Tag Archives: Mystery

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.

Mystery at the Reunion, Website Updates, Mice: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Had a really good interview with a military woman who was stationed in Afghanistan! I received excellent details about the living arrangements, how and when people could leave the compounds, what weapons they carried, all sorts of stuff. Now mulling over how to use that information. Mystery at the Reunion. Yes, it will be out. Probably early 2020.  

Website updates. Spent some time last week in my website trying to figure out where the blog signup button went. Can’t find it anywhere though the newsletter links still work. I cleaned up the social media share buttons, so that’s a plus. Then spent a lot of time looking for a widget or a plug-in to get my blog sign-ups back. No luck on that. I’ll have to find a web admin group and ask them what they use.

I go to jury duty tomorrow!

Mouse patrol! Taping up the under the car duct covers has eliminated our mice in the car problem. I’m pretty sure they’re still in the garage though. Ugh.

Giveaways:

The Summer Giveaway is open! There are 33 participating authors with 33 book prizes and 33 summer gift prizes. The Grand Prize is $100 in Paypal cash. This is certainly a giveaway to get involved with.

Where will I Be?:

I don’t have anything on my calendar until the December Mesa Book Festival. The date is December 14th from 10am – 5pm and the location has changed to 225 E Main St, Mesa. This is the Benedictine University, for those familiar with Mesa. I am sharing a booth space with the wonderful Marsha Ward. The site only promotes the author registering the table, so you’ll only see Marsha’s name, not mine. But I promise, I’ll be there. You can find all the details and a map at https://anthology.org/category/mesa-book-festival/.

On the other hand, if something juicy comes up, because it’s a long time between now and December, I’ll let you know. Do you know of an event where you’d like to see me? I’d love to know about it. Contact me here and say the word.

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:

Gold Dreams released May 13th, 2019. I have finished reformatting the book for the other platforms. It sometimes takes a few days or even a week to get them all live. It 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.

Mystery at the Reunion, National Novel Writing Month, Shout Out: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

My cozy, Mystery at the Reunion, might be a good fit for you. The InkShares site is new to me and I’m still learning how to use it. I’ve put chapters from the story up over there as well as some alternative chapters that may bring the story even more to life. Since the story is in a contest, I can win the contest by getting people to read the story. Here’s the link. https://www.inkshares.com/books/mystery-at-the-reunion. I’d appreciate it if you’d go over and have a read. The book is open for comments, so if you like something, don’t like something, let me know!

Gulliver Station box set for Smashwords is live. I’ve included links to all of the ebook spots where I sell my books at the bottom of this page. I’m still working on the paperback version. I’m having a fight with Amazon on the cover, a technical glitch of some sort. And in the formatting, I’ve run into a weird hurdle that puts the last page of every chapter in the middle of the page. I thought I had the pagination error beat but no. That’s not working either. At any rate, you can now get it in ebook for a very nice price. Enjoy.

https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/australian_gold_nugget_by_nerodesign.jpg

National Novel Writing Month, NaNo for short, has begun and I’m over 7k into my first book, Gold Dreams. I need to finish it up, then start on my All About Bob series. Lots to do there as well.

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/.

Shout Out

I want to say a big hi to my author friend Anne R. Tan, also a mystery author. She’s promoting her new book, Smoldering Flames and Secrets, a Raina Sun mystery over on the Books2Read site at https://books2read.com/RainaSun7. Really! Go check it out.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Halloween giveaway is now closed. There’s $80+ as a Grand Prize Paypal cash, plus books and other prizes and as soon as I get the info, I’ll tell you who won! A Christmas one is coming out soon, so stay tuned for that.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

The Gulliver Station ebook box set released July 30th, 2018. It is finally up on all of my other retailers in ebook format. You can buy it at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords today. You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. 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.

 

Mystery at the Reunion, Paleo, Calendar: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Saw a contest for mysteries and thought my cozy, Mystery at the Reunion, might be a good fit. The site is called InkShares and I’ve never used that site. So, I figure, what the heck, right! Anyway, I’m putting chapters from the story up over there and I can win the contest by getting people to read the story. So here’s the link. https://www.inkshares.com/books/mystery-at-the-reunion. I’d appreciate it if you’d go over and have a read. At the end, I’ve been putting up alternative chapters from Dwight’s point of view. It fleshes him out a little better and makes the story a little more interesting. I introduced a new plot line in his voice. We’ll see how that goes.

