Between the Keys

Many Sundry Things

2012-01-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

Sunday
January 29, 2012

Some quipster once said, "It's not the speed of life that scares me...it's the sudden stop at the end."

Aye. Right. It's the speed of life! I swear I jinxed myself by declaring my intention to cut back on my workload. It's not happening and I feel like a hamster on a wheel. It might not be that bad in real life, but it FEELS that way.

Let's see. What's been going on in my world....

I'm on Brenda Williamson's An Eclectic Author blog today with A Cat Named Hercules. I'll be Brenda's guest blogger with a regular bi-monthly slot on the 29th of the month.

Have you signed up for the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge yet? I have. This is not the cakewalk you might think. Twenty-six blogs in thirty days on topics that follow the alphabet. Many will begin, few will finish. Are you one of the elite?

FINISHED!! The manuscript of Leather Jackets is finished. Now it gets a few passes to check for typos and continuty, then it will be time to fill out the publisher forms and send it all in. And let me just add it's done well ahead of my March 1, 2012 deadline, so I want an "atta girl," please. If you've read A Cat Named Hercules, you should be able to figure out who this story is about as this is number six in the Men of Marionville series. The series is going on hiatus after Leather Jackets so I can finish up some other projects, including the next Sundown story.

Work on my family tree is going well. I connected with a [distant] cousin and she's great. It's been fun. I've been turned on to a website called "Find A Grave." Lot's of info there. My partner and I have new destinations when we simply want to get out of the house for an hour or two - cemeteries.

Next weekend, Eye of the Beholder goes live. Yes, it's a little soon after A Cat Named Hercules, and it's my fault. I turned it in to the scheduling guru too soon. I should have waited until the day Herc went on sale. I mean, I don't even have the page on my website done so you can check it out. Bad KC. But you and check out what I have here. Eye of the Beholder is something different for me - a short piece of only 11K words. Short, smutty and fun to write.

It's Hammer time! I got a new blue urathane Hammer. That's a bowling ball for those of you who don't bowl. For those of you who do, I had to move my feet and my target five boards left. This ball can snap on the back end if you get the right speed on it. You've been warned.

So there it is. The last couple of weeks in a nutshell. One month of the New Year has [all but] passed. Amazing.

Until next time..

KC Kendricks
website: http://www.kckendricks.com

Nathan's Angel by Melissa Bradley

2012-01-21T19:19:00.001-05:00

There's no doubt writing is a solitary endeavor, but every once in a while you meet someone part pixie, part genius and all energy - a.k.a. Melissa Bradley. Here's an excerpt from her latest release, Nathan's Angel. -KC
- - - -

What could be sexier than a werewolf and an angel? Here's a little taste of my very first m/m erotic romance, Nathan's Angel. Enjoy!

Sometimes, the laws of Heaven were meant to be broken…

When his soul mate is stolen from Paradise and reincarnated, Ramiel, angel of death and transformation, defies Celestial Law to find out why. As punishment for his crime, he is banished to Earth in human form without his powers. His only hope lies in recovering the grace he lost in his fall from the Divine Realm…

Nathan, a beta werewolf, knows all too well what it’s like to be vulnerable and at the mercy of unfair people and situations. He is considered weak in the eyes of the alphas of his pack. Ramiel literally falling into his life changes him. Determined to help the sexy angel, he takes charge of the situation and to his surprise, begins to exhibit some rather alpha behavior…

As they search, a white hot, forbidden fire ignites between them, an inferno that sets them ablaze, fusing them body and mind. A passion that makes them question everything they’ve ever known. But when Ramiel’s grace is found, will they have the strength to let each other go?

Excerpt

The angel stiffened and bowed his head. “I do not know what overcame me. I am weakened and in a form I have not taken in millennia. I have no control, I…” He trailed off, exhaling sharply.

Nathan tugged at Ramiel until the angel turned to face him. “No matter what you are, you’re human now and close quarters plus attraction equals lust, desire, whatever you want to call it. Trust me. I’m half human and half animal, if anyone can understand, it’s me. ‘Your reaction was quite understandable.’” A half smile quirked the side of Ramiel’s mouth as Nathan repeated the angel’s own words back to him. Apparently not all humor was lost on the angel, then.

He stared at Nathan through the gold silk of his bangs and Nathan’s chest went tight. Without thought, he reached up to palm Ramiel’s cheeks. The lost look in his eyes hit Nathan deep and he was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss him, to ease the loneliness Ramiel must surely be feeling, exiled from his own kind. He raised up, tilting his head…

Ramiel’s mouth crashed onto his, a hungry, elemental force that caught him by surprise. Pent-up need emanated from Ramiel and Nathan speared his fingers through Ramiel’s hair, dragging the angel deeper into the kiss, letting him know it was all right, that he could take whatever Ramiel had to give.

With a low growl, Ramiel hauled Nathan tight against his big body, his hands grabbing Nathan’s ass. Ramiel’s tongue licked along Nathan’s lips, then plunged deep inside, stroking and twining with Nathan’s.

Ramiel’s taste was a wild kaleidoscope of flavor. Spicy and sweet with a hint of the meaty burger he had just eaten. It teased at the back of Nathan’s mind, a long forgotten treasure rediscovered. Pleasure overrode any more coherent thought like a tsunami and Nathan was swept up in its wake, drowning in sensation. His erection pulsed behind his zipper, a primitive, throbbing heat that tightened his balls.

Nathan wanted nothing more than to be skin to skin with Ramiel, exploring every plane and hollow of him. He needed to be closer, with no barrier between them.

Ramiel groaned, stumbled and the two of them nearly toppled over. Nathan clutched him, balanced on his feet and averted disaster. He locked eyes with Ramiel, their breath coming in rough gasps, and noted the pallor of the angel’s skin beneath the sex flush.

“Come on. I think we need to get you into bed for some serious rest.”

Ramiel stroked a finger along Nathan’s jaw, with a banked fire in the silvery depths of his eyes. Nathan regretted saying a thing.

"I have no desire to sleep. I prefer very much to continue what has begun.”

Nathan's Angel Links

Amber Allure

Amazon

Melissa Bradley

Melissa's Imaginarium

Facebook

Twitter

Just released! A Cat Named Hercules by KC Kendricks

2012-01-14T22:03:00.002-05:00

January 14, 2012

A CAT NAMED HERCULES
contemporary gay romance
available now at
Amber Allure

New in town, Shiloh Rudy joins a group of civic-minded volunteers to better acquaint himself with his recently adopted community. It’s a good way to make friends, network, and help make a difference, not to mention perhaps meet someone interesting—in a romantic sort of way. The one thing Shiloh didn’t expect was a love to rival all others to come with four white paws.

Gale Widmyer is on his feet and moving forward after piecing his life back together following a series of wrong choices. The one bright spot in his existence, even in his darkest moments, was the fulfillment of his dream to become a veterinarian. Gale’s making good on a promise to himself when an abandoned kitten leads him to Shiloh Rudy and a chance at the happiness he never hoped to have.

Laying the cornerstone for a developing relationship comes easy for Shiloh and Gale. But the wounds of the past often remain unhealed at their deepest point. A few careless words erect a wall of silence between the two men, one Shiloh has to breach if he hopes to win Gale back. But it will take more than apologies to win Gale’s forgiveness and put old fears to rest. It’ll take a cat named Hercules...

INTRO:

…The abrupt weaning I understood, but the other? Who would do that to such a helpless creature? “Then I’m keeping him.”

“In that case, your kitten has fleas, ear mites, and a touch of conjunctivitis. He’s also under nourished and almost surely has worms.”

My heart pounded as I snatched the kitten from Galen’s hands and tucked him safely against my chest. “Is he going to die?”

Galen pushed his sunglasses up to rest on top of his head and grinned at me. I fell into his gorgeous hazel eyes as he stared into my sky blue orbs with open curiosity. Damn, the man had long eyelashes.

“He’ll be fine. Do you think we can finish our chores here this morning, or do we need to go straight to my clinic so I can treat him and fix you up with what you need?” He poked the kitten’s paw and those tiny, wicked claws popped out again. “You’re in for a real treat with this little guy.”

I’d go anywhere he asked me to go, but I didn’t want to appear too eager. “Oh? Why is that?”

