Tag Archives: September

Last Day of September, Jury Duty, Speaking Engagement, Summer Giveaway Prize Winners: Monday Blog Post

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Aspens on the Abineau Trail, Flagstaff, 2019, Picture by Randy Cockrell

Newest News:

It’s the last day of September! I can’t believe how fast this month has flown by. My husband took a hike up by Flagstaff on Saturday. The above picture is from there. At the same time I was in Phoenix at an annual conference for the Arizona Professional Writers. I know he had fun with some other hikers trudging up the trail on the back side of Arizona’s tallest peak, Mount Humphrey’s. But I also had a good time talking with fellow authors/bloggers/reporters and others about the state of writing and publishing today. I also met a lot of great new people that I’m happy to add to my contacts list. I hope your month has finished on a high note, too.

Jury duty is back on my calendar. I received the notice Friday. 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.

From May’s Phoenix Fan Fusion appearance

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:

The Summer Giveaway is now closed. My winners are Wanita Tonn, from Canada, who won the ebook Gold Dreams, and Terri Quick, from the U.S. who won a $10 Amazon Gift card. The giveaway’s grand prize winner was Robin Davis, also from the U.S. Many congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy your prizes.

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/.

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 Releases:

Reminder. 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.

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.

Upstate NY in September: Monday Blog Post

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Adirondack Fall by Randy Cockrell

 

It’s mid-September and while the days are hot and humid, thee trees and plants are starting the process to turn color. I saw a sumac in bright red two days ago. A lone sentinel in its party dress, ready for the fall gala. But the rest are just beginning to lose that fresh green color. All that’s needed is a frost. That could come at any time. It’s not unusual for it to be hot one day and a frost to appear overnight.

For this area, October is the party. Scarlett, orange, yellows of every shade, and bronze are common in the Adirondacks. The days are mild and the nights cold. The drop in humidity leaves the sky a clear sapphire. October sky I’ve always called it. A color and clarity that only October brings. The above picture is from a couple of years ago. A good example.

Mom and I are prepping for her trip to Arizona. Doctors, medical equipment companies, and multiple emails and faxes are involved. Good thing I was a project manager.

So that’s it for now. I managed a flash story for last Friday and with luck, I’ll have one for this coming Friday.

Take care.