Mid-June Madness: Monday Blog Post

Posted on June 13, 2016 by conniejean

Roses by Randy Cockrell

I cannot believe it’s the middle of June already. So many things I wanted to get done by now and I’m not even close. One of those things is that I’m re-working the cover to Mystery at the Fair. Actually, a friend of mine did the work, gave me the elements, and now I can create covers for the next two in the series that maintain the same look and feel. Many thanks to D’Elen McClain. (www.wickedstorytelling.com) What a friend! Anyway, I have the cover changed on Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/564549 Check it out. Do you like this cover better than the Arizona yellow-orange one? https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Fair-Jean-Hays-Book-ebook/dp/B011P3POYW Drop me a line and let me know.

Giveaways:

The Spring Into Reading giveaway closes in about 5 days. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. This giveaway I offer a free ebook, First Encounter, or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple ways to enter. You could easily win a prize. If you haven’t entered yet, please enter today and every day.

Shout Out:

I met some great authors at last week’s MysteryCon. I’d like to share two! One is Cathy Ann Rogers http://www.cathyannrogers.com/. One of the organizers of the event, Cathy’s newest release is Sick in Shadows at https://www.amazon.com/Sick-Shadows-Cathy-Ann-Rogers-ebook/dp/B012YMXEDQ The other organizer is Kris Tualla. http://www.kristualla.com/ Kris’s mysteries cover several series and her tag line: Norway is the new Scotland! Check out her series, The Discreet Gentleman, at https://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Kris-Tualla-ebook/dp/B007K1KPUC.

Garden News:

Bean Sprouts by Randy Cockrell

I mentioned last week that a squirrel or chipmunk got at my hot peppers. One has been repeatedly attacked and is now dead. The one next to it is still hanging on. Cross your fingers, everyone, that it will survive.

Zucchini by Randy Cockrell

The beans (pole string and yellow beans) I planted last week are all popping up. I have to string up the netting for them to grow up. The butternut squash and Swiss Chard are no show’s so far but I’m not sure if that squirrel isn’t eating the seed. I know for sure it’s digging where I planted the squash. Bad squirrel. The zucchini has recovered from it’s transplant shock and I have blossoms and two tine zucchini. I’ll be picking them by Saturday I think. My brother-in-law gave me a luffa. I need to peel the shell off and shake out the seeds. I’m going to plant it right in the garden and cross my fingers. I’ve tried planting them in pots here but they never even flower. Let’s try a new way. How’s your garden doing?

Where Will I Be?:

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival, partly funded by the Arizona Humanities. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab. Check us out on Twitter: @PaysonBookFest, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PaysonBookFestival/.

9^th annual Fall Festival in Pine, AZ. October 8^th and 9^th. http://pinestrawberrybusinesscommunityaz.com/fallapple.html. I’ll be there all weekend as part of the local author book signing. My hubby will be there as part of the chili cook-off at noon. There are also crafters and a very excellent antique show scheduled, not to mention musing and food!

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. 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! I’d love to see you there.

Newest Book Release:

I’m in the middle of the Zoe Ohale re-write. If you’re a Brown Rain Series fan, I think you’ll like Zoe Ohale. You may remember a short story I published on my blog on 8/20/15, Extra Baggage. That was the second story about Zoe. The first, Betrayal Moon, is in the Forward Motion anthology, due out later this year. Just 17, Zoe has been an orphan living on the streets of Baia Mare since she was 12. Street smart and fiercely independent, Zoe has been offered the chance to move back into legal society by the police officer that arrested her a few months ago. But first, she has to help protect the little kids in her group, help her friend save her father from assassination, and find a criminal ring that just stole all of the physical credits being delivered to the Planetary Bank of Baia Mare. The book, the first of a series, should be out in August, if I can find time to work on it between the Book Festival and the Fair.

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! 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! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

Author Interviews: S. L. Lewis

Posted on May 11, 2016 by conniejean

Author S.L. Lewis

Oh my goodness, we have a great author interview lined up for today. S. L. Lewis, or Sunny, is a new author planning her career a bit differently. She’s writing, re-writing and editing a number of books all to be released very close together. Nothing is available yet but when it is, you won’t have to wait long for her next one.

With that said, let me introduce, Sunny!

1. Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby?

My favorite hobby. Well then, I have a lot. I love to write (obviously), and I love to play my Pokemon games, which are Pearl and FireRed. I kind of inherited them from a man I called brother, actually. And they’re the only ones that I currently have.

Let’s see, I also love to read. I read constantly. Embroidery, sewing, painting, sculpting, and going for walks while listening to music are more hobbies that I love to do.

As long as I can actually afford to buy supplies for my artsy crafts.

2. If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

If I had the opportunity I would actually love to meet the Lady of Manners herself, Jillian Venters. She’s what’s known as an ElderGoth and is the author of Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love them.

