Category Archives: Special News

Drought, Writing, Women of Rim Country, MLK’s Birthday: Monday Blog Post

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While much of the U.S. is getting pounded with sub-freezing weather, including sleet and snow, here in central AZ, it will remain sunny, but very cold, at least for here. We remain in a desperate drought and my little birdbath in the back yard has become a lifeline for what seems like every robin in the area. In previous years, we’ve had only the single, occasional robin. Now though, they’re at the birdbath in record numbers. I’ve posted pictures of bluebirds, also rare in my yard, but I get everything, I think, now. Yesterday I saw a very small bird, who drank and flew off before I could get a picture. Sparrows, little birds of all sorts, the local resident chipmunks and squirrels visit. I’ve even seen insects, on warm days, flying over and landing on the rock I keep in the middle of the birdbath, to get a sip of water. I’m hoping this week’s cold weather will bring some rain to relieve the local wildlife.

Writing this last week consisted of blog posts, letters to the editor, and some short work that has no home at present. I should have been working on finishing up the updates to my Gulliver Station series and working on Mystery at the Reunion. I didn’t, for many reasons. They’re still on my list, though, and perhaps I can kick myself into gear this week.

I had a big surprise last Friday. My local newspaper does periodic magazines about special interests in the area two or three times a year. In Friday’s paper was their newest magazine, Women of Rim Country. To my surprise, I was one of eight featured women who are making a difference in our area. It was quite an honor to be included, to say the least. How they decided on me over all of the other fantastic and super women in the area is a wonder, but I am grateful.

I want to wish everyone a very happy Martin Luther King Jr., birthday. For the first time I’ve heard that this holiday is also considered a day of service. I’ve decided to donate some time to help feed local hungry and homeless at our area’s warming shelter. What with the pandemic and the economy, a great many people in our area are in desperate straits. I hope you have found a worthy cause to spend some time on or, if this is the first time you’ve heard of this being a day of service, you’ll consider doing something this week, or mark your calendar for next year.

Giveaways:

The Christmas giveaway is ending. I’ll post my winners and the Grand Prize winner as soon as they’re drawn.

New, is the Valentine’s Day giveaway. This is a small one with just eight authors so there’s a $24 Grand Prize of Paypal cash and 16 other prizes. Check out the link at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

Where will I Be?

Unfortunately, I’m self-isolating, so right now there are no scheduled in-person events for me for now. But as I mentioned above, I have my interview with Brenda Whiteside on Wednesday March 3rd on her blog, https://brendawhiteside.com/blog

On May 13th at 2pm Arizona time, I’ll be on the podcast with Laurie Fagan on her show, AZ Creates. It’s a lovely podcast and as soon as I have the link, for my interview, I’ll put it up. In the meantime enjoy her show at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teajmtQ4-90&feature=youtu.be. Note, Karen Landau is a mystery author right here in my town! How great is that!

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.

Coronavirus, Census: Monday Blog Post

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The Manzanita are blooming in central AZ

Let’s talk about the Coronavirus or COVID-19 for a bit. Have you been impacted? Maybe went to do your weekly grocery shopping and all of the canned goods, toilet paper, wipes, baby formula and whatever else you use was gone from the grocery shelves? Yep. Same here. Are you staying home more? Perhaps not going to the movies, or a festival of some kind? Yep. Same here. I’m not in a panic. I have food enough in the house for a while. However, I do have lung issues. I don’t need to get a cold, the flu, or the corona, as my husband calls it. He’s had some skin cancer, so is also in a category that indicates he might want to avoid big crowds. Whatever your reason for “social distancing” I appreciate it. It will help slow the spread and give hospitals a chance to keep up and for medications and protocols to catch up to the reality of the situation. So, let’s keep up our at home gardening, our solo or just family hikes, a nice bicycle ride, our closet cleaning, and our binge watching of our fav TV movies and shows. Mine’s Babylon 5 by the way, what’s yours? Stay safe. Stay well.

I just did our census survey. It’s on-line now and you don’t even have to wait for a card or letter from the Census Bureau to fill it out. I just went to mycensus.gov and it popped right up. If you don’t have the number, you can choose the button that takes you through to a page that identifies you and then you can answer the few questions about you, who lives in your house, you gender, your ethnicity, as well as a few other questions, and that’s it! Quick and easy.

