I’ve taken three of my fairy tale type stories and put them together as an anthology and published them as a book; A Trio of Animal Tales. You can find them on an ebook site called Smashwords. Here’s some contact information.
Connie Cockrell’s Smashwords Author Profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell
Book page to sample or purchase A trio of Animal Tales: http://smashwords.com/b/287453
If you’re kind enough to purchase the book, please consider leaving a review of it.
I’m reading a book by Stanley Gordon West called Blind Your Ponies. I was reluctant to read it because of the title but two friends recommended it so I picked it up.
Book Title: Blind Your Ponies
Author: Stanley Gordon West
ISBN 978-0-9656247-8-7
Format: Paperback (4X6 inches)
Pages: 574
Here’s the back of the book blurb:
Willow Creek, Montana. With bold strokes on a large canvas, Stanley West has drawn an entire village of curious and outlandish characters who have been cast so vividly that one can see the, here, them, laugh with them, feel with them — people as real as relatives.
When Same Pickett come to the quiet little village to hide from the violence and madness that have shattered his life, he discovers buried and shadowed stories fraught with aching regret, human wreckage, and heartrending bravery–people silently bearing their broken dreams and unbearable sorrows. Can they be aroused by the unexpected and least likely source in their midst? encouraged and uplifted to embrace life for all its worth? Out of these utterly ordinary lives, West brings forth a startling glimpse into the hidden places of the human heart and characters who will stay with you like old friends long after you’ve turned the last page. Timeless and enchanting, inspiring and hilarious, compelling and compassionate– A song of homage to the lives it brings to light-–
Note, the title is from a story about the local Indian tribe folklore and not about blind ponies. So don’t let the title put you off. I love the descriptive words Mr. Pickett uses to describe the people he meets, his own life and his romantic interest. They’re beautiful turns of phrase that show insight and reveal secrets. The main plot is about his role as the high school basketball coach. With only 5 boys on the team, they’re the regions underdogs. But that’s not the whole story.
Mr. Pickett delves into the lives of the town people, Many of them broken and damaged goods, but still, plugging away, I’m a fast reader but I’m not reading this one fast. I’m savoring each paragraph.
Warning: there is violence and sex, but please don’t let that put you off. This is a great read.
This month the discussion is on my favorite book or books of the year. This last spring I was taking a course on How to Revise Your Novel (by Holly Lisle) and during one lesson she recommended a book by George R.R. Martin, The Game of Thrones. (Yes, the one that’s now an HBO series.)
I’ve been reading Science Fiction since I was twelve and for some reason, I’d never come across one of his novels. So I get the book from the library and I was blown away. He tells the story from the point of view of different people, each chapter from a different point of view. This is a pretty unique way to write a story and is quite effective for this series.
What I like is that you see the same event from different perspectives and the characters have different opinions, depending on what they’re plans are, on how the event affects them.
I’m now on the fifth book of the series and all of the threads of the story are beginning to come together. I can hardly wait to see how Mr. Martin resolves all of the differing plot lines. If you haven’t had a chance to read this series, I recommend it. But reader beware, there is a lot of violence in the books.
Happy Reading!
If you want to get to read about nearly twenty other writers, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. http://merrygoroundtour.blogspot.com/ The next post is on the 19th by Jean Scharra
I took the hardest step of my writing career this morning. I put my first book up for sale. It’s on Amazon.com, The Bad Seed by Connie Cockrell. I had to search on my name to find it and poof! there it was.
My sister-in-law called me and asked for a signed copy.
It will be available on Kindle in a few hours.
I can’t believe I actually put a book out for sale.
My stomach is still fluttering.
I’ve become aware it’s Banned Books week. It’s an effort to make us all aware that books are still being banned from not only school libraries, but libraries in general.
As an avid reader I find the thought of books being banned repugnant. Who are these people who want to tell me what I can or cannot read? How do they know a story isn’t appropriate for me? (I first read Gone With The Wind when I was in the 6th grade!)
Historic books, like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and so on have been known about for a long time. New books, like the Hunger Games and Harry Potter have drawn a huge amount of vitriol from those who fear that we’ll all turn into Satanists if we read them.
What those people miss, as with Hunger Games or Huckleberry Finn, is the opportunity to talk about the circumstances that make those stories so gripping. How is that society constructed and what is the thought process involved? How does that story compare to our current society? In the case of Hunger Games, could something like that actually occur? What would have to happen to allow our society to morph into that one?
So, do yourself a favor this week, read a banned book.