C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 33

More About the #atozChallenge #reflections & Hats Off Corner Welcomes Libby Heilly

Last week I listed some of the blogs that I visited again and again because they were interesting or funny or I knew I'd learn something if I stopped in. I'm continuing with that because even though the AtoZ REFLECTIONS is officially over, my reflections aren't. Here are more bloggers who worked hard on their post and who delivered some great content in April.




BB Creations had some of the best movie information all month along with some special and creative cards she crafts. I have enough movies to keep me busy forever.

Rhyme Time chews up your brain and spits it out so you either set everything to rhyme or you dream of cats every night.




J.H. Moncrieff, One of Queens of Horror, did her best to scare me to death with her posts. Unfortunately, she had to drop out before she finished me off. 

Journaling Woman had my attention when she revealed her theme--Dying Oddly. To me dying in any fashion isn't appealing, but Oddly intrigued me. And her posts kept me hooked. Death by scarf, death by zorbing, death by grief and on and on. Highly imaginative theme, JW.

We lost another super blogger due to "life interference," when Hilary had to stop posting in Positive Letters. . .inspirational stories, but she'll be back next year, and I hope we get to see more of those posts. 

Again, I can't post all that I enjoyed and visited daily, or your eyes will glaze over, but if I was there a lot, you know I loved what you were doing.



Hats Off Corner Welcomes Libby Heilly




Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, holds the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other “Normals”, no one can stay angry with them for long.

Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only “nice” model, befriends her. But that’s when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truth–and that means putting her life in danger.



Brief Bio:


Libby Heily began writing after spending years as an obsessive reader. Nothing was safe from her eyes – she tore through books, magazines, cereal boxes, and shampoo bottles with equal enthusiasm. Libby's written plays, screenplays, flash fiction, short stories, and novels. When not spending time in made up places with invisible friends, she enjoys running, hiking and performing improv in Raleigh, NC. 

Enter to win a copy of Welcome to Sortilege Falls – hosted by Goodreads:






Where to find Libby on the web:

libbyheily.comInstagramTwitterFacebookAmazonGoodreads
Wattpad
Excerpt:

Grape is being taken by her new neighbor, Graeson, to meet his friend, a club owner who wants desperately to be a vampire. Grape suspects that the vampire wannabe knows more than he is telling about the mysterious illness gripping the models. Below is the beginning of their exchange:

Stale air filled the club. The smell was so old, so ancient, that it distracted her for a few moments from the man sitting on a throne in the middle of the room. Even in the dim light, she recognized Graeson’s vampire-wannabe friend. It seemed as if he recognized Grape as well, judging by the pointy-toothed grin he gave her. His tailored black suit and red tie made him look even more like a member of the bloodthirsty undead. Stretched out in front of the throne lay a woman wearing a green bikini beneath a sheer body stocking. Her silky red hair lay splayed out around her. The woman glanced at Graeson and then sealed her gaze on Grape.

“Graeson, you brought a friend,” the vampire said in his clipped accent.

The door shut behind them, sealing out the sunshine. Dull yellow and blue light bathed the room. Candles and strings of Christmas lights provided most of the illumination in the club—that, and the faint glow of the vamp’s skin.

The few patrons in the room looked up from their board game to inspect the newcomers. They sat tucked away in a booth in the far corner. Mugs of steaming coffee were the only things on the table that Grape recognized. She wasn’t sure what their costumes were about, but she noticed that none of them were dressed like vampires, though one did seem to be wearing a werewolf mask.

“Role playing,” the vamp said, catching the direction of Grape’s gaze. “It is a specialty here, no?”

“I can see that,” Grape said, glancing from him to Graeson, the only two people in the room dressed in costumes that were suitable for real life as well. The woman on the floor could have worn hers to the beach, she guessed, but it didn’t look appropriate for an afternoon out.

“Would you like something to drink?" the vamp asked. “Or to eat? This one, I’m sure has a great appetite.” He nodded his head to Grape as he spoke.

“I’m not hungry. What do you mean about my appetite?” How the hell could he know she ate all the time?

“I meant no harm. You are a teenager. Teenagers eat constantly.”

“I’ll have some wine," Graeson said, not looking up from the woman at the vamp’s feet.

“Dear, get our guests some wine.”

The woman stretched out her lanky body. She stood in one elegant motion. Her red hair trailed down her back to the tops of her buttocks. There was no sign of the white cream that Graeson wore, but her skin was deadly pale nonetheless.