Giveaways:

Hooray! The St. Patrick Day giveaway is now live! This is one of our shortest giveaways so be sure to click on the link right away. As always, we ask that to win, you follow us on one or more of several social media, or our newsletters, or our websites. You don’t have to join all of them, but to find out more about the many wonderful authors, you’ll want to do that. Here’s the link. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ or go to https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2703c98f110/  Sign up today!

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting, April 27th at 1pm. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Phoenix Fan Fusion, May 21st – 24th. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Payson Book Festival, July 18th at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino, Payson AZ. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

CokoCon 2020, September 4 – 7th, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Phoenix Tempe, 2100 S Tempe, AZ. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Worm Moon, March 2020

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:

Gold Dreams released May 13th, 2019. It is up on Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, (Direct link doesn’t work, copy the URL and paste it into your browser, or go directly to Kobo.com and search for Gold Dreams, Connie Cockrell), and Smashwords. The print version is available on Amazon. 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.

April Fools Day, Gold Dreams, New Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

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It’s April Fools Day. We don’t do this holiday at our house. Neither the hubby nor I think scaring each other, or getting them to eat nasty food, is very funny. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the pranking if that’s what your family likes. Have fun but be safe!

Last week I mentioned that I had a writing to do list. There was a lot of stuff on that list. Over the course of last week, I made it even longer. Sigh. One of the things on the list was to get Gold Dreams moving. I finished going over it, printed it out and handed it off to a proof-reader. They’ll go through it and point out strange turns of phrase, do a fair job of catching spelling/grammar/punctuation errors, and give it back. Once I have a draft final, I can tell my cover designer how many pages this book is and she can finish my cover. So many steps to getting a book out. But, it’s lovely at the end to hold a new book in my hands.

Yesterday was the last day of my ebook, Slave Elf, at .99. The price is now $4.99.

Giveaways:

Me at last year’s Phoenix Fan Fusion

Something new. If you’ve looked at my “Where Am I” page on my website, you’ll have noticed that I’m going to be at the Phoenix Fan Fusion over Memorial Day weekend. (May 23rd – 26th) I’ve decided that I should do a giveaway. A free exhibitor pass for one of those days. I know that not everyone can take off for Phoenix at the drop of the hat. But if you’re in the area, and you’d like to come see me at my booth and spend the day at the event, sign up by emailing me at [email protected]. Post a picture of you with one of my books. Use the subject, PFF Ticket. I’ll draw a name on May 10th and contact the winner with directions for picking up the pass.

The St. Patrick’s Day giveaway is now over. I’ll be contacting the winners as soon as they’re drawn. There are 38 prizes and 38 books to be given away and $114 in Paypal cash as the grand prize. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/

In the meantime, I’m in a promotion with 19 other women writers on Book Funnel. You can check out the books here. There are romances, mysteries, shifter stories and even a non-fiction. Don’t miss out. These are all free for a short time.

Where will I Be?:

If you are a fan of most any genre, I’m participating in an on-line cyber conference here: http://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/about-ows-cycon/. The event is May 17th through May 19th. There are discussion forums, author giveaways, and so much more. Check out the link and sign up to participate. Sign up also gets you news on what’s happening and when. So sign up today. You might just be the person we want to have in our panel discussion!

Phoenix Fan Fusion! Oh My Gosh! If you haven’t ever been to this event you need to check it out. The prices for entry are so reasonable! Three days is $75 at this point but that goes up April 12th! The catalog of things to do is humongous! I’ll be down in Artists Alley, Four Carat Press, booths AA930 and AA932. Come check it out. If you’ve never been, it will blow your minds. It’s May 23 – 26th. Come see me!

The Payson Book Festival this year is going to be more exciting than last year. Mark your calendars for July 20th. Be in Payson for the book festival. Go to www.paysonbookfestival.org for all of the details!

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 Book Release:

The Slave Elf story released February 19th, 2019. It is finally up on all of my retailers in ebook format. You can buy it at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords today. 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. It’s 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.

Phoenix Comic Fest, Writing, Privacy Policy Update: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I’m so excited that Phoenix Comic Fest is coming up in 3 days! Over this last weekend I finished up my Firefly type costume. It looks good! I’m pretty excited. I’m at Artists Alley tables AA928 and AA930. I’ll have many of my books for sale there. Please stop by and say hello.

Lounging

Hubby caught a picture of the squirrel lounging on one of the support boards of the back fence. Cheeky little bugger.

