BFF's With C. Lee McKenzie

Hey friends, I'd like you to welcome another one of my fave writing friends, C. Lee McKenzie!

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 wrote her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, after reading a news article about "self-abuse" among ivy league students. It was so disturbing to think young people needed to inflict pain on themselves to cope with their lives that she finally had to write about it. It turned out to be a fictionalized account that she hopes offers some insights into the growing problem.

Her second novel, The Princess of Las Pulgas, deals with a young girl and her family. They have everything and suddenly nothing.

Alligators Overhead is a newly released middle grade novel about magick and some uniquely talented alligators. It has garnered praise from readers, and Kirkus Reviews gave it the thumbs up for adventure and an entertaining read.

Okay, so let's talk friends!Did you have a best friend in high school? If you did, are you still in touch in any way?
I moved around so much when I was growing up that I had a lot of "best friends" in a lot of places. I do still keep in touch with one I knew in southern California and I think that's because she's very outdoorsy. We both like hiking and river rafting, so once in a while we meet and do some of that together. The others are long gone from my address book.

I was similar. I moved and had different best friends along the way. I can totally see why an outdoorsy friend would stick with you!! You are the epitome of fit outdoors woman! Did a best friend betrayed you. 

I guess I'm lucky. I've never had a friend betray me. Well, unless I count the time one of them started dating my ex-steady right after the break up. But I guess I didn't care enough about the guy to get upset. It was more that their dating made for some awkward moments at dances or parties.

Ugh. I would call that GIRL BETRAYAL. Um. But maybe that's just me. I was pretty loyal about boyfriends. Can you think of something a best friend did for you, that probably no other person would ever do.

I'm not sure no one else would do this for me, but no one else did, so maybe this will count. I remember that the outdoorsy girl gave me a kitten after my cat was hit by a car. I thought that was very sweet.

Awww. That is so sweet. So, all in all, what did you love most about you teenage best friend?

Her homemade fudge! Really. She and her mom made this awesome fudge, so I made sure to show up whenever I they were stirring chocolate and sugar and nuts together. And I loved her generosity. She gave me as much fudge as my stomach could hold.

I'm sure that wasn't much, because you are so delightfully tiny!!! What drove you most crazy about your teenage best friend?

She had gorgeous hair, the kind models have in magazines. Mine, not so much. I never saw her without perfect long, waves swept back from her face. I took to wearing baseball caps a lot that year.

Oh how I relate. I still covet long thick hair. What did you learn from your best teen friend?

Relationships take work. She was the one who did a lot of planning and calling for me to do things. She was even the one who contacted me later, long after we were out of high school. If she hadn't, we might not have reconnected.

We are kindred spirits indeed! I am the same. Maybe it has something to do with moving around a lot? Or it could just be introverted souls?  Thanks so much for stopping by to share your friend stories!