“That’s my ex-girlfriend,” Graeson whispered to Grape as the woman walked away.

“No way.” She couldn’t imagine a world where that woman and Graeson dated.

“So, Grape Merriweather has decided to speak to me again,” the vamp said, his eyes twinkling. 

“Not  on  purpose,” Grape  said, her voice flat. She didn’t feel nearly as nervous as she had the day before in the hospital, but that was mostly because it was hard to be intimidated by a man when just behind him sat a boy in troll makeup arguing that the spell he’d used should have vanquished the wood nymph to his right.

“You know her?” Graeson asked his friend.

“We have been acquainted,” the vamp said. “Grape is such an unusual name.”

“My name isn’t the most unusual thing in this room.”

Graeson glanced quizzically from the man on the throne to Grape. “Liam, when did you meet Grape?”

“Liam?” Grape tried hard to keep herself from chuckling. “Like the actor?”

“I was Liam first,” the vamp said. “Many, many years before this so-called actor.




Quote of the Week: Maybe stories are just data with a soul." Brene Brown, Author

Are you still reflecting on the bloggers you connected with on the @atozchallenge? Want to try Sortilege Falls? Sounds interesting, right? I'd like to know what's wrong with those models and what their parents are hiding.




Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

Reflection on #atozChallenge 2016 and #InkRipples

Find out more HERE.


This is the perfect week to combine two hops into a single post: Reflections on the #atozChallenge for 2016 and Memories for the May #InkRipples.

The idea people: Katie, Kai, and Mary
The idea of #InkRipples is to toss a word, idea, image, whatever into the inkwell and see what kind of ripples it makes. We provide the topics and will be blogging about them on the first Monday of the month. You can spread your own ripples by blogging about the topic any day of the month that fits your schedule. 

Memories is the topic for May's #InkRipples. And what better memory than the newly concluded #atozChallenge. Here are some of my favorite memories from this year's AtoZ. And they're alphabetical. Once I've mastered a theme, I stick with it.

I loved Alex Cavanaugh's Origins of Science Fiction Terms. Some of these terms have been around for quite a long time. The X Gun (X-Beam Projector) 1937!

Bish Denham's Shakespearean Insults and Compliments had me in stitches and sometimes scratching my head.  "WARTHOGS bow to the pond scum of your passage way." That's a compliment BTW.
 Mvh. Janus Kramer Møller, Wikimedia CommonsDamhyanti Biswas posted about a remarkable project called Project Why. Such amazing and touching stories about helping kids out of poverty and giving them a chance to succeed.


Pat Garcia took us on a beautiful journey with a Child and a Prophet in her blog, Everything Must Change. 




I felt as if I'd traveled to some of the most gorgeous places in India after visiting kalapanaawrites every day. 

Writing in the Crosshairs never failed to make me either laugh or think or both at the same time. Roland, Freud and Twain were unbeatable conversationalists.

Yvonne Ventresca kept me sane with excellent ideas for being productive while writing. 

There are more, but I'll have to post about them another time or this will be one long post.




Quote for the Week: "Storytelling is the best way we have of coming up with new ideas." Richard Branson. This was quoted in Forbes.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

Hats Off Corner Welcomes Medeia Sharif

I know it's Friday and I don't blog on Friday unless I screw up and forget something important on Monday! And I did. However, I'm here to try and make up for spacing out and not posting this when I promised.

Hats Off Corner Welcomes Medeia Sharif


A LOVE THAT DISTURBS by Medeia Sharif
Evernight Teen , June 17, 2016

Maysa Mazari is alarmed by her mother’s talk about arranged marriage. Meanwhile, as a hijab-wearing Pakistani-American, she wants to find love on her own. Her judgmental Muslim clique has protected her from racist taunts, although the leader, Aamal, is turning on her as Maysa strays from the group because of her attraction to Haydee.

Haydee Gomez is a former gang member and juvenile detention student. Now living with a clean-cut aunt, she wants to turn her life around, even though one person will never let her forget her roots—Rafe, her abusive pimp. Haydee attempts to pull away from a life of prostitution when she develops feelings for Maysa, although Rafe isn’t willing to give her up too easily.

Finding themselves in danger from Maysa’s friends and Haydee’s pimp, it’s apparent their love disturbs everyone around them as they fight to stay together.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author

Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   AmazonBeware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

It's May! Time for Insecure Writers' Support Group and #signofgreendragon

Brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. Sign up HEREThe awesome co-hosts for today's IWSG are Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, Viola Fury, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris! 

