C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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My First Grateful Post of 2011

January 5, 2011 By C. Lee McKenzie 15 Comments

There’s something special about a forest after the rain. The clouds even sense it and dip into the tree tops, trailing gentle white fingers through the needles. 

I couldn’t resist going outside when I saw this through my window. I pulled myself away from my computer and a story that keeps wanting to be written and walked a bit. It’s always a wonderful surprise to find that I when I step out my door I’m immediately in a place that offers so much: chilled air to freshen my face, a canyon filled with redwoods to make my writer-eyes relax, a creek that plays like lovely music along my path. 

I returned to my computer and a new chapter came as if I’d already written it. The truth is that the fresh air and the forest  and the creek next to the path wrote that chapter. I was only the secretary.

This is my first grateful post of the year. There will be more because I have so much to be grateful for.

And you? What are you grateful for, readers? We’re a diverse lot, so it would be wonderful to know what gives you joy and what you appreciate most. If you write, where do you gather your inspiration?

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Life, writing

Post Library Blog Challenge Wrap Up

March 29, 2010 By C. Lee McKenzie 6 Comments

The winners of the two signed copies of Sliding on the Edge are Diana (post 100) and Tracy (post 47).  I’ll have those in the mail this week, winners! I wish I could send each of you a copy who wanted one, but there are limits to my budget. (That’s what my husband said last week.)

While I ran the Library Blog Challenge I had a couple of things to take care of.

One: I did the second round of revisions on my second book and sent the manuscript off to my editor with a huge sigh and an equally huge prayer. Please let her like it. Please have her tell me it’s a go. Please don’t send it back with “Sorry, but” at the beginning of the message.

Two: I went back to work on that WIP that I stopped working on  . . .  I think at day 10 according to my blog. I’m glad I was doing posts day by day. It will help me pick up where I left off.

Three: I attended Carrie Ryan’s book signing event at Books Inc. in San Francisco. It was great to meet her in person. I’d “known” her from the 2009 Debutantes, but this was our first face-to-face. I also was excited to be with other authors that I have done appearances with (L to R) Cheryl Herbsman, Daisy Whitney (we just met that night) Sarah Quigley and Malinda Lo are in the picture below. That’s me in the blue thing.

Here’s Carrie signing my copy of Dead-Tossed Waves.

Four: I met Graham Best, the author/illustrator of The Tightrope Walker’s Dream, and he’s agreed to come on the Write Game next week to talk about his wonderful picture book. I think you’ll enjoy what he has to say because he’s in 100% charge of this book: writing, illustrating, publishing, marketing. Come take a look on April 5 to find out about Graham Best.

The rest of my time has been lots of vegetable plant maintenance. If you read any of my earlier posts you know that in spring when the words don’t flow I plant vegetable seeds. This year we’ll have a bumper crop. I had a few days when there weren’t even two words in a row that happened.

Okay, that’s the post Library Blog Challenge wrap up. Gotta write the check to the Los Gatos Public Library and gotta send off two books.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: library challenge, Life

Post Christmas Review

December 26, 2009 By C. Lee McKenzie 6 Comments

This year is the third one that we didn’t give any gifts that required wrapping. For this Christmas we had twenty redwood trees planted in different family members’ names and gave our immediate group a trip to Carmel with several nights of sitting by a fire and eating homemade dinners. One night we invited neighbors and some people we’d only just met for an evening of food and conversation. 

When I talked to friends many said they hadn’t given or received the traditional gloves, ties, shirts either. Many baked special cookies and cakes, and what a treat those were over the holiday. One told me that somebody had given her a sewing machine. My mouth gaped because this is a person who has never even sewn on a button. She smiled and explained. The machine when to an Afghan woman in her name. Ahh!

So I wondered if this could be a trend due to some increasing awareness about the perils of consummerisim? Is it due to knowing more about and caring more about the struggle of people in war-torn countries? Is the cultural tradition of gift giving returning to the original spirit that inspired it? Or is this a fad that will go away once our economy stabilizes and the war is no longer the top story? And what gifting did you and your family and friends do this year? Maybe you have a tradition that doesn’t involve credit card debt. Just curious. Just wondering about the world outside my own small circle.

Happy New Year.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Life

Discumboobled?

November 6, 2009 By C. Lee McKenzie 4 Comments

D.L. HAMMONS

I posted this in November of 2009! Imagine. I was discumboobled even then. Maybe it should have been discombobulated? At least this year I’m aware that one isn’t a word anyone recognized. It must have been a wild 2009.

So here’s my Deja Vu Post.


Is that how you spell it? See? Totally out of it here.

Tonight is another book signing APPEARANCE and I’m still putting together what I want to say. Then there’s company arriving, my mom who needs some TLC, the cat with a hairball issue, and a leaky toilet. I haven’t blogged in days. I’m wearing my baseball hat all day because I can’t use Halloween as an excuse for my hair anymore. My Tweets have turned to Chirps and when I looked at the garden from my window one of my patio chairs is floating in the fish pond.

Anybody have a system that keeps writing, family, pets, house, and personal hygiene needs under control? If so, please send ASAP!

In the meantime, wish me luck with tonight.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Life

Phobias

September 21, 2009 By C. Lee McKenzie 7 Comments


Have any of you had an attack of the phobias? You know those creepy ideas that slip under the door sill while you’re writing that book.

I haven’t had a phobia attack in a long time, but it happened today so I thought I’d share the few I enjoyed.

I encourage anyone who is experiencing or has experienced something like this to jump in with a contribution. Also if you have a counter-phobia or a spell or a potion or a good shrink don’t hesitate to share.

PHOBIAS DU JOUR

1) I’m not really a writer, just a poseur with a pen and business cards.

2) Rewriting is really code for slash and burn.

3) Nobody will ever read what I write.

4) I’m writing the worst book in the history of writing.

5) Agents are sniggering about my query letters.

6) Reviewers are inviting thousands to a book burning ceremony in my honor.

7) Editor are posting my first chapters as examples of what not to do. They’re “forgetting” to remove my name.

8) Librarians are avoiding me, even when I just need directions to the copy machine.

9) My publicist is sending out negative press releases.

10) My last rejection came from myself.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Life

A Quote

April 14, 2007 By C. Lee McKenzie Leave a Comment

It’s always good to find a quote that expresses what is inside your own head. It’s that ahhh moment we all look for when we read a good book or see a good movie and the character expresses what we can relate to. “Oh, that’s it! That’s exactly how I feel.”

Here’s one I liked this week: “Life is not about longevity.”

Yes.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Life

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