Welcome to the new home of Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe (AKA "Spunk on a Stick") and The Circle of Friends!

The Circle of Friends series follows a group of young adults as they face different challenges and learn to overcome. The emotionally gripping stories focus on love, friendships and the pursuit of dreams. Aimed at adults/young adults, these books defy the growing trend of salacious titles, especially for teenagers. Positive and uplifting, this series will leave readers determined to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals.

This blog is now the home of the original The Circle of Friends website.


Showing posts with label C. Lee McKenzie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C. Lee McKenzie. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Middle Grade Mayhem

A lot of great books for boys.

Brand new release:

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...

$13.95 Print ISBN 9781939844460
$3.99 EBook ISBN 9781939844477
Juvenile Fiction - Fantasy & Magic (JUV037000) / Boys & Men (JUV005000)

“A gripping adventure back in time, with action around every corner.” - Stephanie Robinson, author of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

“A great addition to middle school classrooms and libraries, as well as your own private library.” - Beverly Stowe McClure, award-winning author of stories for children and teens.

“This third book in the Adventures of Pete and Weasel series was as much fun as the first.” - Kai Strand, author

“A rich cast of characters who bring the story to life – both in modern and historical times. I highly recommend librarians and teachers get this series on their shelves.” - Hall Ways Reviews

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.
Website / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase/find Some Very Messy Medieval Magic at Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes / Amazon / Foyles / Goodreads

Plus check out the book trailer for the series:


Released in March:

CORNERS
By Corrina Austin

Everyone needs their own special corner...

“Austin’s message of true friendship and selflessness will resonate...strong addition to the realistic fiction genre.” - Library Journal

$10.95 Print ISBN 9781939844392
$3.990 EBook ISBN 9781939844408

Purchase/find at Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes / Amazon / Amazon CA / Goodreads




And coming September 4th:


BUBBA AND SQUIRT'S BIG DIG TO CHINA
By Sherry Ellis

You can’t dig a hole to China!

$7.95 Print ISBN 9781939844507
$3.99 EBook ISBN 9781939844514

Pre-order at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Books-A-Million

Monday, April 27, 2015

Recent Book Releases

A variety of books came out this month.


Dragon of the Stars
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?



A Body at Bunco, Myrtle Clover #8
By Elizabeth S. Craig

Octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover has never heard of the dice game Bunco. Regardless, she steps in as her daughter-in-law’s sub and reluctantly puts her game face on.

Bunco turns out to be child’s play. But when a body is discovered, Myrtle realizes another game is afoot. Before long, she’s playing cat and mouse with the killer.

Can she track down the murderer before the game is up? Or, with the killer playing hard to get, will it end up being “no dice?”



Ghost of Death
By Chrys Fey

Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking the lead detective on the case.

Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way. But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.



Once Upon a Nightmare
By Cherie Reich

A legend awakens...

A monster hunts us. After hibernating for a decade, it's ravenous. We long to stop this nightmare, but the end of the road is far. There is no waking up once a legend sets its sights on you.

Disappearances every ten or so years make little impact on the small town of New Haven, Virginia. Hikers get lost. Hunters lose the trail. Even when a body is discovered, the inhabitants' memories last about as long as the newspaper articles.

No one connects the cases. No one notices the disappearances go back beyond Civil War times. No one believes a legendary monster roams the forests in Southwestern Virginia.

I don't either until the truck breaks down on an old mountain trail. Cell phones won't work in this neck of the woods. It's amazing how much a person can see by starlight alone. So what if we can't feel our fingers or toes as we hike toward the main road. How many more miles left to go?v
Crrraaack!

Hear that noise?



Beware the Little White Rabbit
Anthology featuring stories by Medeia Sharif and C. Lee McKenzie

Thirteen enthralling voices in young adult fiction lead you down the rabbit hole in this nod to the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's timeless character, ALICE. Mystery. Madness. Mayhem. Each story in this collection will intrigue, bewitch, and enchant. From rich historicals, castle towers and deathly plagues, gritty urban explorations, intrepid reporters, would-be car thieves, watchmakers, futuristic wormholes, secret workshops… to the last human in a world ruled by machines.

What wonders await, oh curious reader. For the rabbit knows the truth...



Which one do you want to read?

Monday, July 28, 2014

New Book Releases and Upcoming Titles

New releases -

Double Negative
By C. Lee McKenzie

Sixteen-year-old Hutch McQueen is a smart kid who can barely read. He makes one bad choice after another, trying to find a way to escape his rotten life at home and at school. Each time he gets into more trouble.

Buy it at Evernight Teen


Effigy - Book One in the Coileáin Chronicles
By M.J. Fifield

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty. A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart. Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails? Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

Buy it at Amazon US Amazon UK CreateSpace


Coming September 26, 2014 -

Death Knocks
By Jay Noel and Miranda Hardy

Who knew a knock at the door could rupture your entire world? They don’t demand money or possessions…they want much more than that, they want your life.
Maverick is preparing for senior year: he’s no longer stuck in the “friend-zone” with the girl of his dreams, he’s looking forward to choosing the right college and being on his own, and he plans to have a blast along the way.
But a knock on the door changes all of that forever.
Maverick begins a mind-altering, life-changing journey to discover the truth—a truth that certain individuals will do anything to keep hidden.