“They call cats with these black and white markings a ‘tuxedo’ because, obviously, they look like they’re wearing one. This fellow has the added bonus of white ‘gloves.’ Tuxedos tend to have a lot of personality.” Galen squeezed my elbow. I thought his hand lingered a moment too long, but perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

“C’mon. I’ll tell the other work crew they’ll have to finish pulling up these bricks and we’ll go to the clinic.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you.”

I knew I was in two kinds of trouble when he nodded and grinned. “I’m afraid you will…”

EXCERPT

...Gale opened his front door and moved back so I could step inside. Complimenting his choice of attire required breathing, and he’d knocked the air right out of me. Black slacks, a maroon-and-black long sleeved knit shirt in a classic argyle pattern, and loafers had never affected me like this before. I managed to speak the inane phrase.

“Wow. You look great.”

He smiled at me as he closed the door. “Thanks. So do you.”

Gale reached for me, then stopped. I hated to see his uncertainty. It was more proof he needed to do some living before he got serious about anyone, including me. I smiled and closed the distance between us, slipping my arms around his waist. Our lower bodies touched, then he leaned into me. His lips opened as my mouth covered his, and I tasted the cinnamon freshness of chewing gum recently disposed of. He pulled away.

“What? You’re grinning.”

“I am. I just learned what gum you like.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re a little nuts, aren’t you?”

I was nuts about him, but I couldn’t say the words aloud. “I’m no more crazy than the next guy.” I kissed him again, enjoying the connection between us.

Gale deepened the kiss and my body responded with a delicious jolt of arousal that sent heat all the way to my toes. My cock swelled, eager to convince to me to forget dinner and go hungry this evening. Gale rested his forehead on my shoulder.

“I could get all stupid and say we should forget dinner and just go to bed.”

I ran my hands over his back, feeling the lines and planes of the lean body under the soft shirt. Was he hard, too? I cupped his ass to steady him and pressed my pelvis tightly to his.

“We’re at the same level of ‘stupid,’ but we’ve got to eat.” I squeezed his butt. “Don’t we?”

His stomach rumbled, and we laughed. I loved being able to laugh with him. He kissed me with those cinnamon-flavored lips again, then released me. “I am hungry, Shiloh. Let me get a jacket.”

“We have time for a quickie, you know.” Damn. I shouldn’t have said that. The sharp interest in his shining gaze was total agreement. He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the oak stairs.

“Nice place you have here.”

“Don’t try and change the subject. Remember, I’ve been deprived. I have to make up for lost time.”

I barely noticed his bedroom. We’d both dressed for each other with such care and now clothing flew in all directions. His hands brushed across my chest, cool with excitement, then he turned away. Gale yanked the bedspread down and jerked open a drawer in the large bookcase headboard and tossed condoms and lube onto the pale blue sheet. I grabbed his hips and bumped my pelvis to his ass.

“No time for that.” I planted my left knee on the bed, held on tight to him, and rolled us onto the mattress. “Hand job. Then we get some food into us so we can come back and do it better.”

He grunted as he broke free of my grasp and crawled up to the pillows. “I guess we can leave our socks on, huh?”

“Yep.” I knelt over him. Gale laughed and caressed the inside of my thighs. I shivered, but not with cold. My sac tingled and drew tight to my body as he cupped it.

“Tell me you don’t plan to shoot all over me again.”

I grinned and flopped down beside him. “Not tonight, at least.”

“What do you plan to do to me?” He shifted to face me.

I rolled onto my side and fisted his hard dick.

“Just this right now...”

A CAT NAMED HERCULES
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-234-8
contemporary gay romance available now at
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/CatNamedHercules.html

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Starting the New Year by Tossing it Out A-Z with Arlee Bird

2012-01-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

January 1, 2012

I like to attack the new year not as a time to take charge of life's little annoying foibles and vow to do better, but as the time to brush off the so-called "failures" and move forward on the successes. I'm off to a flying start with a guest blogger appearance on Arlee Bird's Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog. I completed the 2011 A-Z Challenge and I'm looking forward to 2012.

If you're a writer, and yes, bloggers are writers, too, then think about accepting the 2012 challenge. Meet the call.

* * * * *

This New Year finds me delving into my family tree. It's been interesting to gather confirmation of connections my grandmother spoke of so many years ago. I wonder why I waited so long to do this, but I know the answer. As with all things, the right season in my life had to arrive.

When I opened my calendar this morning, Nickelback greeted me with Bottom's Up. Ha! I behaved last night and didn't need the little jab at myself in case of morning after lethargy. We stayed home last night, sharing a bottle of wine over Cowboys and Aliens. And speaking of wine, I've added a page to my website about wine. I'm sure true wine connoisseurs will laugh like hyenas over my choices, but I need to keep track of what I like somehow. It's a work in progress.

But back to the calendar. January is blessedly - and purposefully - empty of a lot of activities. (I just had the thought I should fill this paragraph with a bunch of "ly" words in case my editor should read it - but I most assuredly won't.) I have a deadline to meet, and January is reserved for some serious writing time. January is finally "Justified" month, too. For all you fellow Raylan fans, January 17th is the season three blast off.

Growing up, my life didn't lack traditions, but one tradition my family missed the New Year's Day meal. Maybe after all the Christmas festivities, my grandmother, mother, and aunts were too tired to even think about another gathering. Who knows? It was different in my partner's family and to that end we're fixing dinner again today. Maybe I need a recipe page on my website, too. I've got a lot of extra space to use. I'll have to think about that (says the one who tries to avoid cooking).

It's time to wrap it up and get on with the day. Taking the Christmas tree down on New Year's Day is a family tradition I need to keep this year. I've often left my tree up through Epiphany, but this year it needs to come down today. I need to restore order in my home and get back to writing.

Darn...that almost sounds like a new year's resolution.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

A Cat Named Hercules - new cover!!

2011-12-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

December 28,2011

It's new cover time!!

Look for A Cat Named Hercules on January 15, 2012.

Mistletoe Blog Hop round up

2011-12-24T18:59:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Gena, winner of a .pdf copy of A Hard Habit to Break.

Once again, thanks to everyone who participated. You're invited to join my new release announcement mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys.

Merry Christmas!

Blog Hop contest is closed

2011-12-23T22:45:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Mistletoe Blog Hop! My individual contest is now closed and participant comments hidden for privacy.

Mistletoe Blog Hop!

2011-12-16T13:13:00.005-05:00

December 16, 2011

It's time for the Mistletoe Blog Hop to begin!

It's easy - just visit all the blogs and enter the individual contests, and then visit PJ Schnyder's page to enter for the grand prize - a loaded Nook.

To enter my individual contest for a .pdf copy of A Hard Habit to Break, just comment on the blog under this entry. One winner will be selected after the blog hop ends on December 23, 2011.

To enter the drawing for the grand prize (US only) go to http://pjschnyder.com/blog/contests/ and click on the entry link. The list of authors giving books for the grand prize is at the end of this blog.

Oh, and don't forget to go down the list and click "like" on Between the Keys. It won't get you a prize, but it will sure make me feel good!

Grand Prize offerings on the Nook (US only):
A Brush of Darkness -Allison Pang (WINNER MUST DOWNLOAD THROUGH ADOBE DIGITAL EDITIONS)
A Hard Habit to Break - KC Kendricks
Angel in the Middle - Marie Dees
Betting on Hope - Kay Keppler
Blood of the Maple - Dana Marie Bell
Cry Wolf - Angela Campbell
Dearly Departed - Lia Habel
Entanglements - PR Mason
Eris - D. Renee Bagby
Golden - Joely Sue Burkhart
Grey's Lady - Natasha Blackthorne
Her Dark Knight - Sharon Cullen
Hunting Kat - PJ Schnyder
Knight of Runes - Ruth A. Casie
Leading Her To Heaven - Kayleigh Jamison
Love on Cloud Nine - Linda Andrews
Lust on the Rocks - Dianne Venetta
Men of the Sea Anthology - Eliza Knight
Murdering Eve - Kelly Lee
Redaction - Linda Andrews
Relearning the Ropes - DC Juris
Risking Trust - Adrienne Giordano
Shadows & Dust - Yvonne Nicolas
Sloane Wolf - Margay Leah Justice
Snowy Encounters - Clarissa Yip
Soul Catcher - Vivi Dumas
The Alchemist's Perfect Instrument - AL Davroe
The Demon He Knows - RA Vaughn
The Fallen Queen - Jane Kindred
The Knife's Edge - Stephanie Draven
Underdead - Liz Jasper
What Not To Fear - Robert C. Roman
White Hot Christmas: Santa's Claws - Stephanie Burke

And here's the fine print for my individual contest:
- Prize is as stated. No prize substitutions or exchanges and all winners are final.
- Entering this contest constitutes agreement to all rules stated in this post.
- Rules are subject to change without notification or reason given.
- Contest begins December 16, 2011, and ends December 23, 2011, EST.
- Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 or older to win.
- Chances of winning varies based on number of entries.

