C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 76

Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge

The Backworlds Book 2 is Out!
















The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.











The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.



















Available for all ereaders from:

Amazon  




AmazonUK




Barnes & Noble  




Smashwords  





iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.











If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many OUTLETS. 



















Inspiring the words M. Pax writes, Mary spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the husband unit and two loving cats. She write science fiction mostly and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. MARY BLOGS AT 


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

Monday Moods-All A-Flutter

LM Preston's new book FLUTTER OF LUV is here!











C. Lee's take on Flutter of Love:




Your parents were kids when you arrived, so while they're in your life, they're not really. Your refuge is Nana. And how about you? Well, you're the fifteen-year-old who can't afford contacts, or a hair salon. What's worse is you still have braces and your breasts haven't come in yet, not like the other girls. You're the tomboy who loves to play football with the "rag tag" team in your hood. Then Tony arrives and he's the one you crave to notice the young woman behind those horrid glasses and wired teeth.


This is a sweet story about first love and all the angst that comes with it. What I enjoyed most were the characters: Nana who says things, like, ". . . in life we get what we get, so deal with it." Dawn, the MC, with the knowledge that, "Every girl has a little ‘stalker’ in her. And, of course, Tony who won't tell a girl he loves her unless he means it.


I also loved the authentic and consistent voice of this ten episode story. Well told and interesting from start to finish. A book with lots of heart.





Here's the book summary: Dawn, the neighborhood tomboy, is happy to be her best friend’s shadow. Acceptance comes from playing football after school with the guys on the block while hiding safely behind her glasses, braces and boyish ways. But Tony moves in, becomes the star running back on Dawn's school’s team and changes her world and her view of herself forever.





About LM Preston:






LM. Preston loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl.  She worked in the IT field as a Techie and Educator for over sixteen years. Her passion for writing science fiction was born under the encouragement of her husband, who is a Sci-Fi buff, and her four kids.  Her obsessive desire to write and create stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds feeds her creation of multiple series for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers thirsty for an adventure.  She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encourages her writing.



Direct from LM: 








One of the challenges with deciding to write a romance was that I personally hate writing the ‘boring parts’. You know what I’m talking about, when nothing really is happening except the main characters are whining about how they love the other character.



So...



I have a problem. I hate reading or writing books that nothing happens. Now there are many books that have been considered bestsellers that are just plain dull. Nothing truly happens to the character for over ten chapters. At least nothing you can see outright. But I have stuck with them. I have read those works in spite of the fact it took me an awful long time to do so. And have to admit that sometimes nothing really has to happen for you to enjoy reading.



DOES IT PAYS TO BE DULL?

However, great works of fiction are not exciting. But they feed you bits, and nibbles of the underlying plot and conflict along the way. There are some genres that are notorious for this type of ‘ease the reader in’ approach and I find that they tend to be my least favorite genre.



WRITING THE DULL PARTS

As a writer there are parts when I just have to bring it down several notches. I’ve tried over my writing years to weave exciting things into those mundane parts where the character has to learn something, share something or experience something. And I’d be lying if I didn’t reveal that there have been bestsellers that I had to force myself to read in pieces just to finish.



I’ve realized that yes, yes, yes, there is a need for those slow parts of a book. It sets the pacing, brings the reader in, and if the writer is really clever, they are a welcomed slow down.



SO WHAT DO I DO?

In Flutter Of Luv, I decided to slim this book down to a short story and write only the part which something juicy happened.









Be sure to get your copy. 

Available on Amazon



Find out more about this author and her books at her WEB SITE 

Check  out herb blog at  YA SCIFI WRITER'S RAMBLING



Other Links: 



Facebook: YA Series 

Twitter

Goodreads





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

Hookers & Hangers Blogfest July 16th & July 18th

I'm HOOKED! Have you visited some blogs that are participating in the Falling For Fiction hop? If not, you should. I've loved reading the first lines of chapters. Now it's time for the HANGERS. They're up and even more intriguing than the guy with the biceps in the picture above. Here are my HANGERS from Alligators Overhead. 




1. Pete stared up at the mansion. It stared back, and he felt something pulling at him--something very powerful.




2. He almost jumped out of his shoes. It was that voice again, the same one he'd heard on the phone that morning, and it was a clear as if the woman had put her lips to his ear.




3. As Pete dropped the money into Sylvan Karp's outstretched hand, loud gunshots burst from inside the row of new growth trees and everyone, even the protesters, fell silent.




