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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Look Who’s the Follower of the Month & Hats Off Corner Welcomes Yolanda Renee

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Available on Amazon

Today I’m excited to host two writers. One is my first Follower of the Month. She’s been a long-time writer friend and she was the first one to take me up on my offer in March’s Email Connect. Welcome Beverly Stowe McClure. 

If you’re featured I:

  • buy, read, and review your latest book
  • mark your book as AM READING on Goodreads
  • feature you and your book(s) in my monthly EMAIL CONNECT email
  • tweet your book link(s) for 4 Wednesdays, 3 times a day during your month
  • post one facebook post with a link to my review
  • feature you on The Write Game on your month (this month’s an exception since the AtoZ Challenge starts, so I’m posting it a bit early)
  • Pin and feature your latest book cover to my Pinterest Board, Book Covers that Catch my Eye.
Congratulations, Beverly. And thanks for always being so supportive of others who write books.

Hats Off Corner

And my second and very wonderful guest is Yolanda Renee! With her latest book.
Yolanda Renée
Published by Curiosity Quills Press, Murder & Obsession is the third book in the Detective Quaid Series.

Tagline:
Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into an inferno of desire, driving him to destroy the object of his madness…

Unrequited Love

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines unrequited as “not reciprocated or returned in kind.”

The plot of Murder & Obsession involves unrequited love and the act of killing to acquire and or retain that love. Remember Fatal Attraction?

Have you ever felt that deeply towards another individual that you couldn’t let him or her go? I’ve always been of the mind that if he’s not into me, move on. However, for some folks, it’s not that easy. 

In Murder & Obsession, the antagonist is a man obsessed with a woman he can’t have. Why murder the object of your love? That goes against everything that makes sense for most of us. Yet, the sad truth in this country is that death by a lover or spouse happens daily.

Statistics prove that on average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or lovers every day. Although, if you watch Snapped, you know life insurance seems to be a major factor too.

Blurb:
As wedding bells echo like the ring of toasting champagne glasses in the ice carved mountains of Anchorage Alaska, Detective Steven Quaid rehabs his grandfather’s cabin into a honeymoon cottage for his new bride. 

When he returns from a hunting trip, Steven’s faced with five police officers, who “Want to talk.” Plagued by two unsolved murders, the Department is searching for answers.

The conversation comes to a deafening halt as the team finds a bloody crime scene in the bridal suite. 

“Where’s her body?” is a question Steven cannot fathom.  

Steven’s jaw clenches and his heart races. Images of Sarah streak through his mind. 

The silence breaks as an explosion of accusations vibrate through every fiber of his being. 
Steven bolts…

Although running is never the smart thing to do, Steven’s not thinking clearly and his escape into the wilderness of the Brooks Range proves almost fatal. 

This Steven Quaid mystery is both personal and heartbreaking.

Bio: Yolanda Renée
At one time adventure called to me and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun of Alaska, survive in below zero temperatures, and hike the Mountain Ranges. I’ve traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the memories are some of my most valued. The wonders, mysteries and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left me and thus now influence my writing.

Despite my adventurous spirit, I achieved my educational goals, married, and I have two wonderful sons. Writing is now my focus, my newest adventure!

~~ Pinterest ~~ Amazon ~~
~~ BUY ~~




Quote of the Week: “Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.” Kahlil Gibran

The World Hop Rules, Some Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns & the Hats Off Corner With Beverly McClure

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Thanks to YVONNE VENTRESCA for tagging me. Here’s her POST

The World Hop Rules

Start with a quote.
Answer 4 short questions
Tag another writer
“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.”  Francis Bacon
1. Why do I create what I do?
One answer is it keeps me out of trouble, but I guess the best answer to this is because I love to see if I can get the ideas from my head to the page. It’s a true challenge, and sometimes it takes a lot of word wrestling before I succeed.
2. How does my creative process work? (note my editing of this question. There are days when the creative part just ain’t there.)
But when it is there, I start with a single sentence. That sounds sooooo simple, doesn’t it? But it’s the toughest part of my job. Once I get a sentence that has a character I can relate to, a goal I can imagine, and some obstacles I can dream up, I start the story. Sometimes I write the end first. Sometimes I write scattered but important scenes I have in my head. I never know how the book is going to come together.
3. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I guess one difference is my focus in never on romance. It’s always on the circumstances that the teen is stuck with. If love finds its way into the story, it has to have a purpose. In Sliding on the Edge, I needed the Sunday Boy to provoke my MC in a country boy lighthearted way and show her the truth. In The Princess of Las Pulgas I needed a no nonsense kid who could set the Princess on the right track. In Double Negative I needed one person Hutch McQueen could turn to and trust. 
4. What am I presently working on?
I’ve gone back to middle grade adventure fantasy for a bit to clear my head and have some lighthearted fun. I’ve finished a sequel to Alligators Overhead and called it The Great Time Lock Disaster. I’ll be subbing that starting December. I’m also in the middle of editing an ancient manuscript, Dragon Child. I say ancient because this is something I started years ago and never finished. I did a lousy job crafting it, so it has taken some doing to fix my mess. Still I’m fond of the story and hope to whip it into some kind of shape soon.

Next up on the blog hop, I’d like to tag CATHERINE STINE. Catherine is the author of several novels. Among them her Fireseed Series. She’ll be joining this HOP in December.

Now. . . about that Jack-O-Lantern

Got your pumpkin ready to carve? Here are some ideas. Simple, and then the Not So Simple.

Love the Bats

My Carving Level
Ahhh. Sweet Bird Nesting

Shudder

Hats Off Corner

A girl.
A dream.
An accident.
A dream shattered.
Eleven-year-old Kate Taylor dreams of being the star of her basketball team, Angels. When Kate’s tooth is knocked out at one of the games and her mother, who is also her coach, says she can’t play until the tooth the dentist replants heals, Kate’s dreams are in jeopardy. Add Emily, the new girl at school who claims she’s the best, and Kate faces a challenge to prove that she is the star.
Will Kate succeed? Or will Emily ruin Kate’s plans?
Available on AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE
About BEV!
Most of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps pictures of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. To some of her friends, she is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats. 
For twenty-two years Beverly taught children in grades two through five how to read and write. They taught her patience. Now, she teaches a women’s Sunday school class at her church. To relax she plays the piano. Her cats don’t appreciate good music and run and hide when she tickles the ivories.

MY REVIEW HERE.
You can visit her here. 
BEV’S BLOGSPOT 
BEV’S WORDPRESS 

A Visit from Beverly Stowe McClure

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Beverly Stow McClure’s Just Breeze has arrived. Take a look at what it’s all about. Then grab your copy or copies for the holiday season of gift giving.

Just Breeze

My name’s Breeze Brannigan. I’m thirteen and in the eighth grade. Have you met my friends? I’ll be writing about them from time to time. They each have their own page. I’d also like to hear about you. What kind of music do you like? What are your favorite movies and TV shows? Do you have a favorite book? Now you know exactly what I look like. That’s me on the cover. You see what I’m saying about my hair, huh? I’m the envy of every clown in the universe. Adios for now. (I’m practicing my Spanish.) Do you speak other languages? I don’t very well, but am trying, so I can understand Cam, who either is an alien from the planet Hunky Guys or else he’s from another country. BBL Woo Hoo! Just Breeze is now available from the publisher’s site . You can also find it at Amazon, and Barnes and Noble and other book stores. Books make great birthday presents, gifts for best friends, and Christmas will soon be here. Buy a copy for all your friends. Pick up one for yourself too. JustBreezebyBeverlyStoweMcClure-cover.