C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter Q

By 63 Comments

I’m taking a couple of days to dye Easter eggs for 4 kids. Bake a cake and buy a hat. So I’ll be slow getting around to everyone until Monday. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Easter.



The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitors each week) can win: 
Week 3) an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
Week 5) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas

(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
Mystery Blogger Q’s 2013 theme: “The Encyclopedia, Social Media, and Me!!”
Q is for Quidditch

I learned all kinds of things from this blogger on Q Day.
“1. This prosperous country is a tiny peninsula jutting out from the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by a monarchy, currently Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is in power. (Qatar)
2. The name of the tragic bell ringer in Victor Hugo’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” (Quasimodo)
3. The largest of the Canadian provinces? (Quebec)
4. The broomstick riding game of “Harry Potter.” (Quidditch)
5. In American football, he’s the guy throwing the ball. (quarterback)
Bonus: No more talking, no more fun- what kind of meeting has begun? (Quaker)”
Who was it? HINT: This blogger dreams a lot.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter P & Those Small Things That Hop

By 31 Comments


I’m taking a couple of days to dye Easter eggs for 4 kids. Bake a cake and buy a hat. So I’ll be slow getting around to everyone until Monday. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Easter.

The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitors each week) can win: 
Week 3) an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
Week 5) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas

 (If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
P is for Petroglyphs

Mystery Blogger P’s 2013 theme: “St. John’s Island paradise”
“No one knows what these carvings mean and there are different theories as to who carved them. But most likely it was the Taino Indians well over 1000 years ago. Located in a ghut on the Reef Bay Trail, they are carved into the hard volcanic rock above a small pool where there is usually water year round. You can read more about them HERE.” 

Who was it? HINT: Not on your life. This is too easy to guess already.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

THANKS VIKLIT

SAY AHHHH! THEN CELEBRATE THE BABY LOPS! 

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter O

By 48 Comments


The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitor each week) can win: 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas
Week 5) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY

1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
O is for Occult

Mystery Blogger O’s 2013 theme: “Vocabulary facts from A to Z.”
 Occult

“oc·cult [əˈkəlt] n. Occult practices or techniques: a student of the occult. v. To conceal or cause to disappear from view. adj. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.

Synonyms: n: supernatural, v: eclipse, adj: mystic, orphic, mysterious, mystical, secret

Etymology: adj: 1530s, “secret, not divulged,” from Middle French occulte and directly from Latin occultus “hidden, concealed, secret,” past participle of occulere “cover over, conceal,” from ob “over” (see ob-) + a verb related to celare “to hide,” from PIE root *kel- “to hide” (see cell). Meaning “not apprehended by the mind, beyond the range of understanding” is from 1540s. The association with the supernatural sciences (magic, alchemy, astrology, etc.) dates from 1630s.

Isn’t that one interesting? To be perfectly honest, I had no idea it could also be a verb.”

Me either! So I learned something from this post. 

Who was it? HINT: A classic, ultimate, exemplary blogger.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter N

By 74 Comments


The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
One visitor each week) can win: 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 

Week 5) a signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas

(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY

1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/cats/images/16121794/title/beautiful-cat-wallpaper

Mystery Blogger N’s 2013 theme: “. . .cats with an occasional tea thrown in”
This quote was one I’d never heard, but loved when the blogger posted N is for  Narcissistic Cats last year.
Mystery Blogger N. “Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this by all the time they spend on personal grooming. Dogs aren’t like this. A dog’s idea of personal grooming is to roll in a dead fish.” – James Gorman

Who was it? 

HINT: Sometimes you have to struggle to survive when you sip tea with this blogger. Oh and this blogger made a huge change this year.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter M

By 64 Comments


The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday. 
One visitor each week) can win: 
Week 3) an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 

Week 5) Signed copy of The Princess of Las Pulgas

(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 
TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER. 


ALISHA





Mystery Blogger M’s 2013 theme: “My A to Z theme is fencing and swordplay, focusing mainly on fencing terminology, but with a few favorite movie fencing moments thrown into the mix too.”

