Category Archives: Book Covers

July Camp NaNo Prep

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Revolution: last book in the Gulliver Station Cover Reveal by Connie Cockrell

Revolution: last book in the Gulliver Station Cover Reveal by Connie Cockrell

Not much going on in the garden right now. The blackberries are starting to ripen; I picked a handful Sunday morning. I also picked 2 Sungold cherry tomatoes.   The tomato plants have put their energy into growing bigger but there are little green tomatoes on the vines so it won’t be too long. The hot pepper plants have one pepper ready to pick. I’ll use it when I make something that needs a spicy pepper. I’ve been trimming my rose bushes of their spent blooms; the plants will rebloom in a month or so once the monsoon starts.

Another busy weekend for me. Friday was a trip to see a writer friend in Prescott. We had a great lunch and talked about a little bit of everything.  Saturday was the Farmer’s Market, a wine party and the concert in the park. Sunday is my brother-in-law’s birthday. We invited him over for a birthday supper with cole slaw, and a fish fry. The fryer is going outside. I don’t want to clean grease off of everything in the kitchen.

I have one more copy of Revolution to come back and I can continue the edits. I’ve tweaked the cover to make the military ships more visible. They were black, now they’re partially blue. The cover is the blog picture today. What do you think?

I’m getting ready for the July Camp NaNo (https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in) and JulNo (http://julnowrimo.com/). I like to participate in both sites so I’m registered for both. I’m going to write the novelettes for my Holly Lisle’s How to Write a Series, Expanded Session classes. So I guess I’m ready for my 50K word July challenge.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Please sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get first dibs on any promotions, book announcements, and other information. Want to know how to get a free copy of each new book? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Want to be a beta reader? Sign up for the newsletter! I’ll give you a free copy. All I ask is a review on the e-tailer or Goodreads site of your choice.

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here.  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

Hard Choices: A Gulliver Station Story released May17th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Cover Reveal for Hard Choices

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Hard Choices Cover art by Connie Cockrell

Hard Choices
Cover art by Connie Cockrell

 

Check it out! What do you think? The book itself will be out the end of May. I still have editing to do on it. Overall, it’s a very short novel and a four related short stories. It’s set in the Gulliver Station timeline between The Challenge (released end of March 2014) and Revolution, which is slated for release end of July 2014.  I’m still contemplating the arrangement of the short stories.  Here’s a blurb about the book:

A short novel with four short stories, Hard Choices looks at life on Gulliver Station in the time after The Challenge. Weather in the Biosphere is a tale about two cousins, who make an ill-timed mistake. Methane Breathers considers communications difficulties between two different species. Growing up is full of hard choices as Cassandra Madison in The Conversion discovers. Barrie has lost his job and must play the game for his family to survive as you’ll read in Dedication Day. The title story, a short novel, takes a look at life on Gulliver Station from an outsider’s point of view.  Between ships, Jolene Harris enjoys leave by herself when things go horribly wrong. Will she live to reach her new ship, The Adirondack?

April’s Camp National Novel Writing Month, https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in  is in its third week. I’m plugging away on my novel, still unnamed. As of yesterday, I’m at 32,000 words, well on my way to my goal for 50K words. There’s still a lot of writing to be done but it looks as though I’ll meet the challenge!

My rhubarb has made it through the dry winter here in central Arizona. I think it needs at least another year before I cut any stalks.

The root canal took five shots of novocaine and two hours but the dentist was quite pleased with the results. I still have some jaw ache from the procedure but it’s slowly going away. It’s nice to take a drink of room temperature water and not wince from the pain.

My project to collect my mom’s history by using To Our Children’s Children: Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come by Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford is ongoing. Not every phone call to my mom has time or opportunity to ask questions but it is moving along. My brothers and sister are going to like this.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Go ahead and 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. Or sign up here.  Use Control, Click to access the link.

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here.  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

The Challenge: A Gulliver Station Story released March 23rd! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Seleana Laurence Cover Reveal and Giveaway

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New Covers, New Sales, Big Giveaways!

by Selena Laurence

I could not be more excited today because I get to reveal the cover for Lush 2 – For the Love of a Lush! This cover was designed by Cover It! Designs, who do all of the Lush and Hiding From Love covers. Take a look at Walsh and Tammy, and when you’re done, scroll down for information on the special sale we’re having for Lush 1, and your chance to enter a whole Lush giveaway!

Lush 2 smalljacket

To help celebrate the cover reveal for Lush 2, we’re putting Lush 1 – A Lush Betrayal on sale for just $.99 for a limited time. Don’t miss this chance to try out the rock star romance that NYT  and USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely described as: “Delicious and intriguing”

ALB_99_web2

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Now for the Giveaway!

