Biography I have now written two novels, “A Mouth Full of Shell” and “Snap Me a Future,” both published as e-books by dlsijpress.com. “A Mouth Full of Shell” is also a paperback POD. ADDITIONAL PLACES TO FIND THESE BOOKS: Fictionwise.com, ebookweb, and ebookad.com You can also link to my page here at Author's Den via Huntress Book Reviews at www.huntressreviews.com I also have a site at BanyonPublishing.com Elements of me and my friends and colleagues are scattered through both books. The heroine of “Snap Me a Future,” Shelby McCoy, is an art photographer, a publicist, and later a newspaper reporter. "A Mouth Full of Shell's " heroine, Betsy Craig, is a journalist and broadcaster, like me. My first TV show appeared on WNYC-TV, New York in 1970 when I was a student at New York University. Currently I am the Program Director for KSJE-FM, public radio in Farmington, New Mexico. I've held the job since 1990. I was born in Illinois lived in New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, New York State, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota. Now New Mexico. In all those places I was doing lots of things: growing up, going to college, teaching, and doing radio. I like to cook, travel and take black and white photos. I’ve visited Germany, Austria Switzerland, Ireland,England,France, Italy, Greece, Canada, the Caribbean, China, and Mexico. Both Betsy Craig and Shelby McCoy like to travel. Betsy speaks German and some French. Betsy Craig’s a teacher. She has a parakeet. I have -- two dogs. Ha! Fooled you that time. She’s struggling with academic politics in the story. We all struggle with some form of politics. She does okay. Just like most of us do. Shelby is getting over a bad experience, from which she ran away. What do they say? If you don’t learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it? She might just do that, if she's not careful, or if she's too careful. You'll have to see. She’s a reporter because I do ail kinds of writing. Always did. That’s important. One kind sharpens the other. Both books are different, in subject as well as origin. "A Mouth Full of Shell," has feminist overtones. It's autobiographical and the story of women's struggle to break into male-dominated fields. "Snap Me a Future" is a psychological thriller about facing one's own fears and dealing with them. “A Mouth Full of Shell’s” characters are all real in the sense that I either based them on myself, people I’ve met, on composites of people I’ve known. “Snap Me a Future's” people and plot come much more out of my imagination, because as I grew as a writer, I found I could move away from things completely familiar to me, and do what actors do: take what I knew and stretch it into something less familiar. I hope you enjoy both "Snap Me a Future," and "A Mouth Full of Shell.". And also my story in "Insomniac Tales of Chaucer's Women." a dlsijpress anthology that updates his "Canterbury Tales." I modernized "The Cook's Tale." Enjoy a read, and keep in touch at conniegotsch@authorsden.com EDUCATION ED. D., Instructional Technology Northern Illinois University Speciality: survey research including 6 hours of playwrighting courses M. Ed., Media Technology New York University B.F.A., Radio Television Film New York University including 12 hours of screen and creative writing courses. Additional Broadcast Experience Produced documentaries with grants from South Dakota Humanities and Arts Councils, did fill-in air shifts, served as talent or board operator for KESD-FM, Brookings, South Dakota. Produced radio documentaries for WNIU-FM. “Their Story Their Words: Life on the American Prairies and the Plains” on NPR’s “Options.” Recording Assistant to Chief Communications Engineer New York University. Commercial broadcasting experience WKSL, Greencastle, Pennsylvania: KWNS-KWNS-FM, Pratt , Kansas; WHDL Olean, new York. Duties: air shifts, gathering news, public affairs interviewing, editing, production, writing.

April 2006 First Place Special Programming Radio, Special Articles Reviews, and Prepared Report Radio; Second Place Special Articles Arts, and Feature Story Non-daily Newspaper; Third Place Radio Interview; Individual Sweepstakes three-way tier. New Mexico Press Women Communication Contest.

January 2006, Review New Mexico Woman Magazine by Michelle Miller

Snap Me a Future Named to MyShelf.com's Top 10 Best Reads List, 2005 " by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, http://www.myshelf.com/toptenreads2004.htmlJuly

2005 Third Place Special Report Radio National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest

June 2005 Offered Reviewing Assignment on a monthly basis at Inkspotter.com and Midwest Review.

April 2005 Second Place Full-Length Fiction SNAP ME A FUTURE New Mexico Press Women's Communication Contest, 2005.

April 2005 article "Make Your Book Radio Active,' ezine Apolloslyre.com

March 2005 Accepted Assignment with monthly paper Colorado Free Press to Cover Arts. Cortez, Colorado.

January 2005, flash fiction "Contra Wish" posted at E-zine Apollo's Lyre. www.apolloslyre.com

November, 2004 "Make Your Book Radio Active," Banyon Publishing www.banyonpublishing.com

November, 2004 poem "Roger Bacon's Vision" posted zt E-zine Apollo's Lyre. www.apolloslyre.com

October, 2004 "Snap Me a Future," published by dlsijpress.com

May-July 2004 First Place New Mexico Press Women and National Federation of Press Women Radio Documentary Category for "New Mexico Trading Posts," a documentary about life at a trading post from the early 20th Century to the present. Aired In 2003 on KSJE FM, Farmington New Mexico

October, 2003 “The Cook’s Tale,” a short story in the anthology “Insomniac Tales by Chaucer’s Women”: DLSIJpress.com, Appleton, Wisc. e-book and paperback. Winner First Place 2003 New Mexico Press Women Communications Contest, short story category, and 2004 National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest, short story category.

