Write What Inspires You! ~ Donna M. McDine: Author Interview

Showing posts with label Author Interview. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Author Interview - C. Lee McKenzie

Lee, we first met via cyberspace almost ten years ago and I’m delighted to say that we have stay connected through our writing and publishing journeys. We reside in different parts of the United States, but through technology the connection is authentic.

Now to catch up, I’m curious as I am sure our visitors are:

Donna: Your publishing career covers several genres. How many books do you have published? Please share the titles, genre, publisher and synopsis of each.

Lee: You’ve made me reach back into my dim publishing past, Donna. Let me see, my first young adult book was Sliding on the Edge (Westside Books, 2009). In a nutshell, here’s the story: Scared. Alone. Can sixteen-year-old Shawna Stone overcome her inner suffering and transcend the past?

The Princessof Las Pulgas came next (Westside Books, 2010). The synopsis is “Carlie Edmund has everything, and then suddenly almost nothing. Follow Carlie and her family as they rebuild their lives.”

In 2012 Evernight Teen published Double Negative, my third YA, I wanted to take on the issue of illiteracy, and this was the book I did it in. Here’s what this book is about: Hutch McQueen is trapped in a dysfunctional family and shackled by near-illiteracy. Once he's arrested, his dream of escaping dies.

When he's sentenced to an after-school youth program, he goes, but won't take part. The question is will Hutch come around in time? Will he grab this last chance and finally find the freedom he craves?

That same year, Evernight Teen also published Sudden Secrets and I was back to a female protagonist. This time I focused on bigotry. In this book Cleo Brown is concealing a terrible secret when she accidentally stumbles onto another terrible secret in a mysterious and apparently deserted house.

So that’s my past as far a young adult books go. I also have four middle grade stories. Three I self-published: Sign of the Green Dragon (2016). This one was a kick to write because I really love Chinese mythology and mysteries. In this story, three boys discover a skeleton clutching a crumbling note with a treasure map from the 1800s, trace the story of an old murder, stumble into a modern crime, and confront ancient Chinese dragons.

AlligatorsOverhead came out in 2018 (2nd Ed), and as it happens became the first in what I call the Adventures of Pete and Weasel. Book two was The Great Time Lock Disaster followed by the last one, Some Very Messy Medieval Magic (Dancing Lemur Press, 2018). All of the stories are about two boys on different magical adventures: saving a swamp from bulldozers, stopping a war between the alligators and the town, traveling back in time to close the time lock, then again in the last book to find someone who had been lost in another time.

The middle grade books are where I just have fun and write about things I really wish I could do. They also clear my head so I can think about more serious topics.

Donna: All of your characters are unique. How do you keep each storyline and character different from one another?

Lee: I have had some interesting moments when I’m writing and suddenly I think, “Wait! I had another character who said that same thing, felt that same way, didn’t I?” But when I check, I can’t find that duplication. Maybe I considered that phrase or that feeling in another book, but I didn’t use it. I am dipping from the same well, so I have to be very careful each bucket comes up with a fresh supply, and that means doing a thorough search whenever I’m in doubt.

The storylines are a bit easier because I do tackle different main themes: cutting and suicide, devastating loss, illiteracy and neglect, bigotry, and lastly friendship and injustice are unique and the stories that come from them are, too.

Donna: What is your process in creating your characters? Do you create a profile outline or other technique?

Lee: I hear a lot about profiles and outlines, and I do think they are a good idea. My problem is I can’t do it. I can outline a textbook or a science project, no problem, but when I’m writing a story that is purely fiction, there’s no way on earth I can sit down and itemize anything about my characters. To me it’s like dissecting something. I could never put whatever fell under my knife back into the organic original that I imagined.

Donna: What is your process in creating your storylines? Do you create an outline, free write or other technique?

Lee: I’m a pantser, and that is a terrible way to write books, so I don’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t firmly committed to this free-range method. You have to do a lot of back-pedaling, re-writing, re-organizing. I do start with a three sentence statement of what I think I’m aiming for. I put that in my header, and I adjust it whenever the story takes off in a different direction. When I really get stuck, I write the ending, and then go back and aim for it—kind of like engineers do when they drill underground tunnels. They calculate where they want to come out, put an X on that spot and start at the other end. There are degrees of success with this method.