I also bit the bullet and am reformatting my Gulliver Station box set for Smashwords. Sunday I managed to remove all formatting from the entire set and get the title page, the table of contents, and the first book, A New Start in there and formatted. I’ve linked the TOC with A New Start chapter headings as well. So that’s done. Three books to go and the endmatter. Then I’ll try to get it up on Smashwords again.

Still keeping up with my celery but being kind of hit or miss with the rest of the paleo diet. Those dang candy bars keep calling my name. And, we went to a Halloween party on Saturday, so of course there was wine. Anyway, I’ll keep plugging away at it. How about you? What goal are you working on?

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.

 

The Church: Flash Fiction Friday Post

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Adirondack Fall by Randy Cockrell

It was a September, my first Sunday in my new house. I’d cleared enough boxes from the dining room table for me to sit at one end. The sun was just up, and I gazed out of the window, mug of tea in front of me. Maples that bordered the edge of the yard between my neighbor and me were still in shadow but the tree tops catty-corner across the street were in sunlight. The church behind those trees, I didn’t know the denomination, had its steeple bathed in light as well. The church had been built in the early 1900’s and wasn’t large but had that village church look that was postcard pretty.

The belfry was just a square mounted atop the church building. Slats covered the openings. At seven-thirty in the morning, I really didn’t expect to see anything or anyone over there. Too early, even on a Sunday. But just as I was looking away to pick up my tea, I saw something up at the belfry. When I looked back, it was gone. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked again. A squirrel jumped from one maple branch to another. The branches dipped and swayed with the squirrel’s weight.

I shook my head. Just a squirrel.

The next morning I was clearing the rest of the boxes from the dining room. It was ten and I was hot, sweaty and dirty and ready for a glass of iced tea. It was a relief to sit down in what I’d established as my spot at the dining room table. The leaves on the maples were starting to brown, I noticed as I sipped my tea. There were already many fallen leaves in the hosta border between my neighbors and me.

I was watching the sunlight dancing on the tree leaves when a movement at the church caught my eye. Again, something up at the belfry. It seemed too big to be a squirrel, but it was hard to tell with all the trees in the way.

The leaves changed, turned orange, red and yellow and fell from the trees. Every day I saw something over at the church. I’d have asked my neighbor, but she only came up from the city once a month for a weekend to check on her house. The neighbors bordering the church parking lot had fir trees on their lot border, so couldn’t really see the church itself. As I got to know the neighbors, I asked about the church.

“Haunted,” Karen Carmichael told me as we chatted in her front yard. She lived four doors down from me on the same side of the street. “The histories say that spot where the church was built was a burial ground. When the colonists pushed the Indians out, they just built over it.” She nodded sagely but I privately wondered.

“Wow. And this is common knowledge?” I wasn’t sure if she was just pulling my leg or not.

“No. It’s in the town histories. If you go to the town historian, it’s all there.”

“Thank you.” I gave her a wave and continued my walk. I’d have to check that out.

A few days later at the historian’s office, I read through the old records. Karen was right, there had been a burial ground there, but the colonists had dug up the graves and transferred the bones to the Indians before they built the church. I thanked the historian and left.

It was mid-November and the whole town was decorated for Thanksgiving. The church was having a harvest festival the week before the actual holiday and had invited everyone on the street to attend. It was a potluck and I came with a casserole.

At the door I was greeted by the pastor’s wife. “Welcome,” she beamed at me. “Thank you for coming. I’m Allison.”

“Hi. I’m Corrine. I live in the white house, two doors down.” I raised the casserole dish. “I brought a ham and scalloped potato dish.”

“Bless your heart,” she said enthusiastically. “Everyone brings pasta and it gets a little old.” She turned to a passing woman. “Elaine, would you show Corrine where to take her dish?”

The woman agreed and we proceeded to a table in the community hall that was packed with food. I mingled, meeting familiar neighbors and others I didn’t know. People lined up and got their food then sat at long rows of tables to eat. The meal was about complete, and I was telling the people around me about how I was seeing something over here nearly every day.