I once showed my more Gothic nature (having grown up with the literature instead of the music) and I would love to speak with her face to face about so many things. Luckily her site works just as well for me for the time being. But I hope to at least buy her book one day and get her to sign it.

Call it a fangirl moment if you will.

(Her site: http://www.gothic-charm-school.com/

And her book: http://www.amazon.com/Gothic-Charm-School-Essential-Guide/dp/0061669164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247078045&sr=8-1 )

3. Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

Ah, such a choice. Tea most often than not, either iced or cold, and usually a flavor of some kind. I’m a lover of a good chai or vanilla tea. I do like a good chocolate tea too, most particularly Stashes White Chocolate Mocha Tea. I do drink coffee too, either Folgers or Maxwell house, but rarely.

More so during National Novel Writing Month than other times.

Same with soda. Sometimes but not quite so often. And of course I drink a lot of water. Must stay hydrated after all.

4. What are you working on right now?

Warning: this is kind of long. So I’ll just condense it down into a small list.

A: Book Zero (yes, you read that right, zero as in the number) of the “Don’t Look” series called Thread the Needle, and book 1 called “A Delicate Thread”. The second book is mostly rewriting and fiddling since I need to write Thread first.

B: “Black Veiled Saviour”. And yes…I spelled that last word wrong and because it connects to the book itself, so no grief over that. It is a murder mystery that will be filled with drugs, sex, murder, action, and intrigue. All the good things a noir needs yes?

C: Book 1 of my “Crimson Series” called “Crimson Shadows” and plotting book 2 called something along the lines of “Drips of *something*”. Haven’t decided on that last word.

Yes, I’m TRYING to keep this short.

D: A couple of stand-alones. One is called “Follow Me Down”, which I’m thinking is called a horror noir fantasy, and a paranormal horror that I haven’t figured out what to call yet.

E: I have a couple of duologys actually in the works, too, but I’m not working on them very hard since I barely know where I’m going with them. One is a Zombie fic that I’ve quite literally labeled “Zombie with a Brain”. You can blame one J.A. Marlow for that one. The other is a kind of post-apocalyptic that spawned from my entry into the latest Forward Motion anthology.

F: I’m doing a complete rewrite and overhaul of two shorter stories that will be more filler between actual novels than anything. One is a basic “Suburban happenings” kind of book and isn’t titled currently. The other is called “All You Need” and is set in the future, a romance.

G: And finally an 8 book superhero story that revolves more around the characters instead of the action. You’ll get to see them grow up, find out what shapes their lives and get more in-depth with who they are. Book 1 is actually 17 chapters into a 36-chapter outline. Not too far from the end of the first draft.

All of my books have a mix of pan/bi/gay/straight characters with a variety of genders mind you. I write M/M best apparently.

5. How would you describe your writing style?

My writing style? Hmm, goodness, what to say about that. I’ve been told a few times my first drafts tend to sound like an overly detailed outline but my final drafts tend to take a more poetic bent depending on the genre I’m writing.

I have a rather good vocabulary, so if I can use one word instead of another in its proper context, I shall. Especially if the word is saving me from the ever dreaded “repeating” word. I am well known for being rather…graphic when it comes to certain scenes.

6. Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

Advice. What to say that I would have loved to hear when I was first learning?

Research is your best friend. I’m not joking you! You know the old saying “Write What You Know”? Well, how do you know anything if you don’t sit there and learn about it first? That’s where the research comes in.

Go to a library and look up things. You want to write paranormal novels? Find all the books that you can that deal with ghosts, spirits, various cultural stories about the spiritual and supernatural worlds. Pull out movies on the paranormal and watch them. Study how they build the story up.

You want to write a romance? Get online, Google “Best Selling Romances” and if you can, read them. Ebooks are cheap now days. It won’t hurt to buy a new book if you can get away with it.

You want to write a horror story? Figure out what kind of horror you want to write. Do you want to write one where a ghost torments the inhabitants of a house? Research ghosts and hauntings.

Do you want to write about vampires? Research the types of vampires. And yes, there are many types of vampires out there. It’s not hard to Google “Types of Vampires”, dearies. Same with were’s and creatures of the night.

And of course there is also just going and watching a movie or show that has what you want to write about. You can glen a wealth of knowledge just from watching a show and studying how they build the action up, how they hint at this and that, before coming to the climax. It’s amazing what you can learn by watching.

Like I said, research is your best friend and having several methods of research is a good idea. My research bookmarks have their own folder with folders within folders. It takes time and a lot of trial and error to figure out the best way to research for yourself, but once you get it down, it’ll be just as easy as sitting down and surfing the net for hours on end.

Oh, and invest in a good chair or a really good butt cushion. They’ll be your best friends in the long run.

7. Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life?

Luckily, to a point, they come to me in my day-to-day life. I have a mildish case of hypergraphia, which is the need to write. It’s not just an urge, it’s an itch that needed to be fulfilled. It can be tied to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and even Bi-Polar Disorder.

For me, it’s connected to my OCD. But I do get ideas by watching movies, reading books, and talking with friends. See the zombie fic ala Marlow. I just look around and take everything in.

Even some interesting posts on Tumblr and Twitter sometimes. Depends on what I’m looking at.

8. Where can we find you on the interwebs?

Where can you find me? So many places.

On Twitter as @SLStrailo. https://twitter.com/SLStrailo

On my writer’s Facebook Page called S.L. Lewis Writing https://www.facebook.com/sllewiswriting/

I even have a writer’s Tumblr called A Peek Into a Creative Mind. http://apeekintoacreativemind.tumblr.com/

And I even have a blog called A Peek Into a Creative Mind on Blogger. Though I am thinking of moving to WordPress so we’ll see what happens in a year’s time. http://apeekintoacreativemine.blogspot.com/

Thank you to Connie for having me here. I hope you all find my answers interesting and that you guys have a good day.

Thank you so much for coming onto my blog and visiting with us. So, dear readers, you don’t have to wait to hear about what Sunny is doing. Check out her social media sites and enjoy!

Ambush: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Posted on April 22, 2016 by conniejean

The Arrestra by Jay Richmond at http://bit.ly/1SsjrfT

Zeke wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist. The grit scratched like a rasp. He would have used his bandana but it was caked with the mud of his sweat and the dust. The donkey plodded around the arrastra, crushing the gold bearing quartz so he could get at the gold ore.

It seemed like it had taken forever to build the thing. He had to level the ground then water it heavily until he could smooth the caliches into a cement-like floor. Hauling water from the creek took more than a week with nothing but empty gunpowder casks to use as barrels, and that was using both donkey and horse to move the water.

Finding the wood to use for the arms and center of the arrastra was another problem. He’d had to cut, trim and haul the right sized trees to his site. The central pivot and the rock crusher pole had to be installed and assembled. He decided to attach the donkey to the rock crusher pole as best he could. Fitting it all together was a nightmare, especially as he should have put the center pole in the ground before he made it hard as cement and he’d only had some old-timer’s word on how it went together. Zeke had wanted to bash his own skull in with the pickaxe before he managed to get the set-up to work.

The crusher was the final problem. It didn’t seem possible to move, let alone carve rocks big enough to be useful. He walked around and around the empty arrastra trying to come up with a plan. The old miner told him he needed two flat-bottomed drag stones, one at the end of each arm. He had the chain. But finding rocks in the creek, then dragging them to the camp, then drilling holes in them drove him to distraction. After a long search he found two rocks, about the right size, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and with his mismatched pair of haulers, dragged the rocks to camp, drilled them out and hooked them to the newly assembled arms. It was easier to dig the damn quartz than to build the arrastra. When it was done he sank to his knees, and wept.

Three nights later a noise penetrated Zeke’s exhausted sleep. He heard his horse, Butter, whinny—it seemed wrong. Too far away.

He tossed off his wool blanket and rolled to his feet. If that horse has broken free again I’m going to shoot it. This is the fourth time in a month. He pulled on his boots without bothering with socks and grabbed his rifle.

Zeke stepped into the night. A half-moon in a star-studded sky provided a little light. At the picket line the donkey stood, looking to the west. “Damn horse.” Zeke patted the donkey to reassure it before moving in the direction the donkey was pointing.

He whistled softly then called, “Butter, Butter,” in a low voice. He didn’t want to spook her. Zeke stubbed the toe of his boot on a rock. I’m gonna trip and break an arm out here in the dark. If I had any sense I’d go back to my bedroll till daybreak.

Just as he decided to go back to his tent he heard Butter nicker. He followed the sound, grazing a prickly pear cactus in the dark. The thorns stabbed him in the shin and despite wanting to catch the horse, had to stop and pull the spines from his leg. Butter whinnied. She sounded close.

“Butter?” Zeke heard the horse stamping. “Come on girl. She’s close. He followed the noise and in a moment was at the horse’s side. “Hush, hush,” he whispered to her as he stroked her neck. Butter shivered. “Let me untangle your lead.” Zeke struggled in the dark to remove the reins from an acacia. “You couldn’t have got tangled in a shrub oak?” he asked the horse as the acacia thorns caught in the skin of his hands.

Something whizzed past his head. He dropped the lead and hit the ground. Butter danced around him. Zeke hoped he wouldn’t die by trampling from his own horse. More whizzing. Something hit the ground a foot away from him. He reached out and grabbed it. An arrow! The Apache were on him. The old timer’s stories raced through his mind.

