Guest Post: C. Lee McKenzie Shares Her Latest Release

This is typically an "off" week for me, but I wanted to share some fun stuff with all of you while it's timely. Many of you already know C. Lee McKenzie as the author of Double Negative, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Sign of the Green Dragon, and many more young adult & middle-grade books. What you may not know is that she once gave me a donkey named Donkey to keep my pig, Live Bacon, company, came to my house for coffee, brought me homemade jam as a housewarming gift, and brought a yak named Hannibal to my backyard, but thankfully took him home with her at the end of the day.

But that's a tale for another tellin'. Today, I'm letting Lee take the reins so she can tell you about her newest book, the third in the Adventures of Pete and Weasel book series.

Lee, I'm so glad to have you as my guest, and can't believe it's been so long since you were here last. Enjoy yourself! My readers try their best not to be threatening.

***

I know you've just finished the A to Z, so I consider you a hero. I didn't do it this year. I just couldn't with two books coming out in the same month. Anyway, I love being here today on your blog during this launch. 

Some Very Messy Medieval Magic
May 15, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC

Some Very Messy Medieval Magic is the third book in The Adventures of Pete and Weasel. Alligators Overhead was the first and The Great Timelock Disaster the second. Instead of writing a tagline to explain what this series is about, here's the trailer that sums of the three books very quickly.

Here's how this latest adventure begins. 

         By the fourth week of eighth grade, everybody in class, including know-it-all, Curtis Lamont,  decided that having Dr. Dread Wraith as a teacher until June was going to be worse than a bowl of turnips for dessert.

The pop quizzes weren’t even a surprise anymore because he gave one almost every day. And all any kid had to do was squirm when Wraith was giving one of his lectures on the theory of general relativity, which nobody—even Weasel—had ever heard of, and he’d slap them with detention.

They cringed every time they heard his name. It was a cringe-able name after all. Pete wanted to tell the kids the reason Dr. Dread Wraith called himself that, but he didn’t want to bring up how their sub was really a bigwig in the Cross-Temporal Consortium of Witches and Wizards. Or that he had to go toe to toe with bad dudes like Genghis Khan. Like Wraith told him, without his bone-chilling name, he didn’t have the clout he needed.  

If Pete did explain all of that, then that would lead to having to explain how Wraith, who wasn’t really a bad guy, just a menace of a teacher, had followed Pete and Weasel back from their last time trip.  And that. . .well, that was just too much for any eighth grader to swallow.

All my books are available online. 

Some Very Messy Medieval Magic is available at these locations. 

AMAZON . B&N . KOBO  . SMASHWORDS . YABC 

Print ISBN 9781939844460 / EBook ISBN 9781939844477

Order through Ingram, Follett, or from the publisher

EBook available in all formats 

My publisher has created a library request letter that I'm including. If people want to check out the book, rather than buy a copy, this is one way to make that possible.

Coffee Chat 21.0 with S.K. Anthony: Make Mine a Double . . . Negative

Hey, guys!
SK here. Boy, is Lynda in for a—Donkey, shhhh! Sorry, where was I? Oh, I'm waiting impatiently for Lynda to wake up and join me for Coffee Chat. I have someone special here today for Lynda's 101st post: the one and only guest who's ever been thoughtful enough to gift us with our pet Donkey: C. Lee McKenzie! And she brought us— . . . oh, I hear steps . . .

ER: [Stares incredulously at Donkey, strapped to a chair in the kitchen.] Oh, SK, you've done a lot of things in your day, but—well, first of all, where on earth did you find a booster seat big enough for a DONKEY? And why on earth is he in the—

CLEM: [Jumps up from behind Donkey.] ’Tis me, the soreprise guest.

ER: [Faints dead away.]

[Thirty minutes later. Lynda is calm and Donkey is back outside, running around with Live Bacon and AndyAndy.]

SK: Sorry, ladies . . . I thought it'd be funny. But Lee, thank you for joining us today! Don't worry about Lynda, she'll be fine. It's not our problem she can't take a joke.

