pair of hiking pants and a t-shirt out of the dresser and put them on. Hiking socks were in another drawer, rolled up and ready to go.
She and her husband, Jim, used to go hiking every weekend. They loved hiking around Monroe Lake, especially this time of year. The oaks and beeches and maples made a riot of color reflected in the glassy lake waters. Tears began to leak from her eyes. She sat on the bed, socks forgotten in her hand.
The doorbell rang, startling her out of her grief. She wiped her eyes with the socks, still in her hand and shuffled downstairs to the door.
Marsha took one look and rushed forward. “Oh, Kelly,” and embraced her best friend. When they broke apart, Marsha took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her friend’s eyes. “You need to get outside. Where are your boots?”
Marsha went through the house like a whirlwind. She ran upstairs and found Kelly’s hiking boots and as Kelly sat on the stairs to put them on, combed through the house to find Kelly’s backpack and water bottles. “There,” she said as she dropped Kelly’s wallet in the pack and zipped it up. “You’re ready.”
Kelly nodded, using the banister to lift herself up.
They didn’t say anything on the hour ride to the lake. On their way up the mountain, Kelly stared out of the window as the scenery rushed by. Marsha pulled the car into a small trailhead parking area. It was nothing more than a wide shoulder but there was room for four or five cars.
Kelly stood at the rear of the car looking into the woods.
“Remember when you and I came up here a few years ago in the middle of the week?” She chuckled as she pulled the packs out of the trunk and handed Kelly hers. “It was hot that day and we decided to go skinny dipping in the cove on the other side of the lake.”
Kelly smiled as she put on the pack. “Yeah, those Boy Scouts got a little more scenery than they expected.”
Marsha laughed. “Yes they did.” She closed the trunk. Let’s go.”
She fell in behind Kelly and they stepped into the woods. Kelly kept a slow pace. She hadn’t done anything but lie on the sofa since the funeral. It was cool at the beginning. This area was white pine and shady all year long. She took a breath, drawing the pine scent from the trees deep into her lungs. Around the curve of the hill they came to the lake.
October is the best time of year to go hiking. No bugs, the air is clear and crisp. That’s what Jim always said. Her heart constricted as she brought up the memory of walking with him on this very trail. She took a deep breath in an effort to stop the tears from flowing. The women were walking through the leaves fallen from the maples and beech that grew in this part of the valley. She could smell the earthiness of the leaves and the moist ground under them. The carpet of leaves made a kaleidoscope of color on the ground. She loved the dry rustle as she shuffled through them on the trail.
Every viewpoint on the lake brought another wash of memories of her and Jim hiking here. Halfway around the lake Marsha said, “Let’s take a breather.” She led them over to a high point of rocks jutting out over the lake. “You can see the whole length of the lake from here.” She pulled off her pack and sat on the rocks, her legs dangling over the edge.
Kelly nodded as she sat beside her friend. She pulled a bottle of water out of the pack and drank, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Marsha handed her a sandwich. As she chewed, she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. The iron grip around her heart loosened a little.
“Yeah,” she said to Marsha. “I guess it is time to get out.”
The End
982 Words
Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

End of November 2013

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Hoo! Six days left for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! I’m close to finishing my book. It’s the last book in my series, Gulliver Station. This one is titled Revolution.  I’ve committed to putting the first book, A New Start, out in late January. This is my first series. It’s been a real lesson on creating a very long range story arc.

Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. How can a person not like having all of their favorite food on the table at the same time. This year my husband and I are going to a friend’s house. There’ll be 14 other people there. Kudos to my friend, Diane, for hosting such a large gathering.

Now we’re running into the Christmas season. I have so much to do in December I think I need to make a list. And, in case you haven’t heard, I put together a collection of Christmas themed stories. I released the collection the 17th of November. I had to write a couple of short stories to go into this collection. It’s out now and I’ve put the links below if you’d like a nice read over the Holidays. I’ll put additional links in as the book goes live on those sites.

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get first dibs on any promotions, book announcements, and other information. Go to the button on the upper right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up.

Christmas Tales released November 17th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Amazon or Smashwords today!

Links:

Kobo: Not yet available

Barnes and Noble: Not yet available

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Tales-Connie-Cockrell/dp/1494200570/ref=la_B009O6199C_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385322757&sr=1-5

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/379010

Apple: Not yet available

Chuck Wendig Challenge: 1st 1/5th of a Story

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Found a challenge on the Chuck Wendig site: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/11/22/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time-part-one/

I’m to write the 1st 200 words of a story, anything I want. Each week for the next 4 weeks, we’ll pick someone else’s piece and write the next 200 words. Sounded like fun. Here’s my 1st 200 words.

