The Carus Chronicles

Next week, on October 19th, the 5th and final installment of the Carus Series will release. To celebrate the release of this urban fantasy, full-length novel, I'm running a giveaway! Enter below and make sure to share! The winners will be announced on October 20th, 2016. Don't want to wait, and want to pre-order right now? Here's the buy link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L5TXMMW The Prizes include: - 5 audio copies of Shift Happens - 5 audio copies of Beast Coast - 1 ebook of Shift Happens - 1 ebook of Beast Coast - 1 ebook of Carpe Demon - 1 ebook of Shift Work - 5 ebooks of BEAST OF ALL - 5 ebooks of MOON, MIST & MAGIC a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Two months ago my world collapsed and the beast reigned.  Seven weeks ago the SRD captured me.  Nine days ago, they injected me with something vile.  Today, I break free.  And tomorrow?  I’ll make them pay.” Badass Shifter Andy McNeilly wakes up from a horrible nightmare, only to discover it wasn’t a dream, and she’s no longer quite so badass. Chemically curbed, Andy has lost touch with her feras and beast when she needs them most. Can she regain control of her supernatural abilities in time to reap retribution from her enemies, or will she fall as fodder in a power play for control of Vancouver’s seedy underworld? Excerpt: No feras. No beast. Whatever they shot me with blocked my communication with the animals. Did it prevent shifting as well? I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to call a form and change. Only a headache answered. Dread flittered across my skin. Was this permanent? As the Carus, the genetic throwback to the first demi-g...

Today is my birthday! It seems fitting to write about who I am as a person, and who I was born to be. "Baby, I was born this way" ~ Lady Gaga A long time ago (May13th, 2014, to be precise), I wrote  a guest blog post for Babette James' Blog. (You can find it here -  https://babettejames.com/2014/05/13/how-you-know-youre-a-writer-guest-post-by-j-c-mckenzie-author-of-shift-happens/ ). I wrote about how I found it difficult to come out as a writer, and how I felt like a fraud, even though I finally had my first book published. I also shared how I've been a writer for pretty much my whole life. Since that post, I've gone on to publish 5 more books (soon to be 6) via Wild Rose Press, and I've become more comfortable admitting I'm an author to other people. I'm still awkward as heck, but I think that's just the way I'm made. Anyway, last weekend, my mom sent me a series of pictures from an old school assignment of mine. The pictures not ...

Carpe Demon, the third book of the Carus Series has been nominated for a RONE Award because it received more than 4 stars in a review by InD'Tale Magazine. I need your help to get to the next stage (evaluation by industry experts). Please vote for me! http://www.indtale.com/2016-rone-awards-week-one Paranormal Category J.C. McKenzie - Carpe Demon While you're there, consider using your second vote for one of my TWRP roses who are also nominated for the Paranormal category: Sharon Saracino - Smitten with Death Sharon Saracino - Angel in Waiting TJ Shaw - Divergent Bloodline L. A. Kelly - Second Chance City Sharon Buchbinder - Kiss of the Virgin Queen While you're still there, consider using your vote for another TWRP author, Karen Michelle Nutt, who's been nominated for the New Adult Category: Karen Michelle Nutt - Flower and Fangs You will need to register for a (free) account with InD'Tale Magazine if you don't already...

Two days ago, a reviewer from Coffee Time Romance (CTR) notified me that Shift Work (Book 4 of the Carus Series) received the Coffee Time Reviewer's Recommend (CTRR) Award from Coffee Time Romance. "This award, selected by our reviewers, recognizes outstanding writing styles in all book types and genres. The receiving author will be an honored guest on Coffee Time Romance, having their cover featured for one month, complete with a link to the author’s personal website. In addition, the winner will receive a banner to display there, recognizing them as the recipient of this prestigious award." How fabulous is that? The news definitely made my day, if not my entire week. Along with the award, Shift Work received a beautiful review. Here's a snippet: "...The plot was multi-layered, had an intriguing mystery, vivid and lively characters, and tons of action starring supernatural beings." Thank you to Coffee Time Romance for bestowing this award ...

So, I'm a little excited... Just a little. Know why? IT'S RELEASE DAY!! That's right, SHIFT WORK (A Carus Novel, Book 4) is LIVE on all online retailers. I'm ecstatic, to say the least. Even though release days tend to be a ~tad~ anticlimactic, I still walk around like I'm floating on a happy-pill drugged cloud. Here's the info, in case you're into this award-winning series: Murder, mystery and mayhem…they say everything happens in threes Book Specs: Title: Shift Work Series Name: Carus Series, Book Four Publisher: The Wild Rose Press           Editor: Lara Parker Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor of DCA Graphics Theme(s): Shapeshifters, Vampires, Witches, Demons   SubGenre(s): Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Rating: Spicy (PG13) Page Count: 326 Word Count: 75065 Digital Price: $4.99 Print Price: $16.99 Digital ISBN: 978-1-5092-0589-9 Print ISBN: 978-1-5092-0590-5 COPYRIGHT © 2016 by J. C...

In one week, the fourth installment of the Carus Series will release. I enjoyed writing Shift Work and can't wait to hear what readers think of it. To celebrate Shift Work's upcoming release, I'm providing a giveaway! Please enter below and I'll announce winners on Feb 22nd, when Shift Work releases! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have a confession to make. I've been procrastinating. Between edits for two contracted pieces, self-editing a pre-submission third piece, writing blog posts and guest blog posts, critiquing other work for my critique partners, dawdling on social media and botching attempts at promotion, I've been playing around with word and making my beloved scent guide pretty. Now I'd like to share! Scent Guide 2014 The scent guide is also available off my website and the side bar on the right of this blog. Enjoy! SCENT GUIDE (http://www.jcmckenzie.ca/uploads/1/3/9/1/13916502/scent_guide_2014.pdf)

This blog post of mine originally appeared on Jo-Ann Carson's Lovin' Danger Blog on October 11th, 2013. (I wish WordPress and Blogger had a reblog button that allowed for reblogging WP posts on Blogger sites - if you know how to do this, please enlighten me). I'd like to thank Jo-Ann Carson for the opportunity to be a guest on her blog. She's a writing colleague of mine, and also happens to be my mother! Her love for books and the craft definitely inspired me to take up writing. *** Humans Are Parasites: In “The Hot Zone,” author Richard Preston makes an argument that hit me hard. He postulates viruses are a part of Mother Nature’s immune system and human are really the parasites. After all, it's only when humans try to delve into uncharted territory or cultivate pristine wilderness, that we are exposed to extremely deadly viruses, such as Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Marburg Virus and Lassa Virus (to name a few). There are other arguments for why that i...

I've been working on the third book to the Carus series. I've had a lot of fun writing the first two books and developing the world, especially paying attention to the little details, such as how emotions smell to supernaturals. I had to create an index for myself to make sure I kept all the details straight. What did anger smell like again? Oh right, burnt cinnamon. Now that I'm two, almost three, books deep into my world, a lot of the little details have been taken care of--ironed out, but I'm not done with introducing crazy little things. One of the ongoing themes in my books is technology, and the inability for the older supes to adapt to the ever changing tide of new products available. Andy, my main character, is one such supe, but in book three, she learns how to give specific ringtones to her personal contacts. What fun! What type of ringtone should Wick, Tristan, Lucien and Clint get? What about her best friend, Mel? Or any of the witches, who have a ...