4. They were too late. 







1.Writing on the Wall2.Between the Bookends
3.Tobi Summers - Chock Full of Words4.Unyielding
5.Lisa Regan6.Cassie Mae
7.Writing Off The Edge8.Cutest Landing
9.Michael Abayomi10.Amanda Olivieri
11.Darci Cole12.Jenny Morris
13.Writing with Hope14.A.J. Locke
15.Another Author16.Fanatic for Fiction
17.Ink in the Book18.Suzi- Literary Engineer
19.tara tyler20.Scattergun Scribblings
21.used bikes in london - Second hand bikes london22.Queendsheena
23.Emily R. King24.Mutterings from the Oubliette
25.My Inner Fairy26.Scribble Babble
27.the sands of writing28.Amy Sonnichsen
29.Kim Karras30.And Then She Was Like Blah Blah Blah
31.Leigh Covington32.J. A. Bennett - A Writer's Journey
33.Thardrandian Thoughts34.Jade Hart
35.Gina Denny36.Freya Morris
37.Use Your Words...38.Sydney Aaliyah
39.Whatever40.Tasha Seegmiller
41.Clare Dugmore Writes42.C.M. Brown
43.Ilima Todd44.Donna Hole
45.The Art of Infiltration46.Write Here, Write Now
47.Carrie-Anne's Magick Theatre48.T.L. Bodine
49.Tara @ More Than Fiction50.Melissa Sugar
51.Roxanne @ Books and Blossoms52.Medeia Sharif
53.Tyson McFrost (Frost Lord)54.Michael Pierce
55.T.F. Walsh56.Putting Pen To Paper
57.VikLit58.Rantings of a Writer
59.Stina Lindenblatt60.L.M. Miller
61.EM Castellan62.The Intrinsic Writer
63.Teardrops On My Book64.1000th.monkey
65.Sue K.66.Lindz Pagel
67.Flame Writer68.Beth's Blog
69.Trisha @ WORD STUFF70.Cristina dos Santos
71.Deana Barnhart72.Krista McLaughlin
73.ali cross74.SC Write -- Writing, Publishing, and Harry Potter
75.Entertaining Interests76.Martin at 'From Sand to Glass'
77.For Science!78.Nancy S. Thompson
79.Postcards From My Mind80.It's All in My Head
81.Soul Destruction82.Theresa Paolo
83.Lynn(e) @ The Submission Process84.Your Daily Dose
85.Folio Road86.dreamwritepublish
87.Word by Word88.Father Thunder
89.Madeleine90.story of her life
91.The Write Game 






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

Hookers and Hangers Wanna Play?

I'm a day behind, but had to join in this one. Part 1 of the Hookers & Hangers Blogfest. For part 1 participants post first sentences from each chapter and for part 2 last sentences of each chapter. You can post as many as you want. Since I'm launching a new book this month, I guess you're going to read my hookers from Alligators Overhead.




1. Pete chewed on what was left of his right thumbnail, stared up at the round-faced clock above Aunt Lizzie's desk and watched it tick off his last minutes of freedom.




2. A giant ten-foot-tall Harriet Hadley held Pete up by the shirtfront and shook him until his eyes rolled like marbles in their sockets.




3. They moved as fast as the dark mist allowed--down the path and into the swamp just the way they'd done hundreds of times before.




Any of these HOOK you? Hope so. Here's some others having fun and trying to hook your interest. 




1.Writing on the Wall2.Between the Bookends
3.Tobi Summers - Chock Full of Words4.Unyielding
5.Lisa Regan6.Cassie Mae
7.Writing Off The Edge8.Cutest Landing
9.Michael Abayomi10.Amanda Olivieri
11.Darci Cole12.Jenny Morris
13.Writing with Hope14.A.J. Locke
15.Another Author16.Fanatic for Fiction
17.Ink in the Book18.Suzi- Literary Engineer
19.tara tyler20.Scattergun Scribblings
21.used bikes in london - Second hand bikes london22.Queendsheena
23.Emily R. King24.Mutterings from the Oubliette
25.My Inner Fairy26.Scribble Babble
27.the sands of writing28.Amy Sonnichsen
29.Kim Karras30.And Then She Was Like Blah Blah Blah
31.Leigh Covington32.J. A. Bennett - A Writer's Journey
33.Thardrandian Thoughts34.Jade Hart
35.Gina Denny36.Freya Morris
37.Use Your Words...38.Sydney Aaliyah
39.Whatever40.Tasha Seegmiller
41.Clare Dugmore Writes42.C.M. Brown
43.Ilima Todd44.Donna Hole
45.The Art of Infiltration46.Write Here, Write Now
47.Carrie-Anne's Magick Theatre48.T.L. Bodine
49.Tara @ More Than Fiction50.Melissa Sugar
51.Roxanne @ Books and Blossoms52.Medeia Sharif
53.Tyson McFrost (Frost Lord)54.Michael Pierce
55.T.F. Walsh56.Putting Pen To Paper
57.VikLit58.Rantings of a Writer
59.Stina Lindenblatt60.L.M. Miller
61.EM Castellan62.The Intrinsic Writer
63.Teardrops On My Book64.1000th.monkey
65.Sue K.66.Lindz Pagel
67.Flame Writer68.Beth's Blog
69.Trisha @ WORD STUFF70.Cristina dos Santos
71.Deana Barnhart72.Krista McLaughlin
73.ali cross74.SC Write -- Writing, Publishing, and Harry Potter
75.Entertaining Interests76.Martin at 'From Sand to Glass'
77.For Science!78.Nancy S. Thompson
79.Postcards From My Mind80.It's All in My Head
81.Soul Destruction82.Theresa Paolo
83.Lynn(e) @ The Submission Process84.Your Daily Dose
85.Folio Road86.dreamwritepublish
87.Word by Word88.Father Thunder
89.Madeleine90.story of her life
91.The Write Game 