First 200 words of 1000 Word Story (200 words exactly)

Ewan Gilroy backed out of the library stack in a hurry. He peeked around the corner. Oh no.

He crept along the next row to watch the co-ed over the books. Ewan sweated as she checked the paper in her hand. She’s looking for something specific. Can’t be my book, no one’s checked it out in three years. She ran her finger along the titles. He froze as she pulled a book from the shelf. That book has the stolen code. I can’t finish this hack without it!

At the check-out Ewan walked up behind her with a random book.

“Nice to see you again, Brooke,” the librarian smiled. “Science of Computer MetaPhysics and Interdimensional Theory,” she stamped the lending card and her record book and handed the book to Brooke. “Research?”

“From Professor Ingles’ additional reading list for my final paper.” She tucked the book under her arm. “It looks like heavy reading.”

“You’ll do fine. Have a good day.”

“Thanks, you too.” Brooke left.

“May I help you?” the librarian asked.

“Uh, no, changed my mind, thanks.” Ewan dropped his book on the counter and hurried after Brooke. He’d follow her and with luck, get the book back.

Flash Fiction Friday: Gulliver Station Thanksgiving

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Here’s a story based on my new series, Gulliver Station. The first book of the series, Gulliver Station: A New Start should be released near the end of January. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get first dibs on any promotions, book announcements, and other information. Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up.

Gulliver Station Thanksgiving

Aine McCarthy was packing a lunch for her husband Dillon to take with him to work. “You know,” she said as he came into the kitchen, “Next week it will be one year we’ve been on Gulliver Station.”

He peeked inside the cloth bag she handed him. “Corned beef again?” he grinned.

“Go on with ya,” she smacked him in the shoulder. “It’s your favorite.”

He laughed as he pulled her close. “It is, and you’re my favorite for making it for me.” Then he gave her a long, slow kiss.

When they broke apart, he caressed her hair. “What were you sayin’ about next week?”

She reached up and pulled his hand to her heart. “It’s one year since we arrived. I think we should get some friends together for a little supper.”

He shrugged, “Sure’n that’s a fine thing by me.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I have to get to work.”

She walked him to the door. “See ya tonight.”

Aine contacted her friends. Some she knew and still was in touch with from the ship voyage out to the station from Earth. Some were new friends she’d met after they arrived. They all thought a celebration was a great idea.

The day of the dinner, Aine made a huge roast lamb. Not real lamb, of course. Gulliver Station wasn’t nearly ready to produce actual meat products. She’d had the soi-lamb before and found it to be nearly as good as the real product. As she was beggar poor before she and Dillon came here, she’d never had more than a taste of the real thing anyway. The rest of the guests were bringing the side dishes and desserts.

Dillon finished setting up the dining room table as a buffet and was opening a few plastic bottles of wine and one of whisky. Some entrepreneur from Old Earth Ireland was producing a rough whisky here on the station. Dillon thought it wouldn’t be long before the man perfected the recipe.

The guests began arriving and either Dillon or Aine greeted them at the door. Soon the table was loaded with food.

As drinks were poured and plates filled, they joked with each other about the change the move to the station had made in their lives.

“Aine,” Fiona Scally called out across the room. “Do you remember the first day you and I went to the Level 4 market?”

Aine blushed, “Of course I do.”

“You were so new, you didn’t even know what half the vegetables were in the market.”

The friends laughed good naturedly. It was the same for all of them. Most of them were near to homeless when they’d applied to come to the station. Most of them only ate once a day. “And why not, when I didn’t have a pot to cook them in,” Aine tossed back.  They all laughed again.

“And you, Clyde Bannon,” Dillon called to his friend on the sofa. “You hadn’t held a job a day in your life. I remember having to help you in the Dock Worker classes so you wouldn’t fail out.”

Clyde raised his glass to Dillon. “Very true, here’s to you, dragging me along with ye.”

The guests all cheered and toasted with them.

Dillon put his plate down. He raised his glass again. “Here’s to all of us. The day we decided to apply to come here was the best day of our lives. Gulliver Station, a place where we’re safe, housed, fed and have decent work for decent wages.”

“Here, here!” they all cheered and drank.