M is for Moulinet: a whirling cut, executed from the wrist or elbow.
“Ok, when I re-read this term (remember it’s been a number of years since I fenced), I got really excited. I thought, hey, that’s the move that I injured myself with! I know, it’s a strange thing to get excited about, but I decided to research the term more fully because of that “personal” connection. 
After doing a great deal of searching, and reading, I decided that actually the move that I injured myself with couldn’t be a moulinet. Moulinets start with a whirling cut that exposes the arm and elbow to the opponent. Most modern saber fencers would take a quick cut at the exposed arm and elbow and get a point before the fancy whirling move finished. However, small moulinet type moves are still used, executed from the wrist and fingers. 
Basically all that big circling stuff we see in movies is the stuff that makes most fencers say, “I could have hit them five times by the time they got their blade around!”
I couldn’t find a good saber fencing video of a moulinet, so I searched around and found this one from a two handed long-sword coach. This video is long, but it shows both the move, and the determination of dedicated practice. And remember, he’s going practice speed, so he’s probably not going full out.” 

I’d never heard of this term before. Have you?
Here’s the video if you have time. 

Who was it? HINT: Sorry out of hints today.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter L

By 51 Comments

The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 
A to Z Challenge. 



WINNER WEEK TWO
TA DA


 LYNDA DIETZ
GLIBNESS AND THE CAT DID IT FOR THIS BLOGGER.
The Cat tallied the votes and added a couple of points to her score in hopes of a catnip mouse gift. The Cat says it’s easily purchased on eBay. So Lynda, I guess you get an ebook of Alligators Overhead, courtesy of The Cat. 


email me and the prize is yours.
http://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/contact.html
Week Two Answers: 
J:  Hilary

Now for Week Three: All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Two more visitors (one each week) can win: 
Week 3) an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY

1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
Mystery Blogger L’s 2013 theme: “The Z to A Blog Challenge.”


I know, I know, what the “L” am I doing a challenge in reverse for?  Because I’m not actually participating in the “A to Z Blogging Challenge.”   Of course, the co-hosts ‘begged’ me to participate.  However, I would never commit my site to an entire month of such a challenge.  No, not me.

“L” is for “Learner.”  Did you know that in Britain you have to have a licence for your TV?  It took me ages to finally pass my test.  Most annoying having to have a learner sticker stuck on the screen until I finally passed my test.  The test entailed watching fifty hours of cooking shows and you can never watch enough cooking shows.  It also required watching  fifty hours of idiots who giggled, jumped around a lot and said, “Oh my God!”, in every other sentence.  Yes indeed, fifty hours of “reality” TV.

Note . . .my “L” sticker was removed from my TV when I passed the test for my TV licence.

“L” is for Leek, Staffordshire, England.  Not to be confused with Leek, Holland.  I moved to Leek in England because I always wanted to live in a town named after an onion.  And speaking of leek, our friend Hilary at this site, did an informative posting on the legendary leek.  If you have never visited Hilary, here she is :  Positive Letters….inspirational stories….

Who is it? HINT: I gave you big a hint already. And is this blogger going to give me holy L for this.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter K

By 50 Comments


The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Three more visitors (one each week) can win: 
Week 2) an ebook of Alligators Overhead 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
(If you already have one of the prizes, I’ll figure something else out!)

BY

1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pujDn7muBJE/UWXwuOYq75I/AAAAAAAAB5w/Tyk0kmLgFu8/s1600/strikeouts1.jpg


Mystery Blogger K’s 2013 theme: “All things about writing from A to Z”
K is for Strikeout.

I never knew this, did you? Here’s what the post was about:
“We owe the “K” for representing a strikeout in baseball to an early sportswriter named Henry Chadwick. In fact, Chadwick and another writer named M.J. Kelly are largely responsible for the scoring system used today. But whence the K? Chadwick already had “S” slated for “sacrifice.” So a strikeout became a “K”, after the last letter of the word “struck.” The reason a strikeout isn’t a “T” is because “struck” was the preferred term of the day. By the way, a backwards K means the batter struck out without swinging (looking). 

Who was it? HINT: This blogger likes to cruise.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter J & Small Things Hop

By 56 Comments



Title Format: A to Z Blog Challenge
The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Now we’re at three visitors (one each week) who can win: 
Week 2) an ebook of Alligators Overhead 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YPa0es9XPQI/UWPvb8keqPI/AAAAAAAAJII/lC8MvfYNko8/s1600/Junket.jpg

Mystery Blogger J’s 2013 theme: “British Cooking Lore”
J is for Junkets.