There was a lot of speculation. Ghosts, were, of course, the main topic but many of the men were convinced it was just squirrels running around the roof. The pastor stood up to give a little speech thanking everyone for coming when we heard some sort of noise coming from the ceiling. The pastor drifted to a stop as everyone’s eyes rose to the noise. There were two screams and everyone gasped. A few even stood up. That’s when the ceiling collapsed, and two huge raccoons fell onto the table in front of me. Men were shouting. Women and children were screaming as they jumped up and tried to escape. The raccoons ran in different directions creating even more havoc as more tables of people began to run, screaming, for the exits.

The next day, workers were at the church. I went over to see what was going on. The pastor was in a denim shirt, sleeves rolled up. “A whole nest of raccoons. Several generations worth,” he said as he wiped his forehead with a bandana. We had no idea.”

“I should have said something. I’ve been seeing something up around the belfry and roof since I moved in but never could get a good look.”

He nodded. “Well, thank you anyway.”

As I left, I got a card from the exterminators. I wanted my house and attic checked as soon as possible.

Summer, Garden, Writing, : Monday Blog Post

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Monsoon River in my Back Yard

Newest News:

Hooray! Saturday we had rain. For us, it was a welcome relief. The moisture helped fire fighters keep the forest fires under control and maybe even gain some ground. I know my garden was thankful and the birds and animals as well. The rain marked the start of what we in the southwest call monsoon season. Yesterday’s rain was very gentle. That’s not usual for a monsoon. During a regular monsoon rain the water comes gushing out of the sky like from a firehose. Start to finish, the storm may only last half an hour but it will drop inches of rain, flooding washes and streets and stranding people in place until the water recedes. It’s exciting to watch from safely inside the house. Terrifying to see when you’re driving around town.

Tomatoes

My garden is galloping away. I’ve had to tie up my tomatoes as they’re starting to sprawl all over. The cucumber, cantaloupe, and zucchini plants are all a healthy green and in bloom. I can’t wait for the fruit to come.

burned_out_building_by_chisatowatanabe-d8mdbcd via DeviantArt.com

Did you see my Friday story? The Doomsday Vault. What did you think? I was writing to a prompt from another author and I had too many ideas for it. I ended up with something I wasn’t very happy with but put it up anyway. I guess I can use it as an example of working to a deadline. I hate to miss posting a story on Fridays.

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/ ends this week. So many free books and prizes, you’ll be amazed. Click the link to get to the Rafflecopter.

Shout Out:

Author CA Asbrey

Today I want to give a shout out to an author friend of mine, C.A. Asbrey. She’s the author of The Innocents historical mystery series. C.A.Asbrey developed a deep interest in early forensics and detection methods working in the field. She researched early detectives and the tools available to them for years before developing her characters. They are compelling versions of real people, all her crimes are based on fictionalized versions of real crimes, and the methods used to solve them were available to detectives at the time. She likes her mysteries twisty, complex, and intricate; through a fog of history and a touch of light humor. The Innocents book 2, Innocent as Sin, is about to be published and I had the chance to read it. I loved it. The forensic details were fascinating, and she has a well-rounded story to go with it. Set in the west, her main character is a female Pinkerton detective and encounters all of the prejudices and biases you’d expect for that day and age. I find her a compelling character and the hints of her backstory are tantalizing. There’s a love interest, an outlaw and his outlaw uncle, that create a great conflict as well. I’m reminded of the series Moonlighting and Castle. I hope you’ll enjoy the series.

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.

Phoenix Comic Fest, Wildlife, Writing: Monday Blog Post

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Lounging

Newest News:

I’m so excited that Phoenix Comic Fest is coming up in 10 days! I spent some time Sunday getting books sorted and boxed up to take with me. Luckily, I don’t have to order anything. I also bought a red cloth wagon to carry everything. Last year I was using a luggage carrier and I had a heck of a time keeping everything on it as I moved my stuff around. The wagon is much better. I got the wagon at Walmart, this one, https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Folding-Wagon-Red/437376731, if you’re looking for something similar. It’s going to be a blast!