Donna: Your latest book, Not Guilty was published by Evernight Teen in October 2019. I’ve had the honor of reading and reviewing an Advanced Readers Copy from your publisher and the topic of being wrongfully accused is handled beautifully. What inspired you to tackle this topic from a spiritual angle? Please see my review on my January 24^th blog post. https://donna-mcdine.blogspot.com/2020/01/book-review-not-guilty-by-c-lee-mckenzie.html

Lee: This book had a couple of iterations. I knew I wanted to write about injustice, and I think I was into my mystical, ghostly period when I did my first draft because the story came out with a much different look than I intended. My agent liked it, but the book—maybe the characters—nagged at me until I asked for it back. I wanted to do a “little fiddling” with it. Well, it turned into an entirely different book, and the theme of injustice almost took a backseat to the one of friendship. There were no ghosts, there was no mystical aspect, I was back into my comfort zone of contemporary/realistic young adult. I think I may have left some spiritual residue while I was fiddling, but there’s not much more that remains of the first version.

Donna: Please share with our readers your current work-in-progress, your marketing strategy and how to reach you.

Lee: I’m straddling a few projects at the moment. One is with my agent and is a multiple point of view book with a sociopath at the center causing grief. I’ve titled it Retro Girl. On my C drive I have Revenge Mountain that has only gone out to one reader so far. I didn’t have enough ghosts after I tore apart Not Guilty, so I wrote a ghostly kind of witchy tale to satisfy my craving. Then I’ve just finished a first draft of my first adult book I’ve called The Woman Who Learned to Fly. It’s a story of a young skier and her life after a tragic accident. This one has connected me with some interesting human beings in the health care industry. I hope a publisher will like it enough to take it on.

Lee, it’s been an honor to interview and profile you at Write What Inspires You! Wishing you all the very best personally and professionally.

You always ask the best questions, Donna. I loved answering these.

Lee, I’m delighted you enjoyed our time together.

Lee's links:

Thank you for your interest and time in visiting with Lee.

#authorinterview

#youngadult

#cleemckenzie

#notguilty

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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters ~ December 2015 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Five and Under and Story Monster Approved

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014 and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention Picture Books 6+, New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Author Interview - Beverly Stowe McClure

Beverly, we first met via cyberspace almost ten years ago and I’m delighted to say that we have stay connected through our writing and publishing journeys. With you residing in Texas and me in New York we have yet to meet in person, but through technology the connection is authentic.

Yes, Donna, with the Internet we can have friends around the world. I’m so glad we met. You are an inspiration.

Awww Beverly, you make me blush and my heart soars with your compliment. Now to catch up, I’m curious as I am sure our visitors are:

Donna: Your publishing career covers several genres. How many books do you have published? Please share the titles, genre, publisher and synopsis of each.

Beverly: I’m delighted to share my stories with you. I have twelve books published, another one due out in March, and two that recently have been taken out of circulation. Okay, titles. We’ll start with the latest.

GABE’S GUARDIAN ANGEL – YA- Freedom Fox Press, imprint of Dancing Lemur Press, March 17, 2020

Gabe never asked for an angel...Gabe Montana's clumsy. He's overweight, and he's dyslexic. Worse yet, the bullies make his fifteen-year-old life even more miserable--so miserable he wants to die. Charley, his guardian angel, says no to that idea, and comes up with a different plan. He'll give Gabe self-confidence so he can solve his problems, not run away from them. But Gabe wonders why the angel doesn't just help with the bullies. What's with this self-confidence stuff? Can Charley help Gabe stand on his own two feet? Will Gabe give up hope life can improve for him? Or will he finally listen to the angel's advice?

UNDER A PURPLE MOON – YA – Freedom Fox Press – imprint of Dancing Lemur Press - March 2016

No Love in the Garden of Eden... Eden Rose has learned to deal with her mother's criticism that she can do nothing right. What she can't deal with are the arguments between her parents. To escape their angry words, she finds refuge in an old abandoned house. She always returns home, hoping her mother will love her one day, even though Eden's not sure what the word love means. Three other teens with problems also hang out at the Old House. Meeting Murphy, Toby, and Josh changes Eden's world, and she begins to have faith in herself. Perhaps she can do something right, after all. Thanks to the boys, she begins to understand the meaning of love. But will it be enough to save her broken home life?

PRINCESS BREEZE – YA – 4RV Publishing – June 2017

For months, Breeze Brannigan has heard nothing from Cam, the prince she met at school and who disappeared one night without telling her goodbye.