I didn’t have a clue what Junkets were, but here’s what this blogger told us.

“Junkets, curds and whey, or creams … the names have become ‘muddled’ over time … sometimes curds are listed as creams … while curds and whey were sometimes listed as junkets in the old cookery books.

Who was it? HINT: This blogger is a traveler and prolific blogger.

SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

Thanks VIKLIT

My Celebrations for this week are:

  • Princess of Las Pulgas got a rave review a few weeks ago and is now on shelves at another local bookstore!
  • I’ve been asked to do another presentation about writing-word has spread that I do this kind of thing.
  • April is April
  • My Fava Beans are delicious and the peaches have set on the tree. Apples next.

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter I

By 28 Comments

The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Three more visitors (one each week) can win: 
Week 2) an ebook of Alligators Overhead 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 
Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 
BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 
TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.

I stuffed up and completely forgot to give the answers to Week One’s Mystery Bloggers. Thanks Southpaw for noticing and asking. I never, seldom, often make mistakes. . . here’s the list of Mystery Bloggers for the first week:

A: Nancy Thompson
B: Joy Campbell
C: Alex Cavanaugh
D: Mark Means
E: Michelle Wallace

And now for. . . . Mystery Blogger I’s 2013 theme: “characters and setting for Soloman’s Compass”

I is for Texas Icons.
Although most of these are not a part of SOLOMON’S COMPASS, you may find some of them included in the story. Knowing about these pieces of Texas will help you to understand Texas and Texans, too.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I’ll provide answers. Or try to.
Buckle your seatbelts … here we go … Icons A-Z Style!
Alamo
Blue Bell Ice Cream 
Cowboys
Dr Pepper
El Paso
Fiesta
Gruene Hall
Hill Country
Indianola
Jalapenos
King Ranch
Lone Star State
Mockingbirds
NASA
Oil
Padre Island
Quanah Parker
Rodeo
Schlitterbahn
Texas Rangers and Tex-Mex
Unique Among States
Valley
Whataburger
Xplore
Y’all
ZZ Top

Who was it? HINT: You’ve got to be kidding!
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

A to Z Blog Challenge: The Letter H

By 47 Comments



The Write Game’s Theme 
AtoZ Blog Challenge
2014
Stuff I Learned or Laughed at from Bloggers in the 2013 A to Z Challenge .
All you gots to do is identify the Mystery Blogger each day. I’ll give you hints when I can. I’ll post the answers and the winner each Monday.
Now, three visitors (one each week) can win: 
Week 2) an ebook of Alligators Overhead 
Week 3)an ebook of Sliding On The Edge 

Week 4) an ebook of The Princess of Las Pulgas 

BY
1) identifying the most bloggers correctly=2 points.  
2) leaving witty comments=1 point or more depending on glibness
3) adding to the information and making it more valuable=2 points 

TIES WILL BE BROKEN BY MY CAT. SHE’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.UNLESS CATNIP IS INVOLVED, THEN SHE GOES WITH THE BEST SUPPLIER.
Mystery Blogger H’s 2013 theme: “During the April A-Z Challenge, I’m posting six days a week, following the letters of the alphabet. I will share all the movies, books and games I watched, read and played-all the influences that turned me into the geeky person and writer I am today.”
H is for Hobbit

BOOKS
The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien (1937): This book made a difference to my reading habits. A teacher read this out loud at the end of primary school. I think I was twelve and I thoroughly fell in love with it. I loved it so much that I finished reading it on my own and went on to read Lord of the Rings. I haven’t seen the movie yet.

Harry Potter by J K Rowling (1997): I felt I should mention this, however I only read the first two books (gasp!). I lost interest after that. Perhaps because I’m a slow reader and I have to truly love a series to finish it since there are so many other books calling for my attention.

Other book favourites: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Hamlet (which I studied in high school as well as at University), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Who was it? HINT: This blogger/writer lives in Australia.
SIGN UP or VISIT the others who are on this AtoZ Challenge and check out the HOSTS:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian