Tag Archives: October

October, Twilight Tuesday Events, Writing Related: Monday Blog Post

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Sumac in Fall, Upstate NY

 

Newest News:

It’s October already! Did it sneak up on you the way it has on me? Despite the self-isolation at the beginning of the year, the tentative coming out in the spring and because of the Delta variant, going back into a modified self-isolation, it’s been a busy year for me. This last quarter of the year is even busier. While October seems a little early to start review my year, I’ve been looking back. Just what have I been doing? This blog post, for one thing. I want to thank you, my readers, for helping me to keep honest about my writing. A big help to be sure. There have been social events, outdoors mostly, which I have enjoyed. One is a weekly lunch in the park with some other women. These are great fun and I’ve learned a lot about the women in this group by having this social, bring your own lunch, every week. What have you been doing with 2021?

Heads up, I have new details for Twilight Tuesdays, below.

There were no responses to my question from last week about what you’d like me to start working on. All of it, I expect. Anyway, I’ll pick something and get moving. You’ll all be glad to hear it, I’m sure.

Giveaways:

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

 

Where will I Be?

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

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

More news for the Twilight Tuesday Christmas Market this year. It 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 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.

October, Mystery at the Reunion, Jury Duty, Speaking Engagement: Monday Blog Post

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Newest News:

October, I think, may be my favorite month. In upstate New York, this is the leaf changing season and the tree colors change to eye-popping reds, golds, and yellows. Here in Arizona, the color change is more muted but the colors do change. Especially aspens. Their leaves become a brilliant yellow. And since they have white trunks and grow in groves, the scene in stunning. The above picture was taken just north of Flagstaff and the trees hadn’t quite turned color yet, but you can see how stunning they are now. Just think about how gorgeous they’ll be in a week or so. Also, the heat has dropped to perfect temps and the sky is the very best sapphire blue. It’s definitely time to pull out the heartier recipes and unpack the fall and winter wardrobes. I hope your autumn is just as wonderful.

I’ve dug out my story, Mystery at the Reunion, and read over it. It’s not as horrible as I remember. That’s a typical response for me (and to be honest, other authors when they re-read their work after a space of time), but I’m always glad to see my story again. That doesn’t mean it’s ready to release. I’ve duplicated several chapters in some sort of echo chamber between the two main characters and there’s still this other plot line from Jean’s time in Afghanistan that I want to add. Lots of work, in other words, needs to be done. But I’m re-excited about the story and am looking forward to finishing it and getting it out of the door.

Jury duty is back on my calendar. I’m now scheduled to appear on October 9th. As before, I’m looking forward to it. The biggest drawback is that it’s an over 2-hour drive to the county seat and the appearance time is 8am. Ugh. That makes for very early days.

On October 12th, I’m speaking to the APW Central Chapter in Scottsdale, AZ. The topic is writing series stories. So, if you’re in the area, stop on by. It’s free to attend.

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.

Wrapping Up October: Monday Blog Post

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Fall Color

Fall Color

Newest News:

Oh my Gosh! It’s the last full week of October. Are you planning on attending any parties this coming weekend? Hubby and I are. I’m going as a Ghost Buster. Fun! I’ll try and post a pic in next Monday’s blog post.

If you follow me on Pinterest, twitter, Facebook, Instagram or other sites, you’ll see some changes. If you don’t follow me on those sites, why not? You can find all my links here.

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month

In my efforts to prep for November’s National Novel Writing month I’ve been writing blog posts (not the Monday posts) and newsletters and my flash fiction Friday stories in advance and scheduling them to be sent out on the appropriate days. That means even if I’m deep into Tested, my 4th Brown Rain series book, you don’t miss out on those free Friday stories or my Chicklets in the Kitchen post at all.

troubled-streets-graphic-meme-004

Troubled Streets is out! Hooray! It’s already up on Amazon, both as an ebook and as a paperback. It’s also now up on Kobo and Barnes and Noble. See my links at the end of this newsletter. I’m very excited to have the 1st book about Zoe Ohale out and into reader hands. As always, if you get it, I’d appreciate it if you could take 5 minutes and give me a review.

Giveaways:

spooktacular-author-giveaway

The Halloween Author Group Giveaway is still going until the end of the month. You can find the Rafflecopter link on my website. You do have to sign up to Rafflecopter but after that, you’re free to click away. I have links to it on my facebook and twitter pages, too. This giveaway I offer a free ebook, Recall, or for second prize, a copy of my Halloween Tales ebook. Over a hundred prizes from 30 authors plus a grand prize of $100 Paypal Cash. It’s not hard to enter, there are multiple ways to enter, and it doesn’t cost you anything. You could easily win a prize. If you haven’t entered yet, enter today and every day!

13-days-of-halloween

I’m also going to be on Facebook for an event called Thirteen Days of Halloween. From the 19th, a number of us authors have been on the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1103648499703425. Scroll all the way to the bottom to See All Discussions. I’ll be on the site on the 31st at 6pm Eastern time. Yes, I’ll remind you next Monday. I’ll have some giveaways myself but don’t wait for me. The group I’m working with have some event prizes as well as the individual prizes the authors are giving out during their hour. So stop on by. There’s a complete list of the author schedule under About as you scroll down the event page in the Details. Find some new to you authors today!

 

 

Shout Out:

Author S.C. McCole

Author S.C. McCole

Author S.C. McCole is on tap to talk to us during my author interview on Wednesday. A multi-talented person and world-traveler. If you can’t wait, you can find him on facebook at facebook.com/SCMcCole.

Garden News:

I watered the lemon tree and the bay leaf tree and my jade plant since we haven’t had rain in weeks. I’m tired of the garden at this point. I should take some time this week and clean it all up before the November NaNo madness. The question is, will I have the gumption or not? How about you? Is your garden clean-up done or do you still have some growing season left?

Where Will I Be?:

matfatdogearedpagesbookstore

The wonderful people at Dog-Eared Pages Book store (http://www.dogearedpagesusedbooks.com/) were kind enough to put a few of my Mystery at the Fair books on their shelves. If you’re in Phoenix, stop by the shop and say hi to the nice people there.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I sent one out on Sunday with all kinds of news. I’ve put sign-up prizes 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.

Newest Book Release:

troubled-streets

Troubled Streets released on October 15th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads or Chatebooks today! I’m still getting it loaded onto Gumroad and Chatebooks. You can also see all my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. 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.