Is it Friday yet?

2011-12-15T22:19:00.001-05:00

December 15, 2011

Starting tomorrow, I'll be participating in my first blog hop - the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop with about 50 other bloggers/authors.

On Friday, as soon as the gods of day jobs allow, I'll post what I'm giving away and how you can enter to win it. PLUS, go to PJ Schnyder's site at http://pjschnyder.com/blog/contests to enter to win the grand prize - a nook preloaded with books from some of the participating authors (US only).

The Mistletoe Blog Hop runs from December 16-23, 2011.

So check back tomorrow. You might get a good chuckle if the Linky Link thingee doesn't work right for me.

KC

Thoughts of the Day

2011-12-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

December 13, 2011

I confess I have what I hope is merely a “healthy” curiosity about the news headlines. I’d hate to have to admit to obsession, but sometimes I wonder. Take yesterday, for example. I learned Katie Couric is single again (there are worse fates), that jewelry you’ve seen advertised on TV is a poor Christmas gift (get the he$$ outta town!), and finally, something really interesting, a TV station in New York, in a seventeen second loop, aired the first broadcast of the Yule Log burning in the hearth in 1966.

Okay - so I have the Yule Log DVD and I run it while I’m reading in the sunroom during this time of the year. It’s hokey, but I like it.

If you’re wondering what all that has to do with writing, let me confess that everything in my life revolves around writing. I’m a writer. Life is given to me so I can put it in a book. And I never know when some tidbit from the life will work its way into a book. Everything is relevant in one way or another.

I’m hardly unique in that. To be a writer, a person needs to have an active curiosity about many things. I think being able to maintain that curiosity as we age is important to our overall health. But beyond that, the writer has the ability to see a single item from different perspectives and blend those perspectives into one cohesive whole. It becomes an interesting gift to be given.

With Christmas almost upon us, I’ve been pondering my gift giving habits. My family and friends have been very blessed, but who doesn’t worry about the future in these trying times? Everyone I talk with confesses to less lavish spending during this holiday season and more giving to those organizations that reach out to those in need. We are among them, although there is the occasional trinket when we see something we know another will truly appreciate.

And to my partner: I’ll appreciate jewelry, especially pearls, advertised on television or not, anytime of the year.

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

The Cowboy Obsession by Sineth Killiri

2011-12-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

Today I'm happy to have Sineth Killiri here at Between the Keys. The Cowboy Obsession is Sineth's first release. Check out those pictures! - KC

While the word, cowboy was first used in England to refer to boys (or men) that tended cows, it was brought to America during the American Revolutionary War as a term the revolutionary patriots used for pro-British raiders who snuck around rattling a cow-bell to lure them into the brush searching for cows. Then, after the American Civil War the term grew widespread in the American West during cattle drives, and has remained a steadfast reference to the hardworking men of those times.

But what of today’s cowboys? Sure, there’s the ol’ Wild West ones, with their Western attire, big hats, and those six-shooters strapped to their strong thighs. We read about their exploits wishing we were there, so they’ll always have that timeless appeal of the untouchable past. And while we use that bygone era to dream about their prowess and fanaticize about their passion, we let them evolve.

Today the cowboy may have turned his Stetson into a ball cap, and his clothing gone plaid instead of blue or red flannel, and his pants are denim instead of canvas, but our view of a cowboy is still carrying a powerful weapon—rugged sex appeal.

So who’s my cowboy in my first Gay Romance?

Eric McCaffrey, a cattle and horse rancher, and the town mayor of Puritan, Texas. Strong and handsome, he catches the eye of woman and men alike.

Cowboy Obsession

Librarian Braden Hollace wasn’t open about being gay in a small Texas town, so whenever he saw the gorgeous cowboy across the street from the library, he refused to approach him and shatter his fantasy about the man. Instead, he put his focus on stopping the town council from banning gay literature.

Mayor and handsome, irresistible rancher Eric McCaffrey kept his sexual preferences to himself. He devoted his time to things he found important, and the impending literature ban wasn’t on his list. And he told that very thing to the librarian who called him to protest.

But when Braden and Eric hook up at a nightclub in the city, they never imagined their night of passionate sex could turn into an affair of the heart...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt

Braden tipped back his head and effortlessly downed half his bottle of beer.

Eric watched, imagining Braden's throat muscles working against his cock, squeezing and releasing, swallowing every drop of his discharge. He put his hand against his crotch and adjusted his denims to accommodate his growing erection.

Blindly, Braden placed his bottle on the bar, eyeing him with a grin, obviously aware of his physical discomfort. "Ready?" he asked, his smile widening.

"Oh, yeah." Eric led the way.

Someone bumped into them as they headed for the door. Braden touched his back and excitement corkscrewed into the pit of his stomach. He focused on that sensation as a reminder that this one-night hookup was just for a good fuck, nothing more. He didn't have room in his life for a relationship--that's why he drove all the way to Houston.

They crossed the dark parking lot to his silver Ford pickup truck. "This is mine."

"Nice." Braden walked over to it and ran his hand over the shiny clean fender, stroking it gently, showing true appreciation for the big dual wheel vehicle.

He wanted that expression when Braden's fingers wrapped his cock. "Where are you parked?" Eric asked.

"My date took my ride."

"Oh? You have a disagreement or something?" Eric leaned on the truck, worried this night might not go as anticipated.

"Or something." Braden turned to him and placed a hand on his chest.

Eric didn't let the moment pass. He grabbed Braden's head and pulled him forward. He planted his mouth over his and kissed him hard. Equally aggressive, Braden pushed Eric back against the truck, his body pressed tight, his hands a flurry of strokes at his sides.

Eric flung his hat back into the truck bed. Then he drove his fingers into Braden's soft brown hair, twisting strands for control of his head. Yet, as much as he wanted to take control, Braden had the power with his solid frame sandwiching Eric against the truck and his grinding hips pressing tight enough for Eric to feel the bulge of his erection.

Eric couldn't believe how pent up his emotions had been until that moment. The kiss was wonderful, exhilarating, the most satisfying he had ever known. He pulled Braden's head back and stared into his lust-filled gaze.

"I want to fuck you, cowboy," Braden told him with a raspy, hurried breath.

"Then I suggest we get going to my hotel." Eric released his grip on Braden's locks.

Braden stepped back and wiped a hand over his mouth. "Good idea."

The glistening traces of their kiss vanished from Braden's lips. Eric righted himself. His heart pounded furiously behind his ribcage. He couldn't recall anyone having such a profound effect on his senses before. That made him nervous, and that, too, was an emotion he hadn't experienced much.

Eric reached in the truck bed and retrieved his hat. He set it on his head, moved to the driver door, unlocked it and then unlocked the passenger door. They got in. He looked over at Braden's handsome profile. Still in disbelief of his rampaging desires, Eric tried to pass off his turbulent emotions as a lustful infatuation with a gorgeous man. He'd fallen in that trap before, so there was no reason to think about love. Eric had come looking for a hook-up and found one. Tonight was nothing more than that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Available at Amber Quill Press.

When we see the progression of cowboys, working in the once lowly, dirty job, how do you think they became sex symbols? Was it books, movies, or is history in general romanticized?
Sineth

http://www.sinethkilliri.com/

Also writing as Brenda Williamson

It makes perfect sense to me

2011-12-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

Sleepers

2011-12-07T08:34:00.003-05:00

December 4, 2011

Instead of wrapping my brain around the concept of actually getting some writing done today, I've been playing. Or is it procrastinating? Maybe both. I have a mental "to do" list for the day and I think I need to scrap it in favor of fun pursuits. I feel like I've had my fingers to the keyboard without ceasing for far too long.