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

All About Alligators & Swamp Hop Linky List

Available in Kindle at Amazon. Nook at B&N

While I've written a lot about alligators lately, I haven't really included much about other story threads in Alligators Overhead.  There are a few WITCHES, but they're not terribly witchy--no warts, no pointed hats and definitely no cats or broomsticks. One looks kind of like this when she's on her way to meet with the mayor about the Ornofree Swamp.





















Oh, and there's a MANSION with a mysterious past. 





Pete's a kid who's always in trouble . . .Here he is a year ago when things started happening.
























And Weasel's Pete's one and only friend, a brainiac (notice how inmagined he is) who'd rather get lost in a good book than in the 




SWAMP. 






Some wonderful bloggers are signed up for the Swamp Hop already. So in August the swamp comes alive with GIVEAWAYS, INTERVIEWS, and, if you can stand it, more ABOUT ALLIGATORS. If you'd like to add your name to the Linky List I'd be ever so grateful.
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

All About Alligators

Most of my readers know I'm launching my first Middle Grade novel, Alligators Overhead. How could they not? That's all I'm posting about these days. Sorry. I'm not usually so ME, ME, ME, and this will pass. I promise.



When I started writing this story it was just for fun and just for me. Then a few kids read parts and wanted to know how it ended. That lead to my wondering how it ended, too. So I had to find out. This was my most "by the seat of my pants" book I've ever written, so it has taken me some time.



While I was trying to figure out that ending, I did some research into alligators and found lots of interesting facts. I thought I'd share some of them.

















Did you know






alligators crept onto the planet during the Cenozoic era, a couple of years ago? When the dinosaurs died off, alligators didn't. I'd say they have survival down. 
their eyes glow red under light? That's how they're counted--at night. Talk about scary.
they were near extinction, but now they thrive in the SOUTHEASTERN U.S. swamps and wetlands?
they're ambush predators, so they do lots of stealthy stuff, like, pretend to be water hyacinths?
they'll eat anything, but they're really keen on marshmallows? I feel a joke coming on. Why do they love marshmallows? Because they live in the marsh. (Terrible, right? Sorry.)







Other writers have used alligators in stories for kids. This one is for the really young pre-reader by our late, but forever great Maurice Sendak. 




Alligators All Around





















Here's another author who seems amused by alligators. Mercer Mayer wrote a bedtime story for the little old set. His book, There's an Alligator Under My Bed, seems to have brought out the ham in this writer.















When I was a kid I loved stories about animals: Bambi, My Friend Flicka, The Black Stallion, all the James Herriot books. I never did care much about alligator stories (Captain Hook's enemy being the exception-or was that guy a crocodile?), and here I am the author of a book with these reptiles as major characters. What were your favorite animal stories growing up? Do you know of other books with alligators as featured characters?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

Passing It On Saturday

I seldom post on Saturday, but after Kelly Hashway gave me these very sweet awards, I couldn't resist.



This awards comes with a difficult task: List your 5 favorite books. Impossible! So, okay, I'm listing my 5 favorite books that I've read in the last 6 months. That's more like something I can manage.



1. Hiding Out At The Pancake Palace (This one's not out yet, but it's an enchanting middle grade book by Nan Marino.



2. Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. You can't put this YA down and there's a sequel!



3. Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe. This is novel in verse that captures your heart immediately. You don't have to be a dancer to appreciate it; you just have to have been young once.



4. I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler. A book about sisters that is so touching and so real you have to keep reading.



5. Griffin's Fire by Darby Karchut. Great characters in this one and a story that leads you through it very quickly.







5 Fabulous Moments



Only 5? Well, that's easy.



1. Waking up to a perfect summer day is one that's most immediate.

2. Harvesting my first cuke and squash today. Yay! Fabulous.

3. Getting these awards. It's always wonderful to know someone has thought about you.

4. Spotting a beautiful fox skirting the edge of the forest just at dawn.

5. Holding the first book I ever wrote and sold and had published. (Not as immediate as the first four, but still a fabulous moment.)



