Category Archives: Gardening

Daffodils, Allergy Season, Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

The above picture is of my mini daffodils. That is the surest sign of Spring, don’t you think? Their little yellow heads bobbing in the spring breeze, even if it is cold, just makes a person think of warmer weather. Other signs of Spring are that the flowering plum trees are starting to bloom. It’s nice to drive down the street and see a pink flowering tree in nearly every yard. There are other trees which bloom in white. While I don’t know what kind of tree they are, they’re just covered in white blossoms and the whole street, well, neighborhood, is just delightful to see. But all of that means that the pines, spruces, willows, cedars, and for me, even worse, are the junipers all in full pollen producing mode. I’m a mess of watery, itchy eyes, constantly running nose, and sneezing and coughing while I try to breathe. This time of year, nearly ¾ of the people I know are suffering. I love Spring but the pollen, not so much.

On my new plant-based lifestyle, I’ve been pretty successful over the last week. I did some shopping after watching all of those vegan Youtube videos, and picked up a number of condiments, veggies, and even some prepared meat and cheese substitutes to try out. Breakfasts and lunches have hardly changed. What has changed is that there is vegan bread. Much of the gluten free bread I’ve been buying has egg in it, so I am again label checking to find bread that doesn’t have egg. I’ve tried some of the meat substitutes. The other night I made a vegan Shepard’s Pie using Beyond Meat crumbles. The “meat” had a smoky flavor, perhaps a little too much but it blended well with the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the filling. The potato mash on the top used vegan butter, yes, that’s a thing, and I thinned it with veggie broth. The whole thing was delicious. Even the hubby, who is not on the vegan bandwagon, gave the meal a thumbs up. You may ask, “What do I miss?” Eggs. I do miss having eggs for breakfast. I have tried using tofu as a scrambled egg substitute but since the hubby isn’t eating it, I ended up eating the mixture, as breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwich, on a plate with other things, and so on. After the 4th day I was sick of it. Nothing’s perfect, I guess. The other problem is that this is a small town in the middle of nowhere. No restaurant offers vegan options. I have to modify anything I order to eliminate the meat and dairy products. That means I’m mostly eating lettuce with the random piece of tomato or slice of cucumber. Hardly the delight one expects when eating out. Oh well.
Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Valentine’s Day giveaway is still live. There are 14 authors involved this time so a lot of great books and prizes are up for grabs. Go to my link, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter. The group is skipping this year’s St. Patrick’s Giveaway, but are putting together the Spring giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Where will I Be?

The Desert Foothills festival in Scottsdale. Mark your calendar for June 4th, 9am to 2pm at the Holland Center, 34250 North 60th street. See you there. This is the first annual festival and I’m looking forward to it.

 


Phoenix Fan Fusion, is back scheduled for its normal time, Memorial Day weekend. Even more fun, it’s the event’s 20th anniversary! I’ll be there in Artists Alley, at table number B821. The website does not yet have a map up of the lower-level sellers area but when they do, I’ll post the link. I’ve made my hotel reservations! https://www.phoenixfanfusion.com/.

 


Payson Book Festival planning is in full swing. We have a wonderful lineup of authors attending. We’re still finalizing registrations but I’m sure readers will be pleased with the wide variety of genres we have available. Check out the website’s Meet the Authors page to see who will be there selling their books. We’ll be in Payson at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino ballroom on July 23rd, 2022 from 9am until 2:30pm.

CokoCon is a traditional science fiction/fantasy convention in Phoenix, Arizona, September 2nd through the 5th. Adult memberships are $50 each. Children are $25. Only 500 memberships will be offered! I’m not selling at this event, but I will be there to chat with you if you happen to come out. Contact me through my website or facebook page to schedule a meet up! Check out their website at http://www.cokocon.org/2022/.

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on http://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote my books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Crazy month, Orchid News, Healthy Eating: Monday Blog Post

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Eagle catching fish by Randy Cockrell

 

Newest News:

What a crazy month. I had something schedule every day the last 3 weeks. A couple of things were fun, but most were volunteer work or doctor visits. This last week of February is much slower which is a relief. I did sign up for a new book festival, the Desert Foothills festival in Scottsdale. I know the organizer, and this is her first festival. I think it will be great. Mark your calendar for June 4th, 9am to 2pm at the Holland Center, 34250 North 60th street. See you there.