Or maybe I've allowed a conversation with my man to discourage me. Which would be my fault, not his. He's a pretty good cheerleader (as long as he doesn't wave his pom-poms and make a mess on the floor).

Being published is hard on a person's psyche. Those big pieces of yourself that you carved off and planted in a story are out there for the world to see. Most of the time all that comes back to us are the words of "reviewers," and recently the trend seems to be for really ~~cunty~~ snarky "reviews" - but that's another blog. I'm talking "reviews" when we hit "R" in the 2012 A-Z Blogging Challenge so I'll save it for then.

While the willingness to bleed out all over the page is a prerequisite to writing, it doesn't insure any given book will be well received. Some very well-written books become "sleepers" in the author's backlist, and it was this topic my partner and I discussed over shared a glass of wine.

Up until this point, my backlist contained one true sleeper - Passion's Victory. I believe this is due to the fact it garnered a 2008 CAPA nomination. Those sort of things can be like the kiss of death to a book. But from the emails I've received from readers over the years, Passion's Victory has been loved by everyone who didn't let the CAPA nod scare them off.

But now I think I have another sleeper on my hands - Double Deuce. Rather after the fact, the head guru at Amber Allure came along and said anything with a mystery tag didn't sell. Sure wish I'd known that when the concept was discussed. Of course, the problem is that Double Deuce is first and foremost a KC Kendricks romance and the "mystery" is the crime solving elements of the plot. I'm sure big name mystery writers would laugh like hyenas at the mystery tag being applied to Double Deuce. Live and learn.

What's discouraging is I've planned a neat little story arc for the two main characters in Double Deuce to carry through what I'd hoped to be a trilogy and if the sales don't back it up, I can't spend six months writing it any time soon. And that's a shame, if I do say so myself, because I think readers who love romance would love, love, love what would have happened at the end of book three.

So thinking out loud here, so to blog, what do I do? Do I write stories the majority of my readers want, and will make my publisher keep on accepting my stories, or do I take my own advice and write the story I want to write and to hell with worrying about it?

I guess the answer will come some morning when I put my fingers on the keyboard and the words start to flow. Stay tuned.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
blog: ttp://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: ttp://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

The Unique Us

2011-11-27T08:27:00.001-05:00

November 27, 2011

I’ve been remiss in my blogging duties this November. It’s not for lack of things to say. No, it’s more because I can barely move these days.

Remember those lovely pictures of the October 29, 2011, freak snow I posted? Remember all the damage to my beautiful trees? Scroll on down in the blog to see them. Anyway, SOMEONE had to clean up all that mess and that someone was me. My honey has a debilitating neuropathy from the two years of chemotherapy it took to save his life and suffice it to say that, physically, he’s not a lot of help. (Yes, you’re correct - he’s just FULL of ADVICE on how to do things, which he offers freely.)

Thankfully, the bulk of the work is finished. Last weekend we finally cut our way through all the downed limbs behind the shed to loop a heavy logging chain between the sizeable branch that fell on the shed and our trusty Chevy Silverado. It took a few tries, but the branch finally slid off the roof. To my relief, the shingles on the shed roof are intact.

If you’re one of those people who wonder why in the hell the world needs four-wheel drive pickups, live on a mountain for a year without one, baby. I dare ya.

It’s been a lot of hard, physical work this past month, and I’m not twenty any longer. All the brush, limbs and branches that fell needed to be cut, dragged, stacked to be split for firewood next fall, or burned. It’s been great to get outside, and who doesn’t like sitting beside a roaring fire watching brush burn? Believe me, after getting the brush to the burn ring, it was wonderful to sit a spell and rest by the fire.

As exhausting as the work has been, I have an enormous sense of accomplishment. I’m pathetically pleased this old girl hasn’t lost her country living survival skills. The sore muscles and stiffs joints have convinced me I need yoga, or at least some sort of stretching routine.

There’s a harmony in the blending all the facets of ourselves into the whole person. I’m a country girl, born and bred, but I can put on a beaded dress and enjoy an evening with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. I am woman, wife, daughter, friend. I’m an administrative assistant and a writer. I like rock music and I sing hymns. I won’t talk on a cell phone in my car, but I’ve never met a speed limit I didn’t exceed.

Thanksgiving weekend is a time to remember to give thanks. Family and friends come together to share good food and good times. We take stock of our blessings, and we share with others who are in need. The season of Advent begins and we set our thoughts to gift giving, and to that end many go shopping.

I am thankful for my health and for all people in my life. But I think I am most grateful for all the contradictions that make me who I am. I look forward and make gift-giving plans knowing that no Christmas trinket ever given will be more than what each of us has already received.

We are each unique in this universe, and that is quite a gift to be thankful for.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Congratulations, Smoke!

2011-11-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

Days to Minutes; Minutes to Memories

2011-11-08T15:24:00.000-05:00

November 8th comes around every year whether I want it to or not. The day brings myriad memories to my door, complete with the accompanying emotions. Some years I’m weepy, which I don’t like since I’m not really a “girly-girl.” Some years I’m weepy because the memories are about something stupid and I can’t stop giggling. I don’t like that for the same reason. Too girly.

Then there are the years when I’ve been too numb with fear for the losses of the future to deal with the losses of the past. I’ve lived through too many of those in the last decade as my partner battled for his life against the same disease that took my father.

This year, as I mark the twenty-eight anniversary of my father’s death, I’m struck by the fact that in two weeks, I will have lived on this earth longer than he did. It’s a very strange feeling.

My father is still close to me in memory. I can pause and recall the ups - and downs - of the father/daughter relationship. I wish I hadn’t taken him for granted, but who knew he’d leave us when he was still a young man. I remember my grandfather saying it wasn’t fair that a young man should be taken when there he was, an old, dried up man, still alive. My grandfather lived another twenty-two years beyond my father, but that’s for another day.

Are my memories clear? They are. Do I remember some events as they really happened? I do hope so, but I will not discount the passing of time applying a rosy hue to them. I can accept that because it’s not as if I can strip it off now that it's on.

So what do I remember this November 8th?

Dad always had a camera pointed at someone - so no one could get a picture of him. (But I did.)
Being told I could NOT keep the stray dog that wandered in - and him suggesting we name her Reba. (So I did.)
Dad slipping me a twenty before my first official date with a boy who had a car - and he let me keep it when I got home safely.
Me and Dad crashing into the wall at the skating rink and laughing too hard to get to our feet. (I finally taught him to skate.)
Riding in the Mack truck with him - and learning to drive it.
Dad standing on the roof of my 1969 Camaro to cut a tree limb that hung over the driveway. (You can guess my screeching reaction.)
Being Dad’s “remote control” for the television. (Every kid was one, back in the day.)
Never Coke, always Pepsi, unless there was Royal Crown Cola to be had.

Dad was a handsome man in a Daniel Boone/Fess Parker/Davy Crockett sort of way. A six feet tall, blue-eyed, broad-shouldered American truck driving man. He had presence in a room, but of all the things I remember about Dad, it’s his quiet sense of humor I miss the most. He understood that just because you have to take something seriously doesn’t mean it’s not funny. Of all the things he taught me, I hope that’s the lesson I learned best.

See you again someday, Daddy. Save me a seat.

More photos from October 29 snow

2011-11-02T10:02:00.000-04:00

Do they make chainsaws with electric starters?

Mother Nature's Trick

2011-10-31T08:16:00.000-04:00

October 31, 2011

You may have heard about this..... It snowed on October 29th! Seriously.

Very serious. Thank God for the person who invented the Honda generator and made it possible to create this blog entry.

Seriously. We've been without power since 2:30 PM on Saturday, October 29, 2011, and Allegheny Power says it will be midnight, Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - at the earliest - until our service is restored. Say...what? I've not seen any evidence at all Allegheny Power even has a crew working in the entire county. People all around us have power, but we're orphaned. How do you say IMPENDNG SOLAR INSTALLATION?

I've lived in the woods my entire life, so I know the drill. We're luckier than most. We have a woodstove and we keep a healthy supply of firewood at the ready. A clear spring-fed mountain stream provides fresh water. Sure, we have to drop a bucket on a rope into the dip hole, but at least I've got water. Wish I had water for a HOT SHOWER but since Mr. Home Improvement installed a whole-house surge protector, the generator doesn't power the water heater - ~~a fuck-up~~ an oversight my honey will fix at the first opportunity if he wants to keep his happy home.