“They take your horse in the night, boy. You think your stock has wandered off and you go out, barefoot and unarmed. That’s how they get you, sonny!” The old coot cackled at his bad joke.

Zeke tried to swallow around his dry mouth. Not so funny, old timer. But he had his rifle and a handful of rounds in his pocket. Please Lord. Let it be enough. Leaving Butter to her own chances, he rolled behind the acacia not knowing if the Apache were all in front of him or he was surrounded. He fired a shot into the dark where he thought the arrows came from.

He was rewarded with the sounds of scrambling. “There’s more where that came from.”

More arrows fell around him. The thickness of the acacia main branch saved him from one. Zeke fired again. More scrambling and a hoot. Did he hit someone? He fired toward the sounds and hoped, his heart beating out of his chest. Was he going to die?

Butter pranced left, then right, rearing and snorting. It was the distraction Zeke needed. He rolled to his left and crab walked on hands and feet what seemed a long distance ignoring the cactus spines that stuck in his hands. Butter ran off into the dark.

Sounds of running, then more horses, then horses running off. Was it over?

Zeke hid behind a boulder, rising with the sun to a deserted landscape. He swiped a dirty sleeve across his forehead and limped back to camp. He hoped Butter would be there but he called it a wash. He was alive and that’s all that counted.

Thank You!

1008 Words

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

Tempe Library Book Festival and More! Monday Blog Post

Posted on April 18, 2016 by conniejean

Connie at the Tempe Library Book Festival

I attended the Tempe Book Festival Saturday as an author and a panelist for a SciFi panel on world building. I had a great time talking to a lot of readers, adults and children. I also met some of last year’s Payson Book Festival authors and some of this year’s registered authors. Oh what a great time we’re going to have in July at the Payson Book Festival. These are wonderful authors and fun to talk to. I sold 7 books, which seemed to be above average for the authors I talked to. Some made no sales at all. But this was Tempe library’s first festival so with more experience I’m sure a larger reader turn out will happen.

I continue to work on my Camp NaNo novel, Mystery at the Book Festival. (Yes, I couldn’t help it!) Anyway, I’m just about 50% through the story, well at least to my goal of 50,000 words. I missed writing on it Saturday because of the festival. Sunday, I had just enough gumption to write this blog post. I’ll try and catch up starting tomorrow.

I was on the January Jones show Sharing Success Stories, at 3pm Eastern time last Monday. If you didn’t get to tune in, you can go to the recording. Just go to www.iheart.com Official Site. Type in January Jones Sharing Success Stories. You can hear the whole show!

Chevoque

In other blog news, my Author Interview with Chevoque will be posted on Wednesday. You are going to love her. Can’t wait? Here’s her website called, what else? Chevoque.

The Spring Into Reading giveaway is in full swing. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple times to enter. You could easily win a prize. Enter today and every day.

My craft project of putting an owl charm on each new book mark has only progressed one step. I punched holes in the top of each book mark. I need to set aside time to get the charms attached to the ribbon. Ack! Time!

I’m still putting together my next newsletter. I thought I’d have it done last week. I did get my video done. It still needs to be edited. Again, more time! I’ll have to be super disciplined.

Where will I be? Here’s the scoop.

June 2nd and 3rd I’m at the Scottsdale MysteryCon, Death and Deception in the Desert. I’m giving a presentation there as well on writing a mystery. Tickets for both days are only $35. I do hope you can make it to that one. Here’s a flyer telling all about it. Register in advance on the site and mention that you heard about the event from me. I’ll put your name in for a drawing of a special prize on Friday night and/or Saturday. The prize? A bracelet, hand made by me, with Kindred Spirits as the theme. I might even make two and have a giveaway both Friday and Saturday. What do you think?

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. If you are a Brown Rain series fan, I’ve created a list just for you! If you join my regular newsletter, that’s all right too as I’ve put sign-up prizes on both. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. The YouTube video I just made about Kindred Spirits will be in the newsletter. Just a note. I’m going to be sending out newsletters more frequently. Be prepared for fun and contests!

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! 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! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

Favorite Conventions and Events: Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour

Posted on April 18, 2016 by conniejean

Payson Book Festival 2015

I was about to say I’ve only ever been to one convention but then re-read the rest of the prompt. I can include National Novel Writing Month (NaNo). Not mentioned might also be Book Festivals. Well now, I think I have something to talk about.

InD’Tale Conference 2015

Let me talk about my only convention. That was the In’DTale convention in September 2015. I went with a Romance author friend and I had a blast. First of all, there’s all the excitement of talking to other authors. They get it when you say you’re worried you can’t figure out the ending. They also have all kinds of great tips and tricks for writing, for marketing and promotion, and for, well, everything. There’s a lot of learning going on as well. There were workshops scheduled all day. I went to one titled How to put more Sex in your Book. It was a romance convention after all. Then there were the after-hours parties where we could get to know each other better. I’m still emailing and facebooking many of the women I met at that event. Definitely worth the money.