Go to Rafflecopter Here

Selena Laurence | April 17, 2014 at 6:00 am | Tags: A Lush Betrayal, For the Love of a Lush | Categories: News, Newsletter, The Cover Gal | URL: http://wp.me/p3asno-r5

The Challenge Cover Reveal

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The Challenge front cover

The Challenge front cover

Editing and formatting are complete on The Challenge, the second book in the Gulliver Station series. How do you like the cover? The manuscript has been entered on both Smashwords and CreateSpace so will be available shortly. For those of you new to my blog, Smashwords is an ebook publishing site and distributes to many ebook vendors like Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others. It also puts my stories on library lists and book lists that book stores buy from. CreateSpace is an Amazon owned publishing venue. It gives me a paper copy as well as a Kindle copy of my book.  In a day or two, The Challenge will be up on Amazon. It takes a little longer for Smashwords to get it distributed out to the other vendors, though if you want an ebook version right away it’s up on Smashwords now.

What else is going on?

Hubby is power washing our wooden fence. It had never been painted or stained and the wood had turned grey with black streaks. Once he finishes washing it (what he’s done looks better already) we’ll paint or stain it. There’s a lot of fence to do but he takes the job in stages and eventually, it will be washed.

Spring is here in Arizona. My peach and nectarine trees have already bloomed. The pear trees are in bloom now. The apples will be another week or so, they just began to bud out. The early daffodils have come and gone, the mid-season ones are in bloom now. I have been so busy getting my books out that I haven’t even looked at my garden seed catalogs. It’s time for me to get my seed order in and get my tomatoes and peppers and eggplant started. I love being able to step out of my back door and pick fresh stuff for dinner. I’m tickled every time I do it. I’ve already been harvesting green onion, parsley, swiss chard, chives and oregano. How cool is that?

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Go ahead and 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. Or sign up here.  Use Control, Click to access the link.

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here.  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

A New Start: A Gulliver Station story released January 31st! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Kobo: Not Available Yet. I’m working with their Help Desk to resolve whatever the issue is that is preventing A New Start from being listed. I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t affect The Challenge.

Blog spot for Debra Kayn’s Grasping for Freedom

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 GraspingForFreedom - 500x
 
In Debra Kayn’s newest biker romance novel, Sergeant at Arms of Bantorus MC, Torque Kendler fights to keep his past hidden, while protecting the one woman who’s capable of bringing chaos down on Pitnam out of desperation and love.
Torque Kendler, Sergeant at Arms of the Bantorus Motorcycle club, tenaciously safeguards his marked past. Shot twice by Los Li and nearly killed last year, he wants to hold on to the familiar and retain his freedom. However, there are too many changes happening in Pitnam for him to trust anyone…especially the new chick managing the bar that’s giving him attitude and consuming his thoughts.
Sent by Los Li to work at a biker bar called Cactus Cove, Brandy Haas expects to get the information she came for and save her dad from the Mexican mafia. Worried about her dad, struggling at her job, and scared of failing again, she adds to her problems by lusting after the most dangerous biker in the MC. One biker, one hothead, one wonderful gift Torque unknowingly gives her could destroy everything she’s trying to protect.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All romance and where most ebooks are sold
Goodreads

Cover Reveal for A Lush Betrayed Novel by Selena Laurence

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All you romance readers out there!

Selena is doing it again. She’s kicking off the first of her Lush series with a pre-read.

Join Selena Laurence and lots of friends for an exclusive pre-read of A Lush Betrayal from February 17-23. Sign up by commenting with your email address on the below Facebook page before Feb. 17th and you will receive a free advance copy of the book. Then join us online on Facebook, as we read, discuss and win prizes. There will be guest authors stopping by, blogger hostesses and lots of mancandy, so make sure to be here!
Here’s the location of that FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/580223195403003/
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Thanks so much everyone!
xoxo,
Selena Laurence
As Lush As It Gets (Lush #1) | February 2014
Buried (Hiding From Love #3) | April 2014

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.

So, now to my newest release, A New Start, A Gulliver Station novel.

Several other e-tailers now have it out. It’s the first of a 4 book series about life on a space station. Hope you like it.

What’s New?

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I’m pretty excited. My new book, A New Start, the first book of my Gulliver Station series is in the hands of my line editor (my hubby)! I’ve finished my cover. See it here.

Cover of the first book in the Gulliver Station series.

Cover of the first book in the Gulliver Station series.

Once the story is finished with the line editor I’ll be formatting it and putting it up on Amazon, Nook, everywhere. I’m still shooting for the end of the month. Want a free copy to review? Sign up for my newsletter. The link is below. I’ll send you to Smashwords with a secret code for a free ebook to read. The catch? I’d love a review.

Other news. I received a rejection for my story, The Reunion, from the Tucson Literary Festival. Bummer. I thought that was a pretty good story. Now though, I have the chance to look at it again and send it somewhere else. My stories Someone Else is Living Here and Generation Bug are still out at competitions. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Personal information: I’m adding compost and fresh dirt to my raised garden beds. This gives them a couple of months to rest and be ready in April for the first plantings. I ate my last pear  (I picked them in September) and it had a brown spot but the rest of it was delicious. I’m glad I planted a pear tree three years ago.