All my bitching aside, we were lucky. No trees or brances fell on our house or our vehicles. The shed took a hit, but the roof held firm. We have a massive cleanup ahead of us, but it will help supply our woodpile for next year. I'm grateful everything in the refrigator is fine and we're warm and dry.

It's time to close this entry with a few pictures. Even with generator power and a battery backup on my computer, I prefer to be cautious. I want to shut down the computer for safety's sake. And I need to dress like a lumberjack and get to work cleaning up the mess in the backyard.

Happy Halloween!

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Double Deuce reviewed by Literary Nymphs - 4 Nymphs

2011-10-27T20:09:00.001-04:00

October 27, 2011

It's a 4-Nymph review from Literary Nymphs for Double Deuce. Reviews are always subjective to the reviewers personal likes and dislikes, but I think the staff at Literary Nymphs understand all forms of the romance novel.

Here's a snippet from the review:

Double Deuce is an intriguing suspense, blended with humor, as well as a friends-with-benefits relationship...KC Kendricks has a distinctive writing style. The characters are amusing and the plot is delightfully unexpected. I fully enjoyed Double Deuce. - Chocolate Minx, 4 Nymphs

Read the entire review at http://literarynymphsreviewsonly.blogspot.com/2011/10/double-deuce.html

Thank you!

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksmailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeysGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_KendricksFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Double Deuce gets its first review

2011-10-15T09:22:00.004-04:00

October 15, 2011

I don't think I've ever gotten a review on a book this quickly. When I saw the email in the que I thought it had to be on Highway Nights, or maybe Beneath Dark Stars, but it was indeed for Double Deuce. A five day turn? Unheard of from where I sit. But hey...We go with the flow.

Thanks to Pixie at MM Good Book Reviews for giving Double Deuce 4 Hearts. Here's a snippet from the review. Click the link to read it in its entirety.

[Double Deuce]is a well written story that has a strong plot and although this is from Ian’s POV you don’t feel like it’s just all about him...The sex scenes are hot and there is a spark between them that you know could turn into an inferno if they fed it. I recommend this to those that love hot men, hot sex, mystery, a good storyline [that] leaves you with a warm feeling. - MM Good Book Reviews

Double Deuce is part of the Amethyst Cove Mysteries series. Missing, Presumed Dead, by Christiane France is also available at Amber Allure. In my half of the series, I tell all there is to know about Ian Coulter. Ms. France tells all there is to know about Greg Stewartson. Ian and Greg are business partners, and there's more than enough action in the town of Amethyst Cove to keep two private investigators very busy.
Look for Ian to work another case in 2012.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Double Deuce is live!

2011-10-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

October 9, 2011

Every new release brings something different to the author. For me, it freezes a moment of my life in my memory. I can look back to, let's say The Back Stairs, and still hear the air compressor's endless drone as the patio roof was under construction. That might lead you to believe my recollection of that time is one of annoyance, but it's not. I had to wait until the mortgage was paid to be able to afford that roof - almost thirty years! It was a time of excitement on many levels.

Double Deuce will always remind me of achievement. During the last few days I've been deeply involved with hosting a conference through the day job. It was incredibly successful, beyond anything we'd hoped for. While it was going on, the impending release of DOUBLE DEUCE was always in the back of my mind. I think I outdid myself on both ventures.

I hope you'll enjoy Double Deuce. It's the first story in my half of the Amethyst Cove mysteries series. And now - on to the new release promo!

DOUBLE DEUCE
Contemporary gay romance mystery
available now at Amber Allure
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/DoubleDeuce.html
Free spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end a long, dark tunnel.

Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.

It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, has definite perks - ones not found in any departmental manual.

INTRO:

“And yet, here you sit across from me.”

“For one thing, this is the first time I’ve actually gotten a look at you. No one ever said you were so…” He paused and blinked at me.

I helped him out. “Hot?”

Rick grinned. “The very word I was searching for.”

“You’re full of shit, Rick Mohr. What do you really want?”

“I’ve heard you like to have fun—safe fun. Was I misinformed?”

And they called me a slut. Rick had me beat for moving in on a guy fast. “I love to have ‘fun—safe fun,’ but I don’t know you. I haven’t seen you around at any of the local haunts.”

“Well, you know how it is. Boy meets boy. Boy falls in love. Boy gets dumped after eleven years and has to work hard to get back into the swing of things.”

I tapped the wide silver band he wore on his left ring finger. “Hmm. I’ve heard of that. Some weird word that starts with an ‘R.’”

“Relationship?”

I snapped my fingers. “That’s the one! Can’t say as I have any first-hand experience with it.”

Rick sighed. “I actually liked it, although I thought it would have a longer shelf-life.”

I sipped the lemony drink I’d had such a craving for. That craving, and another stronger one, was about to land me in trouble, I just knew it.

“I’ll tell you something, Rick. I don’t like men who cheat on their partners.”

His level gaze met mine. “I don’t have a partner. I have an ex-partner.”

“Why not take off the ring?”

“Truth? I’m not quite ready to have guys hitting on me. Maybe you can help me get over the hump.”

Years of cruising men, of reading their body language and looking into lots of pretty eyes gave me a good read on him. He wasn’t being honest with me about something, but it had nothing to do with the ring, the ex-partner, or the fact he liked to have control of the situation. The little voice inside, the one that never steered me wrong when it was time to cut and run, was silent, and I wanted to learn more about him.

The bottom line was we both wanted to get laid, no strings attached. I could do that for him. Call me Dr. Love or whatever. He wanted over the hump, and I was more than happy to help him out with that.

“So, Rick, why don’t we finish our drinks, then blow this joint and go find a more private place?”

EXCERPT

The intensity of Rick’s gaze slammed into me.

“What if I told you I could give you something concrete?”

Cold sweat broke out under my arms and across my back. I shivered and sucked in a deep breath. “This isn’t the place to discuss business, Mr. Mohr.”

Comprehension flickered in his pretty eyes. He reached across the table and covered my hands with his. My skin prickled with a new awareness of him. I had the sudden urge to give him about eight inches of concrete, regardless of how bad an idea it had become.

“You’re right, of course.” I got another shock as he raised my knuckles to his lips. “How about a little stroll on the beach? We can kick off our shoes and roll up our pant legs and get our feet wet. Get comfortable with each other. Whataya say?”

A walk outside was better than a hook-up inside. For all I knew, he worked for Earl Fox and had on a wire. This could be a set-up. That’s how paranoid I was about Foxy. I pulled away from the warmth of his touch and kept my voice pitched to where only Rick could hear me.

“We’ll take my car. I’ll bring you back later. And I want you to put your cell phone in your car and leave it.”
“I understand your caution, but it’s unnecessary.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you.” I set my hat back on my head, slid off the bench seat, and held my hand out to him. He took it and uncurled his long, lean body out of the booth. I had to look up at him, and I’m no little fellow at five-eleven and one hundred seventy-nine pounds of carefully crafted muscle.

His arms came around me and I realized just how big a man he really was. His lips brushed my ear as he whispered to me, “I’m going to enjoy this.”

Before I could think, much less ask him what the fuck he was talking about, his mouth covered mine. I opened my lips to protest, and his tongue slipped past my poor defenses. Little stars danced behind my closed eyes. My arms slid around his neck.

Familiar heat coiled low in my belly when his tongue danced over mine. My balls tingled as my over-eager cock hardened, swelling relentlessly to an aching fullness. I inhaled, and, under the warm, spicy scent of his cologne, breathed in the rich, earthy tang of an aroused male.

Rick’s big hand cupped my left ass cheek and pressed me tightly to his pelvis. The hard ridge of his dick met mine and I hazed on the rush of testosterone flooding into my blood. I needed to sink my root deep in this man and hear him beg for more.

What was left of my sanity shouted I was in big trouble when his lips trailed fire along my jaw line and down my neck. I ignored it and cupped his balls in front of all witnesses, covering his bulging zipper with my palm. At least eight inches.

His big hands stroked up my back, then down my sides. I leaned over into the booth and grabbed my drink with shaking hands.
What the fuck had I just allowed to happen?