I have to write a flash fiction story by Wednesday so you’ll have it to read on Friday. Since Comic Fest starts Thursday afternoon, I have to get the story written and scheduled by end of day Wednesday. I’ve been thinking a lot about horror. It’s not a genre I write though I do occasionally read horror. I’ve been trying to suss out what makes horror scary, at least to me. Hubby and I went to see A Quiet Place. I’d call that a scifi horror. The movie had me jumping out of my seat several times. I’d call it a psychological horror more than a blood and gore movie. I thought it was quite well done and I’d like to write a story like that. What do you like in a horror story?

Privacy policies are being strengthened and updated all over the internet. My site is no exception. I have updated my privacy policy on my Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Contest Guidelines page. As always, for both this site and my newsletter, you are always able to unsubscribe at any time. For more information on what I collect or don’t collect or use, check out the Privacy Policy page.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Authors/Bloggers Spring Giveaway at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ is still running but just for 30 more days. So many free books and prizes, you’ll be amazed. Click the link to get to the Rafflecopter.

Shout Out:

Shout out to my friend Lynn Lamb. Lynn writes The Survivor Diaries series. That’s post-apocalyptic, dystopian for those of you who love that genre. You can find out more about Lynn at www.LynnLamb.com.

Where Will I Be?

Check my website, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/where-will-i-be/ for my future engagements.

My next event is Phoenix Comic Fest. I have costumes this year! Come on by my tables in Artists Alley, AA928 and AA930 and we can take selfies!

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 Book Release:

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! 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. It’s 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 paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Cozy Mystery Bundle Release, Giveaways, All About Bob Series: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Remember the cozy mystery bundle over on the Bundle Rabbit site I talked about last week?  Well, it’s been released. The book is called Cozy Winter Reads and has five other authors in it with me. I think you’ll enjoy it. The Bundle Rabbit link is:   https://bundlerabbit.com/b/cozy-winter-reads and you can get the bundle in whatever format you’d like. I can hardly wait to read all of these new to me other authors. Hope you enjoy it. Just $7.99 for six books!

I finished the first draft of It’s All About the Odds. I need to let this story rest before I begin editing. This series won’t get published until I have the entire thing written and edited. That way readers won’t have to wait so long to get them. In the meantime I have edits to do on both the next Zoe Ohale story and the next Jean Hays story.

I’m also getting ready to release my Gulliver Station series as a box set in both ebook and paperback formats. Every book is being re-edited and has to be reformatted to a box set format so it will be a while yet. But if you’ve put off buying the series, you might want to hold off a bit longer to pick up the box set.

Giveaways:

The Lovestruck Authors and Bloggers Valentine’s Day giveaway now over.  Winners will be chosen soon and notified. Then, check out https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ and click on the Rafflecopter link to enter the next contest, the 2018 Authors/Bloggers St. Patrick’s Day Giveaway. Books, ebooks, jewelry and more is being given away. You don’t want to miss out.

Also happening this month are two other giveaways.

First up is a March Fantasy Madness giveaway. That starts on March 1st over on Book Funnel. Tons of fantasy stories up for grab for just signing up for author newsletters. If you love Fantasy, this is the giveaway for you. Here’s the link:

Next, starting March 16th, is a Mystery promo. I’m in that with Mystery at the Fair, if you haven’t read it yet. But there will be a lot of other mystery authors in the promo as well. A link for that will be up closer to the date.

Shout Out:

I want to give a shout out to author Autumn Birt who is the driving force behind the fantasy giveaway I’m in.

And that is why I’m the author of 12 books and counting. I fell in love with fantasy in high school after stumbling across a short story of dragon impression on Pern written by Anne McCaffrey. So from day 1 I’ve loved dragons and adventures that are a bit farther flung than your average story.

Since writing my first epic fantasy trilogy, the Rise of the Fifth Order, I branched into new territory with the apocalyptic dystopian thriller Friends of my Enemy. With no magic, lots of explosions and a very adult theme, this genre jump may seem like a complete change. But the essence of my writing, exciting plots, strong characters, and a setting that feels real, lie at the core of both series. So if you love books that will keep you up flipping pages, check out my books. The first book of both series is free!

Besides that, I used to live in Maine in a small, off-grid cottage I built with my husband (our two Cairn terriers supervised). I love to travel though and that led us to selling our little house and hitting the road in a Landcruiser for overland travel. I would say travel is a second passion in my life. And I prefer slow travel: hiking, sailing, kayaking, and motorcycling. Especially the motorcycling! I have an F650 BMW that is my favorite thing next to a writing device (preferably a portable writing device). I’m attempting to combine my two loves of slow travel and writing by overlanding in a Landcruiser along with my husband and dog. Check out our progress on Escape with the Dogs to see where we are. Who knows, we might be just down the road from you!

