Tag Archives: NaNoWriMo

Fall Color, Business Expo on Saturday, NaNo is Coming: Monday Blog Post

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Aspens by Randy Cockrell

 

Newest News:

Last week hubby and I decided to take a drive up the rim to see how the aspens are doing in their fall finery. It was a nice drive, and we took the 300 road past Woods Canyon lake for a few miles. The aspens were in various stages of their fall color. Some had already dropped their leaves. Some were still mostly green. A good number, though, were in their pure golden dress. Randy took some good pictures. I took a short video trying to catch the trees leaves in the light breeze, making a sound like rain. His pics were pretty good. My video, not so much. That’s his picture above. My video here:

Take the opportunity if you can, to catch the fall colors near you.

I’ll be at the Payson Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on Saturday. Details are below. This is an outdoor event, for those looking to maintain some social distancing. Hope to see you there.

Still no idea what I want to do for Nano. It’s now 2 weeks away.

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, is over! As soon as the organizer pulls the winners, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, the Pumpkin Posse Authors Halloween Giveaway is live! There are twelve authors, 24 prizes and $71 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

I’ll be at the Payson Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on October 23rd. This is a one-day flea market type of event being held in the Payson High School parking lot starting at 10am. It lasts until 2pm so stop by early. I’ll be in the Arizona Professional Writers stall by myself. No other authors decided to take me up on my offer to share the stall. This is a great time to get books for your entire Christmas list, but also to check out all of the fantastic businesses here in Payson. I heard there’s going to be candy handed out for Halloween as well so bring the little ones.

The Twilight Tuesday Christmas Market this year will run from November 9th, 3 – 6pm to December 21st. I have obtained two appearance dates, when I only expected one so I’m pretty happy about that. I have a booth date of November 23rd, and one of December 14th. Come on by, check out our version of a European Style Christmas market and enjoy.

 

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 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.

Fall Festival, National Novel Writing Month: Monday Blog Post

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Fall Festival, National Novel Writing Month: Monday Blog Post

Me at the Pine/Strawberry Fall Festival. By Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

As promised, I was at the Pine/Strawberry Fall Festival all weekend. There were fewer vendors than normal, and fewer visitors. I expect that’s a result of people still being careful of the pandemic. However, those people who did come out seemed more than prepared to buy stuff. All of the vendors I talked to said they were doing very well. People wanted to spend their money. I did the best I’ve ever done at a book selling. Anywhere. Ever. So a good weekend for me. Check out my next event (an outdoor one), below.

When not talking to visitors to the Fall Festival, I was thinking about what to write for National Novel Writing Month. NaNo is now three weeks away and I’m still coming up empty. I don’t have a well enough thought-out plan for book 5 of the Brown Rain series. I have no idea about a 5th book for my Jean Hays cozy mysteries. I have a dreadful draft of the 2nd Zoe Ohale. I have a bit of an idea for a 2nd book following up Slave Elf. And a bit of an idea for a 2nd book following up Gold Dreams. So, YA Post-Apocalyptic, Cozy, SciFi, Fantasy, or Western. As for something completely new, um, no. This despite my idea folder being full of possibilities. No matter what I choose, some research needs to be done. What do I mean by that? Well, let’s take Gold Dreams.

If I choose that one, I’ll have to figure out how Zeke and Mary get from Central Arizona to Northern California, the Sutter’s Mills area or San Francisco area I think. Easiest I’m guessing, is to to go by a wagon train down to Yuma and across to Los Angeles then north to San Francisco but I’ll have to look at the open routes that were available in the late 1800’s after the Civil War. One thing might be to have them travel down to Globe AZ, catch a train to LA, then San Francisco and buy their gear there. See what I mean? There are possibilities, hazards, and risks for each of those decisions.

Stay tuned!

Giveaways:

The Summer event, called the Summer Breeze Books Giveaway, is over! As soon as the organizer pulls the winners, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, the Pumpkin Posse Authors Halloween Giveaway is live! There are twelve authors, 24 prizes and $71 as the Grand Prize in Paypal dollars. Hop on over to the page with the following link and get in on the prizes. https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

 

Where will I Be?

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

The Twilight Tuesday Christmas Market this year will run from November 9th, 3 – 6pm to December 21st. I have obtained two appearance dates, when I only expected one so I’m pretty happy about that. I have a booth date of November 23rd, and one of December 14th. Come on by, check out our version of a European Style Christmas market and enjoy.

