TheWriteGame

Monday Miscellany Featuring Writers4Writers and Other Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Hats off to Writers4Writers featured author today,

How do you make a choice when anything you decide dooms your fate? Marked: A Two Halves Novella is a paranormal romance prequel to the Two Halves Series.

Movies

I don't usually include movies in my posts, but this is Monday Miscellany and it's summer and I've seen a few movies I feel like commenting on.

***** The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel gets my high five. I loved the story and I always love Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith. I laughed. I teared up. I left wanting more. That to me is a good movie.

** Lincoln not so much. And I adore Daniel Day Lewis. His performance was, of course, excellent, but the movie dragged and dragged. I got a refresher course on the passing of the 13th Amendment, so that helped keep my interest. I was really disappointed in Tommy Lee Jones and he's another favorite of mine.

My Favorite Quote for the Day

"It is easier to run a revolution than a government." You'll never guess who said this. Ferdinand Marcos. Guess he'd know. As I recall he was always declaring martial law.

Hope you'll download Marta's book today. Chime in on my movie comments. Disagree? Agree? Any favorite quotes to share?

The Character Club With Eric and Stig & Small Things Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Pssst! This is Pete Riley. I've gotten rid of C. Lee McKenzie for the day--not easy, I can tell you. She's almost as hard to ditch as my Aunt Lizzie. Anyway, the reason I wanted to be here today is that I invited two friends over. I just met them in a story called The Deliverers. They're both into a lot of exciting adventures--my kind of characters.

Eric's kind of like me. He gets into some messes, but he gets out of them, too. And Stig's a very important character in the book. The best part about him is he's an owl and he talks. Yep. A lot.

Here's what these two have to say about stuff.

Hey, Eric! Great to meet you. Don't tell anyone, but I could use another friend--one who's not scared of doing stuff. Weasel, well, he's okay, but he doesn't always go along with my plans for having "fun!" You had a major adventure. Wow! Pirates and Dwarves and Bolliwogs. Which ones scared you the most?

Eric: Hey, Pete! It’s great to meet you, too. I’d love to be your friend, and I’m sure Stig would, too. I can always use another friend; I don’t have too many, either. You might think I’m not scared of doing stuff, but the truth is, the whole Assignment that I went on with Stig was pretty scary. I mean there was a lot of cool stuff, but I was pretty much nervous and worried the whole time. I just tried not to think about all that. We had a job to do and I just tried to do it the best I could, and hope that I didn’t mess things up too bad.

What's your favorite thing to do when you're not trying to save villages and stuff like that?

Eric: Nothing too exciting. I like to read a lot. I also like to go camping and spend time outdoors. After my dad died, I got pretty lonely. We used to spend a lot of time together. That was one of the best things about going on the Assignment, becoming friends with Stig, Kate, Hallo and the Gatekeeper. My mom got my uncle to let me play on my cousins’ hockey team. They’re really good. I really stink, but it’s kind of fun. I think I’ll stick with it and see what happens.

I got real excited when you were tramping through that dead forest. What was it like? What did you think about when you were all alone?

Eric: Oh man, it was real creepy. There was no sound, everything was dead. It felt like the branches of the dead trees were closing in on us. We were in there a few days. After a while I started to almost get used to the place, until we saw the eyes.

What was I thinking about? Lots of stuff, most of it not good. I was worried about the pirates attacking Calendria and feeling a little bad that my plan didn’t work. I was worried about getting through the dead forest and what we were gonna find beyond it, if we got beyond it. You can probably tell that I worried about stuff a lot. I’ve kind of gotten over that since, thanks to the other Deliverers.

I see you've got Stig here with you. Hi, Stig. You should meet my alligator friend, Fanon. He talks, too, so I'll bet you'd hit it off. What's your take on being able to talk? What's it like working with humans? Fanon kind of likes hanging with me, but he doesn't like a lot of people. They kind of scare him.

Stig: Why hello there, my boy. It is a pleasure to meet you. This Fanon sounds like a splendid chap. You know, most people would not believe it, but alligators are quite extraordinary animals—very intelligent and resourceful. They make very good friends and will stick with you through thick and thin. Their appearance can be a trifle off-putting to be sure, but they can be very wise.

