C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

My Short Post of the Month, But There is a Tomato Report

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Cathrina Constantine has been my May Featured Follower. I hope you’ll buy her book, read it and review it. The sixties! Ah, the sixties!

One of my good friends, S.A. Larson has a new book coming out. Take a look!

I read the excerpt on the author’s blog and now have this book on my list. You can buy it here.



The Tomato Report

Then there’s the on-going tomato saga.  No tomatoes, but one heck of a lot of shrubberies. Anyone who doesn’t live in the mountains can’t understand the struggle to get tomatoes before September, and that’s exactly what I’ve set out to do. I’m challenging Mother Nature. Man is she tough!


You might notice the brevity of this post. Let me explain. I’m writing. I’m in the cave, and I am not doing as well as I’d like; however, a little setback like not “getting” the characters, or not “getting” the plot and tension, or not “getting” the whole #!$$! story together is not bothering me. Just wanted you to know.



Quote of the Week:

Keep in mind, Brevity is the souls of wit. . .or sometimes you’re just short of time. Well, aren’t we all?

Last Call for Free Signed Hardcopy of The Namesake & Motley Education Cover Reveal

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Barnes and Noble. Amazon. Indiebound

I need a BIG favor. If you haven’t already added Double Negative on your TBR Goodreads list, I’d really appreciate it if you would now. I’m #47 on the LISTOPIA. THANK YOU 3X!



This is the last week to opt in for a chance to win a signed hardcopy of The Namesake by my September Featured Follower, Steve Parlato. If you like good writing, interesting characters and a story that probes the human heart, you’ll love owning this book. Sign up on my Email Connect and ask for your copy. Once the winner is pulled out of that lovely hat, Steve will see that your signed copy is on the way. Good luck.
The next Email Connect will come out at the end of this month (fingers crossed), announcing my October Featured Follower, How I Mine Goodreads for Reviews, and some interesting links I’ve discovered this past month. 
And now here’s a new book by my friend, S.A. Larsen. This is your chance to congratulate her on her new book! And enter her giveaway.
Title: Motley
Education (Book One: The URD Saga)
Author: S.A.
Larsen
Release Date: October
10, 2016
Forget having a lively after school social life, Ebony Charmed is fighting
to keep the entire Afterlife alive.
Ebony’s less-than-average spirit tracking abilities are ruining more
than sixth grade at Motley
Junior High: School for the Psychically & Celestially gifted. Her parents
argue so much her dad moved out. And, even though he’s scared of his own shadow
and insists on bringing his slimy, legless lizard everywhere they go, Ebony
wouldn’t survive without her best friend, Fleishman.
When Ebony’s Deadly Creatures & Relics’ project goes missing, she
learns her missing project is one of the keys to saving the spirit world. Now
Ebony and Fleishman must battle beasts from Norse Mythology to retrieve her
project before spirits are lost, the Well of Urd dries up, and Ebony loses all
hope of reuniting her family. But someone lies in wait, and he has other
plans…including creating a new world of spirits without them in it.
ADD TO
GOODREADS
Motley
Education has been aligned with Core Standards for grades 4-7. A guide will be
available on the author’s website
to download for FREE after the book’s release date.



About S.A. Larsen
S.A. LARSEN is the author of Motley Education, the first book in a middle grade fantasy-adventure series.
Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult
anthologies Gears
of Brass and
Under A Brass
Moon by
Curiosity Quills Press.
Look for her
debut young adult novel, Marked
Beauty, set
for release in 2017. Find her in the land of lobsters, snowy winters, and the
occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty years, four children, a
playful pooch, and two kittens.
You can visit her online at www.salarsenbooks.com.
Follow her on Facebook
| Twitter | Instagram and connect with her
on her Website & Blog.

Rafflecopter Giveaway Code
Five lucky winners will each
receive a signed bookmark and assorted swag! Contest runs from 09/15/16 to
09/23/16. Winners will be chosen my random.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct link to giveaway


Quote of the Week: “Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do.” Bob Ross, Painter and TV Host

Insecure Writers’ Support Group and Some Gratitude and I’m Totally Blitzed

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THANKS TO NINJA ALEX CAVANAUGH
Just a touch of Insecurity
Might detract from my Maturity.
Some days my prose soars to the sky.
Then on others it might well die.
If I could only surely say 
That the muse was here to stay,
You would never hear my childish screams,
And I would sleep in bundled dreams.
THANKS TO SHERI LARSON

It has taken me over three months to come back to a center where I feel somewhat stable. My mom’s death and my son’s accident coming at the same time, threw me off in many ways. First, I didn’t have time to think about my mom not being here. I was so steeped in making trips to the hospital to see my son and talking to doctors that I often forgot my mom entirely. Then one evening, when I usually called to check in with her, I picked up the phone to say hi. Only to tell myself I couldn’t call her because I’d have to tell her about her grandson, and that would upset her. It a few moments before I knew that wasn’t reason I couldn’t call her.

  • My gratitude is that my son has improved and that doctors feel he will continue to do so. 
  • My gratitude is that I have a caring supportive family and friends. 
  • My gratitude is that I can appreciate what I have and not dwell on what I do not.
THANKS DL HAMMONS
Yesterday we BLITZED Bish Denham and Nicole Olea. Are you next?

Small Things Hop

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This is my first Small Things post since March. I’ve been on blogging sabbatical-a much needed blogging sabbatical! It feels good to be back and to celebrate more small things.

VikLit

Today I’m going to celebrate an award! Thanks to Deanie Humphrys-Dunne for this splendid Dragon Loyalty Award

THE RULES:
  • Display the Award Certificate on your website. 
  • Announce your win with a written post and link to whoever presented your award. 
  • Present the award to 7 deserving bloggers.
  • Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have nominated them in the post.
  • Post 7 interesting things about yourself
  • If you don’t have a blog but have a website, Facebook, or Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.
Seven more things about me:
I hope this isn’t making you bleary-eyed already. My apologies if it is.
  1. I’ve posted this before, but since it’s still true I thought I’d post it again. I iron my sheets. I love the feel of smooth, freshly laundered and unwrinkled white sheets. No color for me.
  2. I’m a hiker and love to take off on long hikes in the mountains. 
  3. Coffee is my beverage of choice in the morning . Wine is my beverage of choice in the evening.
  4. I love to make jam in the summer. My grandmother always did that and I grew up tasting hot fresh jam on home baked bread still hot from the oven. Yumm.
  5. When I’m writing, I like to get up before the sun and put in a few hours before the rest of the house wakes up.
  6. Writing is like being on the other side of reading for me, so I get double pleasure when I do either one.
  7. I never had an imaginary friend, but did talk to my dog as if he could understand me. In fact, he did understand me. 
I’m passing on this Award to 7 Bloggers-I could pass it on to a hundred, so the choice was hard to make.
Bish Denham (old friend), Laura Eno snarky and fun), Father Dragon (he has to have this award), Mary Pax her head’s always in the stars), Empty Nest Insider (she says it like it is), Alex Cavanaugh (you can never have enough awards) ,Sheri Larson (witty and pretty).