An update on my orchid. The 6th bloom has opened. Did I mention I’d been giving it African Violet fertilizer? It seems to be doing okay.

Still eating healthy. Changed from raw vegan to just vegan. I really missed hot meals at supper time. I just couldn’t get warm. I’m doing much better on this plan. It’s tough to go out to eat though. Most places only have a salad as a vegetarian option. Most don’t do vegan at all unless they’ll let you make modifications to your meal. Still, it’s easier than raw food vegan, so there’s that. I’m down about 13 pounds since the beginning of the year, so I’m pleased. I’ll be more pleased when I do my blood tests in the middle of March and I see some changes to liver, thyroid, and other numbers that went wonky. Celiac will do that, so we’re hoping the change of diet will put everything right.

You can find my books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell. Just scroll down and select the book or books you’re interested in.

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Valentine’s Day giveaway is still live. There are 14 authors involved this time so a lot of great books and prizes are up for grabs. Go to my link, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

Just took a look at my Where Will I Be page on my website and realized that it’s woefully out of date. I had the Tempe FanCon this last weekend and totally enjoyed all of the great cosplay costumes people young and old wore. Next up is Phoenix Fan Fusion, which dropped the January proposed date and is back scheduled for its normal time, Memorial Day weekend. Even more fun, it’s the event’s 20th anniversary! I’ll be there in Artists Alley, as soon as I find out my table number, I’ll post it here and on my website. I’d better make my hotel reservations! https://phoenixfanfusion.com/

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on http://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote my books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Payson Book Festival, Orchid Bloom, Healthy Eating: Monday Blog Post

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The PBF from 2019

 

Newest News:

Writing is going slowly as this is the time of year I’m accepting registrations for the Payson Book Festival. The festival is now scheduled for July 23rd, 2022 at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino ballroom. The process for accepting the registrations is a bit time consuming. Check the registration for changes if this is a returning author, add them to the group email, add them to the spreadsheet, email them with their acceptance and ask for the bio, picture and book covers they want on the website. Assign them a table spot. Receive the files and save them to this year’s folder then email them to the website manager to put on the website and to the program manager so we can print a program. Then if there’s an issue, and that happens about 60% of the time, a sometimes long email string tracking the problem to resolution. Add to that this year’s internal problem of a glitch in the website registrations that doesn’t allow many of the authors to even get to the registration page. That’s still being worked on. So aside from this blog, not much writing going on. But mark your calendar for July 23rd. We’d love to have you come to our book festival and meet all of the authors.

An update on my orchid. The 3rd bloom has opened.

On the eating healthier front. I’ve now spent one week on my new eating plan. Saturday night was a loss as I ate a cold chicken thigh and gluten free box mac and cheese. Neither of those are on my diet unless you count chemically laden mac and cheese as vegan. Anyway, Sunday I was back on it. I have to remember to eat more. When you cut so much fat from the diet, it takes a lot of fruit and veggies to keep you full longer. It’s weird to have to eat so much after decades of training myself to eat less.

You can find my books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell. Just scroll down and select the book or books you’re interested in.

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Valentine’s Day giveaway has gone live. There are 14 authors involved this time so a lot of great books and prizes are up for grabs. Go to my link, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

Just took a look at my Where Will I Be page on my website and realized that it’s woefully out of date. I had the Tempe FanCon this last weekend and totally enjoyed all of the great cosplay costumes people young and old wore. Next up is Phoenix Fan Fusion, which dropped the January proposed date and is back scheduled for its normal time, Memorial Day weekend. Even more fun, it’s the event’s 20th anniversary! I’ll be there in Artists Alley, as soon as I find out my table number, I’ll post it here and on my website. I’d better make my hotel reservations! https://phoenixfanfusion.com/

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on http://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote my books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Gardening in January, Tempe FanCon: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

It’s not the normal time for gardening but I feel like sharing a breakthrough on the houseplant front. My brother-in-law gave me an orchid 3 years ago on the death of my mother. It was a lovely plant and the blooms stayed alive for a long time. Ever since then I’ve been trying to get it to rebloom. This is the year. It finally sprouted a flower stalk about Thanksgiving and it’s been taking it’s own sweet time budding out. But now, as you can see from the picture, I’m going to have flowers in the near future. I used some African Violet fertilizer on the plant and watered it a little more heavily than recommended to get the flower stalk. I hope I can replicate the flowering next year! Anyone else have success with orchids? What did you do?