As for being able to talk, I never really gave it too much thought. You see where I come from, all owls can talk. My world is ruled by owls and there are very few people. They are not quite as advanced as the humans I’ve met on my travels—a bit neanderthalish to be quite candid.

I find that, on the whole, working with humans has been a unique and rewarding experience. Eric, Kate and Hallo have been excellent friends and companions and I’m quite looking forward to working with them in the future. I can understand Fanon’s reaction to people. I have really been quite lucky to fall in with the proper sort. Unfortunately, there are some who try to take advantage of us. I gather from what Eric says that on his world, people are becoming so numerous that they’re encroaching on the natural habitats of animals, leaving them no place to turn.

If either of you had three wishes, what would you wish for?

Eric: Hmmm, that’s a great question. I guess the first thing would be to have my dad back alive. My second wish would be to be able to visit Stig, Kate and Hallo any time I wanted, instead of just when we’re on an Assignment. The third would be that my mom chills out and stops worrying about me so much. She thinks I need a father in my life, which is why she’s making me hang out with my uncle and my cousins. They’re okay, but they make me try new things, which can be scary.

Stig: Well, let me see. I do not do much wishing as a rule. I believe it is up to each of us to make our dreams come true. Still, wishes would come in handy, especially on an Assignment. I think my first wish would be the same as one of Eric’s—to be able to visit or at least communicate with Eric, Kate and Hallo between worlds whenever the mood strikes. I would also wish that groups on all worlds could settle their differences peacefully, without the need for outside intervention. Lastly, and this is purely selfish, I would love to have a pair of hands to go along with my wings. They seemed to be terribly useful things. I can grab things with my talons of course, but it’s really not the same. Still, I suppose that would look rather silly, so perhaps I should just hold the third wish in reserve in case of emergency.

I'm trying to cook up some more excitement around my town--boring, boring, boring! Are you up for another adventure. Say something in a swamp? How about you, Stig?

Eric: That would be cool, but also kind of creepy. I heard about your last adventure in the Ornofree swamp. You and Weasel sure were brave—Fanon, too. I’d love to check out a swamp, especially one full of witches and talking alligators! Yeah, definitely.

Stig: I would welcome the opportunity as well. Perhaps we could enlist you, Fanon and young master Wilbur to join the Deliverers on an Assignment. I’m afraid there are any number of worlds in need of some help.

Stig, you owls live a long time, so maybe you haven't thought about a "bucket list" yet, but if you have, what three things would be at the top of that list?

Stig: Well now, let me see. I have had the privilege having the opportunity to visit over a dozen different worlds, so travel would not be on the list. I would dearly love to converse with a dragon. Besides owls, it is said that dragons are the wisest of creatures. I’d like to find out if that is true. Perhaps I’ll get a chance in an upcoming Assignment. I would also love to travel back in time. The thought of being able to see what things were like in the past has always fascinated me. Third on the list would be to spend some quality time with the Gatekeeper and find out what he does when he isn’t sending people on Assignments.

Great to meet you guys.

Eric: You, too. It was really awesome. I can’t wait to hang out with you and Weasel. Maybe we could camp out in the swamp.

Stig: The pleasure was all mine, I can assure you. I’ll tell the gatekeeper to keep you in mind should a suitable Assignment present itself.

Pete: Wow! That sounds like fun. Hope to hear from you soon! Thanks for stopping by and, uh oh. Gotta go. Lee's coming up the stairs.

Be sure to visit Eric and Stig as well as the author HERE.
And check out this one, too. The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel on AMAZON.

Lee in charge again, finally. There seems to be a lot of stuff on this blog today. I didn't know about this interview, but it doesn't seem like Pete's done any damage, so I'll let it stay. Today as my celbration of small things, I'm celebrating an Award. This time it's the Liebster Award. Thanks to Jen Million. Sending hugs. It has taken me a long time to post about this award, but finally . . . here 'tis!

VikLit

The Liebster Rules:
1. The Liebster Award is given to bloggers by bloggers.
2. Each blogger should post 11 5 facts about himself / herself.
3. Each blogger should answer the 11 5 questions that are asked by the nominating blogger.
4. Choose 5 new bloggers to nominate for the Award and link to them in the post.
5. Create 11 5 new questions for your nominees.
6. Go back to their pages and tell them they've been nominated.
7. No tag backs.