Then there is National Novel Writing Month. (NaNo) I did my first NaNo in November of 2011 and while I didn’t get into the forums on that site too much, I did look at the forum for Arizona Elsewhere. This is the spot for us Arizona authors that don’t live in one of the big cities. Here I met a lot of cool people and was invited to join their usual home, the Forward Motion writer’s group. I’m so glad I did. There was and still is a lot for the new author to learn and this group really helped me along the new author path. I haven’t missed a November NaNo or the Camp NaNo’s that have been held since. These are ready made groups ready to commiserate with your writer’s block, your search for just the right word or your lack of motivation for the day.

Finally, let’s talk about Book Festivals. There was nothing in my area for book festivals. There were art festivals, art walks, art shops and art auctions but nothing for writers and I knew there was a writer community here, I just didn’t know where they were. So I decided to start a book festival. Talk about high energy. We held our first one last year in Payson, AZ and it was a huge success. People came in the morning and stayed all day they were having such a good time! We’ll be holding it again this year, July 23rd, at the Gila Community College. This was a fantastic opportunity for the authors to meet readers and create interest not only in their own books but in reading in general. I am so glad I dragged others into my mad plan.

One of these days I’m going to go to a SciFi convention. The Phoenix ComiCon is just down the highway after all! I can hardly wait.

Kindred Spirits released March 14th! I’m so excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

The Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour is sponsored by the website Forward Motion (http://www.fmwriters.com). The tour is you, the reader, traveling the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. There are all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s always something new and different to enjoy. Check out the rest of the tour starting at http://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/favorite-conventions-2016-merry-go-round-blog-tour/.

Chicken Cordon Bleu: Chicklets in the Kitchen

Posted on March 25, 2016 by conniejean

Finished Chicken Cordon Bleu

Once in awhile, I like to get fancy and in February, I did just that. I happened to have ham and swiss cheese on hand and boneless chicken breast in the freezer so I decided to make chicken cordon bleu.

The first time I ever had this dish was when my husband and I were stationed in West Germany in the late 70’s. We went to a local Gast Haus (pub) in the small town where we lived and I spotted it on the menu. I’d heard of it in movies and books. Here was my chance to try it. It arrived on a plate by itself and covered the entire plate. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, the inside was a delight of tender white chicken wrapped around a ham and cheese center that just oozed out onto the plate when I cut into it.

I’m still trying to perfect my dish but here’s the recipe. Click here to see the rest.

Thanks for stopping by Chicklets in the Kitchen. Have you ever had chicken cordon bleu? Please tell us about it in the comments box below if you feel so inclined.

My name is Connie Cockrell and I write SciFi, Fantasy, Mysteries, and a lot of other things and you can find links to all of my books at www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com.

Author Interviews: Lazette Gifford

Posted on March 23, 2016 by conniejean

Lazette’s cat, Zaphod!

Have you been enjoying these author interviews as much as I have? I’m excited to introduce the owner of the author website and watering hole, Forward Motion, Lazette Gifford. I consider Lazette a mentor of mine so I’m very honored to have her on my author interviews post. Let’s get started.

Lazette Gifford is a prolific author, photographer, and sometimes cover artist who lives in the wilds of Nebraska with her husband, several cats and a small but entirely useless dog. She writes every day and has done so for decades, and soon will be working on her 100^th novel.

After several years in the small press publishing world, Zette has moved to the exciting life of an Indie published author, with several novels and short stories released and often well-reviewed. You can find links to her work on her personal website at: http://lazette.net

Lazette’s Newest Book: Raventower

Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby?

I assume we are talking about outside of writing, because, no matter how hard I work at it, I refuse to let writing become just another job. Jobs get to be dull, life-sucking ‘I must do this’ stuff, and even though I write every day and have (seriously) for decades, I do so because I love writing.

My main hobbies, though, are photography and dabbling in digital art. Photography draws a person to look at the world around them and to take notice of things both big and small. This is a good exercise for writers. It’s amazing how many things you miss in a glance or a quick snapshot and then notice later. I once took a great picture of some geese on an icy pond, and it wasn’t until I looked at the picture, later, on my computer, that I noticed the two bald eagles sitting a few feet away from them. We focus on one part of the picture and sometimes don’t see the whole, and that’s and important aspect for writers to consider.

