#IWSG post - BOOK TITLES or CHARACTER NAMES - Nah, let's promote much-loved blogger C. Lee McKenzie's new book instead!

Hello all!

Welcome to the #IWSG for June. Hope your month has been awesome and you got plenty of writing done, whether outlining your next book, writing your current book, or planning your series. 

Thanks to Alex's awesome co-hosts for the June 6 posting of the IWSG are Beverly Stowe McClure,Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Thanks for taking the time to help out, team. I hope you get lots of visitors today.

So much to do, so little time. Which brings me to the June 6 question - What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names.

Well, my response to that question was a bore a minute, so I was waiting for some inspiration for my post, when I caught on L Diane Wolfe;s FB timeline that C. Lee McKenzie, that much-loved blogger has lost her husband just as she launched her latest book. Several bloggers have come to the rescue as C. Lee is hardly up for book promotion.  I'm honored to do something that may help C. Lee (I call her Clem) at this time.

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...

Juvenile Fiction - Fantasy & Magic/Boys & Men

$13.95 Print ISBN 9781939844460

$3.99 EBook ISBN 9781939844477

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

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

Available now - Some Very Messy Medieval Magic by @cleemckenzie Barnes & Noblehttps://tinyurl.com/y8lessr9 iTunes https://tinyurl.com/yaz4sqb6 Amazonhttps://tinyurl.com/y92g67q5 #middlegrade #magic

Now I hope you'll give C. Lee's new book a look!

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones at this time, C. Lee.

If you feel like a writing challenge to refresh your writing, please join us for the June WEP challenge which opened for submissions on June 1st. 

Unraveled Yarn! No, we’re not necessarily talking knitting and crochet.  A yarn is a long and rambling, often improbable, story. But we’re not talking long and improbable, a crisp and convincing flash in whatever genre you choose is what we’re after. We are open to everything, except erotica.

Serenity, meet Disaster. A lie found out, the unpicking of a tall tale. A crime taking an unexpected turn. A bad-hair day. An ordinary walk spiraling into a crisis. A romantic encounter ending in chaos.   Take your pick with the unpicking. And have fun! And get feedback on your writing!

PHOTO INSPIRATION: SUNSET OVER NICE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES IN THE WORLD,

#IWSG post - TICK TOCK, A STITCH IN TIME. C LEE MCKENZIE. WEP.

Hi friends!

Hope your Easter was awesome!

This month, it's all happening. Of course, we have the A - Z Challenge, but two things are close to my heart. First, is the IWSG. I'm a bit early, but I want to squeeze so much in, you might need a day to read it, LOL. 

I was so busy writing last month, I forgot all about the IWSG for the FIRST TIME EVER, so I hope Alex will forgive me ((tugs forelock)). Which helps me answer the IWSG question of the month:

When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

I'm so upbeat about my writing, I don't have cloudy days or days filled with rain, except in my settings sometimes. Lucky me. I read a lot, so am inspired by awesome writers then I just wallow in the process myself. Selling a book or six will be a bonus one day soon.

If you have time in crazy April, please visit Alex J Cavanaugh and his awesome co-hosts this month - Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan!

And

  Be sure to visit the
Insecure Writer’s Support Group Website!!!

Moving on from the IWSG, today, I suspect you're going to hear more about the anthology, Tick Tock, a Stitch in Crime, compiled by the IWSG. I offered to read/review the anthology, so some of my post today is to publicize Tick Tock and show you my review. 

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Amazon

Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of thought-provoking crime stories, eleven in all. The differing writing styles and story lines makes this a diverse collection, all linked together under the common theme of time.  Each contains some aspect of thriller, crime or mystery, but all are up against the clock. There's a time travel story (always a winner!), a paranormal whodunit (that got my attention!), and a multi-point of view revenge tale. The anthology had me flipping pages. Hooked. Some stories didn’t surprise me with their endings, while others did, always a bonus. As a whole, the stories drew me in and left me wanting to know more about the authors who were chosen for inclusion in the anthology. I did have favorites, but I don’t want to name them here or single anyone out, or leave anyone out. All of the authors created thoroughly engaging stories, writing to a high standard. Kudos to the editorial team.

I requested a pdf copy so I could prepare this review ahead of release day.

NOW I HAVE A GUEST POST FROM C LEE MCKENZIE...

Hi Denise. thanks so much for sharing news about Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime on your blog today. This is the fourth time I’ll be included in a group of short stories written to a theme. Each time I’m blown away by how all of the stories have a connection and yet are distinct.

Since I’ve been associated with several collections, I finally became curious about the word "anthology", so I looked it up. It seems the word entered our language in the 1600s. We borrowed it from the Greek word, "anthologia", which means The Garland. The story behind this odd association belongs to a Greek named, Meleager who collected lyric poets’ work, put them into a single collection and compared each poet to a flower or plant, forming, in a metaphorical way, a garland. I’m a word nut, so this was an interesting bit of information to tuck away.

In this anthology, there are eleven unique stories that have some aspect of thriller, crime or mystery all up against the clock. Among them is a futuristic time travel story, a paranormal whodunit, and a multi-point of view revenge tale.

Here’s the blurb to give you a better idea about the collection: Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. 

Stitch In Crime by Gwen Gardner

Until Release by Jemi Fraser

The Tide Waits by Rebecca M. Douglass

Center Lane by - Christine Clemetson

One More Minute by Mary Aalgaard

Reset by Tara Tyler

Three O’clock Execution by S.R. Betler

The Little Girl In The Bayou by J.R. Ferguson

Cypress, Like The Tree by Yolanda Renée

Gussy Saint and The Case Of The Missing Coed by C.D. Gallant-King

Heartless by C. Lee McKenzie

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting.

I hope everyone will stop by our new website for excerpts and stories behind the stories. 

Like our Facebook page.

Our Twitter link.Hashtag #TickTockMystery.

Thanks again, Denise. 

Lee

  

BUY LINKS COURTESY OF C LEE MCKENZIE:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Tick-Tock-Stitch-Gwen-Gardner/dp/1939844541/

B&N - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tick-tock-gwen-gardner/1127886068?

ean=9781939844545

Kobo  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Tick%20Tock%3A%20A%20Stitch%20in%20Crime%20(Insecure%20Writer%27s%20Support%20Group)&ac=1&acp=Tick%20&ac.title=Tick%20Tock%3A%20A%20Stitch%20in%20Crime&ac.author=Insecure%20Writer%27s%20Support%20Group

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Tick+Tock%3A+A+Stitch+in+Crime

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38227821-tick-tock

WEP (Write...Edit...Publish)

Now I did say there were two things happening that were important to me. After you read my review and C Lee's post, I hope you don't have reader fatigue cuz I want to tell you that WEP (Write...Edit...Publish), that persistent online writing community full of adorable people, has posted their new challenge today for entries on April 18th or earlier. 

The theme is ROAD LESS TRAVELED. If you have something that would suit the theme, or you can make it work for the A - Z, please link it and go right ahead and submit your name to the list in my sidebar or at the WEP website. There's a $10 Amazon Gift Card for the outright winner!

Thanks for visiting! Enjoy the crazy month of April!