 

Just a reminder, Mystery at the Fair is in a book bundle called Cozy Winter Reads and has five other authors in it with me. The Bundle Rabbit link is: https://bundlerabbit.com/b/cozy-winter-reads and you can get the bundle in whatever format you’d like. I can hardly wait to read all of these new to me other authors. Hope you enjoy it. Just $7.99 for six books!

The wildlife in my yard, especially my back yard, has been very active. My hubby got a picture of one of the ground squirrels, lounging on the back fence. Then, a couple of days ago, he spotted a snake, getting a drink from the bird bath.

How, you ask? It had climbed up the rose bushes. He got a quick shot of the snake’s head from the kitchen window, backing up from the water. Then he went out and got some pics of it in the roses. Crazy!

I’m still working on It’s All About the Music. I managed to write a couple of new chapters last week. I like where this story is going. So, for fun, here’s an excerpt that may or may not make it to the final book.

The next day at lunch, Dot showed up at his table. “Mind if I sit?”

Rob didn’t know what the feeling was that shot through him. Relief? Joy? Gratefulness? Whatever it was, he was happy to see she was talking to him. “Sure.”

She sat, putting her tray of bottled water and salad in front of her. “Word is your video is almost done.”

“Yeah. Mister Barry and I saw it yesterday. They have a couple of other things to do with it, then it will be ready. I pick up my still shots today.”

“Good.” Dot opened her water and drank. “Are they making you copies?”

“Yeah.” He put his grilled cheese down on the plate. “A couple of everything. For my records, they said.” Rob picked up his sandwich and took a bite. It was nice sitting with her again. He’d missed her yesterday. “I should have the package for the admissions office out by Friday.”

Dot stirred her salad around in the bowl. “I heard that Ned is bad-mouthing you to anyone who’ll listen.”

The bite of grilled cheese Rob had just taken tasted like ashes all of a sudden. “I heard.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Rob shook his head. “Nothing. He has a right. I did rat him out.”

Dot sighed heavily and put her fork down. “It’s best for him, you know. You too.”

Rob wiped his hands on his napkin. “I guess.”

She turned to look at him. “It is. You’ll get help. He’ll get help. It will be worth it.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But he’s my best friend and I,” he shook his head. “I just totally narc’d on him.”

She sighed again. “It feels that way now. But you may have saved his life.”

Rob pushed his tray away to the center of the table and put his elbows on it. “Who knows.” He scrubbed his face with both hands. He’d heard about Ned all morning. It was like everyone in school was enjoying telling him every word. The snide looks, the snickering as he passed in the halls had hurt. Wait until Mr. Barry heard. That wasn’t going to be a good conversation. “What should I do about it?”

“Ask him to stop.”

Rob had to roll his eyes at that suggestion. “You don’t know Ned. He doesn’t like being told what to do. If I ask him to stop, he’ll just shout it out in the middle of the quad.”

Dot pushed her tray away and rested her head on one fist. She studied him. “So you’re just going to let him tell everyone in school about it? What about the teachers. They’re going to hear sooner or later.”

He threw his hands up. “I’ve thought of that. It’s a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Mister Barry wrote me a letter for my admissions packet. What if he asks for it back?”

She folded her hands on the table. “Talk to Mister Barry.”

Eyes wide, Rob turned to Dot. “Are you kidding?” The very thought made his stomach clench.

She put a hand on his arm. “I’m not kidding. Get in front of the rumors. Fess up.”

Rob covered his face with both hands, fingertips pressing into his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. His hands dropped to the table, his head drooping. What a mess. All because he couldn’t keep his word to himself. He wanted a drink. Bad. “What if…” all the things that could go wrong flashed through his mind.

“What if what? That he finds out by over-hearing a bunch of kids talking about you? How’s that going to look—you hiding it? What do you think he’ll think of that?”

She’s probably right. Look at how Mom and Dad reacted to me hiding my drinking. “Fine. I see him after school. I’ll tell him then.”

“Good. You want support? I can come with you.”

He desperately wanted her to come. To know there would be someone in the room on his side. “No. That would look strange. You’ve never come before.”

Dot nodded. “Okay then. I can walk down with you though.”

A small life preserver. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

She stood up and grabbed her tray. “Good. I’ll meet you at your locker.”