5 Things I Love



1. Reading by a fire in winter.

2. Early morning stillness.

3. Hot Fudge Sundaes. Yum.

4. The smell of sheets just off the clothes line. I still can't bring myself to dry my sheets any other way.

5. River rafting.



5 Things I Dislike



1. People who say they can't.

2. Anything having to do with cruelty to animals.

3. Self-righteousness.

4. Ignorance and complacency (Does that make 6? Seems like they're usually a pair.)

5. Gossip



5 People Who I Want to Share These Awards With



1. Leslie Rose

2. Darby Karchut

3. Beverly Stowe McClure

4. Ruth Schiffmann

5. Cece



Have a great weekend WRITERS!


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

The Insecure Writer, Me

The cousin to INSECURITY is SELF-DOUBT. One day you feel as if you've written the next Pulitzer Prize winning novel; the next you're sure you should take up a new profession because surely no one could write what you've just written and call themselves a writer.



Well, you aren't alone. In fact, you're in excellent company. I loved this post at Jane Friedman's blog about 100 Tips to Alleviate Self-Doubt. You can add to this list or just read through the tips. Some are excellent, and I've posted the list by my desk.



Now some days I'm less Insecure than others. That's a step forward, right? Any tips that you've found help you out of those insecure self-doubts? Check out the others on this hop and see what they have to offer. I'm sure it will be interesting and helpful.






 Happy July 4th. 









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

All About Alligators and Launches and Fireworks

HAPPY JULY 4th!











This has been a fast-paced month. Zip it was the first of June. Zap and June was gone and July arrived. So what happened in June that caused it jet past?





Alligators took up most of my time. I sent the final edits to the publisher and the presses are rolling. Do presses roll any more? I think not. Change and more change. That's what this publishing business is all about and at a very fast clip.



I organized a Blog Tour for Alligators Overhead with some extra special people that you'll be seeing here in August. I've never organized one of these before, so I appreciated the help from the pros like MPax and LMPreston. Yay for mentors.



I created a somewhat handsome eBook anthology of some of my middle grade short stories. I'm still not 100% happy with the conversion from pdf to mobi, but the stories are readable and the images clear. It's that darned page break thing that doesn't always seem to work that bugs me. If anyone has a fix for that, I'd be very grateful. I'll even send over an alligator to two.



I set up a fb page for my new book, and now I'm wondering if that was worthwhile.  I have a hard time figuring out what to post on those darned book pages. If you have some ideas, another alligator for you.



I read Journeys of Wonders and enjoyed the short stories by Ian Kezsbom, Lisa Gail Green and Leslie S. Rose. Give it a read.



So what happened for you in June? Were you busy with writing, reading, promoting, traveling? *Sigh* I need a vacation.








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

Monday Moods--Description Yet Again

Description should add to your story, not stall it. While I often fall in love with my description of a setting, I have to remember that my modern reader isn't here to loll in the land of my beautifully executed prose about the countryside or seascape or quaint town or whatever. My reader is here to read a story and story is about forward moving characters and action. So how can I keep up my story's momentum and yet put my readers into the place.







One way I've found is to treat the setting as if it were a character. Characters in stories have a purpose. They're included to act as foils for each other or as companions that reveal each other's contradictions or ambiguities. Setting can do the same things. Can you imagine Quasimodo hiding in a small wood framed church in the countryside? Isn't the imposing cathedral bell tower and teeming Paris of the late 1400's exactly what helps to make him and Esmeralda so memorable?







On a more modern note, Think how Louis Sachar's Holes would fall flat if those holes were in a lush water-surrounded landscape. Doesn't the desolate setting that the author describes add to the punishment that the delinquents suffer? I was thirsty the entire time I was reading that book and my thirst added to how much I empathized with those kids.



So how about rules for description? I'm not so good at following rules, but I love knowing them and I love being able to follow them because then I can break them real good.



Here are a few that I pay attention to while I'm thinking how to do things differently.






Include specific and carefully observed detailed. Example: the tree v. the thick limbed oak 
Reveal the innermost workings of your character. Example: She was cold and walked quickly across the busy street. v. Head down, hands shoved inside her pockets, she dodged the cars that clogged the crosswalk. 
Try to include different senses in a scene and never too many: His face was red with anger. v. His face, red with anger and his breath coming in hard pants, he raised both fists.
Don't turn purple. Leave "It was a horrendously evil sight" where it belongs--with Bulware Lytton's "It was a dark and stormy night."
Whenever possible kill the adverbs. They lead to lazy, unimaginative writing. Example: He carefully unlocked the door. v. He turned the key in the lock, but stopped with his ear pressed against the door before he inched it open. 

Now I think I'd better go write some descriptive passages and see if I can do anything I've been sharing with you here. It's so much easier to talk about how to write, then it is to actually write.



I'm sure you have some other ideas about description. If you have some tips, please leave them in a comment. I love to know what you do and I'm sure there are others who stop by who will also appreciate your insights.
























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