Gardening, Poetry, ebook Sale: Monday Blog Post

Posted on May 3, 2020 by conniejean

Newest News:

We’re now into May and my garden is coming along. Volunteer potatoes have sprouted up in the middle of where I planted bush green beans and peas. Sigh. They’re growing so well I don’t have the heart to pull them. I’ll have to put another row or two of beans and peas in to compensate. My roses have begun blooming. That’s a picture up above. Love it when all of the bushes are in bloom at the same time. How’s your garden?

April’s Poetry month is now over. I hope you enjoyed the daily offering of different poetry forms. I really enjoy doing them and have saved all I’ve written. I may put out a book of poems one day. Maybe after the seven other projects I have sitting around waiting for me to get on the ball.

I should mention here that I have a sale going on over on the Smashwords site. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/conniecockrell This is my author page and as you scroll down, you’ll see all of my books. Since I make my books as inexpensive as possible right from the start, I don’t usually do sales but because of the lockdown, I did put some on sale for 60% off. You’ll see the sale prices listed on the ones on sale. This runs through the end of the month, so hop on board an get some reading in. Prices will return to normal June 1^st so don’t delay.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

The spring giveaway, Spring Flings and Book Things, is now open. You can get to it here, on my Giveaways page. As soon as the winners are announced for the St. Patrick’s giveaway, I’ll let you know.

Where will I Be?

Payson Book Festival, July 18^th at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino, Payson AZ. This event is under consideration for cancellation. We’ll know more in May

CokoCon 2020, September 4 – 7^th, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Phoenix Tempe, 2100 S Tempe, AZ. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Phoenix Fan Fusion, September 25^th – 27th. This event has been postponed until the end of September. Note that the event is a day shorter, starting on Friday rather than Thursday. For people who have special Thursday passes and other special tickets, check out the Fan Fusion website for details on how those will be handled.

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting, April 27^th has been officially rescheduled. The new date for my appearance is October 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.

Gardening, One Problem after Another, Masks, Poetry, Giveaways: Monday Blog Post

Posted on April 5, 2020 by conniejean

Newest News:

Sunday I spent some time in the yard, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. I watered the two flower pots out front that have pansies in them. They’ve been there five days and the javelina haven’t found them yet. They like to snack on the flowers, pulling them up by the roots, eating the flower part and spreading root balls and dirt in all directions. So far so good. I also watered my lavender and my fruit trees. A good long soak to get deep to the roots. Then, my biggest challenge was to repot my jade plant. I’d put it in a pretty but narrow necked jar two years ago and it was definitely looking like it needed repotting. The problem was to get it out of the jar. It wasn’t easy. I soaked the root ball and slid my hand down into the jar and around the root ball to break it up. With a lot of effort, I got it out but minus the lower third of the roots. I repotted it in a wide mouth pot this time and watered it well. Cross your fingers for it to survive the abuse.

Problems. If you own a house or the appliances and furniture in your apartment, you eventually end up with issues. Since Friday my poor husband has had to fix a number of things. First was the ice maker in the refrigerator. True, having an ice maker quit isn’t exactly an earth-shattering problem but I use my ice maker all the time. So, after tinkering with it, then dumping out all the ice into a container to use as needed, then tinkering some more. He fixed it. At the time we both decided the ice maker was broken, all I could see was a giant repair bill. We’d had a repairman come to the house once before for a previous fridge. Hundreds of dollars later, it was fixed. Thank goodness we didn’t have that this time. If a repair person would come out in the middle of a shut down anyway. Second was the Prius. Hubby got in it early Sunday morning to make our grocery run. It wouldn’t start. That’s never a good start to the day. Anyway, he took the second car and when he got home, spent some time with the owner’s manual to try and figure it out. Turns out the 2^nd battery, the one that starts the car, was dead. He managed to find a new battery at a local car parts store and got it fixed. Disaster averted, but it wasn’t cheap. New batteries for Prius’ are expensive.

Hubby asked me to make him a mask to wear out in public. So Friday and Saturday I did. It took me three hours to make two camo masks, one for my husband and one for my daughter’s room mate. The next day, I made two more, one for me and one for my daughter. The second time around it went a lot faster. These pleated masks have a pocket to put a filter in them. My sister-in-law, the nurse, told me about these and she uses the best hepa furnace filters she can find to put in the pocket. So, anyway, they’re done.

April is National Poetry month and I’ve been writing a new poem daily with a group on Facebook. If you’d like a quick getaway, I also post the poems on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts/. They’re a quick read and sometimes fun, sometimes thoughtful. You’d like to join in the poetry writing fun? Check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/178557275869627/. Tell Stephanie I invited you!

The St. Patrick’s Day giveaway is done. I’ll post my winners as soon as I get them.

See below for cancellations and changed dates for my appearances.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Giveaways:

Where will I Be?

Pine Library, 6124 W. Randall Place, Pine AZ, Friends of the Library meeting, April 27^th at 1pm. This event hasn’t been officially cancelled though the library is closed through April. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.

Payson Book Festival, July 18^th at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino, Payson AZ. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

CokoCon 2020, September 4 – 7^th, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Phoenix Tempe, 2100 S Tempe, AZ. This event hasn’t been cancelled yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Newsletter Sign Up:

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:

Jury Duty, Poetry Submissions, 2020 Calendar, New Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

Posted on September 16, 2019 by conniejean

Newest News:

At the last moment the trial I was going to jury selection for had a continuance. So, I’ll be notified when I’ll be called back. Hope it’s not in the middle of NaNo.

Submitted two poems to a contest last week. I suspect I won’t win anything, but it has been a long while since I’ve submitted anything anywhere. Good to get back out there.

Biggest News! I have the 2020 Calendar, which I’ve titled Arizona Reflections, now available for sale. 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.

Giveaways:

The Summer Giveaway is now closed. The organizer will have the prize winners chosen soon and I’ll let my winners know after that.

In the meantime, the Ghoulishly Great Reads Halloween Author/Blogger giveaway is now open! 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 14^th 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:

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:

Poetry: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Posted on April 26, 2019 by conniejean

Three poems today. The first one titled, the others, not. Three different poetic forms. If you’ve never tried poetry, give my friend Susan’s site a look. Just pick one that looks like fun and give it a try. You can play with these all year, not just in April.

Self

I believe in the power of self,

The right to find one’s own path,

The need to be alone,

The necessity of failure,

The power of success,

travel, good food, and fine wine.

But not in soul-sucking meaningless work, just to keep body and soul together.

I believe in the joy of a task well-done.

I believe in equal measures of work and play.

I believe in education,

spirituality, love, and sheer kindness,

And I believe that everyone deserves more than one chance.

Rain.

It can

Help plants grow,

Wash them away,

Or bring sweet relief from a sunny day.

The clouds fill the sky, all black, ominous,

Then fat drops fall,

Plop in dust,

Muddy,

Wet.

Forty Years

It’s been over forty years since we met.

It’s been a lot of miles, too.

Our wedding, of course, friends gathered round us.

Then to Germany, A daughter born,

then Virginia, Italy, and South Carolina.

On to England where our little girl became a young woman.

Arguments, travel for fun, rotating shifts, being so tired.

It’s all been part and parcel of our lives.

Retirement, staying in one place for over a decade.

Moving once more to a place warm and bright,

Where nearly another decade has come and gone.

It’s been worth it. Every hard day. Every good one.

All worth it. With you.

Poetry: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Posted on April 19, 2019 by conniejean

Hello to all. It’s still April and that means National Poetry Writing Month. I’ve been following along with author and poet Stephanie Peterson Abney as she leads several of us along a path of getting to know many poetry forms. Following are a few of the poems I’ve written since the last post.

Rhyme Royal Poem

“The Pine”

It stands sentinel in front of my house.

The shade it does cast helps keep my home cool,

Tall and green, it makes pinecones, so I grouse,

In the spring, pollen collects on my tools,

In my nose and eyes, I feel like a fool.

