Tag Archives: Health

Orchid Bloom, Healthy Eating, Word of the Year: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I was very pleased to find a second bloom on my orchid. The picture is above. It’s very satisfying to see, as I was pretty much convinced I was never going to be able to get that plant to flower again.

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

How many of us keep thinking we need to eat healthier? *Raises my hands and waves like a demented being!* On top of that, I’ve been seriously considering not only going back to being vegetarian, but going vegan. I’ve decided it’s time. I’ve started a raw food vegan way of eating. Will it last? I don’t know. Do I feel better about not eating animals who seem to have just as much fun with life, when we allow it, as we do? Yep. I’m certainly not hungry on this diet. And all of the food is really tasty. Kiwi, mango, banana, apple, dates, papaya, crisp green salads with cucumber, tomato, sweet peppers, and so much more. Nothing heavy. Nothing that makes me feel bloated. I’m loving it. I committed to go for a month then assess how I feel. Told my doc about it and she gave me a thumbs up. This is related to my next thoughts.

Word of the Year. I’ve done these before. Choose a word that will be my “catch word” for the year. One year it was the word Fortune, as I was embarking on doing some things that would help out my author business and selling of books. I’ve chosen other words in other years, but nothing that really grabbed me. I chose one in December of 2021 for this year and I could never remember it. I might even have talked about it here. However, all month the word Abundance has been rising to the top of my thoughts. The above mentioned new diet features abundance in all the fresh and tasty fruits and veg available to me, even here in the heart of Arizona, where aside from household gardens, no crops are grown at all. I find that amazing, how much beautiful food and produce is right in my local grocery stores. So I’m claiming the word Abundance and making that my word of 2022. What is abundant in your life?

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

 

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

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

 

Where will I Be?

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

 

Newsletter Sign Up:

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

 

Newest Releases:

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

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Like all of the other work I do as an author, it takes time and money. If you enjoy this Monday blog 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.

Health, Advertising, Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I’m still recovering from the surgery I had on October 1st. Incisions are healing nicely. Broken toe is also healing, though I still need to keep it taped to the toe next to it. My follow up appointment for the surgery is scheduled for November. No lifting till then.

I didn’t work writing last week as I am taking a course on how to do Amazon Ads. It’s intense, extremely fast paced and I’m learning a lot! Categories, keywords, the reports Amazon makes available and how to use them. My brain is a bit fried, to be honest. Monday and Tuesday are the last two days of the course but I’m all in. I had a sale, over the weekend, of Mystery at the Fair, the book I decided to use for these exercises, which I attribute to the ads. I’m stoked!

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Halloween giveaway is up! You can check it out at: https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. As always, each author is giving away at least 2 prizes and there’s a Paypal cash grand prize.

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting is October 26th, at 1pm. This is on! It will be held at the ramada next to the Pine Thrift Store. If you happen to be in Pine, AZ, on that date, come on by. I’ll have some books available for purchase and signing. Social distancing and mask wearing will be the fashion. See you there!

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.

Health, Cozy Mystery: Monday Blog Post

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Widgeons at our local park

Newest News:

I’m still recovering from the surgery I had on the 1st. Incisions are at the itching stage of healing, and I’m restricted from lifting anything for a few weeks yet. Broken toe is also healing, though I still need to keep it taped to the toe next to it. Between the two issues, there’s no exercise for me which kind of sucks because the weather has cooled down and every day right now is just gorgeous. It would be great to walk around the neighborhood but while the mind is willing, the body isn’t ready.

I didn’t work much on writing. The healing process involves naps in the afternoon and that cuts into my writing time. No worries though, I’ll be working on Mystery at the Reunion soon.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Halloween giveaway is up! You can check it out at: https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. As always, each author is giving away at least 2 prizes and there’s a Paypal cash grand prize.

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting is October 26th, at 1pm. This is still on! It will be held at the ramada next to the Pine Thrift Store. If you happen to be in Pine, AZ, on that date, come on by. I’ll have some books available for purchase and signing. Social distancing and mask wearing will be the fashion. See you there!

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, 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.

Published, Health, 5th Cozy Mystery?: Monday Blog Post

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Cover designed by J.A. Marlow

Newest News:

Hooray! This week’s big news. I received the Creature in the Night cover from my designer. It’s just lovely. Then, Saturday, I went ahead and published the story. I did something different. I posted it in Kindle Unlimited. So, for those of you who subscribe to that service, there it is. If you don’t, it’s only 0.99 to purchase. The link above will take you right to the sale page. If you do read it, a review would be so helpful. Then, there are links in the story to go to my other fantasy stories or you may want to branch out into my SciFi, my Cozy Mysteries, or something else. I hope you enjoy it.