CLEM: I had no idea she’d topple like that. Can we do it again? That was so amazingly fun! Oh, sorry, Lynda. Let me help you to the chair. [Looks to SK.] I really am sorry. Tell her so when she can process again. Please.

SK: I will. [Nods.] She’ll blame me anyway. See that murderous look? It’s all for me. But I’m about to make it better with coffee. A cup o’ Joe always cheers her up. We’ll even give her whatever you have in that bag you brought. What did you bring? It smells delicious! [Wipes drool.] Oh, and you’ll definitely be in her good graces since you even brought her a book to talk about.

ER: [Takes coffee and gulps it down.] More, SK.

Did I hear something about a book?

SK: YES! You know that formula rule thingy? One positive and a negative makes a negative. Well get this: apparently, a Double Negative makes . . . wait for it . . . A BOOK!

CLEM: Come to think of it, I should have gotten two books out of that formula. I was never good at math.

SK: Good thing we don’t care about math too much around here. So this Double Negative book, I think I can relate to your Hutchison McQueen character. Gets in trouble, eavesdrops and memorizes what he hears? A boy after my own heart. Ahem, way to throw a hint in there about his reading.

CLEM: I did a lot that eavesdropping and memorizing in school, too. Are we related? You’re kind of silly. (No offense, but I mean Bacon? Donkey?) I’m kind of silly. You seem to like coffee. I like coffee. You like Lynda, too. And I find her a joy. She makes me laugh, and she falls for our pranks.

SK: Hutchison seems like he’s full of layers, Lee. Would you say his personality and behavior came to you easily? What separates him from other characters you’ve written?

CLEM: For one, he’s a guy. My other MCs are of the other sex. Small difference there. Otherwise, I think they have a lot in common—big problems that kids shouldn't have to manage alone, older people in their lives that either are helpful or hurtful, some growing pains and reversals of attitude.

Hutch came fully formed and ready to go. All I needed was a place to put him and a series of events to make a plot that wouldn’t put people to sleep. [Nudges Lynda.] Stay with me, Lynda. I haven’t finished yet.

ER: Oh, I'm awake, all right. At least I think I am. I could have sworn Donkey was in my kitchen, and that can't be right . . . [Shakes head, looking confused.] Anyway, Hutch does sound fascinating. So many people have issues they assume no one else has, or can understand, and they end up feeling very alone. Putting on the tough guy act only works to a certain point.

How difficult was it to write from a guy's point of view? I've heard people criticize JK Rowling for writing some of Harry Potter's dialogue to sound like how a middle-aged woman thinks a teen guy feels, but not how a teen guy actually feels or speaks. Did you run Hutch's dialogue or thoughts by a few guys to see if he sounded authentic, or do you simply have a good feel for that sort of thing? I read a snippet of the book, and he sounds guy-ish to me.

CLEM: JK and I discussed the matter of middle-aged women and young boys. Wait! That didn’t come out right. We discussed the matter of middle-aged women writing teen boy dialogue and how challenging that was. She knows nothing. I tried to set her straight, but she’s on to new ventures and busy counting gold. As to my technique . . . I turned to my male brood for input.

ER: And by the way, your jam is delicious! I'm so glad you brought some—and not another large animal.

CLEM: Oh, no! I forgot Hannibal. Just a sec. Won’t be a moment. [Grabs jam and hurries to the door. Leaves. Returns shortly with empty jar.] Sorry about that. I forgot my yak. He needed a jam fix. Now where were we?

SK: But . . . I didn’t even get to taste the jam after Lynda took the jar away. That’s it. I’m not buying that Hannibal any cute boots.

ER: But—the jam— [Suddenly realizes what Lee just said.] A YAK? [Mutters to self.] Pleasepleaseplease let that be her ride home.

[To Lee] I thought maybe you'd had some words with JK. She could really use some advice from a strong writer like you. Honestly, I have no idea how she would have managed if you hadn't been helping her out all these years.