Tempe FanCon is January 29th and the link is below. It is an outdoors event so safer for those worried about covid. I’m hoping for a nice day with no wind, how about you! Again, this is a great spot to find a new to you author and give them a read. See you there.

You can find my books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell. Just scroll down and select the book or books you’re interested in.

 

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Valentine’s Day giveaway has gone live. There are 14 authors involved this time so a lot of great books and prizes are up for grabs. Go to my link, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

I’ll be at the Tempe FanCon on January 29th from 10am until 4pm. You can find all the info about it at https://www.tempepubliclibrary.org/event-calendar/tempe-fancon. We’ll be outside, in the Library plaza, so dress for the weather.

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

 

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on http://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote my books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Apple Pie, 9-11 Memorial, New Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

A friend with an apple tree has given us a big bag of apples. I made apple pie. (See above picture.) It has a French crumb topping and a gluten free (purchased) pie shell. He gave us the apples not only cause he’s a nice guy but because we gave him peaches. I love that in our little town people trade garden produce back and forth.

The 20th anniversary of 9-11 was remembered by many all across the nation on Saturday. Our small town held a ceremony at the military memorial in the park in the morning. In the afternoon, one was held at the town’s library. A group got together and organized a postcard writing event inviting school children and the public to write thank you cards to local fire fighters. The goal was to write 200+ cards, one for each floor of the World Trade Center buildings. I don’t know how many were completed but they were strung on a long rope and the rope was hoisted up high by a local fire department. The cards will be distributed on Monday to local fire fighters. A couple of pics, one above and one below.

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. The delta variant of the virus is racing through my county. New cases have doubled every week since mid-July and the majority of the people hitting the ICUs and ERs are unvaccinated. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together. Please schedule your vaccination as soon as you can. The shots are still free!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, is now over! As soon as the organizer pulls the winners, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, the Pumpkin Posse Authors Halloween Giveaway is live! There are twelve authors, 24 prizes and $71 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

Where will I Be?

I found out from our local farmer’s market managers that they are going to do the Christmas Market again this year. I signed up. I don’t know if I’ll get a single day or be a permanent booth. It will run from mid-November to just before Christmas. I’ll let you know when I find out the details. Stay tuned.

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Roses, Covid Test Results, Writing: Monday Blog Post

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Photo by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

My roses are in a second bloom, well, reaching the end of their second bloom and the hubby has been out there taking some pictures. We had a rain a few days ago and he went out early and found one of my yellow roses perfectly covered in raindrops. That’s the above picture.

I mentioned last week that I was scheduling myself for a Covid test and an antibody test. Well, that happened, and I was pleased to see I don’t have Covid and that the antibodies I am supposed to have were actually in my system. The testing process was super easy. The techs came out to the car. I waited the 15 minutes for the results. Altogether, probably 20 minutes at the office. I was reassured that my autoimmune diseases didn’t have an effect on my vaccinations. It was worth the 20 minutes for peace of mind.

 

On writing, I’m into Mystery at the Reunion, I’m into the story doing my best to add more background, develop each character’s point of view more, that sort of thing. Also on my mind is my Gulliver Station series. At the start of the year I did a little redesign of the cover of the first book, A New Start. I had so much trouble getting it uploaded to KDP that I burnt out on it. However, I think I’ve recovered my gumption and want to get into the last three books and get those covers updated. I didn’t make big changes, just minor ones. No need to go out and get all new books.

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. The delta variant of the virus is racing through my county. New cases have doubled every week since mid-July and the majority of the people hitting the ICUs and ERs are unvaccinated. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together. Please schedule your vaccination as soon as you can. The shots are still free!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, is live! There are 24 prizes and $66 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

I found out from our local farmer’s market managers that they are going to do the Christmas Market again this year. I signed up. I don’t know if I’ll get a single day or be a permanent booth. It will run from mid-November to just before Christmas. (The above poster is from last year.) I’ll let you know when I find out the details. Stay tuned.