August 8-24, 2003 A New Delight,” play entered with “The Farmington Armada” in the 2003 New York International Fringe Theater Festival. Performed by the Saturday Players, Teatro La Tea, Soho, Manhattan.

April 2003 Short Play “A New Delight” accepted for consideration for the Saturday Night Players Fringe Festival, New York City.

January, 2000 A Mouth Full of Shell enovel. dlsijpress.com Winner First Place Full-length Fiction New Mexico Press Women 2002 Communication Contest. Second Place 2002 National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest.

June 2001 “Dreams and Drill Bits.” Honorable Mention New Mexico Press Women 2002 Communication Contest Feature San Juan Silver Stage.

October 2001 “Theater Ensemble Arts.” Second Place Single Feature Release Farmington Daily Tmes.

Dec-Jan 2000-01 “Music in the 4 Corners.” San Juan Silver Stage, Ouray, Colorado. Winner Honorable Mention 2000-01 New Mexico Press Women’s Communication Contest.

2000-present. Producer of “Write On Four Corners” half-hour program featuring Four Corners, writers, illustrators, and book lovers of all sorts.

1990-present. Producer host of “Roving with the Arts” prize-winning classical music radio show Farmington, New Mexico at KSJE-FM. Potential listenership 100,000. Awards: 2nd Place On going Story Special Report and Prepared Futures, 2000. 3rd Place Radio Features, the New Mexico Press Women State Contest 1998. 2001 Award for Broadcasting Excellence PSA San Juan Symphony, New Mexico Broadcasters Association. New Mexico Press Women: 2000-01 First Place Radio Talk Show or Interview Second Place National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest; Third Place and Honorable Mention Radio Prepared Report; 1999-00 2nd Place Radio Special Program. 2002 First Place Special Program. First Place Radio Talk Show Interview; First Second Third Place Special Report. First Place National Federation of Press Women 2002 Communication Contest Interview Talk Show. Second Place Special Report; Special Program. 2003 First and Second Place Prepared Report; First Place Special Program First Place Interview, New Mexico Press Women Communication Contest. First Place Documentary; Second Place Interview and prepared Report National Federation of Press Women.
A condensed version, ‘Arts Beat’ reaches Santa Fe via KSFR, potential audience 150,000 to 175,000; and 20,000 on Cable Channel 6. In Albuquerque, KANW carries ‘Arts Beat,” with 28,000 listeners during any quarter hour. In Portales, KENW FM sends the show to 2,000 people in eastern and western parts of New Mexico, and Midland, Texas, population 100,000.

1997-2000 Arts features for KOTO, Telluride, Colorado’s magazine show, ‘Thin Air.’ Stations carrying the program include KTAX, Aspen; and KRCL, Salt Lake City. Total listening audience 200,000 to 300,000. KOTO offers the show on the Public Radio Satellite, and the web.

1983-1990. “States of the Arts” Classical music show on KENW-FM, Portales New Mexico. Awards: first, second, third places, or Honorable Mention Documentary Category 1983-89 New Mexico Press Women,. First place National Federation of Press Women Contest Documentary Category, 1988. 1986. Collaboration with the American Association of University Women and the Hispanic Community to create 10 three-minute programs on Hispanic Women called “Values - Valores. Supported by a New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities Grant.


1980-83. KESD, Brookings South Dakota. Documentaries with grants from South Dakota Humanities and Arts Councils. 1977 WNIU in DeKalb, Illinois. “Their Story Their Words: Life on the American Prairies and the Plains” for NPR’s “Options.”

Additional writing credits: “Farmington Daily Times” regular arts reviews and columns. Circulation 20, 000 in New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. 3rd place 1998 San Juan College One Act Play Writing contest for her “Or Are You Cinderella?”. The play was produced at the college in May, 1999. In progress; one-act piece for Theater Ensemble Arts, an award-winning community acting troupe in Farmington. Cross Currents biweekly newspaper insert,Durango, Colorado “Showcase Premiers Mexican Music” February, 1996; “San Juan Symphony Has New Conductor”, February, 1996; “Showcase Chamber Ensemble”, October, 1995; “Carlos Nakai Native Flutist”, March, 1995. Circulation 12,000, southern Colorado. “It’s About Time Anyway”Duff, Kiefer and Miller (ed) The Spirit that Wants Me A New Mexico Anthology. Duff Inc., 1991: “Vaudeville Hall in step Again” New Mexico Magazine, 1988; “Community Profile Taxaco, Portales, and Clovis”New Mexico Business Journal, 1987; Monthly arts column Clovis News Journal, 1987 Roswell Daily Record 1987-90 Winner Special Article New Mexico Press Women, 1989 .


