40 Comments
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Samantha Bryant's avatar

Too much going on gets to me as well.

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Sandra Cox's avatar

Congrats on another contract with Evernight Teen.

Lovely Valentine's wishes.

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Gabi Coatsworth's avatar

A pop up within seconds of finding a site usually makes me leave it immediately. How do I know I want to subscribe if I have no idea what the site is about? And I’m not wild about those ads featuring ingrown toenails, bad drawings of people’s bodies and the like. They’re mostly found on the blog pages on free versions of platforms like Wordpress…

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

I'm laughing while I envision those ads next to "And now my next book..."

Someone posted today that the pop-ups seemed like demands, not requests. I so agree with that.

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Natalie Aguirre's avatar

Congrats on your new release! I'm excited for you. And I don't like pop-ups either.

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

I've read several blogs with the same dislike. Thank goodness, I've never had one of those.

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Janet Alcorn's avatar

Congratulations on your book contract! I completely agree about overly busy websites being a turnoff, as well as pop-ups. One of the things that annoys me about Substack is it presents a popup up front, prompting me to subscribe. How do I know I want to subscribe if I haven't read anything yet?

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

I've asked them about that. I have no control over it and I'd love it if I did. I enjoyed reading your post today. It was amazing.

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Janet Alcorn's avatar

Thanks so much! And I figured you didn't have any control over it - it happens with every Substack site.

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Liz Seckman's avatar

Congratulations! And dittos on all you said about the negativity. I'll listen to a little, but too much is off -putting.

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Jeff's avatar

Congratulations on your new book deal, Lee. Happy Valentine's Day.

https://fromarockyhillside.com

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Liz Seckman's avatar

I should have said negative energy annoys me. The older I get, the more it annoys me.

Off to check out your post on Kirkus!

And congrats on the new books!!!

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diedre Knight's avatar

Congratulations! Shattered is a fabulous read. I enjoyed Rattlesnake, too.

Love this post, Lee. A very comfortable site to peruse. Way to show us how it's done ;-)

Pop-ups are annoying, and I can't tolerate flashing lights. But that's not what I visit author websites for anyway. Lovely thoughts on Valentine's Day.

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JQ Rose's avatar

Schmaltz? Bring it on! We need more schmaltzy moments in this world. I wish the words from the Beatles could be true. "All we need is love." Congratulations on book #6!!!

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Some of those cliches are exactly right. Valentine's Day is a perfect holiday to bring them out.

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Sonia Dogra's avatar

Hello Lee! I really liked your piece on internet addiction. While I'm not a social media enthusiast and have no compulsion of promotion, I think I can still take some notes from you. Thank you for sharing.

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Thank you so much for reading the piece and letting me know.

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Adelaide Dupont's avatar

So good about your teen book being published, C. Lee!

And the Kirkus guest post.

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Many thanks for the comment.

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Loni Townsend's avatar

I guess my dancing Derek animation probably drove you nuts last month.

Awesome news on the contract! Woot! Congratulations!

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

But I kept coming back. I guess your posts overrode the animation. :-)

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Victoria Marie Lees's avatar

What a great post, Lee. I hate intrusive pop-ups. And I'm not too fond of someone always telling me how terrible life is. I've got it. Life isn't always moonlight and roses. If you're alive and well, move on and be grateful. Have a beautiful Valentine's Day! ~Victoria Marie Lees

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Thanks, Victoria. Maybe we need another Valentine's Day mid-year. :-)

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Olga Godim's avatar

Thank you for your Valentine wish. There can't be too much love.

Great article on Kirkus.

Congrats on your book contract.

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

I'm please that you took the time to read the Kirkus post. Thanks, Olga.

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Patricia J.L. 👻🧶🖊️'s avatar

Congrats on the book contract!

Bad design and not being able to comfortably read are at the top of my website turn offs.

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Thanks, Patricia!

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