I could cut it down, no pollen around,

But then where’s the shade, none would be around.

Grassy hills from this year’s wet spring.

Next is a gogyohka form of a Quintain poem

Green grass

covers the rocky hills

making them look soft

rounding their shapes

in the morning sun.

This is a Poiku, a Haiku based on a popular song.

“When I’m Sixty-Four”

When I get older,

Sincerely wasting away.

Will you still need me?

From the Beatles, When I’m Sixty-Four

So you can see I’ve been having a lot of fun with poetry this month. Why don’t you check out Stephanie’s website and try your hand at a few?

Poetry: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Posted on April 6, 2019 by conniejean

Well, here it is, Saturday, and I forgot to post on Friday. If you read my Monday blog posts, you’ll know that I’m participating in April’s poetry month. I’ve posted some of my poems on my Facebook page but here are some others.

My Mom came to stay awhile.

She traveled, dined, and visited,

while settling into her lavender-colored room,

All through the autumn, So I could hold her hand when she passed.

Hike

A walk

Moving through woods

In peace and quiet

Movement

Tree

Green and tall

Standing in my yard, quietly

Like a quiet sentinel

If only it could speak

Pasta.

Food of the Gods.

Each bite fills my mouth with joy.

No matter the sauce, at my seat,

It brings comfort and warmth.

Woods in the morning

Mist rises between the trees

Sunlight filters down

Morning birdsong cheers me up

My heart rejoices with glee

That’s it for today. Enjoy your weekend.

Travel, Garden, Poetry, Camp Nano: Monday Blog Post

Posted on April 30, 2018 by conniejean

Me at the Beach

Newest News:

Hubby and I traveled to southern California last week to visit our daughter. We went to the beach, (it was cold), and to Solvang (it was hot!), and just hung around with her. On the way home, we stopped for the night in Laughlin NV, where we found a huge motorcycle rally starting. That was a surprise. However, the bikers we met were very nice and we left the next day so weren’t really all that put out.

Planting Potatoes

Sunday I managed to get some gardening in. I watered everything. Unfortunately, it was too late for the sage. It was all dead. So, I’ll dig it all out and plant more. I did get the potatoes in. The peas and beans are next. The seeds are sitting on my dining room table, so all I have to do is water the bed and get them in. I did manage to get the dead flower stalks cut from the oregano, which is coming up just fine. But didn’t get them trimmed from the lavender out in the front yard. Another day, I guess. All of the fruit trees have little fruit buds on them, so that’s a good thing. And the deep watering I gave them should help them along for the next couple of weeks. I do need to put the fertilizer spikes in at each tree. That should be easier now that the ground is moist. How’s your garden coming?

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!

Nothing to do with poetry or Camp Nano but pretty none the less.

April is both National Poetry month and Camp Nano. I’ve been working on my third, All About Bob story. I’m calling it “It’s all about the Music”. I’m not going to make my challenge for It’s All About the Music. Too many days without writing, though I did get about 5k words done while I was in California. I’m still writing a poem a day, even if it’s several in a day. I’ll finish all thirty days worth and put them out as a small book of poems. It’s surprising how easy it is using these forms my friend Stephanie has researched. The link again is https://stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com/2018/04/. Have you tried to write any poems?

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 Susan Haught. She’s redoing the covers on her series, Whisper of the Pines, and has received the first one back from her cover designer. It looks fantastic! Check her out at http://susanhaught.com.

Where Will I Be?

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

I attended the Payson Women’s Wellness Forum on April 28th, 2018. I saw a lot of the women I know and I sold nine books! The program was fantastic. If your area has something like this, you should attend. It’s fun, it’s informative, and the lunch was great.

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:

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.

Friday Flash Fiction: Poetry

Posted on April 27, 2018 by conniejean

Hello All.

Sorry about posting late. I’ve been travelling all week but I’m back at home now.

Since April is National Poetry month, I thought today I’d share some of the little poems I’ve created this month.

I’ve been following a site that has put up a different poetry form everyday called, Stephanie Says So, https://stephaniesaysso.blogspot.com/2018/04, if you’d like to play along.