The insecurities pop up like giant monsters while I'm trying to publish a book on my own. This is when I admit it's so much easier when I let the professional publishers do it. But my "control freak" has done it to me again. So here I am doubting that I have the chops to see this project through, hoping I've remembered to do all that I must do, and wondering if I've chosen the right plan--all the time muttering, "Never again. Never again." 




Now having written that, I have to say when I asked for help I got it, and I got it from the people who either have gone through this process themselves or will, so that's a huge comfort. Thanks for your support in such an insecure time.

Pre-Order
Paperback on 
AMAZON
Kindle on:
SMASHWORDS
B&N
KOBOThe cover has arrived and my blogger friends are spreading the word. Most of the pre-order links are up. And I finished the #atozChallenge! Survivor once again. I'll be posting my REFLECTIONS next week.

Quote of the Week: "Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but happiness and growth occur while you are climbing it." Andy Rooney
How are you doing out there in the writing world? Insecure or confident? Climbing up that mountain?Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

Guess Who's My Follower of the Month!

Christine Kohler is my Follower of the Month.  This month I'll be featuring her book, No Surrender Soldier. 


AMAZON

Here's a quick summary.Growing up on Guam in 1972, fifteen-year-old Kiko is beset by worries: He's never kissed a girl, the popular guys get all the attention at school--but the worst part is the serious problems at home. His older brother is missing in Vietnam, his grandfather is losing it to dementia, and he just learned that his mother was raped by a Japanese soldier during World War II. It all comes together when he discovers an old man, a Japanese soldier, hiding in the jungle behind his house. It's not the same man who raped his mother, but, in his rage, Kiko cares only about protecting his family and avenging his mom--no matter what it takes. And so, a shy, peaceable boy begins to plan a murder. But how far will Kiko go to prove to himself that he's a man? Based on a true incident in history, No Surrender Soldier is the story of a boy grappling with ancient questions of courage and manhood before he can move on.

An Excerpt from my Review:

What I appreciated about No Surrender Soldier was the way in which the author depicted the two different cultures: the Japanese one with its code of honor and the Chamorro one with it strong sense of friends and family. I also loved how the author captured the language patterns--the Japanese as well as the Chamorro patoi.
Meet ChristineMarried to a USAF officer, she has traveled extensively: From several places in the continental U.S to the Hawaiian Islands, Japan and Guam.  She has degrees in education, English and journalism.  One of her favorite jobs was as a reporter for the Pacific Daily News where she covered new in the West Pacific. We met through @Uncommonya, a group of traditionally published authors who write for the young adult reader.  GiveawayI'll be giving away a signed hardcopy of Christine's book to one of my Special Offers followers this month. It's a well-written book that will keep you reading to the end, and you'll leave the book with reluctance. Add No Surrender Soldier on Goodreads as WANT TO READ






Sign up for a chance to win Christine's book and to be featured in one of the months ahead. 
If you're featured I:

buy, read, and review your latest bookmark your book as AM READING on Goodreadsfeature you and your book(s) in my monthly EMAIL CONNECT emailtweet your book link(s) for 4 Wednesdays, 3 times a day during your monthpost one facebook post with a link to my reviewfeature you on The Write Game on your month Pin and feature your latest book cover to my Pinterest Board, Book Covers that Catch my Eye.

Quote of the Week: "Reading is socially accepted disassociation. You flip a switch and you're not there anymore. It's better than heroin." Memoirist Mary Karr

Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: Z is for Jay-Z

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


So that's a rap! Another #atozChallenge has been completed by many intrepid bloggers around the blog-o-sphere. And me, too! Pat on back. And kudos. And where's the Champagne? I'll be back to regular blogging which means: Mondays. And I'll be responding to comments on my blog again. Here's to a wonderful May!




Answers to your T/F Quiz for Y:
FALSE 1. Generation Y people weren't born in the '60s and 70s. They were born between the 1980s and the year 2000. They're sometimes referred to as the Millennial Generation, or simply Millennials. 

TRUE  2. Sr Sánchez, like so many people born during the Russian era have Russian names, and a lot of them involve Y.






Okay, I had to reach for this one, so as if anyone cares, Jay-Z and Beyonce visited Cuba. Police had to provide escort and protection from an adoring mob. 

Global contamination. 

Sorry for the editorial comment. 