My Questions from Jen:

1. Think of your favorite character, got it, okay what's their favorite color?

He'd love the color of the sky.

2. What's the last book you've read?

The History of the English Language. Oye! Really.

3. What kind of music do you listen to?

It depends on my mood and I'm rather moody, so my music changes as I change.

4. Do you set writing goals for yourself?

Never.

5. Which do you like better Dogs or Cats?

Huh?

6. Are you a Rule Breaker or a Rule Maker?

I like to push the rules, but I don't feel very comfortable breaking them. I'm always worried I'll land in jail. I don't like rules enough to make any.

7. Brownies or Cupcakes?

Brownies as long as there are nuts involved.

8. Favorite Movie?

That's like asking for my favorite book. I can't answer that. But I love something that makes me laugh.

9. Name one book you can read over and over?

I read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings twice because my kids wanted to hear it aloud. I think I deserve a medal for that.

10. Name your favorite meal to eat?

Anything with fresh greens and lemon juice and olive oil is at the top of my list.

11. Name your favorite character name? (It can be from your own works or someone else's)

That's like asking me my favorite movie or book. There are too many characters that I adore or hate or want to write or want to read. They're all my favorites. However, I have a character named Kenny Fargo that haunts me. I think he wants a book of his own.

My 5 blogger nominees. So hard to choose only 5!

Michelle Wallace, Julie Flanders , Mark Means, Medeia Sharif, Nutschell

My Questions: And here I'm pushing the RULES a bit. I'm only asking 5 questions. That's enough, don't you think?

1. Close your eyes. Make a wish. What did you wish for?
2. If you could do one thing differently what would that be?
3. You have month to do whatever you want, wherever you want. Money's not a concern. I'm paying. :-) What would you do? Where would you do it?
4. Do you dream? If so, what's your favorite dream?
5. What's your favorite thing to do when you're not reading, writing, blogging, sleeping?

Monday Miscellany with Special Featured Guest Jessica Bell

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

New Books

Adverbs & Cliches in a Nutshell

Jessica Bell

This is a wonderful "pocket-sized" writing guide for authors that gives you a quick reference for avoiding those pitfalls--over-use of adverbs and clichés. As the author points out these "subversives" weaken your prose and produce lack-luster stories; they deaden your unique voice.

What I liked about this book was it's no nonsense approach. Ms. Bell states the purpose succinctly and clearly (adverbs can be useful), and doesn't burden us with more RULES: Thou shalt never use a cliché.

She gives excellent advice and provides easy-to-use examples of 34 common adverbs and associated clichés used to express ideas or emotions. I really appreciated the example paragraphs for each of these sets. The first two paragraphs rely on adverbs and clichés. The third she calls the Unique Example, and it shows how much more exciting and vivid writing becomes, using details and your unique style.

This is a workbook and a great resource for writing teachers and writers. I love having it.

Jessica Bell

E-book: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo

Paperback: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Add to Goodreads

_______________________________________

Things I learned on Vacation

Reading for pleasure is pleasurable.

Catching fish is highly overrated.

Eating fresh fish is not.

______________________________________

My favorite quote for the day

"My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance and in inverse proportion to my expectations."

I don't know who said this, but I love that they did.

______________________________________

So please add Jessica's book to your Goodreads list, buy it, share your experience with it. Tell me what you learned or are learning while summering. And enjoy the day with acceptance and few expectations.

Small Things Hop

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

This is my first Small Things post since March. I've been on blogging sabbatical--a much needed blogging sabbatical! It feels good to be back and to celebrate more small things.

VikLit

Today I'm going to celebrate an award! Thanks to Deanie Humphrys-Dunne for this splendid Dragon Loyalty Award

THE RULES:

Display the Award Certificate on your website.
Announce your win with a written post and link to whoever presented your award.
Present the award to 7 deserving bloggers.
Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have nominated them in the post.
Post 7 interesting things about yourself
If you don’t have a blog but have a website, Facebook, or Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.

Seven more things about me:

I hope this isn't making you bleary-eyed already. My apologies if it is.