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Fruit Trees, Covid Testing, Lord of the Rings: Monday Blog Post

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Pears, taken by Randy Cockrell

 

Newest News:

This is the time of year my fruit trees produce. I’ve already mentioned the peaches, now a lovely memory. I also have a nectarine tree and this year I thought I didn’t get any. The tree doesn’t produce regularly, I think because it’s sensitive to late spring cold. However, my husband was looking on the back side of the trees and found a small bunch of weather damaged but perfectly good nectarines. They look bad but taste really good. Yay! The pear trees are also producing. These are late varieties so won’t be ready for a few weeks yet. Looking forward to those.

I’ve scheduled myself a Covid test and an antibody test as I do have two auto-immune diseases, Celiac and Hashimoto’s. I am probably still in good shape from my last covid shot in March, but I’d just like to know. The tests are tomorrow morning at 8am so I may have to go out to breakfast too!

On writing, my writer’s brain is still functioning. The hubby and I rewatched The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Ring movies not long ago. In the hobbit, I think it was, Gandalf was talking to Bilbo about the Wizards. In the movie, Gandalf told Bilbo that there were five wizards in his order, himself, Saruman, and Radagast, plus two “Blues” whose names he couldn’t remember. This tiny bit of trivia has stuck in my mind for weeks now. I don’t remember it from the book. And with only 5 in the order, why can’t Gandalf remember the two blues? Has it been so long since he’s seen them? Where did they go? What do they do? What were their specialties? Do any of you know? I don’t generally write fan fiction, but those two wizards are much on my mind. I may have to seek out a Tolkien facebook page and ask these questions. Feel free to comment below if you have answers or suggestions.

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. The delta variant of the virus is racing through my county. New cases have doubled every week since mid-July and the majority of the people hitting the ICUs and ERs are unvaccinated. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together. Please schedule your vaccination as soon as you can. The shots are still free!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, islive! There are 24 prizes and $66 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

It’s peach harvesting time in Rim Country. Photo by Randy Cockrell

I found out from our local farmer’s market managers that they are going to do the Christmas Market again this year. I signed up. I don’t know if I’ll get a single day or be a permanent booth. It will run from mid-November to just before Christmas. I’ll let you know when I find out the details. Stay tuned. https://www.paysonfarmersmarket.com/

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

All About Bob, An Excerpt for You, What I’ve Read: Monday Blog Post

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It’s peach harvesting time in Rim Country. Photo by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

I haven’t been totally idle with my writing. You may remember a series I started which I call “All About Bob”. The only relationship each book has to the other is that the main, teen, character is named “Bob” in one form or another. I got the idea from a writing class prompt and the idea stuck with me for a long time. I’ve been writing the stories, on and off, for the last 3 years. The final of the five novelettes is nearly done. Each book deals with some sort of problem a teen may have. I’m hoping, when they’re all finished, that I can get them edited, then released one after the other, one per month. The below excerpt is from It’s All About Home, the last of the five books in the series.

 

Berta Tinker adjusted the pack on her back as she walked from the high school to the elementary school where her little brother went. She ran through the list in her head. Pick up Landon. Take him to the library and get their homework done. Be outside the library at six, that’s when it closed, for dad to come by and pick them up. Go to the campsite, set up the backpacker stove and make soup for dinner. Feed herself, Landon, and dad. Clean up the mess. Hopefully dad remembered to fill the five-gallon water jug so there’d be water to wash the bowls, spoons and pot. Brush teeth. Read by lantern till bedtime.

At midnight dad would drive to the diner where mom waitressed to pick her up after she closed up the place. Everybody sleep in the car at the campground till morning. That’s when mom would drive dad to his job, line cook at a different restaurant. Start the day all over again.

She was sick of it, Berta thought as she walked to the elementary school. Ever since her father had been sick and lost his job, they’d ended up living in the car. It wasn’t fair, she fumed to herself. They used to have a house. She remembered her pink bedroom with the white desk and matching chair. The frilly bedspread, her toys and even her own tv and game console. Now, she jerked the pack straps in frustration. Now all she had was a sleeping bag and some personal items like her hairbrush and a plastic garbage bag of clothes.

Berta arrived at the school and waited, fingering the necklace her grandmother, mom’s mom, she thought to herself, had given to her for her thirteenth birthday.

“You’re getting to be a young lady now,” Nana had told her when she had opened the little box. “I think you’re old enough to take care of this. My grandmother gave this to me when I was thirteen.”

Berta, named for her grandmother Roberta, was delighted with the gift. It was a gold initial, an R in script, on a fine gold chain. She’d had her grandmother help her put it on and had hardly had it off in the last three years.