 

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 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.

Booksweep Winners, National Novel Writing Month, Local Shop the Grid, Christmas Market: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

My Booksweeps giveaway ended on November 11th. Here are my winners. Elisheva Thoreen was the giveaway’s grand prize winner and Michael Goldberg won a copy of my book, A New Start. Congratulations to both of them.

It’s National Novel Writing Month and I have written over 11,000 words. It’s looking more and more like I will not make my 50,000 words goal. With 9 days left in the month, I’d have to write 5,000 per day to finish on time. While that is certainly possible, it’s not likely that I can summon the discipline to do it. It will be my first Nano incomplete. Not failure, as I do have a very good start on this new fantasy story. So there’s that.

Looking for Christmas gifts? Shopping local is the best! I’ve joined other local retailers for a Shop-the-Grid event hosted by the Payson Chamber of Commerce. Spend $200 (collectively) at any of the participating vendors and be entered to win a Nintendo SWITCH Game System. Shopping must take place between November 23rd, 2020 and December 18th, 2020 and receipts must be submitted to the Chamber of Commerce during that time. The drawing for the winner of the SWITCH will take place on December 21st. I’m excited to be one of the vendors. You can shop online on my Amazon page, https://www.amazon.com/Connie-Cockrell/e/B009O6199C, or at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/ to go to other online outlets. Anyway you buy, you just have to show the receipts! Once I get a copy of the grid from the Chamber, I’ll post it on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts. Addresses and links to all of the vendors will be on the grid form. Good luck and have fun shopping local!

You’ve probably heard that Corona Virus rates are now sky-rocketing all across the United States and the world. Please take care to stay home when possible, wear a mask and maintain distancing when you must go out. You are all valued by friends and family. Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Halloween giveaway winner’s list is available. My winners were Kayla Harmon and Angela Carrillo. Their prizes have already been sent. Congratulations to them both!

The Christmas giveaway is now live! There’s a $75 Grand Prize of Paypal cash and 30 other prizes. Check out the link at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter.

Where will I Be?

With a sad heart, I’ve cancelled my appearance at the Twilight Tuesday Christmas Market on December 1st. The Corona virus rates in my town are skyrocketing and I’m deciding to stay at home. I love Christmas Markets. My husband and I attended many when we were stationed in Europe. I’m sorry to miss this one but there will be next year.

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.

Booksweep, National Novel Writing Month, Christmas Market: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

My Booksweeps giveaway ended on November 11th. Soon, I’ll be receiving my winner’s names and send off copies of my book, A New Start, to them. With luck, one of them will be the grand prize winner as well. I hope you’re one of the winners!

It’s National Novel Writing Month and I have written over 5,000 words. Not much given that we’re halfway through the month and I’m supposed to be shooting for 50,000 words. I’m continuing to poke at the story, but I have to be realistic and understand I may not get it done. It’s still possible, of course. At this point I’d have to write 3000 words per day. Every day. I can do that. But will I? We’ll see.

You’ve probably heard that Corona Virus rates are now sky-rocketing all across the United States and the world. Please take care to stay home when possible, wear a mask and maintain distancing when you must go out. You are all valued by friends and family. Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The Halloween giveaway is over! I just checked both giveaways, Halloween and Christmas. I’ll let you know the winners and when the Christmas giveaway goes up as soon as everything is set up.

Where will I Be?

December 1st, Payson’s first ever Christmas Market, 3pm – 6pm. Sawmill Plaza Shopping Center. The market will have food, s’mores at a firepit, and lovely things to buy for your special friends and family for Christmas or birthdays. I’ll have books to sell, and sign, if you’d like. I’d love to see you there. Fully masked, of course!

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.

NANOWRIMO, To Do List, Friday Flash The Party, Giveaways News: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

So how is National Novel Writing Month going for me? Well, I’ve had a dearth of motivation this last week and skipped writing from Tuesday through Saturday. Well, Saturday I spent on the road. I had a meeting in Tucson so there was about four hours each way on the road, plus the meeting I attended and a lunch and social couple of hours afterward. That has put me behind. Not so far I can’t catch up, but I’ll have to work harder and longer to get the words in that I need to complete the NaNo challenge this year. When I do write, the story seems to be moving along. This is after, It’s All About the Girl, had a particularly slow start. No matter. The words are flowing and I should finish the month strong. I cannot believe the month is already half over with. That’s what happens when you spend so much time in other worlds. LOL!