I’m no Longfellow, but these are fun, even a little silly. Enjoy.

The First Day

The first day,

The birthday,

The fool’s day,

The Risen day.

So many meanings,

So many blessings,

So many people,

Enjoying this day.

Hiking

Sunshine outdoors

Climbing rocks, views to the sky

Movement, breezes, mountains, trees, birds.

It’s good to feel so free.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung, it has been sung.

Sweet air, I taste it on my tongue.

Lovely flowers, they have sprung.

Glad to be Alive

I like to hike but

It’s a long drive to the mountains

Where peace lies waiting

When I’m there the air so fresh

Makes me glad to be alive

Last

It’s a bright, warm, day without a cloud.

I went to the store, saw a crowd

All trying to check out now.

It took some time, it did.

When my turn came then

I checked out fast.

No one wants

To be

Last!

Spring, Poetry, Camp Nano: Monday Blog Post

Posted on April 16, 2018 by conniejean

A Friend protecting his garden from the elk.

Newest News:

Spring has sprung here in central AZ. My Swiss Chard is coming back up and I see I missed some tiny potatoes as little potato leaves are poking their heads above ground. Must be time for me to plant my seed potatoes. My daffodils have finished blooming, as have the peach and nectarine trees. The pear trees are just about finished blooming and the apple tree has just started. I’ll have a lot of fruit again this summer! Must also be time to put in my peas!

April is both National Poetry month and Camp Nano. I’ve been working on my third, All About Bob story. I’m calling it “It’s all about the Music”. It’s slow going as I’ve missed several writing days but I’m nearly to 10k words. So, if I can get the butt in the chair, I should have no trouble completing the 20k I have left in the challenge. In celebration of poetry month, I’ve been writing a poem a day. An acquaintance of mine is a poet and on her site and facebook page she’s been giving us a different poetry form every day to play with. It’s fun using these different forms and I’ve been having fun with it. Here’s one, just something silly. It’s called a nonet poem.

Last

It’s a bright, warm, day, without a cloud.

I went to the store, saw a crowd

All trying to check out now.

It took some time, it did.

When my turn came then

I checked out fast.

No one wants

To be

Last!

Have you ever written a poem? Share if you like, in the comments.

Giveaways:

The 2018 Authors/Bloggers Spring Giveaway at https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ has started. My St. Patrick’s giveaway winners were Jodi Hunter and Amy Walczyk. Thank so much for participating!

Shout Out:

To my brother, Don. Don is revamping his lifestyle for healthier eating. He’s already lost a lot of weight and is pressing on to lose even more. Big hugs, Don, for jumping into that with both feet!

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:

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:

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.

Flash Fiction Friday: Grazing At Dawn

Posted on June 28, 2013 by conniejean

I’m prepping for July’s Camp NaNo and have scheduled all of my Friday Posts until the middle of August. This is the last one I’ve completed. It takes on a Narrative Poem feel. Using a picture posted on http://sethsnap.com/2013/06/24/your-story-the-queens-request/ as a prompt, this is the story I’ve come up with.

Grazing At Dawn

The deer grazed in the dawn light,

Mist softening the edges of the early morning.

The farmer started his truck; beginning his work day.

The browser’s heads shot skyward,

Ears pricked forward, alert to any danger.

They watched the farmer drive by, shrouded in the mist.

Not a threat, they bent their heads down again,

Eating their fill before going to their rest.

The End

63 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here:http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

ConniesRandomThoughts

Thoughts and Activities About My Writing

Tag Archives: Poetry

Gardening, Poetry, ebook Sale: Monday Blog Post

Gardening, One Problem after Another, Masks, Poetry, Giveaways: Monday Blog Post

Jury Duty, Poetry Submissions, 2020 Calendar, New Giveaway: Monday Blog Post

Poetry: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Poetry: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Travel, Garden, Poetry, Camp Nano: Monday Blog Post

Spring, Poetry, Camp Nano: Monday Blog Post