The night she graduates from middle school, however, he contacts her and invites her to visit Isla del Fuego, his home. Who could refuse such an
invitation?

Breeze, along with her whole family and best friends, Amy and Allison, sail to the island where she and Cam renew their friendship. But danger lurks; a legend comes to life; and Breeze finds herself in the middle of a battle that can have one winner.

A Family for Leona – 4RV Publishing - tween and teens – May 2016

Ten-year-old Leona Chapter doesn't understand why her papa left his six children at the Brooklyn Home for Homeless Children after their mother's death in 1921. Each day she prays he'll return and take his children home. God, however, isn't listening. Her brothers and sisters are either adopted or run away, leaving only Leona and Baby Mildred in the orphanage. Leona promises she and Mildred will be together for always. A promise she cannot keep, for Leona, along with her friend Noah, who she defends from the bullies Hiram and Jehu, and several other orphans, are soon on a train headed to Texas, while her sister stays at the orphanage. Leona vows she'll go back to Brooklyn, the first chance she gets. An Orphan Tran tale of the early 1900s

Secrets I Have Kept – Wings e Press – YA – August 2016 (reprint)

In the small garden tucked in a secluded spot between the hospital and street, Casey found his leather jacket, lying on the ground under the redwood bench. When he stooped to pick it up, he saw the wilted bluebonnet. “She was here, and I don’t think she left willingly.”

Star of the Team – 4RV Publishing - tweens and teens – Sept. 2014

A girl. A dream. An accident. A dream shattered. Eleven-year-old Kate Taylor dreams of being the star of her basketball team, Angels. When Kate's tooth is knocked out at one of the games, and her mother, who is also her coach, says she can't play until the tooth the dentist replants heals, Kate's dreams are in jeopardy. Add Emily, the new girl at school who claims she's the best, and Kate faces a challenge to prove that she is the star. Will Kate succeed? Or will Emily ruin Kate's plans?

A Pirate, A Blockade Runner, and a Cat – Muse it up Publishing - tweens and teens – Sept. 2016

Thirteen-year-old Erik Burks’ life is falling apart. When he discovers a lace bra in the glove compartment of his dad’s car, his mom leaves his father and drags Erik from being king of the hill in Texas to the bottom of the pits in South Carolina. No Dad, no baseball, no friends, just Starry Knight (a girl who reads minds) and her equally weird brother, Stormy, the twins that live down the block. Just when Erik thinks life can’t get any worse, while hanging out at the beach one evening, he and the twins notice lights radiating from the lighthouse. The only problem is the lighthouse was deactivated years ago. Stranger still, a ship materializes in the moonlit harbor. Curious, the twins and a reluctant Erik investigate and discover the ghost of a blockade runner, a phantom cat, and a pirate who prowls Charleston Harbor, all searching for rest. A former nonbeliever in the existence of ghosts, Erik cannot deny the proof before him. And he has a revelation: The ghosts may be the answer to his desire to return home. Erik soon makes a deal with the ghosts. He’ll help them find what they’re looking for so their spirits can rest in peace. In return, the ghosts will scare Erik’s mother so she’ll be on the next flight back to Texas. Star thinks his plan stinks, but Erik wants his life back, even at the cost of his mother’s sanity.

I Live in a Doghouse – Muse It Up Publishing – tweens and teens - Oct. 2016

Eleven-year-old Nick Cassidy's stepsister delights in calling him gross names. His half-sister loves for Nick to push her in the stroller, to his embarrassment. What if the guys from school see him? All Nick wants is his father to come back and take him away from this crazy family. Is it any wonder he sometimes lives in the doghouse? I LIVE IN A DOGHOUSE is the story of a boy's struggles to accept his new family while he longs for the old. When his father finally returns, will Nick's dreams come true? Or will he discover that memories sometimes are faulty, and it’s best to forget the past and treasure the present?

Life on Hold – 4RV Publishing – YA – Feb. 2012

A paper found. A secret revealed. A girl's life changed forever. Myra Gibson's life is a lie. For sixteen years her parents have kept their secret, but the adoption paper she discovers while cleaning the summerhouse tells the truth. As the past and present collide, Myra finally stands up for herself and begins a journey she may regret.

Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines – tweens and YA – Paladin Timeless, Imprint of Twilight Times – June 2010

Caves, Cannons and Crinolines is the story of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Stamford and her family's daily struggle to survive a changing way of life during the American Civil War. This is a story of fear, courage, and understanding that people, no matter where they live, have the same needs: love, peace and security. Caves, Cannons and Crinolines by Beverly Stowe McClure is a finalist in the Novella category of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and a finalist in the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Award in the category of Young Adult.

Just Breeze – 4RV Publishing – tween/teen – August 2009

Eighth grade starts out the same as every other year for Breeze Brannigan. She's still the tallest student, boy or girl, in her class, wears shoes that would fit an elephant, and her smile reveals dazzling braces that blind everyone within ten feet. Then she meets Cam, the new boy in school who speaks with an accent and must be from another planet, for none of the earthling boys she knows are so polite. He also has a secret, a secret that could mean life or death for Cam and his mother and that Breeze must help him keep.

Frankie’s New Home – Guardian Angel Publishing – ages 4-8– June 2011

Frankie Armadillo has too many brothers. His burrow is too crowded, so he sets off in search of the perfect home, just for him. But every place he likes is already occupied, sometimes by fierce looking creatures. Will Frankie find the perfect home?

Weird Noises in the Night – Guardian Angel Publishing – ages 6 to 8– 2015

When three girl’s spending the night together, hear a weird noise, their imaginations go wild. What is that sound? They finally get enough courage to search for the answer. What do they find?

Tumbleweed Christmas – 4RV Publishing – ages 6-8 – Aug. 2011

Christmas is the time for miracles, but sometimes, a child must make her own miracle, and one for her siblings.

And these are my works, so far.

Donna: All of your characters are unique. How do you keep each storyline and character different from one another?

Beverly: I write information about each character in a spiral notebook and what his/her goal is in the story. Each character has a role to play. And I jot down his/her good points, along with the bad. They sometimes surprise me and I have to make changes, but that can be good.

Donna: What is your process in creating your characters? Do you create a profile outline or other technique?

Beverly: Most of the time a character introduces his or her self to me. Perhaps from something I’ve read or heard about. Or when I’m playing with the idea of a new story. Then, I’ll do a profile, their background, their likes and dislikes, and other information about each character. But I like to let the characters tell me about themselves. Then I go from there. Sometimes, I have to add a character that pops up in the story unexpectedly, which is fun. I love it because the surprise kid may help me when I’m stumped about something.

Donna: What is your process in creating your storylines? Do you create an outline, free write or other technique?

Beverly: I usually just start writing what’s in my head. I might know where the climax is, or not. Lately, I’ve been writing in long hand on paper instead of typing. It’s helping me to slow down and think about the story better.

Donna: Your latest book, Gabe’s Guardian Angel is due to be published by Freedom Fox Press - Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. March 2020. I’ve had the honor of reading and reviewing an Advanced Readers Copy from your publisher and the topic of bullying is handled beautifully. Unfortunately, the topic of bullying is epidemic. What inspired you to tackle this topic from a spiritual angle? Please see my review on my January 17^th blog post

Beverly: A recent event in my town got me to thinking. A middle school boy had killed himself with a rifle. It seems some boys at school had told him to “go kill yourself.” So, he did. I don’t know about his homelife. From a spiritual angle, I wonder why life was so bad for the boy for him to do such a sad thing. Where was his family? Did they not know what was happening? Prayer for the boy and also his tormentors would have helped, perhaps. Maybe not. But the tormenters needed guidance, as well as the victim, and apparently no one got help. I’m hoping Gabe’s story will help others see that there is help and each life is precious.

Donna: Please share with our readers your current work-in-progress, your marketing strategy and how to reach you.

Beverly: At the moment, I have three different ideas for stories and am trying to decide which one to write next. I have character sketches of each. My marketing strategy needs improvement, but for Gabe I have a Blog Talk Radio interview with Barbara Ehrentreu. I also love to get reviews and interviews (like yours, Donna) and book tours. Working on that and whatever else comes to mind.

You can reach me at Beverlysmcclure@aol.com. My blog is https://beverlytowemcclure.blogspot.com. I’m working on my WordPress site for my Website.

Beverly, it’s been an honor to interview and profile you at Write What Inspires You! Wishing you all the very best personally and professionally.

The honor has been mine. Thank you for your interview, Donna. It’s been fun.

Beverly is looking forward to engagement with visitors, so please do not hesitate to ask your questions.

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Thank you for your time and interest!