I’ve posted this before, but since it’s still true I thought I’d post it again. I iron my sheets. I love the feel of smooth, freshly laundered and unwrinkled white sheets. No color for me.
I’m a hiker and love to take off on long hikes in the mountains.
Coffee is my beverage of choice in the morning . Wine is my beverage of choice in the evening.
I love to make jam in the summer. My grandmother always did that and I grew up tasting hot fresh jam on home baked bread still hot from the oven. Yumm.
When I’m writing, I like to get up before the sun and put in a few hours before the rest of the house wakes up.
Writing is like being on the other side of reading for me, so I get double pleasure when I do either one.
I never had an imaginary friend, but did talk to my dog as if he could understand me. In fact, he did understand me.

I'm passing on this Award to 7 Bloggers--I could pass it on to a hundred, so the choice was hard to make.

Bish Denham (old friend), Laura Eno snarky and fun), Father Dragon (he has to have this award), Mary Pax her head's always in the stars), Empty Nest Insider (she says it like it is), Alex Cavanaugh (you can never have enough awards) ,Sheri Larson (witty and pretty).

Insecure Writers' Support Group

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

May swept by like a hawk on a mission. I'd hoped to get all kinds of things done while I took off time from blogging, and I did, but not half of what I wanted. I need to be more realistic in setting my goals, but I've know that since, like, forever. I don't think I know how to make a short list.

It was interesting not being at my computer, thinking of what to write or commenting on others' blogs. It gave me time to stare off into space a bit and shake the kinks out of my brain.

A pond staring moment.

That hawk that swept by on a mission.

I did go to one very interesting meeting where four eighteen-year-old women were awarded scholarships for letters. They read from their work, and I was blown away by their talent and their self-assurance in front of an audience of published writers. As they talked about their work and career goals I thought, "They don't need the Insecure Writer's Support Group. How come I feel I do?"

Then I thought back to my eighteenth year and I understood why. At eighteen I knew just about everything, and what I didn't know I was sure to pick up in college. It's only after all these out of college years where failures walk arm in arm with successes, where set backs come just after major accomplishments, where life doesn't always cooperate and lead me along a straight path to my goal that I'm wise enough to understand that nothing's always firm, nothing's always set, nothing's always safe. That's not what life is. It's filled with tricky things like illness, unexpected arrivals and departures, joys one minute, woes the next, so much love, so much hate, bad timing and good. Feeling a bit insecure once in a while has come from experience and prepared me to find my footing quickly, so when I take a step just as the earth shifts and leaves me off balance, I can regain that balance. I'm ready to catch myself.

And that's all the homespun philosophy I'm capable of today. Here's to the Insecure Writers' Support Group; glad you're around.

Gone Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:38:00 +0000

Back June 5!

Today (from my fishing hole) I'll be sending Tweets and doing FB Posts for Laura Eno and Marian Allen. Here's all my best to them both on their books!

AtoZ Reflection and Happy Trails to You

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

MY REFLECTIONS on the AtoZ Blog Challenge

There are some highly imaginative bloggers out there that turn their creativity into captivating moments or highly instructive ones. Either type of blog is great to me and I've enjoyed visiting each of them. I wish I could have visited more, but time . . . well, you all know about Time.

YAY! Here's my badge for crossing the finish line.

Here are a few of my favorites. This is not a complete list by any means, but only a sampling.

I learned so much about the lore of British Cookery from Hilary and she taught me about Pond Pudding. More about that in the near future.

D.L. Hammons had a great contest during this AtoZ. He posted bits about himself all month, and then gave his visitors a chance to win a prize if they answered quiz questions based on those posts. I didn't get all the answers to his quiz, but I had fun trying.

Medeia Sharif featured a book each day by authors in alphabetical order. My book, Alligators Overhead, was very lucky to have a spot in one of her posts.

Mark Means updated me on all sorts of super-powered heroes. Some I'd never heard of before this Hop.

Bish Denham gave me a brief vacation to her beautiful island every day.

Laura Eno delighted me with her cat sayings and, of course, her Snarky Teas.

Al Diaz introduced me to his very special dragon cave with minions and dwarves and magic, so each day was special when I stopped in for a visit.

Samantha was a delight with her "What I've Learned" theme.

Carol Kilgore made me want to read her book by giving me glimpses of her characters. Very clever theme.

There are so many I could mention, but another time--after I get some R & R and my head isn't buzzing alphabetical.