CLEM: You’re the first to mention my role in her success. Thank you, Lynda. Here. [Reaches into bag and presents a new jar of jam.] Hannibal should be on a diet anyway. So about JK. Did you notice her switch to a new genre? [Points finger at self.] But enough about JK. Let’s talk about something more exciting.

SK: I love you, Lee. Can I get a jar of—no? Okay. [Sinks in chair.]

You know what’s exciting? Your cover. I really like the colors and the pose, and I think it fits perfectly with the blurb. Maybe next time if you need some models, you’ll call us up, huh? For the female characters, that is.

CLEM: I audition models on Sundays about 5a.m. You’d be perfect for my next book. But you have to leave Donkey at home. I haven’t written a part for him. Glad you like the cover. I wanted a flowing gown, pink I think, but they said I had to write a different kind of book to get one of those.

SK: So that jam?—err, how long did it take you to write Double Negative? What was the most difficult part of writing it?

CLEM: [Takes jam from Lynda and hands her a napkin.] Sharing is good, Lynda.

And about your question, SK . . . Oh, here’s a small spatula. Lynda left a bit of jam in the bottom.

The hardest part was starting the darned thing. I had one idea that maybe I should start with Hutch already in Juvie (translation: Juvenile Hall). Then I thought, “That’s depressing and there’s usually orange involved in Juvie, so my book could become confused with that other one, the Orange Is the New Black. Have you heard of it? Not many have, and I wanted my book connected to winners. Nothing personal, Piper. It’s all about marketing.

And SK, if you change your mind, Hannibal wears size 20. He prefers open toes so the polish shows. [Reaches across the table, takes napkin from Lynda and gently swipes her chin.]

ER: Oops. Thanks, Lee. You're a doll. [Compulsively continues to check chin for jam "bonuses."] It's your own fault, really, for making such delicious jam. And to be fair, I hadn't quite noticed I'd started eating it straight from the jar, or I would have shared earlier . . . I think.

Ahem . . . weren't we talking about a book or something? Since SK asked about the most difficult part of writing it, you know I have to ask if you had a favorite thing about writing Double Negative that made the process unique or particularly satisfying for you.

CLEM: Typing THE END was pretty darned satisfying. I didn’t think I’d ever do that. But seriously . . . I can be that for a sec, right? Good. Putting different generations together in a story is always a challenge, especially when each older character must contribute to my teen's story, but not take over. When I can get that together, I’m really happy. I loved Maggie (70+) and I loved Jimmy (40s). I really wanted them to have their own stories, but I wanted Hutch to out-shine them. I think I made that happen. Readers will tell me if I didn’t. Believe me. They will really tell me about that.

SK: Oh yeah, readers will share their honest opinions. That’s for sure. In general with your books, but especially with Double Negative, what message do you want your readers to get from your work?

CLEM: When I started the book, I wanted teens to follow Hutch through the roughest of times and see him, not only survive, but start toward a decent life. When I’d finished, I’d become an advocate for literacy. That happened because of what I found out about illiteracy in the U.S.

Here’s a stat that will set Donkey on his ear: 33% of people (over 7 million) living in the L.A. area are illiterate or semi-illiterate! I really want kids to appreciate their ability to read and pass that on.

[Smiles at SK and ER.] And I’ll bet you thought I was just a writer out to make the big bucks.

Thanks for the fun and a chance to yak it up about my book. Please ask me back and I’ll bring more jam, promise to keep Hannibal outside, and not play any more practical jokes.

SK: No more practical jokes? [To Lynda] Does she know us at all?

ER: I have to wonder. But I still like her just fine.

You can find C. Lee McKenzie most often at her own blog, The Write Game, and you can find her books, including (but not limited to) Double Negative, on Amazon, Evernight Teen, and other places. We're so glad she visited us today! And we're even more glad she took Hannibal the Yak home with her.

As always:

You can find S.K. Anthony in a number of places. She's on Twitter @SKathAnthony, her website is www.skanthony.com, her Facebook page is S Katherine Anthony, and on occasional occasions, she'll be right here with me, drinking coffee and laughing it up over our latest plans and schemes. And possibly even talking about books and writing. 

