PEO Meeting, Hello Fall, NaNo is Coming: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

On Friday September 24th I spoke to the Philanthropic Educational Organization, a U.S. based international women’s organization of about 230,000 members. They focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. I spoke to twenty or so women about how I started writing and a little about how ideas make it from my head to the pages of a book. They seemed to enjoy the talk.

I’m writing this blog on Sunday and it’s a rainy Sunday. A gentle rain has been falling for hours now, very unlike the usual monsoon deluges we usually get. We’ve gone from temperatures in the mid-nineties to 56 degrees as I write this. I had to ditch my usual shorts and tee-shirt for sweatpants and a fleece. Hello Fall!

Writing related, I’m starting to think about National Novel Writing Month. I know it’s still September but if I’m going to write a story, I need to start planning for it soon. I still need to finish my All About Bob story, It’s All About Home. After that, though, there are several options for me to choose from. I could write the next Brown Rain novelette. That would describe Alyssa and Kyra’s trip from Ohio to Illinois, Scott Air Force Base and what they find there. Big clues, I think to the mysterious group that caused the brown rain disaster. Who knows what trouble they’ll find on the base? I’ve been noodling around with a follow-on story for my Slave Elf story. What happens next for Queen Delia? My SciFi story, Troubled Streets actually has a sequel, but it was so awful I just put it away. It might be time for me to pull it out, rescue whatever is good about it and toss the rest. Essentially, starting over. What do you think? Which might you like me to work on? Of course, there’s still the editing of Mystery at the Reunion to also finish, but that’s not a NaNo project. I just need to do it.

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?

On October 9th, I’ll be at the Pine/Strawberry Fall Festival all weekend. This is a craft fair with a chili cook-off at 11am on Saturday, antique vendors all weekend, and other crafters there as well. I’ll be in the community hall both Saturday and Sunday. Doors open 9am. I hope you can make the event.

I’ll be at the Payson Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on October 23rd. This is a one-day flea market type of event being held in the Payson High School parking lot starting at 10am. It lasts until 2pm so stop by early. I’ll be in the Arizona Professional Writers stall with 2 or maybe even 3 other authors. This is a great time to get books for your entire Christmas list, but also to check out all of the fantastic businesses here in Payson. I heard there’s going to be candy handed out for Halloween as well so bring the little ones.

I found out from our local farmer’s market managers that they are going to do the Twilight Tuesday 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 November 9th, 3 – 6pm to December 21st.

 

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.

In Person Events!: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Well! Big news. All of a sudden I have 3 new, in person events before the end of October. First up is that I’m speaking at a local PEO event on Friday September 24th. The Philanthropic Educational Organization is a U.S. based international women’s organization of about 230,000 members. They focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. We’ll be at St. Paul’s Episcopal church at 401 E. Tyler Parkway. A social time starts at 9:30am and I speak from 9:50am for half an hour. Hope to see you there.

Then on October 9th, I’ll be at the Pine/Strawberry Fall Festival all weekend. This is a craft fair with a chili cook-off at 11am on Saturday, antique vendors all weekend, and other crafters there as well. I’ll be in the community hall both Saturday and Sunday. I hope you can make the event.

 

Finally, I’ll be at the Payson Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on October 23rd. This is a flea market type of event being held in the Payson High School parking lot starting at 10am. It lasts until 2pm so stop by early. I’ll be in the Arizona Professional Writers stall with 2 or maybe even 3 other authors. This is a great time to get books for your entire Christmas list, but also to check out all of the fantastic businesses here in Payson. I heard there’s going to be candy handed out for Halloween as well so bring the little ones.

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?

The 2020 Flyer

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.

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.

Spring Giveaway Winners, An Excerpt for You: Monday Blog Post

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Mushroom Season in Rim Country. No idea what this mushroom is, do you? Picture by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

The Spring Author/Blogger Giveaway has officially ended and I have two winners for my part of the event. My prize number one, an ebook copy of Slave Elf, was won by Jory. My prize number two, a $5 Amazon gift card was won by Richard. The overall event Grand Prize winner was Emy. I want to thank all of the hundreds of people who participated and I hope that you enjoy your prizes. Our Summer Giveaway has started, check out the info below to enter.

Writing has been slow for me. I have been involved in several other things in my life and the writing, unfortunately, has fallen off. I haven’t forgotten it though. I’m still mulling over Mystery at the Reunion. How can I make it better? I may just have to throw myself on the mercy of my editor and get some advice. How about a short excerpt? This is Dwight, Jean’s ex-husband.

