#IWSG & C. Lee McKenzie's Shattered and Review

 

Here we are in February already. Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the February 2 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

Last month, I wrote that one of my goals for this year is to ramp up my blog. I've done that! I resumed Monday Morning Musing; welcomed guests on Thursdays (with today's exception); and began Friday Favorites, where I share my favorite movie scene, recipes, books, etc. I'm having a lot of fun doing so.

While I'm doing well with the blog, I haven't been as faithful to my WIP. I am sharing snippets from The Case of the Wedding Wrecker, every weekend with the Weekend Writing Warriors (#WeWriWa). I'm just not progressing the way I want to on the story itself. 

I did have a breakthrough on Monday. The story is written in the 1st Person, from Alex O'Hara's point of view. In order to get the details straight, I wrote a side piece in the villain's POV. I'll probably use some of it when that person tells what happened to the police, and Alex, of course. So, I feel like I got something done.

With cases of covid omicron increasing in our area, I'm not comfortable being around a lot of non-family people. So, I've temporarily stopped going to our local writers' group. I miss our leader (our own Jean Davis), the other writers, and their encouragement, but I have to protect myself and my husband. I know I'm not alone, but I'm upset that we're going on 2 years of our lives being disrupted by the virus. All of our family are vaccinated except for the 4-year-old twins, who just got their MMR shots. They were so excited because they thought they were getting covid shots. 😊

For a special treat, I'm hosting our own C. Lee McKenzie with info about her book, Shattered. My review is at the end.

C. Lee McKenzie has a background in Linguistics and Inter-Cultural Communication, but these days her greatest passion is writing for young readers. She has published five young adult novels: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, and Sudden Secrets. Not Guilty is her most recent one.

          Sometimes she likes to jump into the world of the fantastic and when she does, she writes for the middle-grade reader. Some Very Messy Medieval Magick is the third book in the time-travel adventures of Pete and Weasel, with Alligators Overhead and The Great Time Lock Disaster being the first two. Sign of the Green Dragon, a stand-alone, takes the reader into ancient Chinese dragon myths and a quest for treasure.

          When she’s not writing she’s hiking or traveling or practicing yoga or asking a lot of questions about things she still doesn’t understand.

For more information on Lee and her writing, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at her Website. 

Blurb: 

Courage put Libby Brown into the final selection for the Olympics, but betrayal crushed her spine and her chance at the Gold. Now she has two choices, use her courage to put her life back together, or remain shattered forever.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Betrayal-C-Lee-McKenzie-ebook/dp/B09JYYJG7V/ref=sr_1_1

 

Smashwords: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-c-lee-mckenzie/1140389252?ean=2940165059940

 

Evernight Teen: https://www.evernightteen.com/shattered-by-c-lee-mckenzie/

 

 Excerpt:

      I knew hearts didn’t stop beating until you died, yet I was certain mine had just stuttered to a halt. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs refused to expand. My throat went dry. I’d planned most of my life for this one year. I’d worked out, built my strength, gone to ski camps, kept at it until I’d made it through the selection process—until I’d almost made the US Olympic slalom team. I had my passport. I’d packed my bags weeks ago. Now, my mother was telling me I couldn’t do what I’d lived for all these years?

     My heart kicked in and air filled my chest. “Shut up! Shut up!” In my mind, I screamed, but that’s not the way I heard my voice. Shut up sounded like a whimper.

      “Libby, stop.” Dad was back, his hand on my shoulder, his face filled with pain. “Please, stop.”

     His calm presence and the terrible sound of his plea brought me up short.

     I gulped back the ragged clutch that filled my throat. “Why? Why can’t I ski with my team?”

     Then I glanced down. Mom was lying across the foot of the bed. She was lying across my legs, and I didn’t feel the weight of my mother’s body.

 

My Review:

At first, I was hesitant to read this story. I thought it would be a real downer. Turns out I was wrong. Yes, Libby is injured. Very badly injured. An accident (or was it?) shatters her spine and her hopes of making it to the Olympics. She goes through the stages of grief, as she mourns the loss of her career. Yet, there is hope for her. The title should've clued me in. Courage. Libby's courage drags her from the darkness of despair to the light of hope. She doesn't do it alone. Doctors, therapists, and new friends help her on the road to recovery. Harley, a new girlfriend with a wicked sense of humor, plays a big role in helping Libby figure out her new life. (BTW, I loved Harley.) I'm so glad I read Shattered. Ms. McKenzie makes Libby come alive. I hurt for her and cheered for her as she worked her way through disappointment to triumph.

 

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

I hope you're staying safe and warm. See you next month.