You can find me here. I'm always here. 

Coffee Chat 14.0: When S.K. Met Lynda

ER: Today feels like a day for reminiscing, so I got out an old photo album and figured SK and I could look through it when she gets here. It'll be fun while we have our coffee. [Looks around, under tables, behind doors.] Assuming she's not already here, that is . . . 

SK: [Runs in and plops herself next to Lynda.] I love to reminisce!!! Oh, good morning and all that. Sorry I'm late this time; it was difficult to outrun that cop who wanted to stop me. I had to take the long route here. Can you believe it? Why would any cop want to stop me? Anyway, lemme see those pics. [Pulls album out of Lynda's hands.] Are you getting us coffee? I've already had three cups. Hey, wanna go for a run after we're done with these?


ER: You were chased by a cop? 

SK: Oh, you know . . . I saw some red boots and I thought of Live Bacon—isn't his name adorable?—and I figured he could use them. [Shrugs.]

ER: But what does that—never mind. I'm just glad you're here, safe and sound. And three cups of coffee? Did you run beside the car or actually sit in it? Maybe you should eat a bunch of carbs to slow you down a bit. [Plops down a plate with leftover lasagne.] Here, eat this. That'll have you sitting still for a while.

So, the photo album—

SK: Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh . . . sure, yeah. You know what this makes me think of? When you and I first met.

ER: Exactly why I brought it out. Look at us! Weren't we cute? I think we were completely adorable. And look, even then, we were future coffee buddies.

                       

SK: The art of coffee drinking takes years of practice. Though, if I'd tried to drink the thing back then my parents would have probably rung my ears. We weren't allowed to try it until we were older. Anyway, yes, years later . . . I was approached by you via this magical world called "the Internet." Who knew we'd get along so perfectly? Well, actually, we hit it off immediately so I suppose we both kinda knew it was the start of awesomeness.

ER: When it clicks, it clicks. Really, though, I think our completely dissimilar upbringing, vastly different interests and skills, age gap and locations contributed to our instant connection. Opposites attract, right?

SK: Chemistry 101. So what if you're completely unlike me? We have the same twisted brain and if that's not destiny, I don't know what is.

I remember when you first followed me on Twitter and I read your bio; I immediately showed it to hubby. "Smile: it's the second-best thing you can do with your lips." What's not to like?

ER: Well, it IS. I can't argue with the facts. And you were a make-stuff-up-er. I couldn’t say no.

I knew we'd bonded when you told me I had twenty-four hours to edit your book and I still wanted to do it. Kind of like joining a sorority, only more pleasant, with nicer people.

SK: Well to be fair it was half a week, and I was giving you an out. My editor at the time took two weeks with the MS because of family issues and put a dent into our "proofreading" time. I was on a deadline for ARCs since I'd booked a review tour, AND my formatter was waiting. Boy, was I stressed! I'm glad you didn't take my cancelation talk, 'cause look at us now!

ER: I was determined to keep you. That's all there was to it. This was one time when my stalker tendencies paid off big time.

We're coming up on our anniversary, you know. We really should plan something fun. After all, we've had our fair share of adventures. And now I have a donkey in my yard to keep Live Bacon company! (Thanks, Lee!) You know what that means . . . do you think we can take a tour of a coffee plantation or something? We already have the donkey. That's like a free ticket to get in. Um, and you might need to ride in the burlap sack on the side—but only temporarily.

SK: Oh, umm, I think I'm banned from coffee plantation tours . . . I don't want to talk about it. But I'm pretty sure we can take the donkey with the burlap sack and ride through a wine tour. I'll bring an extra big bag for each of us and we can bring some empty screw-top wine bottles to sneak some wine home. You in or out?

ER: But you grew up in Venezuela. Surely there's a plantation you haven't been banned from—oh, forget it. I live in wine country, so a wine tour would be fabulous! There's nothing that says "quality wine" better than a screw-top bottle. We might even be able to leave the donkey at home that day. I haven’t seen many donkeys in the grape fields around me . . . one, to be exact.