DOUBLE DEUCE
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-185-3
Contemporary gay romance mystery
available now at Amber Allure
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/DoubleDeuce.html
KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

September 2011 Top Ten- Highway Nights slides into #5

2011-10-06T20:54:00.002-04:00

October 6, 2011

I've commented previously about my connection to the number five. It's everywhere in my life. September 2011 continues the trend with Highway Nights claiming the number five spot on the Amber Allure Top Ten List.

1. Ex Equals - L. A. Witt (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Acting Out - Mia Watts (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Under A Rock - India Harper (Gay / Contemporary / Western)
4. Can't Be His - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
5. Highway Nights - KC Kendricks (Gay / Contemporary / Suspense)
6. Pushing The Envelope 1: For The Attention Of - Kim Dare (Gay / Contemp. / BDSM)
7. Cowboy Obsession - Sineth Killiri (Gay / Contemporary / Western)
8. The Wild Bunch: Casa - Deirdre O'Dare (Gay / Contemporary / Western)
9. Amor Prohibido - Ellis Carrington (Gay / Paranormal)
10. On The List - L. A. Witt (Gay / Contemporary)

Congratulations to everyone for a banner month! A special "atta-girl" to Sineth Killiri for making the Top Ten list two months running with her very first gay romance.

AND NOW.....COMING SOON!

Look for it October 8 or 9 - depending on what time zone you're in.

DOUBLE DEUCE

Free-spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.

It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, have definite perks, ones not found in any departmental manual...

I hope you'll enjoy Double Deuce, An Amethyst Cove Mystery.

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Blog: Between the Keys: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Highway Nights has been reviewed by The Romance Studio

2011-09-15T19:09:00.002-04:00

September 15, 2011

Having compared notes with many other writers, it seems to be a fact of life that the longer one writes the less often one gets reviewed. I'm not complaining, honest. It's not a negative reflection on the established author who continually produces work that garners 4 and 5 point reviews. It's more that the reviewers are already familiar with our work, and they're looking at the *new* writers. What can be done?

Well, I could be a reviewer hound if it really mattered, and annoy the living crap out of all the review sites begging for reviews, but that's not me. I prefer to have reviews happen organically, without any intervention from me. They mean a lot more that way.

I was very pleased to learn that my new release, Highway Nights, has already been reviewed by The Romance Studio. It's only been out since September third. That's pretty darn fast!

With thanks to the reviewer and TRS, here's a snippet from the review with a link for those who want to read the whole thing.

... I liked the realistic feel to this story. It's an honest portrayal of hard working men making their way in life, just like men we know in our own lives. When love catches them unaware, their reaction to it is the crux of the story. ... The sex scenes are good and steamy, these two really like each other. An unforeseen occurrence adds to the drama and kicks it up a notch. Highway Nights is a nicely paced story with a satisfying ending. I liked it a lot.

Here's the link to read the entire Highway Nights review at TRS.

HIGHWAY NIGHTS
Erotic contemporary gay romance
Now available at Amber Allure
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HighwayNights.html

Garrett Webb has a five-point plan for starting his own business. To keep it on track, he takes a second job and settles into the evening delivery run between Owensville and Mt. Franklin. The solitude of being on the road clears his head and enables him to chart a better future for himself. When a foggy night sends him to the safety of The Downshift Diner and its owner, Oliver Sanderson, that future takes an unforeseen turn.

Oliver Sanderson enjoys a quiet life along the lonely stretch of highway that’s home to his diner. The road brings all manner of interesting souls to his door. When Garrett Webb steps out of the fog seeking shelter, his openness and honesty draws Oliver’s interest. He’s ready to take the next step, but needs to be cautious. Trouble is coming to the diner, and Oliver wants Garrett clear of it.

Good intentions can’t hold out against their budding attraction. Garrett makes the diner a regular stop during his nightly run, and the men get better acquainted. But Garrett’s past isn’t done with him. In a single heart-stopping moment, Garrett is forced to a decision that risks Oliver’s life – one that could forever end their highway nights.

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Blog: Between the Keys: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Remember

2011-09-11T08:12:00.001-04:00

September 11, 2011

Is there any among us who do not remember when they first learned a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center?

I was at my place of employment, blissfully planning and plotting my first trip to Myrtle Beach instead of working. A friend from a sister agency strolled in and told me the news.

Did we think for one nanosecond The United States of America had just been attacked? Of course not. Who would? We thought it was a terrible accident. We quickly learned how wrong we were.

Is there any among us whose life was not changed that day?

In my world, we still seek understanding and personal healing.

We seek.

We remember.

Highway Nights is now available at Amber Allure

2011-09-04T08:12:00.002-04:00

September 4, 2011

Just released! Highway Nights!

(Actually, it went live after nine p.m. last night and I'm hoping you'll forgive me for sleeping instead of starting the promo rounds.)

Highway Nights goes way back in my stack of idea folders, and stems from one of my youthful adventures. I used to keep company with a fellow a few years my junior, and we liked to trip down the Interstate to a little place by the river for a late night snack and a few rounds of pool. I was quite fond of that little out-of-the-way place with its welcoming proprietor and friendly bartender. (At least they were to me, but I always smiled and never gave them any grief.) So The Downshift Diner is a little nod to that time in my life.

Here's the blurb and excerpts from HIGHWAY NIGHTS, now available at Amber Allure. Thanks for reading!

PS - For the next week you can get a copy of Highway Nights at the deep new release discount at Amber Allue. After that, it goes to the regular price.

* * *
HIGHWAY NIGHTS
Erotic contemporary gay romance
Now available at Amber Allure
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HighwayNights.html

Garrett Webb has a five-point plan for starting his own business. To keep it on track, he takes a second job and settles into the evening delivery run between Owensville and Mt. Franklin. The solitude of being on the road clears his head and enables him to chart a better future for himself. When a foggy night sends him to the safety of The Downshift Diner and its owner, Oliver Sanderson, that future takes an unforeseen turn.

Oliver Sanderson enjoys a quiet life along the lonely stretch of highway that’s home to his diner. The road brings all manner of interesting souls to his door. When Garrett Webb steps out of the fog seeking shelter, his openness and honesty draws Oliver’s interest. He’s ready to take the next step, but needs to be cautious. Trouble is coming to the diner, and Oliver wants Garrett clear of it.

Good intentions can’t hold out against their budding attraction. Garrett makes the diner a regular stop during his nightly run, and the men get better acquainted. But Garrett’s past isn’t done with him. In a single heart-stopping moment, Garrett is forced to a decision that risks Oliver’s life – one that could forever end their highway nights.

INTRO:

Oliver settled in the booth and stared across the table. “You gonna tell me why you’re really here?”

“I told you. Food and conversation.”

The young man didn’t bat an eye. Oliver had a good sense about men, and it said Garrett was interested in a lot more than talk. He saw no point in calling the fellow on it, not yet. It could be Garrett didn’t consciously realize what he wanted. Life handed you moments like that, and Oliver had had his fair share of them. But if the lad wanted talk, he’d be glad to get the ball rolling.

“All right, then. I’ll be nosey and start our chat. So why are you working two jobs? A young fellow like you should be out clubbing every night.”

“My five-point plan suffered a setback. I’m working to recoup some losses.”

“Boyfriend?”

Garrett sighed. “Not any longer.”

And, no doubt, the ex-boyfriend was reason the five-point plan had been derailed. It usually was. Oliver could say he’d been there and done that, too, but he’d wait to see if Garrett asked first. He didn’t, so Oliver tried another topic.

“Nice jeans.”

“Thanks. I got a great deal on them. Twenty bucks at a yard sale.”

Yard sale? No wonder Garrett dressed like a prince. Oliver could, too, if he had the patience to treasure hunt, because that’s what a yard sale really was.

“Good looking, hard working and frugal. You don’t find that combination every day.”
Garrett sipped his cola, his blue gaze fastened on Oliver’s. “That’s me. Do you like the back pockets of my pants?”

“Ah, a flaw. Vanity.” Oliver leaned back, unable to refrain from grinning at Garrett. “I noticed. I’ll say it since your ego appears to need it.” He leaned forward and kept his voice down. “Nice ass.”

EXCERPT:

Oliver grinned and stopped in front of him.

“Happy to see me?”

Garrett glanced down. “As happy as you appear to be. Can a guy get a soda to go in this joint?”

