C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Books. Books. Books. AND Insecurity Pride Day!

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This month I featured Yolanda Renee. She has been a great guest, and I hope the feature helped make her books more visible out in this wildly competitive world of books. Be sure to take a look at all of her work, including Parallels: Felix Was Here, an anthology The Insecure Writers Group made possible.

 

The Snowman: It takes a true artist to pursue his victims in the art of seduction, and Stowy Jenkins is no exception, especially with blood as his medium.
Buy your copy now and be terrified. A #Freebook on August 23 and 30!

[Read more…] about Books. Books. Books. AND Insecurity Pride Day!

#WEP August Garden Delights

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When you say the word garden, you immediately have an image of lush ferns, stately trees and bountiful harvests of fruit, vegetables and flowers. When I first stood looking at the land in front of our house, the only things I saw were the remains of a burned down house and an industrial sized crop of weeds growing through the old debris.

Well I love a challenge or I would write books now, would I? I knew I couldn’t let this three-quarters of an acre defeat me. So I started in one corner and kept moving until I got to the next one. It took a few months, and ever since I first started shoveling and digging, I’ve seen my garden through many seasons. Some lush. Some dry. Some fallow. But always a reward when I walk through it or have a quiet moment to sit in it.

In the picture below you can see a cement foundation post. 

Here’s  the same foundation post, but it now has a birdhouse perched on top, and something green instead of brown around it. 
This is the back corner with the foundation wall. Before.
I like after so much better. That’s a giant dragonfly perched on top of a stubborn rebar thing that I couldn’t get rid of. Nobody sees the rebar now; they just see the dragonfly. 

And across from this I put the first pond. Digging for that pond took me three days. Do not mention rocks to me. Ever. But it was worthwhile. Lots of critters visit my little pond all year.

After I cleared this part, I found my Griffin to stand watch over the garden.

He’s such a good Griffin.

Some of you have seen my editing spot before, but I’ll post it again because it’s by my bigger pond and one of my favorite spots in the garden. It faces the canyon and on cool days you can hear the creek below. 

The fish are always there to greet me. “Whatcha editing today?”

I’ve written tons of things in this garden space. In fact, I have a whole collection called Garden Lessons. I always meant to publish those, but maybe these lessons are only for me. But here’s one thought in haiku form that I enjoy.

A day of spring:
                        a hamlet where not anyone
                           is doing anything. 
Shiki 
So there it is. My #WEP contribution to gardens. I’m looking forward to seeing other contributions about gardens on your blogs. 

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

Yolanda Renee’s Murder & Obsession Cover Reveal

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COVER REVEAL


 MURDER & OBSESSION
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.
To be Released March 10, 2016
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.
*****
   Yolanda Renee
At one time Alaska called to me and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, 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!
You can find Yolanda at:
Blog: Defending the Pen
Facebook
Twitter 
Pinterest
 Amazon
New Covers:

Murder, Madness & Love

After a gritty detective becomes involved with a beautiful widow suspected of murder, rumor and obsession obstruct his quest for justice.
Memories of Murder
World damnation is a psychotic man’s goal, but two obstacles stand in his way, greed and a dedicated detective. 

WEP Again! Youthful Frights vs Adult Fears

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Hi Everyone! I do hope you’ve joined in the Halloween fun and signed up for this month’s WEP. I’ll try to get around to say hi to you if you have, but I may be late because I’m off on some family business, and then another trip. If I’m late, just remember that old saying about “better late than. . .” 

Yolanda Renee and Denise Covey

I’m a “if it goes bump in the night, I’m out of here” kind of person, but because I’m also something of a paradox at times, I adore Halloween. It has always been my favorite holiday. Maybe I’m a Druid at heart? Just a scaredy cat kind of Druid.

So here’s my contribution for this WEP Halloween Challenge.

Unprepared
by 
C. Lee McKenzie

Since childhood, her greatest fear has been this! She’s guarded against it every year. Every year until this one. Well, there was the book to write, the new job. Lots of changes. No time. 

Now huddled in the room, she waits, heart slamming against her chest. And then. . .

A thud, thud, thud of knuckles against the wood summons her, and when she grasps the knob, when she twists it and the latch clicks free, the cautioning voice in her head hisses, “Don’t open that door.” 

Still she knows she must ignore the warning, and she must deal with the consequences. As the door swings in and the fingers of the October night chill her skin, they’re out there. Eyes big and set on her, their demands unwavering. 

There are three this time, but more hovering just out of that cone of yellow light that thwarts the insects, but fails to protect her against these spirits. 

What does she have in her storehouse that might appease them and send them away? 

“Nothing.” That inner voice is talking to her again. 

If she moves fast, slams the door, locks it and turns off all the lights, will they vanish? Will she be able to climb between her sheets, knowing she’s escaped their vengeance? 

“Not on your life.” Damn! That voice won’t shut up.

Then from out of the darkness. . . “Trick or treat,” the first ghost sing-songs. 

Happy Halloween All!




Hot August Nights Special Offer Winners, WEP Spectacular Settings, Hats Off Corner Welcomes Medeia Shariff

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I sent my subscriber-peeps my Hot August Nights Special Offer and I have two winners, chosen at random. Christine Rains and Mike Boyd will each receive $10 to add books to their libraries or their Kindles, Nooks or bookshelves. Congrats. And thanks for adding your name to my Special Offers Mailing List. Stay tuned for next month’s offer. 
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DENISE COVEY and YOLANDA RENEE

Anyone interested in joining Denise Covey’s and Yolanda Renee’s WEP Hop? HERE’S where you sign up. Not too late. I’ve already posted my contribution, and you might like to see what others have written.
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Hats Off Corner welcomes Medeia Shariff
HOT PINK IN THE CITY, Prizm Books/Torquere Press, 
Release Date: August 19, 2015
Ebook
Purchase from Prizm, Amazon (vendor links will be updated on the author’s site)

Asma Bashir wants two things: a summer fling and her favorite ’80s songs. During a trip to New York City to stay with relatives, she messes up in her pursuit of both. She loses track of the hunk she met on her airplane ride, and she does the most terrible thing she could possibly do to her strict uncle… ruin his most prized possession, a rare cassette tape.


A wild goose chase around Manhattan and Brooklyn to find a replacement tape yields many adventures — blackmail, theft, a chance to be a TV star, and so much more. Amid all this turmoil, Asma just might be able to find her crush in the busiest, most exciting city in the world.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author

Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon

Enter the HPITC book blast giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

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Quote of the Week: “Life is like a lot of jazz-it’s best when you improvise.” George Gershwin

And that’s a wrap! Are you in the hop? Do you hop? (Just kidding.) Want to find out about that rare cassette Asma ruins? Improvise much?