Last Thursday I had abdominal surgery. To be honest, I’m not moving around very quickly as I recover. Hubby is a gem and is doing the cooking and cleaning and fetching for me as I struggle to get up out of chairs. Recovery should be swift. Even today I feel better which is a good thing. The extra strength Tylenol probably helps. The surgery was out-patient, so don’t worry. More stories are coming.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’ve been working on my 4th cozy mystery, Mystery at the Reunion. I have had to do a lot of chapter shuffling and I don’t think I have it right yet. I’m also adding scenes from Jean’s time in Afghanistan. All of that work has created a large number of continuity errors, all of which must be fixed. At any rate. I am working on it and will get it out as soon as I can. In the meantime, National Novel Writing Month is just over three weeks away. I don’t have any ideas yet for a new story, well, not exactly true, something is percolating in the back of my mind for another Jean Hays story. We’ll see how that goes.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Halloween giveaway is up! You can check it out at: https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. As always, each author is giving away at least 2 prizes and there’s a Paypal cash grand prize.

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting is October 26th, at 1pm. This is still on! It will be held at the ramada next to the Pine Thrift Store. If you happen to be in Pine, AZ, on that date, come on by. I’ll have some books available for purchase and signing. Social distancing and mask wearing will be the fashion. See you there!

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:

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.

Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up 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.

Mystery at the Reunion, Gardening, Lifestyle Change: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I had the time over the last week to delete all of the stupid and repetitive chapters in Mystery at the Reunion, and add some sections concerning Jean’s time in Afghanistan. I lost 20K words with the revision. I also introduced a LOT of continuity errors while I was deleting, adding, and shuffling sections of the story around. I changed the beginning of the book from Jean to Dwight (Jean’s ex-husband) because he arrives at the venue for the reunion first. The end of the book needs to be added to, so that loose ends are tied up. I’ll be able to make up some length there. This is not going to be a quick turnaround. I apologize to those of you waiting for the next Jean Hays. It seemed so easy when I first had the idea, but I’ll get it done.

Other writing news, my horror story, Creature in the Night was rejected. One thing I’ve wanted to try, is the option for Kindle Unlimited. This story seems like a good way for me to try out the whole process. It’s not part of a series, it’s already done and ready to publish, and it’s short, less than 3000 words. Since the story is also based on the Winter Solstice, it may be the perfect time for me to put it up on KU for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons. Any of you use KU? Let’s see how it works.

Zucchini madness continues. I gave Sue a second bag of zucchini. I made Italian stuffed zucchini boats the other night for supper. I have 3 small and one medium zucchini in the fridge right now. I don’t know what vitamins or minerals are in summer squash but I’m getting plenty of them this summer.

Dropped to about 214 this last week. I don’t have my glasses with me in the early morning and the tiny lines on the scale are very hard to see, so the reading is approximate. I had an outpatient surgery last Thursday, so that might be why I had a 4-pound drop for the week. I’m fine now, so not to worry. I’m still drinking my green juice morning and lunchtime. Hubby said he’s very impressed at my persistence with that, especially the cleaning of the juicer immediately after doing the juicing. I’ve been upping my steps per day as well. Not a lot, but it’s something. Goal, 6K steps per day. Then we’ll adjust. Maybe some yoga? Weights? Drop a comment below if you’d like to share your story!

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Summer giveaway is in progress! Check it out here: https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. As always, each author is giving away at least 2 prizes and there’s a Paypal cash grand prize.

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting is Octobr 26th, still at 1pm. So, if you happen to be in Pine, AZ on that date, come on by. I’ll have some books available for purchase and signing.

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:

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.

Who’s Next: Part 4 – Flash Fiction Friday Post

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There were riots outside of Congress. People were upset that the Senators and Congressmen and women, all still had insurance. “Why?” People asked. “Why do they get insurance and we don’t? They’re not special. If it’s good enough for them to cut off people with pre-existing conditions from their insurance, why not them?”

The police had to cordon off several blocks out from the congressional buildings and the White House after several men through molotov cocktails at the buildings. Central Washington DC looked like a combat zone there were so many soldiers patrolling.

In the meantime, I had been asking around about making our own insurance company. Several people I knew were willing to invest starter money and pay a monthly premium. I talked to retired insurance agents. They agreed it was a good idea and gave me tips on how to do payouts. A percentage of what each person paid in, was the gist of it. I felt like I was on a runaway horse. Panic filled my waking moments and nightmares filled my nights. The stress was getting to me.

My own premiums for my company were going to run me twice what my old medicine cost. But it would be a buffer for doctor office visit bills and a cushion for any hospitalization. I had to talk to investment bankers. I couldn’t just shove everyone’s premiums into a savings account. That was a whole other level of stress.

In the country as a whole, congresspeople and senators were trying to back up the pre-existing condition legislation. It was impossible. The insurance companies were failing after people stopped paying their bills. Some people had already been to court and the judgements had been for the consumers. The judges called it a breech of contract, even though the insurance company high-priced lawyers argued that there were clauses that said they could terminate policies at any time.

The number of lawsuits reached record highs. The court system was jammed. The President of the United States appeared on television calling for calm and reason. That’s when a protest group cut the power to the station doing the broadcast.

A year later, things had quieted down. My insurance company, Around the Block Insurance, was doing well. People were very careful about making a claim, knowing that they could run out of insurance resources. The FundMe company was making a fortune as people got on, making pages asking for donations. It seemed to be a thing—donating to people who needed medical care. After all, we were all in the same boat.

Congress was working on bills to implement single-payer medical in the United States, similar to what was working in Canada and Europe. All of the nay-sayers were gone—died themselves or finally understanding what the single-payer movement really meant.

I got ready for work. It was casual Friday at the office so I was in a sundress and sandals. My husband kissed me on the cheek on my way to the garage. “Have a good day, tycoon.”

I laughed. My salary was the same as every other person working in my company. That was another thing happening in the country but a whole different story.

“Thanks, hon.” I kissed him back. “Get the pork chops out for dinner, would you? It seems like it will be a nice night to grill.”

“Will do.” He shut the door behind me.

It wasn’t the only problem in the world, but I’d solved, in a small part, at least one.

The End

Words 586

Who’s Next? Part 3: Flash Fiction Friday Post

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Episode 1 here. Episode 2 here.

Who’s Next? Part 3

I wandered through the house the rest of the day, body on automatic as I did the things that needed to be done, while my brain whirled. Nothing came to me. My sleep was disturbed all night with dreams of giant monsters chasing me down streets, pills falling from the sky but evaporating just before a person could get them.

By dawn I got up, a headache pounding. I made some tea and read a book. The news was too depressing to turn on so early in the morning. By the time the hubby got up, I had his coffee ready to brew and eight chapters of my book read.

He gave me a kiss on the top of my head as he passed by to turn on the coffee maker. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah.” I closed the book and pushed it to the center of the table. “I had bad dreams. It seemed appropriate to just get up.”

“How you feel?”

I shrugged. “Calmer.” I looked in my tea mug, empty. I got up and clicked the hot water maker on. “I don’t have a plan yet. Maybe form a group. I don’t know.” I put a teabag in the mug. “I guess I just need to let it simmer in my head.”

He poured his coffee and sat at the table, hands around the mug. “You’ll think of something.”

He was right. I knew that. But I wanted to do something right now. We sat together while we drank our tea and coffee. It was nice that we could sit together, not talking, just being together.

The day moved on. I read more on-line articles. Looked at groups. But nothing popped at me as an action I could take. I sent more email to my representatives. They should understand how I felt.

It was a week before I found an answer. It was an accident, really. I had wandered onto an article that talked about the origins of the insurance industry. It turns out that insurance has been around for thousands of years but health insurance only since the late 1800’s. I toyed with the idea of going back to the original concept, of people paying premiums into a group pot, getting paid back when required. But the tangle of regulations, the need for portability across hospitals and doctors, and other technical barriers made me drop the idea. I thought about the possibility of the insured being paid directly and they would pay whoever was providing service, but the other problems seemed too much. I toyed with talking to an insurance agent but dropped the whole idea as ridiculous.

Even as the days passed, I kept coming back to the insurance idea. Couldn’t the maze of payouts be simplified. I went over my own contract with the insurance company. There was a provision for everything. So many things were denied outright, or only partially covered. It was all up to some mystery team of actuaries or high school drop-outs or someone. All of whom were being paid not to shell out any coverage. I sighed and put the document back in the drawer.

In the meantime, the news showed people protesting outside of the major insurance company headquarters and at the Congress. People were angry. Death rates were going up and the evening news was interviewing one family after another of dead parents and children, all who had been fine with their meds but were now dead when the insurance companies cut them off from expensive treatments.

People stopped paying the insurance companies. The stock market was going down. Hospitals were also losing money as people couldn’t afford to go to the hospital. The ripple effect through the entire economy was taking every business down as their employees died or stayed home, too sick to work.

“It’s happening so fast,” I told my husband as we watched the news.

