Book Description
Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren't your average neighbors . . . unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. The town’s bad boy, Pete Riley, may only be twelve, but he’s up to his eyeballs in big trouble, and this time he isn’t the cause. This time the trouble arrives when a legendary hundred-year-old mansion, materializes next door and the Ornofree alligators declare war to save their swamp from bulldozers. Things only get worse when Pete’s guardian aunt and several of her close friends vanish while trying to restore order using outdated witchcraft. Now Pete must find his aunt and stop the war. He might stand a chance if his one friend, Weasel, sticks with him, but even then, they may not have what it takes.
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About the author
A native Californian, C. Lee McKenzie lives on
the edge of a redwood forest with her husband and assorted cats. When she's not
writing or blogging she's hiking or practicing yoga. She usually writes young
adult fiction that deals with contemporary, realistic issues. In Sliding on the
Edge (2009) she dealt with cutting, and in The Princess of Las Pulgas (2010)
she wrote about a family that loses almost everything and has to rebuild their
lives together. Alligators Overhead is her first Middle Grade novel. Lee blogs
at [http://writegame.blogspot.com]
and her website is [http://cleemckenziebooks.com]
And now I hand the reins over to Lee. :)
Just a week ago you talked about your scariest
monster when you were little--you mentioned a humongous, rabid Cerberus kind of
dog that had scared you the most. That would scare anybody!
As for myself, besides the Boogie Man that I was
sure peered into my window after I climbed into bed, alligators were right up
there with creatures that gave me nightmares. So why would I ever even think of
making alligators a part of my book? I’m asked that question a lot. I have
answers like this: “Cats and dogs and horses have tons of stories; alligators
don’t have many.” Or, how about: “This idea came to me after I spent a lot of
time staring up at my knotty pine ceiling, and all the brown streaks and knots
looked exactly like alligators overhead.”
Stories are everywhere, even in ceilings! And
writers can find stories in anything that scares people. So alligators and
snakes and big dogs with three heads are perfect for inspiration.
Thanks, Cece for having me here. Hope Alligators
Overhead entertains. That’s really what I wanted it to do . . . with just a
touch of the scare factor to make it fun, too.
Book Trailer:
Book Trailer:
Buy Links:
AMAZON KINDLE
AMAZON PAPERBACK
B & N
SMASHWORDS
Author Pages/contact:
TWITTER : @cleemckenzie
GOODREADS
We both have Lee on our blogs today. :) I'm so excited for her book.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd like alligators, until I read Lee's book. Now, my whole attitude about them has changed. Thanks to the alligators I met in Lee's story.
ReplyDeleteHi Cece, Kelly and Beverly. I don't exactly "love" alligators, but I certainly "know" more about them! Thanks for today's Swamp Hop excitement.
ReplyDeleteAll of your are the best!
I do love th reminder that stories are everywhere. You never know where the next idea may come from. Great post! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
@Kelly
ReplyDeleteYes we do... and I loved Weasel's interview. I'm excited for her book as well.
@Beverly
Oh, I'm looking foward to read it. Looks likea fun one.
Lee
I really think Team Gators is pretty cool :) Got my copy and look forward to reading it.
@DMS
Very true, Jess. thanks for stopping by :)
I'm seeing Lee everywhere! hurray! So happy for lee and her book :)
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
You always introduce us to such wonderful authors. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLee is a-swamp hopping maniac! And I'd love to read her book.
ReplyDeleteLee is a-swamp hopping maniac! And I'd love to read her book.
ReplyDeleteLee I love how the idea came to you! You're right, alligators really don't have many stories. But now they do :)
ReplyDeleteOf course, now that the alligators have their story, the cats are in an uproar!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you Lee. Good luck with writing adventure. :-)
ReplyDeleteInspiration sure comes by unexpected ways ..interesting! --Thanks Ms. Lee for the giveaway & Ms Roberts for hosting. Please count me in.
ReplyDeletejinkyisreading at gmail dot com
Okay, I really enjoy this book premise here. My son would totally love it. Do you think its too old for a 7 yr old?
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this book until now, it sounds like a really fun cute read! I will definitely be adding it to my TBR pile.
ReplyDeletethis sounds right up my grandson's alley--and i love lee :)
ReplyDeleteSo great to be here and getting your wonderful comments.
ReplyDeleteDMS I'll bet your story sources are so varied. You come up with the best ideas.
Waving at Nutschell. So good to see you here on Cece's blog.
Savannah, it's great to meet you.
Good morning, Bish!
Samantha, you are right. Maybe we'll see more about alligators. :-)
ReplyDeleteAlex, once I have this Alligator issue resolved, I'll tackle the cats again.
Appreciate the good luck wish, emaginette!
Hi Jinky. Have missed our exchanges. Glad you dropped in.
Mina, he might need help entering the story. There's a short preface before Chapter 1, but I think he could follow the adventure.
Thank you Kindlemom! And what a great title Kindlemom is.
Thanks so much, Lynn. Let me know if your grandson enjoys the alligator adventure.
Hi, thanks for the comment on my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteAww, I love books that takes you through that emotional rollercoaster. I've only heard really great things about Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
And I've wanted to read The Night Circus ever since it came out. I've been following Erin Morgensterns blog: http://erinmorgenstern.com/blog/
You should check it out! ;)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is just wow!All i can say is Read it. Oh, thanks for the link. I will check out Erin Morgenstern's blog. :)
ReplyDelete*waves to Lee*
ReplyDeleteI have Lee's book. I moved it higher up my TBR pile (meaning the front page of my Kindle). I hope to get to it soon.