 

He circled the glass on the bar in the moisture under it, idly watching the spiral circles it made on the glossy top. Dwight sipped again. How had he gotten here? Dawn had left him. That was the start. Too much time at the local bar. Crown Royal wasn’t exactly cheap. Then the gambling at the Off-Track Betting shop. That didn’t help matters. Especially since he was losing. OTB didn’t give credit, so he found himself in a little neighborhood still mostly Irish. There was a helpful young man there that would take his bets on the cuff. Dwight sighed and rubbed the spot just above the bridge of his nose.

What the hell had he been thinking? Now he was ten grand in the hole and the bookie wanted his money. Dwight sipped again, his stomach in a knot. He didn’t have ten grand. Hell, he had all he could do to pay the rent on the low-end apartment he was living in. Damn! He drank the last of the Crown Royal and signaled for another. He really couldn’t afford to come to the reunion despite the fact he wanted to see all of his old friends from Afghanistan. While the place had been a living hell, he’d made good friends with the people in Combined Joint Force Command squadron AG2017. They were good people sharing a hard, miserable assignment. His arrival in Las Vegas reminded him a lot of Afghanistan. Hot sun scorching everything it touched, even in April, dust, blinding light, it was not a pleasant reminder.

The bartender brought the drink. Dwight nodded his thanks. He was about to pick it up when a hand fell heavy on his shoulder. His heart nearly stopped.

“Dwight! Old buddy. What brings you to Vegas?”

Dwight turned to see who belonged to the deep voice. “Duncan?” His heart skipped a beat. “A long way from Boston.”

Duncan sat on the stool next to Dwight and waved over the bartender. “Irish Whisky.”

The bartender nodded and moved off.

“I’m here ‘cause Jimmy noticed you leavin’ town.” Duncan shook his head. “And you owin’ all that money. It made Jimmy think you were skippin’ out on your debt.”

“No, no, Duncan. I’m here to attend a reunion. Old military buddies from Afghanistan. I’m just here for the weekend. You know, catch up with old friends.”

Duncan nodded. “I hear ya. My brother, Mike, joined the Army. He got sent to that pit. Died when his hummer hit an IED.” Duncan said all of that while staring into the bottles on the bar back.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Duncan. Too many young men and women died there.”

Duncan nodded as the bartender brought him his drink. Duncan peeled a twenty from a roll he’d taken from his pocket and dropped it on the bar. The bartender grinned. “Any change?”

Duncan shook his head.

“Thanks, buddy.”

Duncan nodded and the bartender moved off. “I’m sorry you had to serve there.”

“Two tours, with my wife.”

Duncan’s eyebrows rose. “No shit?”

“Yeah. We left our son with the grandparents and spent a year there. Then two years later, another tour.” Dwight shook his head Why the hell didn’t they go separately instead of leaving Jim all alone twice. It must have made sense at the time.

“That’s a shame. The little man must have missed you.”

“Yeah. He did.” Dwight sipped his drink.

“Despite that, Dwight, you gotta pay up. By the end of the month.” Duncan drank his whisky down in one gulp and slapped the glass down on the bar with a thump that made the bartender turn to look.

“I’m trying to get the money together, Duncan. Tell Jimmy that. I’m good for my debts.”

Duncan nodded. “Good to know, Dwight. But if we don’t get the money by the end of the month,” he cracked his knuckles. “Well, I’ll have to have a more…personal discussion.”

Dwight could feel his blood pressure rise. “Understood. I’ll get it to Jimmy as soon as I can.”

Duncan swung off of the barstool and with a heavy hand, smacked Dwight on the shoulder. “Remember what I said.” He moved off as Dwight nodded.

Dwight realized he was holding his breath after Duncan moved out of sight. He took a deep breath and swallowed his drink in one gulp. He signaled for another. The bartender brought the bottle over and poured. He eyed Duncan’s empty glass.

“He’s gone. Won’t need another.”

The bartender nodded and went back to the other end of the bar where he was chatting up two young women.

Dwight drummed his fingers on the bar. He needed to make some contacts this weekend. He needed a new job, one that paid more. That didn’t answer his immediate problem, though. Where was he going to get ten grand in two weeks?

That’s our introduction to Dwight. What do you think? Good guy? Bad guy? Glad Jean divorced him? Leave you comments in the comment box 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. 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.