If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

I am not so much a people-person to be honest. I like going to conventions now and then, but I like my time alone. So — not so much who, but where and when would work for me. I love history and there are several ancient societies I would love to see for an afternoon, knowing I wasn’t going to be trapped there. The Assyrians, Minoans, Etruscans . . . many of the ones we only get little glimpses of and cannot really see the whole. That would fascinate me. So maybe I should say spending a few hours with someone from those times, who would show me what it was like.

Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

I am a tea person. One wall of my office has shelves with over 100 types of tea and lots of cups and teapots. I love the variety of teas — and tisanes, which are steeped drinks made with other than actual tea leaves. Peppermint tea, which is usually just peppermint leaves is a tisane. So are the rooibos teas, flower-based teas, etc. The ability to have some many different flavors is fun. The idea of drinking the same thing all the time sounds boring!

What are you working on right now?

I always start writing a new novel on the first day of January. This year the manuscript is Raventower, my first steampunk/clockwork novel. The book is going very well and I should have the first draft done by mid-February. Having a really good outline has helped this story flow and allowed me to concentrate on the finer points and explore some of the side issues without losing track of the story.

This is also my 99^th novel. It is wonderful to have something so exciting to work on for this one and to realize that inspiration really doesn’t run out if you are open to it. I also have the outline for my 100^th novel which I intend to start in early March and that one is a novel I’ve been considering for several years. I’m looking forward to getting to work on it!

How would you describe your writing style?

Persistent. Eclectic. Still evolving. I don’t believe writers should ever assume that they’ve learned all they need to learn, so I’m constantly looking at material about writing and that affects how and what I create. I like to try new genres and subgenres. I still love writing my stories as much as I did when I wrote my first novel.

Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

Other than the usual sit down and write? Stop expecting the first things you write to be perfect. Writing is an art like any other and it takes practice, and that means you have to write a great deal before you get good at your craft. You have to complete the stories you have begun and work all the way to the end. A few false starts are expected, but if you continually stop as soon as you hit a problem, you’ll never learn how to get past difficulties and finish your work. I have a rule that I must finish everything I start. I’m very careful about what I begin and if I hit a problem, I work my way through it. We all have limited writing time. Don’t continue to waste it on pretty new ideas that you’re just going to toss aside.

The good news is that those first, flawed stories are not ruined. You can always rewrite them and create better stories as you improve your style. Hold on to them. Even if you don’t rewrite them, they become good, solid markers against which you can compare your later writing. Anyone who makes a true effort at improvement will be surprised if they compare work from a year in the past.

Also, remember that you are not in any kind of contest with other writers. You are unique and you work at your own pace and write your own stories. Does your idea sound like work by another person? That happens to everyone. Don’t worry about it. The idea is not the story and how you write it will be something completely different from another writer’s take on the same basic pieces.

Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life?

I read a great deal of history and that is where most of my ideas come from, though I do not write historical fiction. A seven volume history of World War I was the basis for my science fiction novel Vita’s Vengeance. A wonderful little biography about Disraeli inspired the Silky Trilogy, a fantasy series. I can trace many of my pieces back to some specific little bit of history.

Sometimes going away from the house and seeing things will spark an idea. For instance, there is a wonderful little town in southeastern Nebraska that became the basis for my humorous mystery, Muse. Mostly I think it is better if writers seek inspiration in mundane things like books and not be tied to the idea that they can’t write if they can’t experience something new. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go someplace for research if you are able, but don’t make that the only way you can get the work done.

Where can we find you on the interwebs?

Web Site: http://lazette.net

Twitter (rarely): http://twitter.com/lazetteg

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lazette.gifford

Joyously Prolific Blog: http://zette.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much, Lazette, for stopping by and sharing your new story and a little bit about yourself. We all appreciate it!

If you are interested in Lazette’s work, please stop by her website where she has her books for sale. I think you’ll like them!

Witness: Flash Fiction Friday Post

Posted on March 18, 2016 by conniejean

Newspaper, pen and pencil by Connie Cockrell

“Holy crap, Liz!” Nick ran his hand through his hair. “The Winter Hill Gang?”

Liz lit a cigarette. She’d just been promoted to the City Desk and she was after the story of her life, at least so far. She blew smoke into the air and pulled her notebook from her suit coat inside pocket. “Look.” She flipped the notebook pages. “They’re fixin’ the races all over the Northeast. Howie Winter is in it up to his neck.” She tapped her finger on the page. “Saratoga Springs has been a hotbed all season. They get a cut of every win. They drug the damn horses. They buy off the jockeys. It’s a scam from start to finish.”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed.” Nick was her rival, her best friend and sometime lover. It was complicated. He worked the Financial and Market beat and wicked smart with numbers.

“I need you to follow the money.” She pointed her cigarette at him. “We’ll share the byline.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Winter is dangerous. He probably has spies here in the office. How else does he know what’s going on before we print it?”