In between writing sessions I’m like most women, thinking about Thanksgiving, and beyond that Christmas. Planning needs to be done. People invited over. Presents to be acquired. Candy to be made. I also haven’t finished updating everything needed to be done for the Payson Book Festival, so that’s nagging at me in the back of my brain. Lots to do. I’m sure many of you are in the same situation. My plan is to just take one thing at a time and get it all done. Hope your plan works for you!

Oh. And I missed my Friday flash fiction post on my serial, The Party. It fell into that same lack of gumption as It’s All About the Girl. However. I have been thinking about it. It looks like I have about eleven characters. Somehow, before the end of the story, they’re all, or at least most of them, are going to intersect in some way. I have no idea how. I do have a glimmer of how the story could end. I’m really writing this by the seat of my pants so hang on. It’s going to be a ride.

Giveaways:

The Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is now over! Twenty-two authors are participated giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. Soon I’ll have the list of winners, which I’ll share with you.

The Christmas giveaway is now open! For my giveaway I’m featuring a copy of Slave Elf and a $10 Amazon gift card. There are 21 other great prizes available and a $72 Grand Prize in PayPal cash. I hope you can stop in and try for a prize here.

Where will I Be?:

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.

Veteran’s Day, NANOWRIMO, Gratefullness: Monday Blog Post

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Airman 1st Class Wilcox

Newest News:

Happy Veteran’s Day! The youngster in the above picture is me. Airman 1st class. I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going, or what the future would bring. Fortunately, mostly good stuff and for that I’m grateful. May the vets in your life have nothing but happiness from now on.

Yay! It’s November and with it, National Novel Writing Month! This is the annual challenge to all writers to put your editing brain in the closet and just write, write, write! As of Sunday morning, I’ve written almost 18,000 words so far. I have transitioned to the next All About Bob story, which right now I’m calling, It’s All About the Girl. This story isn’t flowing as well as the last one but not everything is perfect. I’m slogging along on it and with luck will have it done sooner rather than later and be able to start the last one, It’s All About Home. If you’re writing this month, good for you. Hope you get it finished. If you’re a reader, brace yourself. All of these stories will be out in about a year.

I have been putting my gratefulness posts on my author page. So click on over to my author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts/, and check it out. Share what you’re grateful for as well!

Giveaways:

The Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is ending soon! Twenty-two authors are participating giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. So jump on this giveaway, over on my website Giveaways page. Soon I’ll have the list of winners, which I’ll share with you.

The the Christmas giveaway will start very soon! For my giveaway I’m featuring a copy of Slave Elf and a $10 Amazon gift card. Other great prizes are also available. I hope you can stop in and try for a prize.

Where will I Be?:

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.

NANOWRIMO, Gratefulness November: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

Yay! It’s November and with it, National Novel Writing Month! This is the annual challenge to all writers to put your editing brain in the closet and just write, write, write! As of Sunday morning, I’ve written 4600 words and am going strong on finishing It’s All About the Music. Then I’ll transition to the next All About Bob story, which right now I’m calling, It’s All About the Girl. I don’t really like that title, so hopefully, when I’m writing it, I’ll come up with something better. The last planned book in that series will be, perhaps titled, It’s All About Home. With luck and nimble fingers, I’ll have all three done by the end of the month. We’ll see how it goes.

Also in November, I practice gratitude and thankfulness. I’ve done this for several years now and find it comforting. I generally post my daily thankful for on my personal facebook page. I should do that on my author page too, don’t you think? Yeah! I’ll do that. So click on over to my author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts/, and check it out. Share what you’re grateful for as well!

Giveaways:

The Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is ending soon! Twenty-two authors are participating giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. So jump on this giveaway, over on my website Giveaways page. Soon I’ll have the list of winners, which I’ll share with you.

Then the Christmas giveaway will start. For my giveaway I’m featuring a copy of Slave Elf and a $10 Amazon gift card. Other great prizes are also available. I hope you can stop in and try for a prize.

Where will I Be?:

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.

Autumn has Arrived, NANOWRIMO, Best Website News: Monday Blog Post

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Stirling Pass, Sedona, by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

Cooler weather has arrived in Central Arizona. I have broken out my jeans and started making casseroles again. Sunday was scalloped potatoes and pork chops. An old favorite of mine that my mom used to make. Even better, the fall color has arrived in the moister places—canyons, stream sides, and so on. The above picture was taken in Sedona on a hike there by my husband.