Thanks again to Arlee Bird and Alex Cavanaugh and all who co-sponsored this year's hop. It takes a lot of work and you made it smooth and easy for all of us.

The big news is that I already have my theme for next year. I feel like this smug pup or his twin, the president.

Now I'm mounting up on my trusty steed and riding off into the month of May. I'll leave you with these Happy Trails lyrics, but you'll have to hum the melody.

Lyrics to "Happy Trails" by Dale Evans Rogers

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

Small Things That Count

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Inspired by VikLit

As I was thinking about what small things I'd include in today's post, I realized that none of what I had in mind were small in the least. But I guess we call these small because they don't make a headline splash or they don't send us out to shout about them. They just bring a moment of joy, a chuckle, a sigh of satisfaction. So I'll say these are the small things I celebrate, but taken in total, they are amazingly large.

A Crecopia Moth's Brief Visit

He tucked himself under the handle of grocery bag for a nap. He stay all day, then flew off just as the sun set.

This year's crop of peas produced some beautiful pink and red flower, then gave us handfuls of the sweetest peas for dinner.

A first Iris all white and tinged with a royal purple. Loved his kingly arrival.

Off to celebrate more small things with others in this Hop. Hope you'll stop by and say hi to them.

Insecure Writer Me

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:49:00 +0000

Writers, consider this today, and then go write something good. I'm officially out of blogginess this first day of May, so this is short and to the point. It's not terribly creative, and I feel my insecurities popping out all over as I write it.

“Don't be afraid to write. I think a lot of writers of all ages have a fear that they aren't any good at writing. That fear is normal. I feel it. Most writers who care about what they are writing feel it. When you feel like you're not good enough, write anyway. It's just a pesky bug that's whispering lies. The best way to swat the bug is with your pen.” Anonymous

AtoZ Blogging Challenge Ends Today! Z Has Arrived At Last

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

I ended the 2012 AtoZ Blogging Challenge in this same way. But I love this and I love the joy in the song!

Can I make this my tradition? What do you think?

Zippity Do Dah!

All this Zip brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge Y!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

I'm back. Crisis somewhat contained on the MOM-Front. You must not fall is now my motto. I'll be around to say hi to all my favorite and new blogger friends and catch up on this Challenge. BTW did anyone notice this is Y day?

Yertle

Yertle is too a word.

Here's some sentences to prove it:

Don't give me that Yertle jive!

That new leader is Yertling over much, methinks.

She's not just any tryant; she's a Yertle.

See? Adjective, Verb, Noun, ergo word.

Did you love this story?
Which Dr. Seuss story was a hit at your house?
Anyone hate Dr. Seuss?

Yertle brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. X?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

X is not the greatest letter to work into a creative post for this challenge. However, I've managed to find one word that applies to my life as a writer. Ready?

XEROTRIPSIS

Here's an example of xerotripsis. Can you guess what it means?

The day was very bright and sunny and I felt really good. Then Joe came by and we talked for ten minutes about the weather. He likes it when it's sunny, too. After that I went for a walk down the street to the store and said hello to my friend, Mary. She is the clerk at the store.

Xerotripsis, what does it mean?

This nap has been brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. Wow! Almost At The End

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Wow!

Wowzer!

Woot!

Whee!

How can you have only one W word when these are so jam-packed with excitement? The fact that they mean nothing, but express so much makes them doubly interesting. Well, to me.

Of course, our "doing it backward" AtoZ Auxilary Blogger covered W back on April 3. With his Wee Folks Wedding post. Miss it? Go see it NOW.

I'm determined to go to the end in this Hop, but I may not be around to all the bloggers I enjoy in the next couple of days. My mom isn't doing well, and I'm off to see what I can do to make things work. Here's to wrapping 2013 AtoZ Challenge up. It has been a great ride.

All of this excitement is brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit.

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. A Hop For Those With A Voracious Appetite For Fun

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

When someone says they have a voracious ANYTHING, that makes me stop and pay attention. The word conjures up images of Tom Jones and his eating habits

or Tyrannosaurs Rex and his.

If someone tells me they're a voracious reader I picture them buried under a pile of books . . . some of them mine. Dream on, Lee!

So what are you voracious about in your life? I'm thinking I should go gobble up something about now. I've given myself a voracious appetite.