“Don’t care.” Liz rolled a sheet of paper into her Selectric. “I heard that in a few years we’ll be using computers to write stories on.”

“What a load of crap.”

She grinned as she adjusted the top margin. “I give it five years.”

He snorted and pulled his notebook out. “What do you want me to search?”

“The money never lies. Start with Saratoga. Track the bets, the entrance fees, vet salaries, the works. Something will pop.”

A week later, Liz and Nick were in Lou Water’s office, the Managing Editor. He had read their story. He cocked an eyebrow at the two of them. Liz knew the story was good. Nick sat in the chair beside her, fidgeting.

“You have proof?”

“Yep.” Liz leaned forward. “I have him. Nick followed the money. I followed White. Him and his book keeper, Salvatore Sperlinga, have been taking a cut of every race at every racetrack from Maine to Virginia. I have witnesses who are scared to death. I have enough for a ten part series.”

“The cops know?”

Liz shrugged. “They might.”

Lou cocked his eyebrow again. “Let me see your sources,” he held up a hand against Liz’s lurch forward in her chair. “I need to know. The cops are going to want to know where you got this information.”

“Let them.” Liz stood up. “You gonna run it?”

The editor sighed. “Yeah. Tomorrow’s paper, front page.”

She grinned. “Thanks, boss.”

“Don’t thank me. The Chief of Police is going to call me as soon as the afternoon paper hits the street.”

The next afternoon Detective Polanski of the Boston PD, Agent Randolf Bean of the FBI, and Lou Waters were in the conference room when Liz and Nick came in. Lou waved them to a seat at the table and introduced them. “They want to know your sources.”

Liz resisted the urge to light up a cigarette. She eyed Lou. “I know you told them that sources are confidential.”

“I did. They have a task force.”

“That’s nice.” She tapped her fingernails on the table top. “You have a warrant?”

Agent Bean spoke up. “We’re trying to put the Winter Gang out of commission. From the looks of today’s article, you have the information we need.”

“You know you just made yourself a target, right?” Detective Polanski leaned on the table. “Your names are on the article. You think White isn’t gonna come after you?”

She’d seen what happened to people the Irish Mob didn’t like and her stomach rolled. “Maybe. He’s committing crimes across state lines, fraud, racketeering, and any number of things. Pick him up.”

“We need the proof. You have it.” Agent Bean pulled two sheets of paper out of the folder in front of him and slid them across the table to the reporters. “We’re asking that you testify. Hold off on your series, it contaminates the jury pool.”

Liz eyes bugged. “Are you crazy? That story is my career!”

“That information will get this criminal off of the streets and make the country safer.” Bean folded his hands on the table.

Liz looked at Nick who shrugged. Lou gave her a slight nod. She was furious. This was going to make her a star reporter. She thought about her mother, dead now three years and how proud she’d been when Liz landed the job at the paper. She pulled a pen from her pocket and signed the form. “There.” She slid the paper back so hard it flew off of the polished table. “But the story gets published later, right boss?”

Lou nodded. Nick signed.

It took months but eventually Liz testified. White’s troubles precipitated a take-over of the White Hill Gang by “Whitey” Bulger. Liz had to go into witness protection. Her last night in Boston she met Nick for drinks.

“I’ll miss you,” she told him over scotch.

“Me, too.” They clinked glasses and drank the shot down.

Liz waved the bartender over for another round. “Liar. I know you’ve been seeing the librarian over at Boston College.” She sipped the next glass the bartender set in front of her. “Where they sending you?”

Nick shook his head. “Can’t tell you, Liz. You know that.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I know.” Liz thought about where the Witness Protection office was sending her. Arizona. It had to be a hell hole. She couldn’t even be a reporter. They’d set her up with a background as a researcher at some podunk college. All of a sudden she turned to Nick and pulled him in close, kissing him as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did. “Thanks. It’s been fun.” She threw a fifty on the bar and left, shoulders squared and chin high. Never let the bastards see you sweat, she remembered from some old saying. Damn right.

Thank You!

997 Words

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

Guest Post from Brandon Scott at Coolerbs.com

Posted on February 29, 2016 by conniejean

Flowers from February 2015

Happy Leap Year! Can’t you just feel the universe expanding?

I am so excited today to have my first guest post ever! Brandon Scott is a favorite blogger of mine and I’m super glad he had the time to come over here and talk to all of you. I won’t delay, take it away, Brandon!

Let me start out by saying thank you, thank you, thank you, Connie, for allowing me to post on your blog. It really is an honor. I hope I do it justice.

Now, as Connie’s Monday posts are a way for you, the reader, to get to know her, I thought I’d do the same with me.

So, where to begin? Well…I’m Brandon Scott. I’m a freelance writer and a blogger. I run a personal blog called Coolerbs Writes where I mostly go over topics related to writing: theory, tips, tricks, funny articles, stuff I’ve learned–you know, fairly typical things.

But, I also write fiction, a lot of short stuff. I’m also working on some longer projects, which I hope to be able to say more about in the coming year. And when it comes to my genre of choice, I am under the broad umbrella of “Speculative Fiction,” and I specialize in dark. Super dark.

In fact, my devotion to dark and horrific tales is the basis of my genre choices. If it can support satire, and it’s not odd for there to be a monstrous thing with claws, I’ll write in that genre. Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy. It’s what I do.

But, since a writer is not just a writer, I suppose I should talk a bit about my hobbies and that sort of thing. First and foremost, I am a Nerd. Self-proclaimed, happy to call myself one. I wear it like a badge of honor. I watch, read, listen to, and play nerdy things. With my absolute favorites being (*sucks in breath*) BioShock, Sherlock, Doctor Who, John Green’s novels, Magic The Gathering, Brave New World, Anime, and Welcome to Night Vale. And that’s just scratching the surface.

I also, mainly because all those things involve copious amounts of sitting, like to go on long walks. Though, it is getting a bit hot for that in grand old Florida as of late.

So, that, in a shortened nutshell, is a primer on me. It’s nice to meet you guys. And thank you again, Connie, for letting me introduce myself to your lovely readers, and giving me the opportunity to feature an article by you on my blog.

And if any of you guys are interested in reading some of my stuff over at Coolerbs Writes, I post every Wednesday and Saturday, and it would be a delight to have you. I write my blog in no small part to entertain. And I’d love a chance to do that for you.

And there might, just maybe, be surprises in store for this year. So come take a look.

Exit Brandon, stage left.

Thank you so much for visiting us today, Brandon. It was so much fun to have you on ConniesRandomThoughts.

If you are all about dark tales, You can find Brandon at Coolerbs.com. Go on, it’s not too scary over there. You’ll have fun!

Author Interviews: D’Elen McClain

Posted on February 24, 2016 by conniejean

D’Elen McClain

I’m loving these interviews. Are you getting to know some authors new to you? Let’s do it again! Introducing D’Elen McClain!

D’Elen McClain aka Holly S. Roberts is the USA Today best-selling author of thirty books soon to be thirty-one. She went to police academy at age forty-five and spent ten years working in law enforcement. She retired as a sex crimes and homicide detective. She now spends most of her time writing high in the Arizona Mountains with her husband and two spoiled dogs.

Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby?

Gardening. I love every part of it and have always liked getting my hands dirty. It may sound strange but the earth has energy that feeds my soul. I bring all my herbs inside in the winter and coax them until spring. Our kitchen window is a garden right now.

If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

My great, great, great maybe great, grandmother. She was a Jefferson, related to Thomas Jefferson who has always fascinated me. I would love to know the thoughts of women in that time period. I come from a long line of female warriors. From raising ten children (my mother’s mother) to working on highly classified jobs for the military (my mother), our bloodline is filled with great women.

Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

Water, coffee, tea in that order. It’s been years since I’ve had soda and I will most likely die without ever drinking one again.

What are you working on right now?

I’m so excited about Sizzle (writing as Holly S. Roberts) and I’ve just finished the first chapter. It’s the next book in the Hotter Than Hell series and I have a lot to live up to. The reviews for Heat, book I, have been outstanding and my readers are bugging me for the next installment. This book is about an enforcer for an Arizona crime syndicate. There’s a battle among readers for Team Moon (book I) or Team Gomez (book II). Oh, the pressure.

How would you describe your writing style?

I build a story in my head and put nothing on paper until I know the time is right. Things often change once I begin typing. The small problems also work themselves out. I can mentally be working on stories for several books at a time but once the actual writing starts, it’s all about the current work in progress.

Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

I wrote a book in my twenties. It took over a year and was a painful process. I realized I wasn’t ready. At age 49, I wrote my next book in two months. This was while I worked full-time as a police detective. My writing flowed and helped me get through the insomnia I’ve always suffered. Then I wrote another book and another. I’m now a full-time writer. So my advice is to finish the first book, then the next. Write every day and every minute you can find time for. If you’re ready, you will know it.

Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life?

My ideas come from odd places and or situations and sometimes research will spark that creative place in my brain. I’m always adding a note to my phone or iPad—a book title, phrase, idea. It’s become the norm for me and my husband is accustomed to that far off, slightly dazed look I get.

Where can we find you on the interwebs?

Website: www.wickedstorytelling.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/delenmcclainauthor

Facebook: http://facebook.com/hollysrobertsauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mywickedstories

Instagram: http://instagram.com/wicked_story_telling

Thank you so much for chatting with us today, D’Elen.

If you liked today’s interview, please check out one or more of D’Elen’s pages. She’d love to have you visit.