My cold is much better, as are the swollen lymph in my neck and the ear infection. A couple more days and I’m back to the doc for a follow-up.

We’re just days from the start of National Novel Writing Month and I’ve decided to work on more of my All About Bob series. Since these are shorter books, novelettes/novellas, that makes me a NaNo Rebel this year. I’ll still be writing to that 50,000 word goal. I’ll just spread it out over 3 books. One book. All about the Music, was started last year and I never finished it. So I’ll wrap that up and then move on to two more. Neither of which I have titles for or even plots. Well, maybe a plot for one. The other, well, I’ll figure that out when I get there. So, wish me luck. Nano starts November 1st.

It’s Fixed!

BEST NEWS! After much futzing around with my website, I have finally figured out my blog sign up issue. It’s back, now located at the top right of my blog page. It has taken me hours and hours of spelunking around the back end of the website to figure it out. But now it’s back and I’m so happy. If you’ve wanted to share the website but haven’t, now’s the time. I’d love to get my subscriber numbers back up.

Giveaways:

The Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is now running! Twenty-two authors are participating giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. So jump on this giveaway, over on my website Giveaways page. It won’t last long.

Where will I Be?:

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.

Cold Season, NANOWRIMO: Monday Blog Post

Posted on by
Inner Basin, Flagstaff, by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

My cold is still hanging on. For the first time ever, I have a new symptom. It appears to be swollen lymph nodes. WebMD says it can happen, the pain even moving from the neck up into the jaw and maybe even the ear. Some jaw pain for me though not bad as I’m taking ibuprofen to ease the infection. If it hangs on for too long, I’ll go see my doc.

Next month is National Novel Writing Month and I’m still trying to decide what to write. I mentioned last week an idea for another Jean Hays story. I also have an idea for another western. A couple of days ago I remembered I have an All About Bob series story to finish and two more to write. So there’s that to consider as well. I’ll admit it’s a lot more fun to write a new story that to rewrite and edit old stories. Choices, choices. It would be nice to finish something up over November. More than one something would be fantastic!

Giveaways:

The Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is now running! Twenty-two authors are participating giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. So jump on this giveaway, over on my website Giveaways page. It won’t last long.

Where will I Be?:

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.

Cold Season, Jury Duty, APW Meeting, NANOWRIMO: Monday Blog Post

Posted on by
Fall Fern by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

So cold season has hit my house. Hubby was sick all week last week and yesterday (Sunday) I had his cold. Sigh. Not bad yet. Didn’t sleep well Saturday night/Sunday morning, more nose blowing than usual and my eyes feel like they want to fall out of my head. Ugh. Lots of hot tea for me.

Jury duty was cancelled last week. The trial was vacated. So now I’m back into the jury duty rotation. Hope if I get selected the next time it’s an interesting case.

APW Logo

On October 12th, I spoke to the APW Central Chapter in Scottsdale, AZ. It was a small group so we had a good time trading writing experiences and sharing tips. The APW accepts new members all year long so if you’d like to get with a group of like minded people interested in getting words on the page, check us out at https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/.

Next month is National Novel Writing Month. I’m trying to decide what to write. I have an idea for another Jean Hays story. I also have an idea for another western. I’ll admit it’s a lot more fun to write a new story that to rewrite and edit old stories. But, both have to be done. The “rules” of November’s Nano are that it should be a new work though not everyone follows that. So we’ll see. Just two weeks to go until the start.

Giveaways:

In the meantime, the Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is now running! Twenty-two authors are participating giving us a $66 Paypal grand prize plus 22 other great prizes and 22 free books. So jump on this giveaway, over on my website Giveaways page. It won’t last long.

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/.

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:

My 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, is now available. I love doing these calendars. The beautiful pictures of Arizona wildlife, insects, reptiles, and landscapes relaxes me every time I look at them. The wall calendar has both U.S. and Canadian holidays listed and blocks for keeping track of appointments. You can find the calendar for purchase at: http://www.lulu.com/content/legacy-lulustudio-calendar/arizona-impressions/25183877. Alternatively, you can go to my website, at my Books and Other Products page and it’s the first thing you see. I hope you enjoy it.

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.