“Okay.”

“Good. See you at three.” With that she left. He watched as she took her tray to the window. She gave him a wave as she left the lunch room.

At three, he was pulling his flute out of his locker when she tapped him on the shoulder. “Ready?”

He wasn’t ready. His stomach hurt and he felt like he was walking to his execution. “I guess.” He zipped the flute into his back pack and put it on. “Let’s go.”

She strolled along beside him. He realized the top of her head only came to his shoulder. He sniffed. “Lavender.”

Dot smiled at him. “Yeah. I thought you could use a little calming.”

Rob nodded. He did need some calming. “Nice of you to think of it.”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to walk around smelling like flowers. You’ve got enough issues.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. That would be perfect. Getting beat to snot for smelling like perfume.”

At the music room, Dot stopped. “You can do this.”

Rob wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, staring at the door. “Yeah. I can do this.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” With that, he opened the door. Best to get it over with fast.

Half an hour later, he left. He was surprised to see Dot at the end of the hall. “Hey.”

“Hey. How’d it go?’

Rob took a deep breath. Held it for a moment and let it go. He’d been so nervous he could feel the sweat trickle down his back. “He was disappointed. But he told me he’d been hearing the rumors and was glad I’d come to him and told him the truth.” He stopped at a water fountain and drank. His mouth felt like old leather. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “He didn’t ask for his letter of recommendation back. I’d been afraid he would.”

Dot walked with him out of the building and to the street. She handed him a piece of paper. “You get home, and you want to talk, call me.”

All Rob could do was stand and blink at her.

She waved it at him. “Take it. You can’t talk to Ned anymore. So call me.”

He reached up, slowly, and took the paper. “Uh. Thanks.” He jammed it in his pocket. I might.”

She smiled. “Good. I go this way. Take care.”

He nodded as she walked away. Rob watched her until she got to the corner and lost sight of her behind a building. He turned and headed home, grinning. She was helping him. He didn’t even have to ask for her number. That was good, right? At home he grabbed a quick sandwich and a glass of milk and headed to his room. He ate quickly and turned on his keyboard. Happy tunes made his fingers dance across the keyboard. Maybe everything didn’t suck after all.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Authors/Bloggers Spring Giveaway at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ has started. So many free books and prizes, you’ll be amazed. Click the link to get to the Rafflecopter.

Shout Out:

Shout out to my friend C.A. Asbrey. She’s getting ready to release Innocent as Sin, book 2 in her Innocents Mysteries series. Like mysteries? This is a western, historical mystery set in Wyoming. It’s a page turner, I tell you. Want to know more? She can be found at:

Blog – C.A Asbrey – all things obscure and strange in the Victorian period http://caasbrey.com/

The Innocents Mystery Series Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/937572179738970/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mysteryscrivener/

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/author/caasbrey

Twitter – https://twitter.com/CAASBREY

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17899618.C_A_Asbrey

Link to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BMHFXSJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_wTSSAb8J40Q9H

 

Where Will I Be?

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

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

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

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

Cozy Winter Reads, Mystery Giveaway is Live, Looking for Reviews: Monday Blog Post

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Yellow squash hiding from the sun

Newest News:

Mystery at the Fair is in a book bundle called Cozy Winter Reads and has five other authors in it with me. The Bundle Rabbit link is:   https://bundlerabbit.com/b/cozy-winter-reads and you can get the bundle in whatever format you’d like. I can hardly wait to read all of these new to me other authors. Hope you enjoy it. Just $7.99 for six books!

If you’d like an Advance Reader Copy of Tested and to write a review for me, go to https://booksprout.co/arc/1639/tested. There are only 18 copies left so hurry. You’ll have to join but it’s free. You can follow me there, so you get updated on every new release!

Gardening. It’s time, here in central Arizona to trim my roses back and prep for the gardening season. We’re still getting hard frosts, here, so still a tiny bit early to plant but it’s coming!

Giveaways:

As of Friday, March 16th, our Book Funnel Mystery Giveaway is live. I’m in that with Mystery at the Fair, if you haven’t read it yet. But there are 35 other mystery authors in the promo as well. The link is:  https://books.bookfunnel.com/free_mystery/sfaebm0djq. This won’t last long so get your books today!

