#IWSG & C. Lee McKenzie's Shattered and Review

 

Here we are in February already. Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the February 2 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

Last month, I wrote that one of my goals for this year is to ramp up my blog. I've done that! I resumed Monday Morning Musing; welcomed guests on Thursdays (with today's exception); and began Friday Favorites, where I share my favorite movie scene, recipes, books, etc. I'm having a lot of fun doing so.

While I'm doing well with the blog, I haven't been as faithful to my WIP. I am sharing snippets from The Case of the Wedding Wrecker, every weekend with the Weekend Writing Warriors (#WeWriWa). I'm just not progressing the way I want to on the story itself. 

I did have a breakthrough on Monday. The story is written in the 1st Person, from Alex O'Hara's point of view. In order to get the details straight, I wrote a side piece in the villain's POV. I'll probably use some of it when that person tells what happened to the police, and Alex, of course. So, I feel like I got something done.

With cases of covid omicron increasing in our area, I'm not comfortable being around a lot of non-family people. So, I've temporarily stopped going to our local writers' group. I miss our leader (our own Jean Davis), the other writers, and their encouragement, but I have to protect myself and my husband. I know I'm not alone, but I'm upset that we're going on 2 years of our lives being disrupted by the virus. All of our family are vaccinated except for the 4-year-old twins, who just got their MMR shots. They were so excited because they thought they were getting covid shots. 😊

For a special treat, I'm hosting our own C. Lee McKenzie with info about her book, Shattered. My review is at the end.

C. Lee McKenzie has a background in Linguistics and Inter-Cultural Communication, but these days her greatest passion is writing for young readers. She has published five young adult novels: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, and Sudden Secrets. Not Guilty is her most recent one.

          Sometimes she likes to jump into the world of the fantastic and when she does, she writes for the middle-grade reader. Some Very Messy Medieval Magick is the third book in the time-travel adventures of Pete and Weasel, with Alligators Overhead and The Great Time Lock Disaster being the first two. Sign of the Green Dragon, a stand-alone, takes the reader into ancient Chinese dragon myths and a quest for treasure.

          When she’s not writing she’s hiking or traveling or practicing yoga or asking a lot of questions about things she still doesn’t understand.

For more information on Lee and her writing, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at her Website. 

Blurb: 

Courage put Libby Brown into the final selection for the Olympics, but betrayal crushed her spine and her chance at the Gold. Now she has two choices, use her courage to put her life back together, or remain shattered forever.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Betrayal-C-Lee-McKenzie-ebook/dp/B09JYYJG7V/ref=sr_1_1

 

Smashwords: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-c-lee-mckenzie/1140389252?ean=2940165059940

 

Evernight Teen: https://www.evernightteen.com/shattered-by-c-lee-mckenzie/

 

 Excerpt:

      I knew hearts didn’t stop beating until you died, yet I was certain mine had just stuttered to a halt. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs refused to expand. My throat went dry. I’d planned most of my life for this one year. I’d worked out, built my strength, gone to ski camps, kept at it until I’d made it through the selection process—until I’d almost made the US Olympic slalom team. I had my passport. I’d packed my bags weeks ago. Now, my mother was telling me I couldn’t do what I’d lived for all these years?

     My heart kicked in and air filled my chest. “Shut up! Shut up!” In my mind, I screamed, but that’s not the way I heard my voice. Shut up sounded like a whimper.

      “Libby, stop.” Dad was back, his hand on my shoulder, his face filled with pain. “Please, stop.”

     His calm presence and the terrible sound of his plea brought me up short.

     I gulped back the ragged clutch that filled my throat. “Why? Why can’t I ski with my team?”

     Then I glanced down. Mom was lying across the foot of the bed. She was lying across my legs, and I didn’t feel the weight of my mother’s body.

 

My Review:

At first, I was hesitant to read this story. I thought it would be a real downer. Turns out I was wrong. Yes, Libby is injured. Very badly injured. An accident (or was it?) shatters her spine and her hopes of making it to the Olympics. She goes through the stages of grief, as she mourns the loss of her career. Yet, there is hope for her. The title should've clued me in. Courage. Libby's courage drags her from the darkness of despair to the light of hope. She doesn't do it alone. Doctors, therapists, and new friends help her on the road to recovery. Harley, a new girlfriend with a wicked sense of humor, plays a big role in helping Libby figure out her new life. (BTW, I loved Harley.) I'm so glad I read Shattered. Ms. McKenzie makes Libby come alive. I hurt for her and cheered for her as she worked her way through disappointment to triumph.

 

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

I hope you're staying safe and warm. See you next month.

Guest: C. LEE McKENZIE Not Guilty #giveaway @cleemckenzie

I’m delighted today to welcome author C. Lee McKenzie to my site to talk about her latest release, NOT GUILTY, as part of her MC Book Tour Blog adventure.

I met Lee through Insecure Writers Support Group. When she asked for reviewers for her new YA story, I couldn't volunteer fast enough. You can read my review at the end of this post.

After you find out more about this tantalizing new story, be sure to enter Lee’s giveaway featured below.

* Not Guilty
* by C. Lee McKenzie
* Publication Date: October 25, 2019
* Genre: Young Adult

Hi Diane,

Thank you for hosting me today and giving me a chance to talk about where Not Guilty came from.

I love the theme of justice, or as in this story, injustice. It’s a long-time interest of mine and probably started when I was about ten and discovered life wasn’t fair all the time. People aren’t always afforded justice, but when they are it’s a beautiful thing.

I wrote another story with this same theme, and one day I set out to revise it. That revision turned into Not Guilty, a very different book. That’s the first time revision has taken the bit between its teeth and run away like that. I’m still scratching my head, wondering how it happened.