Like most people I’ve started a diet. First thing, to break my wine every evening habit. Face it. It’s nice but it’s a lot of empty calories. I’m doing the diet the old fashioned way. I’ve increased my exercise and am cutting back on bread, pasta, and so on. Some people would call that a Paleo or Whole 30 diet. Shrugs. It doesn’t matter what it’s called. I’m eating healthier.

So, now I’ve got to get back to editing the 2nd book in the Gulliver Station series, The Challenge. Have a great week, everyone.

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. http://conniesrandomthoughts.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8c24bb15bdf9245512f722298&id=0a097feea0

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/conniecockrell  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

Links to Christmas Tales will lead you to my author page on each site where my other published work is available:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/christmas-tales/id761282885?mt=11

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Tales-Connie-Cockrell/dp/1494200570/ref=la_B009O6199C_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385963121&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-tales-connie-cockrell/1117497310?ean=9781494200572

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/christmas-tales-3

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

Working, Working!

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I managed to get the garden cleaned up in time for Saturday’s birthday party for my hubby. Too bad the weather didn’t cooperate. We had 20+ people in our very small living room and kitchen. Didn’t matter. We all had fun and hubby got a great birthday party, Yay! Here’s a picture of the Santa Hat brownies I made for the event.  Image

Sunday we had a quiet day. I had a chance to start developing my book covers for the Gulliver Station series. So far I have draft pencil drawings. Don’t give me too much credit. The drawings look like a 3rd grader did them. However, I chose my font and made note of what goes where. The text, most of the back cover, title and author name is finished on the cover. I spent 3 hours on the background and it’s only partially done. I’m still learning Gimp, so everything takes forever. On the plus side, many of the elements for this book cover can and will be used on the subsequent covers. I love reusable work.

I have a Chuck Wendig challenge, number five of five to complete, and will post it on Friday, as my Friday Flash Fiction. I’m also going to try and post the completed stories I participated in. That may take a few Mondays or maybe special posts. I’m still behind on my 2 Year Novel Course. Sigh, I’ll get to it, I promise. I want that story for my 2014 Christmas book. I need to begin revision on The Challenge. This is the second of my four novel series about Gulliver Station, a SciFi series about a space station. I’m working toward an end of March release for the second book. Book 1, A New Start, was passed to my beta readers Saturday. Stay tuned. Will I make my January release date?

Finally, please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I appreciate all of my followers for checking in with me each week. I appreciate your support and comments on my posts.

If you’re still looking for a Christmas gift, check out my Christmas Tales. Links are below. In each of those markets you can find my other books as well. Hope you enjoy.

Links:

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. http://conniesrandomthoughts.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8c24bb15bdf9245512f722298&id=0a097feea0

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/conniecockrell  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

Links Christmas Tales:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/christmas-tales/id761282885?mt=11Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/christmas-tales-3

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Tales-Connie-Cockrell/dp/1494200570/ref=la_B009O6199C_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385963121&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-tales-connie-cockrell/1117497310?ean=9781494200572

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/christmas-tales-3

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

December Madness

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I finished the first pass through the first book of my Gulliver Station series. There’s a lot of changes and updates to make. In addition I still have to design the cover. I release the first book of the series at the end of January so stay tuned for the announcements. Lots and lots to do!

Christmas stuff  update. I made the fondant for my peppermint patties and made chocolate covered toffee. I cut the base of my Christmas cards. I still have to make the decorations for the cards and stamp the insides.  Then of course, there’s the addressing and mailing. Hope to get those cards in the mail by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.  Still to do for candy and cookies are truffles, roll out the fondant, cut in circles and dip in chocolate for the peppermint patties. I also make Russian Teacakes or some people call them Mexican Wedding Cakes or even Snowballs. They’re a tradition of mine and it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without them.  By December 16th that all has to be made and boxed up and boxes put together with gifts and the candy/cookies to send to my Mom and my son-in-law.

After that it’s my husband’s birthday and we’re having a host of people over for a party. Somewhere in there I have to wrap gifts. I did get the tree up and the house decorated.  Check that off of the list.

Links:

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. http://conniesrandomthoughts.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8c24bb15bdf9245512f722298&id=0a097feea0

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/conniecockrell  Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.

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:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/christmas-tales/id761282885?mt=11

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Tales-Connie-Cockrell/dp/1494200570/ref=la_B009O6199C_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385963121&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-tales-connie-cockrell/1117497310?ean=9781494200572

Kobo: Still loading.

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

Join My Team and Other News

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I’m finalizing my Christmas Tales collection. Would you like to be among the 1st to read it? I’m looking for beta readers. If you’d like to be “in the know” and a critical part of my next book, sign up for my Newsletter. You can do that two ways. There’s a link at the top right of the page and a Newsletter tab where you can sign up. In a week or so, I’ll be sending the draft out and looking for critical feedback on punctuation, missing or misspelled words and any other mistakes to be found in the stories. Sign up today!

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Other news, NaNo starts on Friday. My writer friends and I are gearing up, finalizing our outlines, cleaning our desks and stocking up on snack food. It will be 30 full days of writing madness.

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