SK: Speaking of me planning some more of my SK shenanigans, do you remember how long our first chat was? We must have come up with at least ten plans for our future adventures and laughed the whole time. I think my favorite yet is creating a blog in which our "old-lady selves," Adelaide McClingy and Mildred Loudermilk, offer horrendous romantic/life advice to our readers. I still think we should try it.

What about you? What's one of our favorite topics we discussed early on?

ER: Mildred and Adelaide are definitely contenders for our top ideas. I even think I have a picture of our future selves somewhere.

SK: I can't believe you shared this! How dare you reminisce into the future? Of course I'm not surprised you chose a picture where you look better than me. Pffft.

ER: I can’t help it. I’ve aged longer than you have, and I’ve gotten really good at it.

We've had so many plans to either get rich quick or to save the world that it's hard to keep track of all of them. I do have a faint memory of trying to convince someone that we needed a shot of a guy in a kilt (that we'd provide, of course) for a future book of yours, just so we could have a kilt-guy photo we took ourselves. And there's always our retirement plan of you writing really awful erotica—which, of course, I won't be able to edit—just to pay the bills.

SK: Yes, if all else fails I shall eroticize some words and sell it as comedy porn. Ha! Funny you should mention the kilt. Wait until you read Static; I did add a tiny kilt usage just for you, Lynda.

ER: Och!

As always:

You can find S.K. Anthony in a number of places. She's on Twitter @SKathAnthony, her website is www.skanthony.com, her Facebook page is S Katherine Anthony, and on occasional occasions, she'll be right here with me, drinking coffee and laughing it up over our latest plans and schemes. And possibly even talking about books and writing. 

You can find me here. I'm always here. 

Coffee Chat 13.0 with S.K. Anthony: We’re Back!

Hey, everyone, S.K. here. I’m back from my Jamaica trip, woot! I’m trippin’ while troopin’ and sneakin’ around. Yes, I said sneakin’ around. I’m back to my shenanigans because, well, I can’t help myself. No problem, mon! [Opens Lynda’s door.] It’s a good thing I made myself a copy of Lynda’s house keys. Keep it quiet and follow me . . .

ER: [Startles awake.] Holy cannoli! You scared me! [Realizes it's really S.K. beside the bed.] YOU'RE BACK!

SK: Shhh! You're going to wake up your husband! Come on, let’s get started. I took the liberty of warming up the banana nut muffins I found in your kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee, mon.

ER: [Yawning.] You seem to have taken a lot of liberties, as far as I can tell . . . mon. [Looks over at Tim, miraculously still sleeping.] Um . . . give me a minute and I'll be right down.

. . . Five minutes later . . .

SK: [Sitting in the kitchen, wiping crumbs off face.] There you are, LynLyn, it took you long enough. I can’t wait to catch up! The A to Z challenge left me tired and my vacation left me relaxed. What did you do while I was gone?

ER: I'm pretty sure I just cried. I don't really remember much after you texted me to say goodbye. [Looks around.] Didn't you say there were muffins?

SK: Oh, well there were only three . . . and you took forever to get ready. One thing led to another and I finished it all, but don't worry about it, you can make more if you want.

So did you get a chance to rest after the big A to Z challenge ended?

ER: Well, I did a little thing I like to call “Finally Getting Something Else Done.” On Thursday, I tried to do Coffee Chat without you but I gave up after I couldn't think of any questions that didn't end with "why am I not in Jamaica?" I wrapped up the first rounds of a book edit on Friday, and Saturday and Sunday were busy with things that didn't go in A to Z order, didn't need my Red Pen of Doom, and didn't require a comment.

Did you think of me every day you were gone? I bought some of those little umbrellas for your coffee like one of the Coffee Chat commenters suggested. I thought maybe they would make the transition back to reality a nice one.

SK: “Finally Getting Something Else Done!” This I have yet to achieve. I just got back, unpacked, and now the laundry is sitting there mocking me, but hey, at least I had some yummy muffins to help me feel better, and those little umbrellas will sure help even more. Did I think of you every day I was gone? Definitely. Except not really. A little bit? Ahem, I mean . . . of course! I thought I was suffering from Internet withdrawals, but it must have been you I was missing.