The End

598 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Merry Go Round Blog Tour: November 2013 – Looking Back

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Looking back. We all start to do that this time of year.

The year isn’t quite over for me yet. It’s National Novel Writing Month, after all. (see www.nanowrimo.org for more information and how to get in on the fun.) I also have a Christmas collection to get out by the end of November too.

Aside from that, 2013 has been a whirlwind for me. If you’re really interested in getting the exact details, go though my blog and pick out the posts where I talk about how I’ve met my goals by the month. Here’s the link to the first goal report of the year, it looks like I didn’t do one for January 2013: http://wp.me/p2AyuM-1o. I don’t want to talk about that here.

So I set goals for 2013. So what? Like most people, I get caught up in the minutia of getting through the day or at most, the week. The end of the year is for looking back at the big picture. What have I accomplished with my time and effort?

I’ve learned a lot about writing. Anyone who looks at my January flash fiction Friday stories and the ones in November, can tell that. There’s a lot to know about putting words on paper so that a reader will become engaged in the story. I think I picked up a little. There’s so much more to learn about the craft.

I learned about marketing and the publishing business as a whole. Am I an expert? By no means. But at least now I have a dim glimmer of what’s going on and how to navigate around the whole process. I’ve begun to treat what I’m doing as a business instead of a hobby. And no, it doesn’t take the fun out of it. It makes it easier for readers to find me and enjoy what I’m writing for them. What is the fun of keeping my writing to myself? I want others to enjoy it too.

Best of all, I’ve made friends; writing friends that I’ve actually gone to meet in person. What a treat. It’s like an atomic level convention. How cool is that!

The Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour is sponsored by the website Forward Motion (http://www.fmwriters.com). The tour is you, the reader, travelling the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. There are all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s always something new and different to enjoy. If you want to get to know the nearly twenty other writers check out the rest of the tour at http://merrygoroundtour.blogspot.com!  Up next: Jean Schara!

Flash Fiction Friday: Food for Thought

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Bel unloaded the butternut squash from the shipping box. A good load today. She picked one and put it in her own box. She and her husband, Todd, hated taking charity but she could volunteer one day a week at the food bank to pay for her weekly box of food.

When she finished she had to run her box home and put it away before she went to her job at the big box store. She sighed. Todd’s job was hardly better. Neither of them worked full time. She snorted. Yeah, Todd’s job was listed as full time, but they only gave him 32 hours. Short of enough hours for healthcare insurance. His pay barely covered sending the baby to the nursery while they worked. Thanksgiving was coming up. She hoped they’d get more hours to cover the holiday rush.

#

The next week Gail pulled dead squash vines from her garden. It was a gorgeous November morning, the sun shown down out of a cloudless blue sky. She paused to watch a flock of geese fly by.

She felt at loose ends since her last child, Emily, had gone off to college. The house seemed too big after her daughter left. She surveyed the patch. There were quite a few squashes. More than she needed. I should take them over to the food bank. She picked them and put them in her basket.

#

The first rush of customers after the food bank opened was over. Bel got a cup of coffee and let her mind wander as she waited for the next customer. It would be nice if Todd could get a full time job. He works too hard. We hardly ever see each other anymore.  A wave of sadness washed over her as she thought back to when they were dating in high school. She realized it was only a few years ago. She felt so old.

The door opened and a middle aged woman entered carrying a box of vegetables. “Hi. I’m Belle, can I help you?”

The woman nodded as she put the box on the counter. “Hi there. I’m Gail. It’s just my husband and me now. We don’t need everything I grow so I thought I’d donate it.”

Bel peeked into the box. “We appreciate that Gail. We love to get fresh produce. So much of what is donated is canned or processed food.”

“I’m glad I can help then.” Gail looked around the huge room. Several people were unloading boxes and putting canned goods and boxes of pasta and cereal on the shelves. “Are you all volunteers?”

Bel nodded. “Yeah. I have a job but it’s only part time. Same for my husband. I volunteer to pay for my box.”

Gail’s eyebrows rose. “Oh. That’s too bad.”

Bel shugged. “It’s the economy I’m told. No one is hiring. Not for good paying jobs anyway.” She sighed then put on a happy face. “Thank you for the donation. We’ll get it into boxes right away.”

Gail nodded. “You’re welcome. Have a good day.”

On the drive home she couldn’t stop thinking about Bel. How awful for them. I didn’t ask if she had children. Imagine working and still not being able to afford groceries.