I have plans for many further adventures both real and fictional. So stay tuned and stay in touch. I love to hear from people!

Where Will I Be?

Check my website, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/where-will-i-be/ for my next engagements.

I’m excited to say I’m booked for the Payson Women’s Wellness Forum on April 28th, 2018. What’s more healing that getting lost in a novel! I’ll be there all day and you can buy, and I’ll sign, any of my books. SciFi, Fantasy, Cozy Mystery and more. You can find tickets at https://www.mhafoundation.com/upcoming-events.html

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on both the regular and the Brown Rain 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 Book Release:

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! 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. It’s 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 Friday free story and the recipe I put up on the 25th of every month, consider donating to PayPal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Winner! Monday Blog Post

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HONORABLE MENTION

Newest News:

I’m am so pleased to announce that after four years of trying, I’ve won an Honorable Mention with the Writers of the Future contest with my science fiction story, Eavesdroppers. The logo at the top of the page was sent to me after winning and I’ll be getting a certificate in the mail from them sometime soon. I’ll share that, too, when it arrives.

Writers of the Future is THE contest for science fiction and fantasy authors. Many of the biggest names in the genres have won this contest. This just doubles my determination. If I can do it once, I can do it again. So stay with me!

Giveaways:

SpringIntoReadingGiveawayPromo

The Spring Into Reading giveaway closes in June. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. This giveaway I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple ways to enter. You could easily win a prize. If you haven’t entered yet, please enter today and every day.

Shout Out:

Bahn Bonnie Cover Bumblefoot

I’m giving a shout out to my friend Bonnie Bahn. I’m hoping to interview her on this blog in the future. Right now she’s re-writing Bumblefoot and creating a new cover for it. She can be found on Twitter at @BonnieBahn or on her website at bonniebahn.wordpress.com so watch out for her re-release announcement. Follow my blog so you don’t miss out on this and other special features.

Garden News:

I have broken down and planted my seedling tomatoes in my garden. The rest I’ll give away. I also planted my basil. The reason? The weather went from cold to hot in a day. Also, a volunteer tomato plant has sprung up. I figure if the weather is right for the volunteer it’s good enough for my seedlings. I need to get my trellis set up and buy some Early Girl tomato plants to finish my tomato garden. Other plants? Beans and peas, peppers, butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash. All of those do really well here. The peach tree, despite the cold, is heavily laden with peaches while my two apple trees have one apple between them. Interesting. How about you? What do you plant?

Where Will I Be?:

Mystery Con Flyer

June 3rd and 4th I’m at the Scottsdale MysteryCon, Death and Deception in the Desert. I’m giving a presentation there at 3pm on Saturday on writing a mystery. The conference is just two weeks away! Tickets for both days are only $39. I do hope you can make it to that one. Here’s a flyer telling all about it. Register in advance on the site so we know how many are coming to lunch, then email me or comment here that you registered. I’ll put your name in for a drawing of a special prize on both Friday night and Saturday at my presentation. The prize? A bracelet, hand made by me, with Kindred Spirits as the theme. I’m the last presentation of the day on Saturday in my room, so if you want any of my books autographed, buy them at the book seller and bring them to the presentation. Can you make it?

pbflogoorig1446X1253pxcroppedcontrast

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival, partly funded by the Arizona Humanities. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up prizes on both the regular and the Brown Rain newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. Be prepared for fun and contests!

Newest Book Release:

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

New Format: Monday Blog Post

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Owl_using_Computer_by_RedPigeon via DeviantArt.com

Owl_using_Computer_by_RedPigeon via DeviantArt.com

Newest News:

I’m trying out a new format for my Monday blog posts. I’ll still do my free flash fiction on Friday, though I’m thinking about changes for that, as well. But for Mondays I’m going to change to something shorter. The majority of my news is going to move to my newsletter. So if you haven’t already signed up for it, see the end of this post where I tell you how to sign up.

Giveaways:

SpringIntoReadingGiveawayPromo

That said, let me tell you that the Spring Into Reading giveaway is halfway done. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. This giveaway I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple times to enter. You could easily win a prize. Enter today and every day.

Shoutout:

An author friend of mine, Selena Laurence has released her newest book: The Kingmaker, the first of her Power Play series. She calls herself an author of edgy contemporary romance. I’ve read Laurence’s series Lush, and the first book in her Foreign Exchange series, Speaking Greek. Her writing is quick, and the love scenes hot. I haven’t had a chance to read Kingmaker yet but I’m sure it will be better than ever. Here is a quick blurb of The Kingmaker.

