Introducing... C. Lee McKenzie!

I'm delighted to have as my FIRST EVER guest poster, C. Lee McKenzie from TheWriteGame. She is the author of Sliding on the Edge and The Princess of  Las Pulgas, Lee is one of my earliest followers.

Today she is here to promote her up-coming book,

  ALLIGATORS OVERHEAD.

A native Californian, C. Lee McKenzie lives on the edge of a redwood forest with her husband and assorted cats. When she's not writing or blogging she's hiking or practicing yoga. She usually writes young adult fiction that deals with contemporary, realistic issues. In Sliding on the Edge (2009) she dealt with cutting, and in The Princess of Las Pulgas (2010) she wrote about a family that loses almost everything and has to rebuild their lives together. Alligators Overhead is her first Middle Grade novel. Lee blogs at [http://writegame.blogspot.com] and her website is [http://cleemckenziebooks.com]

Take it away, Lee.

***

Thanks for letting me talk about my book on your blog, Bish. I appreciate this opportunity a lot.

Here’s what the book is about.

Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren't your average neighbors unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. The town's bad boy, Pete Riley, may only be twelve, but he's up to his eyeballs in big trouble, and this time he isn't the cause. This time the trouble arrives when a legendary hundred-year-old mansion materializes next door and the Ornofree alligators declare war to save their swamp from bulldozers. Things only get worse when Pete's guardian aunt and several of her close friends vanish while trying to restore order using outdated witchcraft. Now Pete must find the witches and stop the war. He might stand a chance if his one friend, Weasel, sticks with him, but even then, they may not have what it takes.

Whenever I visit your blog I feel like I’ve taken a mini-vacation, especially when you write about your younger years growing up in the Virgin Islands. After reading your stories I’m always tempted to pack a bag and fly away. When that urge passes I go back to work on my WIP, but I think your posts have a lingering effect on me because I tend to write more description after my visit.

Here’s an example of something I wrote the afternoon I’d hung out at Random Thoughts for a while.

            They jumped on their bikes and rode down the streets that they rode every day, but these streets seemed different. The air was always heavy, but that morning it dripped moisture even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Along the ground something dark and smokey wound through the spokes of their tires and fell away only to rise up again like gray waves washing over their pedals.

            When they reached Aunt Lizzy’s, Pete swore tiny eyes glinted at him from under the hedge, and the leaves whispered as they biked past. Pete wanted to swallow but his mouth was so dry he didn't have any spit. Something had been unleashed in Hadleyville, something Pete hadn't wished for, something very bad.

Now I realize that none of that description is anything like the beautiful setting around your islands. However, the day I wrote that I wanted to create a picture for readers that pulled them into my story just as the picture you had created had pulled me into yours. Does that make sense?

Let’s ask your readers and see what they say. How have bloggers inspired or influenced your writing? Do you find that after you visit some blogs your scenes or your characters might change a bit? Are there any blogs you visit in search of inspiration?

Thanks for letting ramble on here, Bish. I’ll be back to find more inspiration.

***

Wow, Lee, I'm honored and humbled to know my blog has been a source of inspiration.

I had to ask Lee where the idea for this story came from. Her answer:

I've had the title in my head for years, Bish, and I guess I desperately wanted a story so I could use it. A knotty pine ceiling I used to have scared me because the brown streaks looked like alligators. Strange how ideas work their way to the surface, isn't it?

Here's the trailer!

You can find Lee at any of these locations. Go visit, you won't be disappointed.

WEBSITE: http://cleemckenziebooks.com

BLOG: http://writegame.blogspot.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cleemckenziebooks

TWITTER : @cleemckenzie

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0042M1KYW 

GOODREADS

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2809083.C_Lee_McKenzie

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON KINDLE 

http://tinyurl.com/7hv8j5a

AMAZON PAPERBACK

http://tinyurl.com/9kvezg5

B & N
http://tinyurl.com/8ywogjt

SMASHWORDS

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204548