He shook his head. “Had to happen. Such a large percentage of people have medical issues.”

That was true. And those that didn’t, were now struggling to take care of family members who did. Over the next few weeks people were shouting at each other on the protest lines and in Congress and the statehouses. Blows were exchanged. International travel dried up as travelers avoided the medical mess in the country, afraid they wouldn’t be able to get care if they were injured or fell ill.

What to do? No one could decide. And the country spiraled out of control.

Words: 751

Story Updates, Getting Healthy, National Novel Writing Month: Monday Blog Post

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On our dinner cruise. Laughlin, Nevada

Newest News:

Last week was a mess for me, how about you? I never did get around to any of my writing projects other than getting Friday’s flash fiction story up. Everything else was consumed by doctor appointments and a trip to Laughlin, Nevada. We do, occasionally, do what hubby likes and take the occasional trip. It was fun, and we took mom. She enjoys the casino too. We had river boat dinner cruise, which was nice. Then some gambling before bed. Then we came home the next day. A very quick trip. Check my video at https://youtu.be/dFUhYL62mNg for a complete run down on the projects.

I started my paleo again starting yesterday. It was a constant battle to not get into the candy. Bad habit, that. Anyway, had a good breakfast of a hash with veggies and left-over roast chicken thighs. Lunch was a salad, with more chicken. Supper was a chicken chili that hubby made. It had beans in it which are not paleo, but I didn’t want to disappoint him. It was tasty. He got the recipe from the winner of the Pine-Strawberry chili cook-off winner. So, it had to be good. Right? Oh, and I juiced some carrot, orange, lemon and ginger for a shot of anti-inflammatory, and a whole bunch of celery, for a glass of celery juice. It also has great anti-inflammatory properties that as a hypo-thyroid sufferer, I can use. It’s also high in minerals. Good for chasing down the body’s toxins and getting rid of them. You can check the whole story on celery juice at http://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/celery-juice. Last time I went strict Paleo, I lost 20 pounds. Wouldn’t it be great if I did that again!

National Novel Writing Month, NaNo for short, starts November 1st. I’m prepping to write in my All About Bob series. I have to finish book 3 then write books 4 and 5. If I stay focused, I can do all of that. The stories are meant to be novelette/novella length, so totally do-able. I’m also leading a write-in for my local chapter of the Arizona Professional Writers. This should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it. That’s scheduled for November 21st.

A reminder that I’ve finished my 2019 calendar. Arizona is such a beautiful place and a calendar of pictures from central AZ fits in so well with my Jean Hays series, I really just can’t resist sharing. Now that it’s completed, you can find the calendar on Lulu. Just click on the link and purchase as many copies as you want for yourself, friends and family. Feel free to share the link, and this post!

Next appearance is in December, the Mesa Book Festival. That’s December 8th. You can find all of the details at https://mesabookfestival.com/.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Halloween giveaway is now open. You can join in the fun at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/. There’s $80+ as a Grand Prize Paypal cash, plus books and other prizes.

 

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 Gulliver Station ebook box set released July 30th, 2018. You can buy it at Amazon 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 https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Health, Garden, Writing: Monday Blog Post

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Cactus Flower from my front yard.

Newest News:

The juice fast I began last Sunday was ended on Friday. I just never reached that point in the fast where I wasn’t hungry and on Friday at dinnertime, I went ahead and ate. Over all, I was 6 days on the fast and lost 6 pounds. The weight wasn’t the point, the fast’s de-tox was more important. Did the de-tox kick in? I have no idea. I never felt any different so I don’t know. Have you ever done a de-tox fast? How did it work for you?

The garden is doing well. I watered on Sunday. It hasn’t rained here in weeks and everything is so dry. Everything is now taking off and looking fabulous. Do you garden? What are your favorite things to grow?

Writing has been slow. I did go through my file of stories I’m shopping out to magazines. I have two that are still out. The rest have all been rejected. It sounds harsh to put it like that, but I don’t mind. On my story, Slave Elf, reader L.L. was the only person to send in an alternative title: To Catch an Elf. I’m not sure I like that one either but as the only contestant, I’m going to send her a copy of my book, Lost Rainbows. Thank you, L.L., for participating!

If you’re one of my mystery readers, I’ll remind you that I’m in a cozy mystery book bundle, Cozy Winter Reads.  The Bundle Rabbit link is:   https://bundlerabbit.com/b/cozy-winter-reads and you can get the bundle in whatever format you’d like. Just $7.99 for six books!