Here's the List and the people below bring you this voracious hop:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge--Spotlight on U

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

We're coming into the home stretch on the A-Z Blogging Challenge. U is the 21st letter in our alphabet, so we only 5 more posts before we can fall across the finish line and pat ourselves on the back.

I had a hard time picking a word for today, but I finally decided on one that I'd never heard before. And here I pride myself on knowing a lot of words.

*Take Smug Expression from Linguistic Face.*

Have you ever heard of uranoscopy? Maybe some astronomers or star gazers have this in their vocabulary, but not me. However, if you've ever done any star-watching, you've participated in uranoscopy.

I've got to see what others of you have posted on your U Word Day. Anyone use uranoscopy?

Brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge-This Hop is Tantalizing

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Tantalize

comes to us from one of those Greek myths about a vindictive Zeus. Of course, in this case Zeus did the right thing. I mean what a rotten guy Tantalus was to cook up his own son for his dinner guests. When Zeus got wind of that, he put old Tantalus into a lake and made it so that he could never drink from it or eat the fruit that hung from a tree branch just overhead. To be forever thirsty and forever hungry was the fate of Tantalus.

Here's what tantalizes me a bit. What tantalizes you?

This tantalizing post has been brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

A-toZ Blogging Challenge. The Affliction of Supercilious+ness

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Superciliousness

Is that a real word? If not, it should be. Or am I being supercilious?

One thing I know for sure is that all cats have the supercilious gene. Either that or they've just come into money and are waiting to see your expression when you find out.

The cat box need attention.

I'm not in the mood right now. Come back later.

I've got my limb. Go find your own.

This un-supercilious blog hop is brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

A Rambunctious AtoZ Blogging Challenge Day

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

I have to take a moment to comment on P and Pond Pudding. Hilary's post intrigued me so much that I had to try her Pond Pudding recipe. To recap: first, you beat the lemons with sugar, then you heat the cream and pour it into a teapot. Standing up as high as is safe (note the footstool with my lovely toes showing) and drip, drip, drop, drop, splat the cream into the lemon mix. Voila! Frothy Pond Pudding. We had it for dessert the next night and it was delicious--very rich, so I'd advise small and infrequent quantities. Also its a good idea to warn your significant other about what you're doing. My husband thought I'd gone over the edge when he found me in the kitchen on the footstool. "Just cooking, dear!" I said. His look was priceless.

Ta Da!

Now about R:

Rambunctious

Whenever I read this word I see characters like Maniac McGee or Dory from Finding Nemo who "Just [keeps] swimming. Just [keeps] swimming."

Denise the Menace was one of the most rambunctious characters Ketcham ever created. And his ADHD antics kept us all entertained.

And what about Pippi Longstocking? How this chatterbox charmed us with her impulsive, rambunctious nature.

I love rambunctious characters! I love the word rambunctious!

This Rambunctious Hop is brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge and Back to Small Things.

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Querulous is the word of the day!

A few synonyms: petulant, peevish, pettish, complaining, fractious, fretful, irritable, testy, tetchy,cross, snappish, crabby, crotchety, cantankerous, miserable, moody,grumpy, bad-tempered, sullen, sulky, sour, churlish, snappy, grouchy, cranky.

I don't like to use this adjective in stories I write for young readers, but I like to use it as a springboard for characterization. How do you make a person in the story querulous without saying, "He was a querulous type of person." ?

Here's a stab:

When the door opened and Max blustered in, Josh tightened his grip on his book. Billy Willis slid low in his seat and Felicia Martinez tucked her homework inside her binder. Curtis Blatz set one pencil on top of his desk, folded his arms and waited. Max would break it in half just as he did on all of his "bad" days. Marshall Lowenstein left for the back of the room and stayed there reading the bulletin board as Max made his way down center aisle, rapping his knuckles on the desks or poking kids’ arms.

Is Max querulous enough? Did using other characters' reactions work to create querulous Max? How would you show a character is querulous?

Onward to R. Be sure to visit more of the intrepid AtoZ Bloggers! you read about these

Small Things to Celebrate

a pat on the back by a pal

an unexpected present for absolutely no reason except someone thought of you

the scent of the first rose in spring

a good burp after a splendid meal

Ahhhh, those small things!

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. P Has Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Perspicacious/Perspicacity

Keen, Sharp and Intelligent.