That night over supper she talked to her husband, Evan. “I heard the saddest story today.” She proceeded to tell him about Bel.  “Can you imagine? What if that was us, or God forbid, our kids? I should do something.”

He wiped his plate with the last bit of his bread. “What can you do, Gail?”

She stabbed the last green bean on her plate. “I don’t know. But they’re both working and can’t afford food. That’s not right.” She popped the bean into her mouth and chewed, scowling. “What about your place?”

Evan put his silverware on his plate. “What about it?”

“Can’t you hire them? It’s a big factory. There must be something.”

He scratched his head. “I don’t know. We don’t have any openings right now.”

Gail leaned forward. “No janitors needed, material handlers, some sort of low level position that they can take and then get trained for other jobs?”

He sighed. He knew his wife. She’d pursue this until she got what she wanted. “Let me think about it.” He picked up his plate and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll go in tomorrow and look around.”

Gail nodded. “Thank you, honey.”

#

The next Saturday Gail went back to the food bank. She didn’t see Bel. “Hi, I met a young woman here last week, named Bel?”

“Oh yes,” the elderly woman smiled. “She’s in the back. Shall I get her?”

“Please.”

A few minutes later, Bel came out to the counter. “Hi again.”

“Hi. I’m Gail, we met last week.”

“Sure, I remember. Is there a problem?” Bel pushed a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Let’s talk outside,” Gail said. She led the way out of the door and into the parking lot. She faced Bel. “I have some news.”

Bel became wary. In her experience news was always bad.

Gail grinned. “I talked to my husband this week about you and your family. He’s the manager of the factory over on Glebe Street. Do you know it?”

“Yeah,” Bel said. “They make parts for cars, don’t they?”

“Yes, that’s the one.” Gail beamed. “My husband thinks he has a couple of jobs, for you and your husband.”

Bel stared.

“Full time,” Gail added. “It’s low level work, for now. But you could get trained, get promoted to higher paying jobs.”

Bel’s face crumpled. Tears began to flow. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

Gail pulled a tissue out of her purse and handed it to Bel. “Oh my. I’ve botched this completely.”

“Oh no,” Bell sniffled. “I’m happy.” She reached out and took Gail’s arm. “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

Gail hugged her. “You’re welcome.”

The End

993 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Veteran’s Day 2013

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A short post today.

I want to thank all of the veteran’s I know and those I don’t for their service.

I spent 20 years in the Air Force so I know a lot of vets, including my husband who also spent 20 years in the Air Force. Here’s a salute to you and my friends and family who have served.

To my biological father (Navy), step father (Air Force and Army), myself, my husband (both AF), my daughter (AF), my brothers (one AF, one Army) and my nephew (Army).

Reprieve

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Reprieve

“Mrs. Hunter,” Dr. Chandra began as he entered the exam room. “The mammogram results are why I asked you to come in today.”

My heart began to beat furiously and my palms began to sweat. It’s never good when they call you in to discuss the test results. I swallowed and nodded as he slid onto his stool. He opened his netbook and turned the screen to me. On it was a fuzzy picture of my breast.

“Right here,” he pointed at the screen and looked back to me. “This is suspicious. You can see it’s different than the surrounding tissue.”

I nodded, a voice in the back of my head repeating “Oh my God, Oh my God,” over and over again.

“What I’d like to do,” he continued, “is have a biopsy done. We’ll take a sample and look at it. It may be a cyst, totally benign.”

I grasped at that straw. “So, it’s nothing?”

He shook his head. “We won’t know until we take a sample and look at it. I’d like to do it sooner rather than later, Mrs. Hunter.”

What could I do, I nodded again. The blood drained away from my head. My head spun.

He shut the netbook and looked at me. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mrs. Hunter. We’ve found whatever it is early. We’ll take a look and see what it is.”

I swallowed, trying to get some moisture into my mouth. “Sure. No worries.”

At the front desk the scheduler opened the doctor’s calendar. “We can get you in on Monday, Mrs. Hunter. Does that work for you?”

I pulled up the calendar app on my phone. “Yes, that’s good.” We spent the rest of the time going over what I needed to do before the procedure.

I just sat when I got into the car. My mind was a jumble of panic and things to do. Thanksgiving was next week. My son, Jeff, and his wife and kids were coming on Wednesday. Would I have the results by then? The procedure itself was an outpatient thing. No lotion or deodorant, just lie on the table and they’d stick a needle in to get a tiny sample. Still, I could feel the blood pounding in my ears. I wished Jack were still alive. He’d have hugged me and made a joke and allayed my panic. I wanted to cry.