I gots no quiz for this one. But hallelujah I reached Z!Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: Y is for Yoani Sánchez

Bonus Y: Yes. I'm ready to send my next Email Connect and to announce my Follower for the Month of May. If you're interested in joining my list, you can do it by Subscribing to my Special Offers.  This month, I'm giving a signed hardcopy of an award winning book to someone on my list. 


 

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 





Answers to your T/F Quiz for X:

TRUE 1. Xavier Cugat appeared in recitals with Enrico Caruso, playing violin solos.

TRUE 2. Later, Cougat went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist. Cugat's caricatures were later nationally syndicated. 



Y is for Yoani Sánchez
 



Yoani María Sánchez Cordero is a Cuban blogger. She's won awards for her blog, Generation Y, and is internationally famous for her criticism of the Cuban government. She portrays what is real in everyday Cuban life, not what the propaganda says is true. 

She quite cleverly smuggles her posts out to friends in other countries, and they put them on the internet. The Cuban government may try to stop the truth from leaking out, but they simply can't. The internet may be the end to a lot of repressive governments in the world. Let's hope.





Your T/F Quiz for Y:
1. Generation Y covers people born between the 1960s and the 1970s.

2. Sr Sánchez, like so many people born during the Russian era have Russian names. 

Answers tomorrow.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: X is for Xavier Cougat

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 





Answers to your T/F Quiz for W

TRUE  1. Teddy Roosevelt was 43 when he became the youngest president the US had ever elected.
FALSE 2. Teddy Roosevelt wasn't assassinated soon after taking office or a long time after. There have been four sitting presidents assassinated: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy. 





Xavier Cougat was the Rumba King in the 30s and 40s. He was born in Spain but moved to Cuba as a young child with his parents. His music was certainly infused with Cuban rhythms.  Here's a LINK to an old recovered recording. I couldn't embed it because they didn't allow embedding. It's worth a few minutes to see and hear what Cougie offered up. It's all Cuban style a la 1940s.




Your T/F Quiz for X
1. Cougat was a famous musician, but he was also a noted cartoonist and book cover artist.2. Cougat appeared in recitals with Enrico Caruso.

Answers tomorrow.
Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: W is for War

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 




Answers to your T/F Quiz for V

FALSE 1. The Old Havana, Cuidad Vieja, wasn't founded in the early 1900s. The Spanish founded it in the 1500s.


TRUE  2. Some of Old Havana is still owned by private individuals, but the state owns most of it. 







W is for War
 
When Teddy Roosevelt came to help out the Cubans by getting rid of those wretched Spanish (please note the sarcasm) he had a couple of agendas in mind. First, this would probably be the last chance for a calvary to go to war. We were creating machines to carry us into battle. The horse was becoming obsolete in war. 

Good for the horse, I say. 

Anyway, he wanted to ride astride his steed for one more fight. Second, there was a presidential opportunity ahead and looking brave on a horse was a good vote-getting strategy. 

But here's a funny part of the story that Teddy probably didn't mention. When they sailed up to the island, they dumped their nobel steeds into the water, thinking they'd swim to shore. Wrong. They started swimming into the open water. What? And now what?

A young bugler saw that sharks might have quite a feast if someone didn't turn those horses around. So he sounded the charge, and by golly, those equine beasts headed dutifully toward the island where the charge was supposedly happening.

War isn't just stupid, it's really stupid.



Your T/F Quiz for W:    
1. Teddy Roosevelt was 43 when he became president.
2. Unfortunately, Teddy Roosevelt was assassinated soon after taking office.


Answers tomorrow.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: V is for Cuidad Vieja

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, 
and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 






Answers to your T/F Quiz for U
TRUE 1. Having a military base on Guantanamo gave the U.S. a strategic                        location during the Cold War. Russia was a huge threat and very cozy                with Castro.
TRUE  2. Only 485 miles of water stand between Florida and Guantanamo.


V is for Cuidad Vieja

One of the most charming parts of Havana is Ciudad Vieja (Old City of Havana). The streets are mostly cobblestone, and one that runs in front of the old governor's house is wood. He didn't like the noise of wheels going over stone. Today most of the streets are reserved for pedestrians, so you can meander without fear of being run down by a bus or car. You do have to watch out at cross-streets because those are heavily trafficked. 
Colorful Cuban Women In Cuidad Vieja The Wooden Street with Vendors

A Courtyard in Cuidad Vieja




Your T/F Quiz for V
1. The Old Havana, Cuidad Vieja, was founded in the early 1900s.2. Some of Old Havana is still owned by private individuals, but the state own         most of it.

Answers tomorrow.
Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew