November 11 Virtual meeting with Connie Cockrell
This month APW Rim Country’s guest on Wednesday, November 11 at 1:00 p.m. is our own Connie Cockrell.
Topic: APW Meeting -How to conquer Amazon Ads with Connie Cockrell
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM Arizona (MST)
Zoom: The link has been sent to members though all are welcome. If you did not receive the link and would like to attend, send an email to Marie Fasano. You’ll receive the link a day or so before the meeting.
How to conquer Amazon Ads
Connie Cockrell has just immersed herself in Amazon Ads. Think it’s too hard? Think again. Some tips and tricks to start small and, perhaps, gain much. Plus, some links to help you along the way.

Connie Cockrell Bio
A 20-year Air Force career, time as a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister and volunteer, provides a rich background for Connie Cockrell’s story-telling.
Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY before she joined the military at age 18. Having lived in Europe, Great Britain, and several places around the United States, she now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband: hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published twenty books so far, has been included in five different anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.
She can be found at ConniesRandomThoughts.com, on Facebook, on Twitter or on Amazon.
Communicator of Achievement Award – Connie Cockrell
Connie Cockrell was named “Communicator of Achievement” for 2019, APWs highest award. Her certificate and original “storyteller” carving made by a Pueblo Native American were displayed at our virtual State Conference in May. Connie was also honored at the virtual awards NFPW Awards Ceremony. She will receive a stipend to attend the 2021 NFPW Awards Ceremony.
“Local writer wins Communicator Achievement Award,” written by Marie Fasano, tells more about Connie and the award and appeared in the 6/30/2020 issue of the Payson Roundup. Photo by Randy Cockrell.
APW 2020 Virtual State Conference – June 20
Greetings all APW members,
The APW Board has decided to have a short virtual conference this year in June in place of the May one that was cancelled. We hope you are all well.
Date: Saturday June 20
Time: 10:00 am to about 12 noon.
Zoom information will be sent prior to the meeting.
Our agenda will include:
- Vote for new incoming officers (Ballots to be sent out shortly).
- Brief reports from Board Members and Chapter Chairs.
- Approval of the Revised Bylaws (Copies will be sent out for your review prior to the meeting.)
- Presentation to honor our APW 2020 Communicator of the Year, Connie Cockrell.
- Notification of winners of the At-large NFPW communications contest.
- Ceremony honoring our members who have passed.
We encourage all members to be present for this short meeting.
If you have any questions about the Zoom meeting, please contact me at mfasano.apw@gmail.com.
Marie Fasano, President
Summary of APW Central Chapter October, 2019
At our October APW meeting, APW member Connie Cockrell told us how she can write multiple series at the same time without mixing up her characters in a lively meeting October 12, 2019, at the Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ, 5524 East Lafayette, Phoenix, AZ.
Connie has written over 20 books in series as diverse as cozy mysteries, science fiction, Westerns, young women and historical.
Want to try some of her techniques?
• Start with a story board.
• Put small notes on a wall of the locations of the story and mini-descriptions of your characters. Add a location or character, update your wall as you work.
• Connie prefers action scenes to descriptive paragraphs..
• Then, write!
New to novel writing? Here is how Connie started: November is Novel Writing Month! Her daughter challenged Connie to enter the contest with her by writing the required 1,667 words per day! So she did . . .and at the end of the month she had her novel . But alas, her daughter didn’t. So Connie is the novelist.
Here is the teaser for next month: Our own Jodi Weisberg will show her comedy stripes and give tips on using them in your writing.
Save the date: 10 a.m., Saturday, November 9, 2019, Shepard of the Hills, United Church of Christ, 5524 East Lafayette, Phoenix, AZ.
In December, we will hear from a new member who has written from China.
Central Chapter Series Author Talks – October 12, 2019
Central Chapter Series Author Talks
Members and non-members of Arizona Professional Writers are invited to hear prolific novelist Connie Cockrell, Payson, AZ, tell how she manages to to keep her several series going at the same time.
The meeting will be from 10 a.m-1 p.m., Saturday, October 12, 2019, at Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ, 5524 East Lafayette Blvd., Phoenix, AZ.
A salad lunch will be served, $10. R.S.V.P required: 480-620-1358.
Connie says her life, which includes a 20-year Air Force career, time as a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister and volunteer, provides a rich background for her story-telling.
Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY before she joined the military at age 18. Having lived in Europe, Great Britain, and several places around the United States, she now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband: hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published 20 books so far, has been included in six different anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Her book, Gold Dreams, won a 2019 new Mexico-Arizona Book Finalist Award.
Connie is always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one!
She can be found at ConniesRandomThoughts.com or on Facebook and on Twitter at: @ConnieCockrell or find her books on Amazon.
Save the date- Central Chapter Meeting Oct 12
Save the date- Central Chapter meeting October 12. We will be meeting from 10-1 at the Shepherd of the Hills in Phoenix. Connie Cockrell, APW member and prolific author, is our speaker. More details will follow soon.

Photos from “An Illustrator’s Perspective”
Michael Hale was the speaker for “An Illustrator’s Perspective,” Rim Country District’s November 15, 2017 presentation held at Majestic Rim Retirement Community in Payson. As an author and illustrator of children’s books, Michael Hale provided an insider’s view of what it takes to create a book from concept to final production to an interested audience.
- Connie Cockrell introducing the speaker, Michael Hale. Photo by Carol Osman Brown.
- Michael Hale with a fascinated audience. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Demonstrating the illustration process. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Michael Hale showing “Bad Monkey Business,” which he wrote and illustrated. Photo by Carol Osman Brown.
- Michael Hale showing examples of illustrations. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Speaker Michael Hale with Carol Osman Brown. Photo by Bing Brown.