On Monday, I went into the hospital. The procedure went according to plan and I was out in an hour and a half. They told me they’d get me the results on Friday. I thanked them and left. I really wanted the results sooner. I didn’t want to go through the holiday with this hanging over my head.

Jeff and his family arrived on Wednesday afternoon. It’s so nice to have the house full of the sound of kids again. It is too quiet all by myself. I didn’t tell them about the biopsy. Really, what is there to tell? There’s no need to worry them. We spent the rest of the evening making pies and catching up.

Thursday was a rush of cooking and preparations for dinner. The turkey in the oven and everything prepped we took a walk around the neighborhood at eleven. As Jeff pointed out items of interest to the kids and his wife, I looked at the trees. They were bare, only a few random leaves still on the branches. The trees looked cold, the way I felt.

At two in the afternoon, before we served dinner, the phone rang. “Hello?” I said into the kitchen phone as I pulled serving spoons from the drawer.

“Mrs. Hunter?”

It was Dr. Chandra, my heart sank. If he’s calling me now, something must be very wrong.

“Yes, Dr. Chandra. This is Eleanor Hunter.” I put the spoons down and gripped the counter.

“I wanted to call and give you the news, Mrs. Hunter. The biopsy came back clean. It’s just a cyst.”

There was a rushing in my ears as I struggled to understand. Joy washed over me. “Nothing’s wrong?”

“The results were definitive, Mrs. Hunter. We can schedule a visit later to discuss the cyst. I wanted to give you the new so you could enjoy Thanksgiving.”

I grinned, “Thank you, Dr. Chanda. Thank you. Yes, I’ll call your office to make an appointment. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Hunter.”

I gently put the handset back into its cradle. Just a cyst. I took the spoons into the dining room, still grinning. Yes, a very Happy Thanksgiving.

The End

765 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

How I Did for October 2013

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Hoo! Four days into the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! Just settling into my rhythm, getting words onto the page. It’s an exciting month.

October was also killer, so to speak. Lots went on so let me show you how I met the goals for the month.

– Write 4 Flash Fiction Friday Stories (one per week)

– Done. Not only the four needed for October (and all of them with a Halloween theme!) but 5 for November, all Thanksgiving themed. I need to be able to focus on the novel so I got all 5 Friday flash fictions written and scheduled on my blog. You won’t miss a one.

– Update my Blog and Facebook Fan page (Both are titled ConniesRandomThoughts) weekly

– Did all of that. Indeed, I made quite a few changes to my blog. I changed the background color from boring gray to a more festive Autumn color. I added some new links to friend’s blogs and to a sign up for a newsletter for my fans. (See below for more about the newsletter sign up.) Not in the goals. I also update my Google+ page and my Twitter account, twice a day. If you aren’t a follower or friend on those sites I’m looking to build my communities there as well.

– Continue to revise short stories

– Did that.

– Continue to submit short stories

– I submitted one short to the Tucson Festival of Books and one to the Arizona ONE-BOOKAZ Goes Digital eBook Writing Competition.

– Finalize outline for November NaNo

– Done. I’m writing to that outline now. It’s the last of my Gulliver Station series. I wrote the first one last November (which has turned out to be book 3 of the series). I’m pretty excited about writing the final book. It’s taken me a year to do it.

– Other things

– I have begun looking into marketing for my books. I looked at some free training video’s by Jeff Walker, recommended by Holly Lisle. I was not able to take his course. But, based on the free information he published, Holly has put together an author-centric, free, self-monitored course on marketing. I’m going through the steps of that process as we speak. Most of the changes to my blog were based on the lessons of this marketing course.

– I put together a collection of Christmas themed stories. I already have the cover for it drafted and all of the stories. Also part of the marketing course, I plan to release the collection by the end of November. I had to write a couple of short stories to go into this collection. So I had plenty of daily writing practice for November’s NaNo.

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get first dibs on any promotions, book announcements, and other information. Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up.

Halloween Tales released September 30th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Amazon or Smashwords today!

Links:

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/halloween-tales-a-collection-of-stories

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halloween-tales-connie-cockrell/1116995365?ean=2940045288972

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Tales-Collection-Connie-Cockrell/dp/1492783072/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380515780&sr=1-2&keywords=Halloween+Tales

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/359689

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/halloween-tales-collection/id716418558?mt=11