He’s America’s golden boy. A power broker. A Kingmaker.

She’s America’s dirty little secret. A sex broker. A scandal maker.

Together they are headline news.

Lies, deceptions.

 A Presidency hangs in the balance.

Selena can be found at https://selenalaurence.com/.

GardenNews:

Saturday I picked my first three strawberries. I didn’t think to take a picture, I ate them too fast, LOL! Anyway, Sunday we had hail so I was glad I didn’t have the tomatoes outside. It’s been very cool all weekend. My oregano is about ready to cut for drying. If you don’t have a patch in your garden with oregano, you should. I bought one pot of oregano for less than three dollars five years ago and haven’t bought oregano since. Just think about how much dried oregano costs in the store! Anyway, I cut it, wash it and hang it in small bundles from a medium large picture frame that I stapled bird netting to the back. Tie the bundles on the frame or the netting with kitchen twine and put up on top of your cupboards. That’s where mine lives. It’s warm and dry up there and it only takes a couple of weeks for the herbs to dry. Then take them off the netting, spread wax paper on your table and strip the stems of the leaves. Put into air tight bottles or jars. I have used baby food jars, jam/jelly jars, canning jars and even fancy metal tins made for storing dried herbs. You’ll feel good about yourself. I promise.

Where Will I Be?:

Mystery Con Flyer

June 3rd and 4th I’m at the Scottsdale MysteryCon, Death and Deception in the Desert. I’m giving a presentation there as well on writing a mystery. Tickets for both days are only $35. I do hope you can make it to that one. Here’s a flyer telling all about it. Register in advance on the site then email me or comment here that you registered. I’ll put your name in for a drawing of a special prize on Friday night and/or Saturday. The prize? A bracelet, hand made by me, with Kindred Spirits as the theme. I might even make two and have a giveaway both Friday and Saturday. What do you think?

Color Color Arched Book Logo w Event Date 2016

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. If you are a Brown Rain series fan, I’ve created a list just for you! If you join my regular newsletter, that’s all right too as I’ve put sign-up prizes on both. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. The YouTube video I just made about Kindred Spirits will be in the newsletter. Just a note. I’m going to be sending out newsletters more frequently. Be prepared for fun and contests!

Newest Book Release:

CS Front Cover Kindred Spirits V1

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

Valentine’s Day Weekend: Monday Blog Post

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Valentine's Day Hello by Connie Cockrell

Valentine’s Day Hello by Connie Cockrell

Valentine’s Day was yesterday, did you celebrate? My husband and I don’t do much for it. I gave him a card, which from year to year may or may not happen. He took me to breakfast. That’s it. Both of us feel it’s a Hallmark holiday so don’t pay it much attention though with all of the ads on TV and the posts about how to make the Day romantic, well, it’s tough to miss. The picture at the top is one I posted for the holiday. Hubby took the picture of the humming birds at our feeder last July. They’re rufous hummingbirds if you live on the east coast and have never seen one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_hummingbird They’re extremely aggressive toward the ruby-throated and other humming birds that frequent our area.

I have some breaking news. I’ve been invited to be a guest blogger on the site, CoolErbs.com on Wednesday the 17th. What’s great is that I get to talk to his readers and my readers get introduced to a new author, one, hopefully, you’ll like and want to read. Wins all around. He’ll be guest posting on my blog soon. I’ll let you know the details once they’re finalized.

Kindred Spirits is back from the editor. Now it’s up to me to take it through the final edit and begin formatting. I’m still looking for people interested in receiving an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for a review. If you’d like to be an ARC reader and do a review for me, let me know. You do not have to have read the first two books of the series to enjoy the third book. So if you’d like an advance copy, let me know today! Time is running out for an advanced ‘look see’ at the third book, and if I may say, the best book, in the series. You’ll want to get this in advance of your friends.

News from  the Phoenix-Scottsdale MysteryCon (http://www.azmysterycon.com/) that will be held on June 3rd and 4th. Final details are being communicated and I’m getting excited about it. I hope to see your there!

I mentioned last week that the darned mint is growing again. I spent about half an hour digging the bed all the way down to the ground and sifting roots out of it. I’ll have to keep an eagle eye out for new sprouts. In that same bed I see sprouts pushing up like daffodils but maybe they’re spring onion. The bulbs lived all summer in the purposely un-watered bed while I tried to kill the mint. Good for them. In another bed the parsley is re-sprouting. I dug it up and transferred it to a different bed as the one it was in will be tomatoes this year.