Payson Book Festival, Monsoon Season Arrives: Monday Blog Post

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2016: Variety of hummingbirds at our feeder by Randy Cockrell

 

Newest News:

My extra Mystery at the Fair and Mystery in the Woods order arrived on July 15th. That meant I had just enough books for the Payson Book Festival. I actually sold out of Mystery in the Woods. I also sold a lot of my western, Gold Dreams. A couple of copies each of Slave Elf, First Encounter, A New Start also sold. I was pleased with the sales of course. I was also pleased to see a good turnout of attendees. Attendance was lower than normal but still seemed good and steady throughout the day. Most of the authors declared the festival a success. Good enough for me!

So last post I talked about the lack of rain. That has ended. We’ve had rain every day, just about, the last week and a half. It’s humid. So humid it reminds me of our life in upstate New York, just without the black flies. The land seems to be perking up and the bird and animal visits to my backyard bird bath have slowed down considerably. The chipmunks who cruise my backyard for food and water are very feisty and the males sit on top of our 6-foot wooden fence, calling chip, chip, chip, for a mate. Surprising to me is the lack of hummingbirds. There are a few feeding from our backyard feeder but not the swarms we have come to expect from previous years. Here’s a video from a year ago to demonstrate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnNdv_BySOo

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:

Our Spring giveaway has ended. I’ll have the summer giveaway posted this week. 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?

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.

Payson Book Festival, Spring Fed Stream: Monday Blog Post

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Horton Creek

Newest News:

This is the week! Saturday the 17th is our 6th annual book festival. Over 70 authors, a Kid’s Zone, country entertainment, it’s all here. See below for the details or go to https://www.PaysonBookFestival.org to check out the authors attending, the Kid Zone and Entertainment schedules, and where to stay when you visit Payson.

I mentioned last week that I ordered more of my Mystery at the Fair and Mystery in the Woods. Will they get here in time for Saturday’s book festival? We’ll see!

Last minute details on the book festival continue this week! We assemble our author’s packets today (the 12th), I have three other meetings and a lunch to attend. Also, I’d like to get a mani-pedi on Friday afternoon. Just to take a mental break and relax before Saturday’s event. A little “me time” I guess. What do you do before a big, nerve-wracking event for self-care? Maybe something afterward instead of beforehand? Let us know in the comments!

The weather here in central Arizona is hot and humid. It’s supposed to be monsoon season when afternoon thunderstorms water the land and relieve the heat. But it isn’t happening. Yesterday was a good example. I spent the morning at the Farmer’s Market, advertising for the book festival. Even with a canopy up and a breeze, it felt like we were standing at the open mouth of hell. Hot! And storm clouds gathered, driving up the humidity. But did we get the rain? Nope. A few random drops. So for you in the east, who are struggling with way too much rain, I wish we could take some from you. For those of us here in the heat addled west, may the rains come soon. In the meantime, the above picture is of a spring fed stream here in Rim Country.

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:

Our Spring giveaway will end tomorrow or maybe sooner. Then, 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 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.

Happy 4th of July, Farmer’s Market, Reptiles and Goats: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Happy Independence Day (yesterday)! I love that we have this day. Our Declaration of Independence was and I think still is, so radical as to be beyond belief. Countries around the world were astounded at our forefathers audacity. Even more, they were completely surprised when Britain gave up and went home. That was a huge threat. What if their people decided to do the same thing? Aristocrats were in a panic. We’re so lucky. Not everything is perfect of course, but we can work on that. What’s important is that in our country we are the bosses. We make the country we want to have. That’s a powerful thing. Enjoy the holiday.

Snake Tiara

On July 3rd I had the chance to sell books at the local farmer’s market and advertise for the Payson Book Festival. I’ve missed meeting readers in person and am glad I had a chance to go. Sorry, no pictures. I realized I need to order multiple copies of a couple of my books to sell at the book festival so that order has been made. It’s a little over 2 weeks until the festival so hopefully the books will be here in time.

Baby Goat Visits the Market

Also at the farmer’s market was a reptile wildlife rehabilitator with several of her reptile friends. The picture at the top is the woman’s daughter using a snake as a tiara. That was pretty cool. A couple of teen girls also brought their pet goat to the market. So cute! If you aren’t already, you should attend your local farmer’s markets to see what cool stuff is happening there.

There’s been no writing this week. Too much book festival work needed to be done. All the last-minute things that take time but still need to be covered and need to be done now. Anyway, it’s all getting accomplished, and the festival should be great if just a little bit smaller than usual. I’m crossing my fingers that we get a good turnout.

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:

Our Spring giveaway will end tomorrow or maybe sooner. Then, 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 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.