Then check out https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ and click on the Rafflecopter link to enter the 2018 Authors/Bloggers St. Patrick’s Day Giveaway. Books, ebooks, jewelry and more is being given away. You don’t want to miss out.

Also happening this month is a March Fantasy Madness giveaway. That started on March 1st over on Book Funnel. Tons of fantasy stories up for grab for just signing up for author newsletters. If you love Fantasy, this is the giveaway for you. Here’s the link: http://www.autumnwriting.com/march-fantasy-madness/. Click on the book you are interested in and it takes you right to the purchase page.

Shout Out:

A shout out today to my mom who has just been released from the hospital. Hi, Mom! Glad you’re back home!

 

Where Will I Be?

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

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

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

Tested released January 31st and I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, today! You can also see all my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s critical to help me promote the books to other readers. Thanks in advance.

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

Tested, Mystery at the Fair: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

I spent last week finishing up my synopsis and query letter for Mystery at the Fair and have submitted it to the Hallmark Channel for consideration on Saturday. I expect there have been thousands of submissions. Who knows how long it will take for them to review them all. In the meantime, cross your fingers for me.

A pic I was considering for the Tested cover until I went in an entirely different direction.

I have the fourth Brown Rain story, Tested, edited. I am now formatting the manuscript for both print and ebook. I’ve contacted the cover designer. I should have all four covers, including Tested, back this week. Release will be early November if all goes well.

Mystery at the Reunion is set in Vegas, Baby!

I’m still brainstorming elements of my next Jean Hays story, Mystery at the Reunion. November’s National Novel Writing Month is just eight days away!

Energy Ball 001 by ISOStock, www.DeviantArt.com

I continue to write my serial, Slave Elf. Sunday, I wrote two more episodes. Delia is in deep trouble. We’ll have to see how she gets out of it. You can find the first episode here.

Giveaways:

Would you like to win free ebooks, other prizes, or $150 in Paypal cash? Drop by https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ and click on the Rafflecopter link for the Spooktacular Authors Halloween Giveaway. There are 8 days left so get it now!

2018 Planner

I have started a contest over on my newsletter. What? You don’t get my newsletter? That’s a shame. But see below on how you can join in on the fun. I already have several people writing in to enter it. It runs to the end of October, just 8 days away, when I’ll use a random number generator to select the winner. Let me know you’ve joined the newsletter and I’ll send you the information to enter.

P.S. By the way, you can get the pictured mug at: https://www.gearbubble.com/gbstore/conniesrandomthoughts

Shout Out:

One of the Arizona authors that helps with the Payson book festival is Jan Cleere. She says, “I write about the people, legends and tales of the Old West that I have uncovered among tattered documents, tear-stained journals and diaries, and the accounts told by old-timers.” An award-winning author, a historian, and speaker, Jan will next be at the Tucson Corral of Westerners, 4855 Eat Broadway Blvd, Tucson, on November 6th at 6pm. Her topic is “The Woman Who Shot Cowboys” a biography of rodeo photographer Louise Serpa. If you can’t see Jan in person, you can find her books and calendar at https://www.jancleere.com/.

Where Will I Be?

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

The Payson library’s first ever mini-comicon has been post-poned from November 2017 until perhaps March of 2018. I’m committed to being on a panel so I’ll keep you posted on all of the details.

On December 9th I’ll be at the Mesa Book Festival. Get full details at https://mesabookfestival.com/. I’ll be in a booth with my author friend, Marsha Ward. www.MarshaWard.com. Between the two of us, we have a large number of genre’s covered. Come get your Christmas presents and stocking stuffers. The festival runs from 2pm – 8pm.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on both the regular and the Brown Rain newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming.

Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!

Newest Book Release:

Mystery at the Book Festival released June 1st 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.

Special Announcement: Mystery Giveaway!

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For one week only, if you don’t already have it, you can get Mystery at the Fair free! Go to the August Book Funnel Mystery Giveaway at https://books.bookfunnel.com/free_mystery/wrllo9pt15.

There are 25 new to you books from 25 authors and every one is a winner. Get your free books today and discover great authors! Giveaway ends on the 25th of August. Don’t delay.