Giveaways:

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

Shout Out:

Here’s a shout out to my friend, A.F. Stewart. She’s one of those people who write horror and does a darn good job of it, too. One of her books is Ghosts, Gods and Sea Monsters. Here’s a bit:

In the Outer Islands, gods and magic rule the ocean.

Under the command of Captain Rafe Morrow, the crew of the Celestial Jewel ferry souls to the After World and defend the seas from monsters. Rafe has dedicated his life to protecting the lost, but the tides have shifted and times have changed.

His sister, the Goddess of the Moon, is on a rampage and her creatures are terrorizing the islands. The survival of the living and dead hinge on the courage and cunning of a beleaguered captain and his motley crew of men and ghosts.

What he doesn’t know is that her threat is part of a larger game. That an ancient, black-winged malevolence is using them all as pawns…

Come set sail with ghosts, gods and sea monsters.

You can find her at https://afallonblog.wordpress.com/.

Where Will I Be?

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

My next event adventure is the Payson Book Festival. www.PaysonBookFestival.org. We’re completing the final touches and now heavily promoting the festival. It’s again at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino ballroom. The organizer there is so wonderful to work with. At any rate, we’ll have 80 authors, entertainment, children’s story times (yep, more than one!) and of course the casino has great food in it’s restaurants. Hope to see you there.

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 https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.

Garden, Health, Writing: Monday Blog Post

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Early Girl Tomatoes from 2017

Newest News:

The apple tree that the elk ate has re-leafed and is looking pretty good. Tomatoes are blooming and the potatoes are doing well also. The squirrel ate one of my zucchini plants so I planted some seed. I planted yellow squash seed too so we’ll see how good they do against the squirrels. I planted a cantalope and a cucumber plant that I bought at the Garden Club sale but neither of them seem to be prospering. The sage I bought has also died though the thyme and the mint are thriving. I’m hoping to harvest the potatoes around the fourth of July and replace them in that bed with beets. I love both beet greens and the beets. How about you? What’s your favorite garden veggie?

 

Healthwise, I struggled all last week, Friday, finally giving in to some “con crud” that made me feel like I had the flu. I got up about six in the morning and stared mindlessly at the morning TV shows, then took a two-hour nap. I got up, did a couple of chores and then tried to do some work on the computer. That was a no go. I could hardly stay awake, so I took another two-hour nap. That seemed to do the trick. I felt much better and on Saturday, was right as rain. I guess I was just tired. But I decided to do a detox green juice fast. So Saturday I went to GNC and bought a juicer and went to the store to buy the ingredients. On Sunday, I made my first batch of juice and the juicer died. No overheating smell, no clunking or clanking. It just wouldn’t start again. So off to Walmart to buy a juicer. This one worked like a champ. Today, we’re on the road to the Grand Canyon. I have my green juice with me. Tuesday is hiking day, and I’ll take some juice on that as well. I’m so sick of being tired and achy and out of shape. Time to take charge of my own health. How do you manage your health?

Cold

I did get a story written for the blog last Friday. Another is due this week. Since I was beat all last week, not much else got done. But I’m hoping that with the juice fast, I’ll have more energy and the brain fog will go away. I have lots of things pending and it’s time to get to work!

Here’s a reminder that 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 a few more days. So many free books and prizes, you’ll be amazed. Click the link to get to the Rafflecopter.

Shout Out:

Here’s a shout out to my friend, Bonnie Bahn. She’s just released a new book, Fire Below Mystery Mountain. https://www.amazon.com/FIRE-Below-Mystery-Mountain-Bonnie/dp/1718615221.

Fire Below Mystery Mountain is a story of a family living in an isolated setting near Payson, Arizona. It’s perfect for children 8-12 years-old. Zach (12) and Cassie (8) move from Phoenix to an old ranch house. The mountain above their house is big and mysterious. Zach calls it Mystery Mountain. A series of events test the entire family. They include a hungry golden eagle, a wildfire, a broken leg, and a car that gets stuck. When things look hopeless miracles happen. First miracle is the dog, Brewer. The second miracle is the eagle. The third miracle is a pair of orange pajamas.

You can find her at https://www.facebook.com/bonnie.bahn.

Where Will I Be?

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

My next event adventure is the Payson Book Festival. www.PaysonBookFestival.org. We’re completing the final touches and now heavily promoting the festival. It’s again at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino ballroom. The organizer there is so wonderful to work with, I cannot say. At any rate, we’ll have 80 authors, entertainment, children’s story times (yep, more than one!) and of course the casino has great food in it’s restaurants. Hope to see you there.

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 https://www.paypal.me/ConniesRandomThought. I appreciate any donation to help support this blog.