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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Happy New Year and Jury Duty

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And so here we meet again! New year. New month. 

How did you celebrate the arrival of 2016? Did you make resolutions? I didn’t. I decided that I won’t do that anymore because I invariably disappoint myself when I do. 
Instead, I tidied up my C Drive, organized my desk, and threw out a pound of food recipes I know I’ll never take the time to create. 
In a way those are resolutions, I guess. Get organized. Get real. Then I took a hike. A short one because it started to rain, but did I complain? Absolutely not. Another resolution? Don’t complain. Accept. I came home, curled up with good book, and lost myself in someone else’s story. Ahhhh! Relax. Take it easy. Read more.
Sneaky Resolutions
I feel as if resolutions have crept up on me when I wasn’t paying attention. Pay attention, for heaven sakes!

I was enjoying my holiday and not making resolutions, when the government called me to duty. Yep. I’m officially on Jury Duty this month. My first reaction was this. 

Good thing I didn’t resolve not to get upset this year. But then I remembered my conversation with a disinterested, non-voter about civic responsibility in a free country, and I quickly changed my attitude to this. 

If I’m not around, I’ll be on duty. Oh, I’ll be taking notes, too. I may need to write a courtroom scene one of these days. Put a positive spin on things! Oye! Can you direct me to Resolution Support Group, please?

Quote of the Week: “Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government and at the same time do for it too little.” Warren G. Harding

Merry Christmas and Farewell 2015

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This is not a California scene, unless you’re in the Sierras. But we are getting some rain, and some is better than what we had last year, which was none. 
Because I tend to be an optimist (even in these times when I should know better) I planted tulips and daffodils all over the place. The rain will come, I’m sure, and so will those brilliant blooms. 
I won’t be blogging until after the year ends, so this is both a Christmas greeting and a farewell to 2015. May 2016 usher in things like world peace, and no more hunger for anyone, and tolerance, and excellent books. 
Quote of the Week: “Always be in the lookout for the presence of wonder.” E.B. White.
What are your wishes for 2016? 

Happy New Year Again and Again and Insecure Writer’s Support Group 2015

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I’m Still Welcoming 

2015 

If I keep welcoming this  year maybe it will stay around longer.

I’ll be at Dianne Salerni’s Blog today, talking about the ideas that knitted together to create Sudden Secrets. Hope you’ll stop by to say hello.

To start off this year, IWSG asked that we introduce ourselves briefly again. I think I’ll do a bullet list for quick reading.

  • I’m a native Californian who travels around, but always returns to my state.
  • I write young adult contemporary-realistic books because I can’t write picture books. 
  • I also write middle grade fantasy and even have a sequel to my first one on the way out this year, if the dog doesn’t eat it first.
  • When I’m not writing I practice yoga, hike, garden and stare into space for inspiration. . . or because I forgot where I was going.
  • When I grow up I want to be tall. At the moment I’m 5′ 1″ and weigh in at 101. However, the upside of that is I can wear kids clothes when they outgrow them.
  • Before I stop writing, I want to write something really good and powerful, something I can call the “perfect” story (laughter is not appreciated).
  • My philosophy includes never saying I’m too old to do something, along with a bunch of other very deep stuff.
Here’s to another year of writing, nailing biting and jolly good fun. Let’s toss all of that with a nice dollop of INSECURITY just for the heck of it. I you need to DE-Stress, here are some tips from THE ODD PARTICLE. It has some perfect tips. And if you’re in need of a wee bit of support, visit these other folks. There are 255 of them, and they’ll have some super help to share.
Thanks Alex J. Cavanaugh

Happy New Year–Goodbye 2011–Welcome to 2012

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January is the beginning of a new year and the ending of an old one. It’s appropriately named after the god of the gates, Janus.  Now’s when we can look back through this brief portal of time to that year we’ve just left and consider what we did or didn’t do in those 365 days. Then we can look ahead to the year we’ve entered and be excited about the possibilities of those next days yet to reveal themselves. 

I love the idea of a fresh start and I wish I could tidy up the old year so that I there were no loose ends to attend to, but that isn’t how life works, is it? Life is a bit sloppy, so as I start out in this first month, when I look back through the gate there are a few unfinished items I’ll have to carry forward with me.

Here’s what I didn’t finish in 2011.

I haven’t finished writing that book the way I intended.
I haven’t read the twenty-five books I have on my list.
I haven’t cleaned the tile grout.
I haven’t written to all of my friends to tell them how important they are to me.

I don’t make resolutions anymore, so I can’t make a list of all that I WILL do in 2012, but here’s a wish list.

I wish for health.
I wish for strength.
I wish for the ability to accept, not judge.
I wish for someone to clean that tile grout.

What are you carrying forward into 2012 from 2011? Do you make resolutions? What are they? Or do you have a wish list? Share if you can and if you have any tile grout help, please send that to me.

Not really my grout . . . not yet!

 

My First Post in 2011

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Ah, a beginning. I love beginnings. They offer up such hope. There are no boundaries at the start–no errors, no omissions, no regrets. It’s the most wonderful time. So here we are day one of 2011 and I’m full of hope.

“Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind.”
The Prophet, Kahilil Gibran

May all of you set sail with the wind and find your safe harbor or your adventure–whatever you seek.