Last week we had a new sliding glass door installed. It is a bigger door than the old one so the installation involved cutting the wall out, reframing it, installing the door then finishing the walls, inside and out. Hubby spent Friday and Saturday repainted the whole wall the door is in, just to be sure there’s no strange paint color contrasts. One last step is required. The contractor will be back today to provide a fix for the carpet. Because we moved the edge, there’s about a six inch gap in the carpet at the door. Other than that, it’s done and I love it.

The Lovestruck Authors Giveaway ended Sunday, the 14th! I put up my book, Recall, signed, as my first prize and an Amazon Gift card as my second prize. The grand prize is $150 in Paypal cash.  Go to www.conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways to enter the Rafflecopter. I’m awaiting the list from the organizer for the prize winners. I’ll contact them directly.

Did you miss the Lovestruck Author Giveaway? No worries. The Luck O’ the Author Giveaway is starting. I’ll have the link up on my Facebook and Twitter pages. The more times you enter, the better your chances to win. I cannot express how much I appreciate all of you who sign up for my website, newsletter, Amazon Author page and Facebook page. Thanks for participating.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. If you missed it, leave a comment in the sign up form and I’ll send you January’s newsletter. I make special offers to my newsletter people that I do not make on the website blog posts. If you like the content, please encourage your friends to sign up, the newsletter is shareable, send it to whomever you think will like it. You’ve already missed out on great offers. Sign up now.

Mystery at the Fair released July 15th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

How To Revise Your Novel Special Gift Today Only

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Have you ever taken a class, or read a How-To book, or had someone teach you a craft or a specific skill and later, you realized that what you learned there applies perfectly to a different project that you are doing now?

I have had that happen. When I took the How To Revise Your Novel, or HTRYN, back in the winter and spring of 2012, I thought I was learning how to edit a novel. I was so new I had no idea what I didn’t know. I was so green, every time another author mentioned something they were doing, like writing a bio to put on the back of their books, or they mentioned marketing or social media, I was completely clueless.

One thing that helped me was the HTRYN class. The structure of it taught me to break what seemed like monumental tasks, down into component parts. It taught me to really see how something is put together and how each part is related to the whole. It changed how I approached new tasks. It gave me the confidence to take on new challenges.

If you’re interested in a step-by-step approach to making your novel the best it can be, if you want to learn how to approach new tasks with confidence, consider taking this class. It opens tomorrow Tuesday, December 8th at 10:00AM EST for just one week. Registration will close on Monday, the 17th at 11:59pm EST. Don’t miss this class. It will not be offered again for at least six months, perhaps a year. Full information and details about the class will be released tomorrow. Set your alarm!

Note: Today ONLY! Holly Lisle and I have a free gift for you if you sign up today. If you sign up, contact me by email at [email protected], and I’ll send you the link for your free gift.

Here are the links for joining and for the mini-workshop on revising.

JUST NOW JOINING:

Welcome to HollysWritingClasses.com

ON DAY 3:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/member/index.php?page=launch-option-htryn-day3&aid=10009

Special News! How To Revise Your Novel!

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Well, National Novel Writing Month is over. Whew! Due to travel, I missed several days and it took me just about down to the wire to make my fifty-thousand words. How about you? How did you do? Did you finish your novel? Have you read through it yet?

I know when I finished my first one, way back in November 2011, I was so excited. I’d actually written a whole book. While I was writing it, I was seeing the whole thing up on the big screen. I could see me on the red carpet on opening night dressed to the nines and waving to adoring fans. I imagined opening up the New York Times and seeing my name on the top ten list. Writing that book was an amazing accomplishment and I took December off to celebrate.

When I returned to my manuscript in January and read through it, I liked what I had done but it was rough, gangly, moving in fits and starts and jumping from one plot hole to the next. I knew something else had to be done with it. But what? I’d heard that editing was required before a manuscript could be published, but I didn’t know how to go about it.

I started to look around. Soon I found this author’s site that offered a class that would help me, step-by-step, revise my novel. The author is Holly Lisle and she’s doing it again. She’s offering a newly revised How to Revise Your Novel workshop.

If you’re interested in a step-by-step approach to making your novel the best it can be, consider taking this class. It opened today! If you’re ready now, you’ll get 3 free mini-classes! This offer closes on December 14th. Follow my link to https://hollyswritingclasses.com/index.php?page=home&aid=10009