Now I’m back to the grind and I'm slowly catching up with blogs. I missed the last two days of A to Z and it almost seems like everything else piled up right along with the challenge. It's a shame really. There are so many awesome bloggers and I don't want to miss their creative posts. Speaking of the challenge, of all the new blogs you discovered, give me one of your favorite A to Z bloggers. Yes, only one. Otherwise we will never finish this chat.

ER: Ava Quinn at Tongue in Cheek had me laughing every single day.

And I won a book on TheWriteGame, C. Lee McKenzie’s blog! All because I didn't know who anyone in her posts was, but kept trying anyway. Her cat loves me. Loves. Me.

SK: I didn't know anyone either and yet you won it? You bullied that cat! I'm sure of it . . . nicely played, Lynda. Nicely played.

My top favorite was Michelle over at Writer-in-Transit with her interactive posts. I loved the different book illustrations she provided for us to caption.

ER: Me too! That was a great one. Did you have any blogs you "found" that surprised you? I tracked down all my new commenters; I enjoyed a lot of flash fiction, random stuff, and my "surprise like" blog was Sue McPeak's CollectinTexas Gal. Sue took old forgotten photos and created short fiction around them. So creative and intriguing!

SK: Yes! I never really gave quilting much thought until I "met" Fanny Barnes Thornton. I found myself fascinated by her work; they're all a piece of art. One of my favorite lines of hers was: "Some quilts are like novels - they're never finished or have to be re-worked, and you can spend about the same amount of time on them." I can see how this is true, even if I've never done a quilt myself. It's just amazing how all types of artists—as different as we all are—can share the same experiences.

Did you have any favorite post or comments from your own challenge? I really enjoyed all of YOUR replies on “Cliché” day. So hilarious! And your commenters were by far the best and most fun, they were all interacting with each other and it almost seemed like an all day party over here, especially on “X” day. Well, a party that lasted the whole month with nightly breaks, that is.

ER: My cliché comments were the cat’s meow. The bee’s knees. And a pain in the butt, but well worth the effort. “X” day’s comment’s? Ohhh . . . My commenters in general made the challenge great for me.

SK: I’m not sure about mine. I did enjoy reading about my fellow twitchilators a.k.a. OCD peeps. It’s always nice to know you’re not the only weirdo around, ya know?

ER: There’s great comfort in that. Then again, you’re talking to the weirdo who came up with a dumb A to Z haiku every day for Raymond Esposito’s Writing in a Dead World. And you purple prose-d him almost to death with your comments on his blog. It’s nice to have friends we can abuse.

SK: I did and boy, I had fun with that! Since time was the most challenging aspect of the whole A to Z thing, I didn’t get a chance to visit as many bloggers as I’d hoped. I plan on still checking out participants in the future . . . after I catch my breath a little bit. How about you? Wanna do some stalking with me?

ER: I’m with you, stalking buddy! That’s the great thing about the A to Z: those posts will still be around, and better late than never, I say, when it comes to blog visits.

SK: It sure was fun! A to Z Challenge 2015, get ready for us! We might even do a joint series to kick things up a notch. What do you guys think? A Coffee Chat A to Z Theme—yes, no, maybe? Hmm . . . ideas are swirling!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Before you go share with us: Who were some of your favorite A to Z bloggers?

As our blogging challenge did end, a few great bloggers had us in joy, kneeling from the laughter many new and old posters quietly and randomly shared. To us very brave wonderful xantax-free yet zesty A to Z challengers, Cheers!

As always:

You can find S.K. Anthony in a number of places. She's on Twitter @SKathAnthony, her website is www.skanthony.com, her Facebook page is S Katherine Anthony, and on occasional occasions, she'll be right here with me, drinking coffee and laughing it up over our latest plans and schemes. And possibly even talking about books and writing. 

You can find me here. I'm always here.