Reviews: SNAP ME A FUTURE
July Silver City Press Kathryn Cordova
February Reviews by :Lea http://pages.ivillage.com/rockofrealm/reviewsbylea/

January, 2005, reviewed for authorsden by Leland Waldrop. Go to Connie Gotsch's page and click on SNAP ME A Future

Named to MyShelf.com's Top 10 Best Reads List" by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, http://www.myshelf.com/toptenreads2004.html
and at MyShelf.com as one of Carolyn Howard Johnson's picks to read in 2005. This is in her column Back to Literature.

Jan 2005 Review Carolyn Howard Johnson MyShelf.om




December 2004 Sime-Gem.com Four Stars Reviewed by Jenette Contril

December 2004, Word Museum Lori Biundo gives the book Four Flames Calls it Rare Find

Jenette Cottrell reviewing for SimeGem http://www.simegen.com says: The story has a good flow, attends to every detail of plot, and presents many insights into desert photography.

A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL
September, 2005 Apollo's Lyre Ezine Pat Ferguson
2004 Carolyn Howard Johnson named A Mouth Full of Shell as one of her top ten picks for 2004 on Myself.com. She also posted a review of A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL on the internet at Apollo’s Lyre, Word Museum, PICK OF THE QUARTER JULY_SEPT; Book Review.com The NUW Independent Authors Community June-July. Carolyn’s Critic’s Pick July Word Museum Annette Gisby’s page on Authorsden.com Portalmania.com

2003 Pari Noskin-Taichert Badgirlpress.com July

2002 Shirley Jones Amazon.com

2002 Scribe Word Review Hattie Boyd September 2002

2002 Molly Martin Authorsden.com June, 2002

2001 Thelma Dill Daily for DLSIJpress.com June

Reviews: THE COOK'S TALE

October, 2004 Carolyn How-ard Johnson Listmania amazonCom

VERIFIED MEMBER OF PAYPAL CHECK THE FOLLOWING LINK ttps://www.paypal.com/us/verified/pal=conniegotsch%40authorsden%2ecom FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How did you find your publisher? ****** Just the way you find a traditional one, except on the net. I googled e-books, e-publishers and print-on-demand, researched likely prospects, and finally selected DLSIJ Press.--- How did you get started in writing? ***** I've written all my life, and I just kept practicing and finding people willing to read and help.--- How do you cope with criticism? ***** Criticism, if done right, can be very helpful. Editors know what they're doing. Trust them. Be careful of critique groups. Find one that's constructive. The first couple of critiques can tear you up pretty good. That's normal. You'll learn how to handle the ego bashers.---- What about rejection? ****** What about it?! It's out there. I don't make a living writing, so I can laugh it off. I'm not in a day job I hate either, so I can really guffaw. Seriously, I liken sending out a book to betting on the horses. You do your research, choose what looks good and see what happens. As long as I'm not refinancing the house to send out manuscripts, so I lose a couple hundred bucks to find the right place for a book. It's better than buying too much chocolate and getting fat.--- Do you write every day? ***** In some form or another. I work for a radio station, so I write copy. I volunteer for civic organizations and they've found out I can write a press release. Right now my 3rd novel is taking shape in my head, and I'm jotting down notes for it. Right now that's going at a leisurely pace. Everything else is to deadline. That's fun too.-- NEAT WEB SITES Here's my newest one: http://janet_elaine_smith0.tripod.com/id18.html Janet Elaine Smith is having a ball promoting herself and other authors. She deserves to get a good read. ++++++ http://www.gwynnespencer.com/ It belongs to writer Gwynne Spencer, who specializes in editing, fiction, non-fiction, workshops, and childrens' writing.+++++ www.authorcare.com This is a good spot to check out if you're looking for publicity packages.+++++http://www.desertskycomm.com This site belongs to Jane Blum in Albuquerque. Another neat PR lady!++++++www.umakrishnaswami.com If you want multicultural books for kids, Uma writes them.++++++www.huntressreviews.com This is a site full of good reviews. If you ever want to get to my page, you can use their locate author link.+++++++www.scribequill.com This is a well managed site with all kinds of information for writers.+++++www.boomerwomenspeak.com This site is a place for baby boomer women to gather and talk about all kinds of things from taking care of aging parents to eating chocolate.+++++Ihttp://pages.ivillage.com/rockofrealm/museitup/index.html This is where you find Muse It Up, a site with critique groups and other neat stuff for writers. You can also get to it through Apollo's Lyre++++www.myself.com++++banyonpublishing.com+++++http://www.simegen.com This site has a lot of neat reviews.++++++www.MyShelf.com lots of nice reviews

Apollo's Lyre
This is a real cool e-zine. Apollo's Lyre just won the 2004 Preditors and Editors award for the most useful writing site.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
This is a neat author, and friend of mine

Grey Core Press
This is my publisher's new blog site. You can find all kinds of neat books there, including mine.

The Book Doctor
Robyn Conley Weaver is a teriffic editor. She guided me through "A Mouth Full of Shell," and part of "Snap Me a Future." She's got the knack of editing without putting words in the author's mouth. She asks quesitons. Can you find a way to show this? I love that approach.