Oliver shook his head. “I’ve better at the house. Let me tell Shirl and Billy not to call me unless it’s an emergency.” He disappeared into the kitchen, and sauntered back out in less than thirty seconds. Oliver motioned at the front entrance. “Let’s go.”

Garrett turned and held the door open for Oliver. “What constitutes an emergency?”

“Someone is bleeding, choking, or keels over all the way to the floor.” He placed his hand on the small of Garrett’s back and guided him around the corner of the building.

Garrett leaned closer to the warmth of Oliver’s body. “Not fire?”

“That’s what the firemen are for. Call ‘em. Besides, I like firemen. Don’t you?”

“Sure. Big, burly men turn me on.” Garrett stroked Oliver’s well-formed bicep. Oliver laughed softly and backed Garrett against the rear wall of the diner, out of sight from the clientele and staff.

“To each, their own.”

Garrett grasped Oliver’s hips and yanked him against him. He held him there and soaked up the heat from Oliver’s body. The corner of his mouth quirked in a small smile.

“So, am I going to have to beg you to kiss me again?”

Oliver ran his thumb over Garrett’s lower lip. He swallowed, the muscles in his throat moving. “Garrett. Be sure you want this. Don’t lead me on then tell me to stop.”

“I came for this, Oliver.”

Something dark and unsettled sparked in Oliver’s eyes. “Don’t get too attached to me, either, boy.”

“I’m horny. I want to fuck you, not marry you.”

Oliver leaned in, his breath warm on Garrett’s moist lips. In the back of his mind, Garrett registered surprise at Oliver’s reticence but he’d ponder it later. He shifted forward and touched his lips to Oliver’s.

Need burst through him, a siren song in his blood that built as Oliver’s tongue licked into his in a bold stroke. The larger man pressed his body to the sun-warmed bricks, pinning him, his pelvis grinding against Garrett’s in a mock taking. Garrett thrust his tongue into the heat of Oliver’s mouth. Back and forth they tested, well matched, as the world spun behind his closed eyes. Suddenly breathless, Garrett tore his lips from Oliver’s. Oliver rested his forehead to his, breathing hard.

“You should go home, Garrett.”

“I don’t think so. Why are you afraid of me?” He ran his fingers through Oliver’s short hair.

Oliver brushed a kiss to his lips. “I’m too old for someone in his twenties, Garrett.”

“I’m going to surprise you. I’m thirty-two.” He laughed as the man’s eyebrows shot up. “Told you I was older than I look.”

Oliver’s eyes darkened. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am, but I still feel like a dirty old pervert chasing chickens.” He levered off the wall, grabbed Garrett’s hand, and pulled him along the flagstone path to the bungalow-style house.

Garrett fell into step beside him and slipped their linked hands behind Oliver’s back. There was one sure way he knew to find out Oliver’s age—give him a little dig.

“You can’t be that old. What are you? Fifty?”

“Fifty! No, smart-ass, I’m forty-four. Happy to know that?” Oliver eased his hand free as they climbed the steps to the wide veranda. He pulled keys out of his pocket and unlocked the front door. “I should spank you for that.”

Garrett stepped into the foyer and patted his butt. “A spanking might be fun sometime, but not tonight...”

HIGHWAY NIGHTS
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-169-3
Erotic contemporary gay romance
Now available at Amber Allure
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HighwayNights.html

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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Amber Allure August Top Ten List - and the prerequisite mention for Highway Nights

2011-09-02T08:39:00.000-04:00

September 2, 2011

Congratulations to everyone at Amber Allure who had the joy of an August 2011 release. Try as I certainly did, I couldn't get Highway Nights ready in time for a slot in the August schedule.

The good news - and the bad news - is Highway Nights is set to release this Labor Day weekend. Good news because it's a new release and bad news because it's a holiday weekend. Well, it will be as it will be, eh?

Those August releases not on the top ten list get a special honorable mention from me. I've compared notes with enough authors over the years to know that quite often the difference between #5 and #10 on a list is, you guessed it, five copies. So remember not making a top ten list isn't an indicator that one book is a better read than another. Double congrats to the following August authors:

Blues in the Night by Christiane France
C’est La Vie by Lynn Lorenz
Fortune’s Sharp Adversity by Angel Martinez
Old Stones & New Wine by Carolina Valdez
Song of Love and Way by Jay DiMeo
Stone by Stone by Stevie Woods
Deception by Lyndi Lamont
Camaraderie by Adrianna Dane

Making the list for August 2011:

1. Why I Love Waiters - T. A. Chase (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Ashton And Justice - Stephani Hecht (Gay / Contemporary)
3. On The List - L. A. Witt (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Cowboy Obsession - Sineth Killiri (Gay / Contemporary)
5. Pushing The Envelope 1: For The Attention Of - Kim Dare (Gay / Contemp. / BDSM)
*6. Hitting It Big - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
*7. The Truth About Al - M. L. Rhodes (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Kaleidoscope - A. J. Llewellyn (Gay / Contemporary)
*9. Kissing Sherlock Holmes - T. D. McKinney & Terry Wylis (Gay / Historical)
10. In His Arms - Brita Addams (Gay / Contemporary

* Indicates a late July release date

Stay tuned to Between the Keys. Highway Nights will be avaialbe September 4, 2011 (or whenever the head guru at Amber Allure pushes the button this weekend). I've got an except posted on my website, but still need to do all the other links. Website work never ends. Can you hear me sigh?

So if you're needing some new reading material, check out any of the books listed above. Just reserve a few dollars for Highway Night, okay?

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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Hiding from Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T11:10:00.001-04:00

August 28, 2011

I in no way, shape or form wish to imply Hurricane Irene hasn't been serious business for the residents of the east coast. It has been. All the alarmists and thrill seekers on the Weather Channel aside, most folks knew without being told it was time to run or hunker down. My brother-in-law fled Norfolk, putting a mountain between his family and Irene. But where me and mine live, we already have several mountains for protection, and protect us they did.

So far we've had about seventeen hours of a steady, soft rain with no wind to speak of. The ground was a little damp to begin with, so the rain has soaked in, replenishing the good earth. It could have been very different, and indeed it was back in 2003 when Hurricane Isabel leveled an eighty-five foot tall oak within twenty feet of my house. Comparatively, Irene has been a non-event, which is a blessing for us.

America will do what she always does and rally to help those hardest hit. It's in those moments we can all be proud of who we are. Prayer and helping hands sustain us all.

Waiting for Irene to "arrive" proved productive. All the gas cans are full. New candles are in all the votive cups. The hurricane lamps are filled with oil and the wicks trimmed. The gutters got swept and the basement window well covers checked. Extra ice was collected and wine chilled in the proper sized cooler for late evening consumption. We rolled out the generator and gave it a test run.

The power stayed on but we turned off the lamps and shared the wine by candlelight anyway, grateful our cozy home remained dry and comfortable. And we turned our thoughts and conversation to what we had we could give and what we could do should our brother have severe damage to his home. If he needs us, we're ready to go lend a hand.

The sky is lighter at this hour. I think it's all over for us but the drying out. We'll get on with the day, putting the generator away and spending way too much time deciding what's for dinner.

But we won't forget not everyone was so blessed.

KC

Call me chicken

2011-08-16T20:04:00.000-04:00

August 16, 2011

When I started writing in 2003, you know, in the Way Back Time, if an author had a website, blog and a Yahoo group, people wondered when she or he had time to write. These days, a website, blog and mailing list isn’t considered to even be a bare minimum.

Then came RSS feeds, MySpace, YouTube, NING (now defunct), Twitter, widgets, book trailers, Facebook, Goodreads – I don’t even know what else.

Seriously. I do not know what else. And I’m afraid to go find out for fear I won't have time to write. Or my brain will fry.

Amber Allure Top Ten for July 2011

2011-08-04T08:49:00.000-04:00

August 4, 2011

I've been remiss posting last month's Amber Allure Top Ten as often happens when I don't have a new book come out during the month. Not having a release occasionally sends me into "kick back" mode in regards to my online activities. Sometimes that's a good thing - and sometimes not.

The list came out a few days ago, and maybe you've already seen it. Before we get to it, allow me to give an Honorary Mention to a few other books that were new in July.

Keep in mind that what day of the month a book is released on can affect its placement on the top ten list. It's hard to rack up a month's worth of sales on July 31st. So while these books aren't on the top ten, it's no reflection of their quality.