The school dismissal bell rang. Landon came out with two other boys, in about the middle of the flood of kids. The three were laughing and gyrating around like demented things, Berta thought. She rolled her eyes. Landon was always laughing. And unlike her, could make friends anytime and anywhere.

She was glad he could, actually. This was the third town in nine months and still her parents couldn’t get jobs good enough to even get them an apartment, let alone a house.

That’s our introduction to Berta. What do you think? Leave your comments in the comment box below.

I’ve been reading different things this summer. I’ve just finished the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020. Loved it! First of all, there’s a great introduction by Diana Gabaldon. Yes, the Outlander author! Her love of science fiction and fantasy is obvious. The stories are terrific, covering all sorts of topics from prisoners to fairytales. If you can get a copy, you should. Some great new authors in there.

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. The delta variant of the virus is racing through my county. Hospitalizations have jumped three-fold and the majority of the people hitting the ERs are unvaccinated. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together. Please schedule your vaccination as soon as you can. The shots are still free!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, is now live! There are 24 prizes and $66 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

I have no plans at present for any other in person events. Any I was thinking about joining I’m now reconsidering due to the uptick in the Covid 19 Delta variant illnesses spreading across Arizona. See you in 2022!

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Fire, Interview, Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

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Beautiful Sunset with Father and son fishing by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

If you live west of the Mississippi, you know we’re in a severe heatwave and drought. Arizona, where I live, has multiple fires in progress, one, the Backbone Fire https://www.facebook.com/BackboneFireInfo, is just 13 miles from me. Two small towns, Pine and Strawberry, have been evacuated to the town where I live. Smoke fills the sky to the north of us, where the fire is, at this point, 0% contained. It’s moving north, so now threatening another town, Camp Verde, and the multiple neighborhoods that dot the forest northwest of us. Please, please, please, if you live in the west or are just visiting, fire is our greatest enemy. Obey all fire restrictions, our property and our lives depend on it.

I was interviewed on KRIM radio this morning about the Payson book festival. I have details below, but if you’d like to see and hear the interview, it was recorded and put up on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/c/KRIM963FMPayson/videos. I’ve written this post before my video was uploaded but you’ll see my name and/or Payson Book Festival in the title once it’s loaded.

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together.

Giveaways:

Our Spring giveaway is nearing its end. Soon, the summer giveaway will begin. So hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

Where will I Be?

On July 17th, starting at 9am – 3:30pm I’ll be at the Payson Book Festival! Yes!! That’s correct! The Payson Book Festival is now a GO! You’ll be able to visit us, in person, meet authors, and have some fun picking out your next books to read. See more at http://www.PaysonBookFestival.org.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

 

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Remembering Memorial Day, AZ Creates Podcast Link, My Garden: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Memorial Day. Ours was quiet, though we did have drinks with a friend at her house on Sunday. Otherwise, nothing to get excited about. I didn’t even grill this weekend. Here is heartfelt thanks to all of our family, friends, and strangers who answered the call of duty but didn’t come home. We owe our freedom to them.

My You Tube podcast interview with Laurie Fagen and AZ Creates, was posted at 7pm on May 27th! I thought it was a great interview. Even better, here’s the link! https://youtu.be/TLZ1pgn4NVI I have posted the link on my website on the Media, Interviews tab so you can see it anytime. Join me for my interview!

Elk eating the neighbors roses

My roses first bloom of the year is about done so time to trim back the bushes. If I promise myself to do just one big bush or two small bushes a day, do you think I can generate the gumption? I hope so. Some of the bushes are about ten feet tall. Then there’s all the trimmed rose canes to deal with. Wish me luck. What’s your most dreaded garden chore?

Hoping everyone is able to access a covid shot, or two if needed. We’ll only beat this disease if we all work together.

Giveaways:

Our Spring giveaway is now live. New with this giveaway is a video graphic to show the books and prizes. How cool is this! Big thanks to Lynn Lamb, one of our administrators, for this lovely graphic. Check out the link at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

On July 17th, I’ll be at the Payson Book Festival! Yes!! That’s correct! The Payson Book Festival is now a GO! Details are being resolved, but you’ll be able to visit us, in person, meet authors, and have some fun picking out your next books to read. See more at http://www.PaysonBookFestival.org.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Releases:

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog and the Friday free story and the recipe, I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.