In both books, the boys are falsely accused and ostracized by the people they’ve known all of their lives. Their families suffer as well. While there are similarities between Book One and Not Guilty, those end after the first few chapters. Book One, heads off into a Nevada ghost town while Not Guilty is rooted in the community Devon, the MC, has grown up in. Most of the story is about how he sets out to prove he’s innocent.

I kept some of the scenes from that first book, so I thought I’d show you one of those side by side to give you an idea of how similar they are. This is the scene of the boys’ homecoming after they’ve been released from custody.

Book One

With Dad’s arm slung over his shoulder, they walked to the porch. Jonah caught his reflection in the front window. He looked exactly like the boy who’d left this house six months ago, but that was impossible. A bitterness crept up into the back of his throat, burning his tongue and bringing a sting to his eyes. In that one second, he wasn’t at the front of his house. Instead, he was in a different time and a different place—one he wanted to forget.

His dad’s hand pressed on his back. “It’s over, Jonah. Let it go.”

But it wasn’t over and Jonah knew it. It would never be over. It would always be in his gut and in everyone’s mind.

Not Guilty

With Dad’s arm slung over his shoulder, they walked to the porch. Devon caught his reflection in the front window. He looked exactly like the person who’d left this house five months ago, but that was impossible. A bitterness crept up into the back of his throat. The Devon Carlyle who left from this door for the courtroom didn’t exist anymore. In that one second, he wasn’t at the front of his house. Instead, he faced Room Five and it was March. He was about to walk in on JD and Reeker.

One thing’s for sure, if I ever go back to work on Book One again, I have to dump a lot of scenes. What worries me is what will happen if I try another revision. I’m afraid it will turn into Book Three about justice and injustice.

BLURB

          A blood-smeared knife. One young man’s word against another. A lifetime dream crushed.

          The evidence points to Devon Carlyle. He was there when it happened. Everyone knows he had it in for Renzo Costa. And Costa says Devon was the one. In the judge’s rap of a gavel, Devon’s found guilty of assault. The star of the Oceanside High’s basketball team loses his shot at the one thing he’s worked so hard for—the championship game where college scouts could see how good he is.

          Now he makes his great shots in Juvenile Hall with kids far different from those that have always been in his life.

          Angry? Hell, yes.

          He’s bent on finding who did the crime. He’s bent on making them pay because he’s Not Guilty.

          But can he prove it?

For those who aren’t familiar with the author, here’s a bit of background on her.

C. Lee McKenzie has a background in Linguistics and Inter-Cultural Communication, but these days her greatest passion is writing for young readers. She has published five young adult novels: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, and Sudden Secrets. Not Guilty is her most recent one.

          Sometimes she likes to jump into the world of the fantastic and when she does, she writes for the middle-grade reader. Some Very Messy Medieval Magick is the third book in the time-travel adventures of Pete and Weasel, with Alligators Overhead and The Great Time Lock Disaster being the first two. Sign of the Green Dragon, a stand-alone, takes the reader into ancient Chinese dragon myths and a quest for treasure.

          When she’s not writing she’s hiking or traveling or practicing yoga or asking a lot of questions about things she still doesn’t understand.

For more information on Lee and her writing, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at her Website. 

NOT GUILTY can be found Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

The author’s other young adult books include: Sliding on the Edge, Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, Sudden Secrets

GIVEAWAY

With Halloween celebrated this week, Lee’s giving away five digital copies of NOT GUILTY and a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. This tour-wide giveaway will end at midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 5^th.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. If the widget doesn’t show up, just click HERE and you’ll be directed to the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by today during Lee’s visit. Do you enjoy stories where the underdog becomes the champion? Don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

Diane's Review: 5 stars

This story about a young man falsely accused of a crime disturbed me. The author made the situation in juvie so real I had to put down the book. But the story was so well written I had to find out what happened to Devon. My persistence was rewarded. As the story unfolded, the characters became real to me. The situations Devon and his family encountered were equally realistic. Devon's obsession with discovering the true culprit "forced" me to keep reading. I had to know if he would be successful. Young readers and adults will find the book compelling.

#NewRelease SOME VERY MESSY MEDIEVAL MAGIC by C. Lee McKenzie

Check out this new book by one of my friends.

SOME VERY MESSY MEDIEVAL MAGIC

By C. Lee McKenzie

Pete’s stuck in medieval England!

Pete and his friend Weasel thought they’d closed the Time Lock. But a young page from medieval times, Peter of Bramwell, goes missing. His absence during a critical moment will forever alter history unless he’s found.

There’s only one solution - fledgling wizard Pete must take the page’s place. Accompanied by Weasel and Fanon, Pete’s alligator familiar, they travel to 1173 England.

But what if the page remains lost - will Pete know what to do when the critical moment arrives? Toss in a grumpy Fanon, the duke’s curious niece, a talking horse, and the Circle of Stones and Pete realizes he’s in over his young wizard head yet again...

Release date – May 15, 2018
Juvenile Fiction - Fantasy & Magic/Boys & Men
$13.95 Print ISBN 9781939844460
$3.99 EBook ISBN 9781939844477

Links:
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/some-very-messy-medieval-magic-c-lee-mckenzie/1127622061?ean=2940154648575 
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/some-very-messy-medieval-magic
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/some-very-messy-medieval-magic/id1324257652?mt=11
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Some-Very-Messy-Medieval-Magic/dp/1939844460/ 
Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079V72G8R 
Foyles - http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/some-very-messy-medieval-magic,c-lee-mckenzie-9781939844460 
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37537343-some-very-messy-medieval-magic

C. Lee McKenzie has a background in Linguistics and Inter-Cultural Communication, but these days her greatest passion is writing for young readers. When she’s not writing she’s hiking or traveling or practicing yoga or asking a lot questions about things she still doesn’t understand. http://cleemckenziebooks.com