How can perspicacious or perspicacity not make it to the top of your favorite words to use? With those plosive sounds and that staccato beat, these words pop out of your mouth. They even perk up a written sentence when you're reading and all those words on the page are filled with the humming, nasal sounds of M's and N's and breathy vowels. Then suddenly here come the pop, pop, poppity P's of perspicacious/perspicacity to wake you up.

This little "wake up" post brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Bloggers to visit.

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. O Has Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Ossification

Relative. A Bony Headed Lizard

There have been times during these writing spurts I suffer, that I'm sure my brain has hardened into a bony mass. Brain Ossification is the worst when I'm in the middle of a story and suddenly I don't have a clue where to take it next. What happens: sleepless nights, twitchy days and lots of pacing between the computer and the kitchen, where I seek solace from the refrigerator. It seems to be the only thing in the house that understands me.

Still ossification is a fabulous word with its hissy sibilant sounds. Do you suffer from ossification of the brain when you're writing? If so, where do you go for help? Please don't tell me you go to the refrigerator, too. But if that's the case, whisper to me and tell me what your favorite comfort food is that you keep stashed there.

Brought to you by: Be sure to stop in at some of these blogs.

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. Nuance Much Lately?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Nuance

I love writers who leave something for me to figure out in their stories. One effective way they do this is to go for the subtle shadings in action or in description rather than using the blatant approach. Here's an example of what I mean.

". . .but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it . Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years."

In The Kite Runner, we know from this early sentence in the book, that something life-altering happened a long time ago. I've italicized the words that give us that information. Hosseini carefully chose them for the effect he wanted to create (dark, tinged with guilt, long-lasting). Whatever happened deeply affected the main character. But instead of telling us what it was and how it affected him, the writer nuances the event and leaves us wondering. Now we must turn the page to find out what this story is about. We're hooked by this subtle glimpse of this character's past.

Are you intrigued by what's not explicit, by the nuancing of information in books?

This very subtle and nuanced post brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge.

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Mellifluous. One yummy sounding word.

The sound of warm honey, sliding from the spoon. . .

water sheeting over sleepy midstream boulders. . .

leaves whispering secrets to the jays and chickadees. . .

a kitten purring contentment into your lap.

Ah, what a word that is! Do you have a word that really appeals to your ear?

These mellifluous sounds brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. Welcome to Luscious Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Luscious

I can't say this word without drool being involved. I think of food immediately. Like

this 284 calorie (158 g.) Hot Fudge Sundae with 25% saturated fat content.

Or (have to have at least one green veggie, right) green beans (1C. 125g), .078g saturated fat--without butter, of course.

Enchilada (1/ 192g) 323 calories, 45% saturated fat!

Hotcakes (2/ 232.g) 520 calories, 29% saturated fat. Oye. Who can eat only 2?

Mud Pie (1/8.5 oz) 680 calories, 49% total fat. Did you know you have to walk 189 minutes to burn 680 calories?

Sorry I have to go eat now!

Did I make you drool? Hope so.

Did ruin anyone's favorite food snack by posting the calories and fat information?

Do you care a flying fig about any of this?

The LIST

Brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.

AtoZ Blogging Challenge. Almost Kaput, But Not Quite.

noreply@blogger.com (C. Lee McKenzie) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out

Before you go to my K word today, here's something I found. I'm a researcher by nature, so when one of the blogger posted Hebbie-Jeebies as an H word, I had to find out where that came from. It was coined by a cartoonist named W.B. "Billy" DeBeck of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith fame. He came up with or popularized other long-lived words and phrases as well, including bodacious, my B word on this AtoZ luxury cruise. If you come across hotsy-totsy, hot mama or horsefeathers give credit to that cartoonist DeBeck. Now onto K.

Kaput

I love this word, not the way I love words like kaleidoscope

or kalanchoe

or even kestrel.

Well, you get the idea. These words stay a while in your mouth while their syllables roll around on your tongue. Kaput is a word that sounds like two strokes of an axe. It comes right to the point.

The agent points her finger my direction and says to the publisher, "That writer's kaput!"

See?
Two axe strokes. Very harsh.

What's your K word?

Da LIST

Brought to you by:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

We also have a Facebook page, email address 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. Join in.