Naked in Hong Kong by AJ Llewellyn
Hitting it Big by Shawn Lane
Kissing Sherlock Holmes by TD McKinney & Terry Wylis
Double Feature by Aislinn Kerry
Between Hell & El Paso by Derek Adams
Newblood Initiate by Adrianna Dane

And now for the July 2011 Amber Allure Top Ten Best Sellers:

1. Clay's Challenge - Cassandra Gold (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Lucky - K. M. Mahoney (Gay / Shapeshifter)
3. The Truth About Al - M. L. Rhodes (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Under My Bed - T. A. Chase (Gay / Paranormal)
5. Trust Me - B. G. Thomas (Gay / Contemp. / Western)
6. Cemeteries - Lynn Lorenz (Gay / Paranormal)
7. Lost Between - Shawn Lane (Gay / Paranormal)
8. Hellish Twist In Tinseltown - Lee Avalone (Gay / Paranormal)
9. Echoes - Rick R. Reed (Gay / Paranormal)
10. For One Night Only - Anne Brooke (Gay / Contemp. / BDSM)

Congratulations all around!

A Warm July Sunday

2011-07-31T12:09:00.000-04:00

July 31, 2011

I'm done with hot weather. It's already 82F/28C here in western Maryland and it's only nine a.m. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's the Mid-Atlantic region and triple H is the norm for this time of year. I'm still done with it. Can't we move on to October?

Instead of spending my morning bicycling along the C&O Canal with the Potomac River for company, I'm holed up inside on the computer. Not a bad thing - for November. But this is the end of July. I crave sunshine! Fresh [breathable] air! A bike rides gets the blood flowing. Feel the breeze in your hair!

(It also gets you lots and lots of bugs honing their blood sucking skills on you, but for the purposes of this blog, let's ignore that.)

Since it's too hot to go outside without melting, and I'm not, repeat, not doing any housework whatsoever, today is a good day to check into all the corners of my Internet world. One of the Yahoo groups is having an open excerpt day, and I'm playing along. My goal is to post an excerpt from every book I have out. If you like, you can cut to the chase and just visit my website and read them all now :)

In addition to the groups on Yahoo, there are blogs to read. There are a lot of good blogs out there. Scroll down through the blogroll and check out a few. I confess one of my faves is Melissa's Imaginarium. I love Mel's sense of humor.

The groups and the blogosphere are just the surface. After that we get to Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Goodreads, and now even something new at All Romance eBooks. Where will it end? When will I have time to write?

To be honest, every once in a while I need to let the stories "rest." Quite often I benefit by taking a mental break. But I can never abandon the entire world of my writing, so here I am - about my business on the Internet.

When it's all said and done, I'll be happy I did the promo thing today. It's necessary. It may be time consuming, but it's not difficult. And if inspiration regarding any of the stories I have in progress strikes, it's easy to say "enough Internet" and get down to work.

I hope everyone will enjoy this last day of July. It doesn't seem that long ago we passed the last day of June, does it?

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Highway Nights

2011-07-28T20:12:00.000-04:00

July 28, 2011

It's that time again - new cover time!

Highway Nights - coming September 2011 at Amber Allure.

Love this cover!!

Can't stay and chat - gotta make a new wallpaper for my computer :)

Give, get, and give again

2011-07-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

July 26, 2011

For these past many months I’ve suffered with insomnia. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it probably won’t be the last. I put up with it because I must, but if it doesn’t resolve on its own, sooner or later, I’ll resort to the Tylenol PM to snap my biorhythm back into shape.

The inability to sleep often has hidden causes, but I’m pretty sure the root cause of it this time is an overloaded schedule. Too much going on at work, too much going on in my personal life, and not enough time for my passion – writing. Through a stroke of genius, I wrote about a thousand words today.

Okay, it was pure selfish bullheadedness, but who cares? Sometimes I just need to tell everyone and everything to take a number until I’ve banged out a part of the story that has suddenly become clear. I had to get it down while the scene was fresh in my mind. And guess what? The sky didn’t fall on anyone!

My mood started early this morning. Emphasis on early, please. Last evening, I was tired enough to resort to fixing myself a hot toddy in the hope it would knock me out and help me sleep all night straight through. It had every indication of doing just that until 5:16 AM.

What, you ask, does 5:16 AM have to do with it? Promise you won’t call the ASPCA or PETA, or charge me with spousal abuse, and I’ll tell you.

I love my cat. He’s a black and white with tuxedo markings. Quite the handsome boy if I must say so myself, with personality plus. He’s also not allowed to sleep in the bedroom when I’m sleeping in the bedroom. The RETIRED spousal unit knows this. I don’t care if the cat sleeps on the bed all day long because I’m not in bed with him. The cat is NOT a polite bed partner. He pounces on anything that moves.

This morning the brush of whiskers on my cheek and the sinking of not-so-tiny claws into my bosom got my instant attention at the ungodly hour of 5:16 AM. I think I may have mentioned the time earlier in this post, but I’m running short on sleep which can affect the memory. I was sound asleep, and then I was wide-awake. It took, oh…. .000001 seconds.

In .001 seconds, the spousal unit was awake and diving for cover. He’s in charge of not allowing the cat into the bedroom if he comes to bed later than I do, which he did last night. In .1 seconds, the cat was off the bed clawing at the door in the vain attempt to make a clean escape. By this time, all the commotion had the dog barking, and my hope of a solid eight hours of sleep had been whittled down to settling for six and a quarter hours. Unacceptable.

I threw the cat out into the heat and made the dog go down to the den in the basement. The man was more problematic. Locking him in the bathroom doesn’t work. I gave him the bed and took up residence on the daybed in the sunroom where I remained until my alarm went off at six.

And woke the spousal unit again.
And he doesn’t know how to shut it off my alarm.
He had to get out of bed and pull the plug.

I’m still laughing.

Bad KC.

Score!

2011-07-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

July 19, 2011

I got a 4 out of 5 [stars, bars, hearts, avatars, whatevers] review this week for Your Whisper in the Dark. In the text of the review, the comment was made that Kenzie turning a trick at a bar shocked the reviewer.

I must be doing something right!!

KC

Obsessions and Old Friends

2011-07-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

July 15, 2011

There’s something about typing the words, “OLD friend” that makes me want to cringe. I’m still young, so that makes all my friends YOUNG friends, right?

I got a phone call from an old friend today. She’d just seen another old friend and learned I’ve been published. (Yeah, back in 2003!). We’ve been out of touch, obviously.

Anyway, she called with congratulations and we chatted for quite a while. It took an hour out of my day, and at first I was mildly worried about spending that much time at work on a personal call. I had a pile of papers to file, some correspondences to handle, and most importantly, I needed to get out of the office on time on a Friday afternoon. But it worked out fine.

It was good to talk with her and catch up. The years dropped away and we laughed over how mundane our lives truly are. On the drive home, it struck me that she is the second person to call me out of the blue in as many weeks. Must be planetary alignment, or something – something like I spend all my spare time writing. Fast on the heels of that realization was one more indisputable and undeniable truth.

I’m obsessed with all things writing.

Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

It’s a good thing, at least for me. I spent a lot of my life drifting, unsure of what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I sat down and wrote the very first story, I knew this thing called writing was my passion.

Don’t get me wrong. My “day” career involves helping people and it can be very rewarding. It’s nice to know you’ve made some small difference in a person’s life. This is my job.

What I live for are those moments when the words of a story flow onto the page. This is who I am – a writer.

Obsession or passion - call it what you wish. It will still be a good thing for me. But I think I will look at my calendar and make more time to reconnect with old friends and have some fun. Maybe visit some new restaurants, or take in some local culture. I think it will be good for the writing.

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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Western Maryland Rail Trail

2011-07-10T07:40:00.001-04:00

July 10, 2011

I'm up early, ready to blog and eager to write prose. The only hitch in the plan is the weather. It's a balmy 64F/18C - the perfect bicycle riding temperature. It's been awhile since we made the trip to the Western Maryland Rail Trail, so today's the day.

My usual ride is on the C&O Canal towpath. If you ever come to Maryland, make time to visit the C&O Canal and spend an hour walking along the Potomac River. The canal was built in the 1800's as a way to facilitate moving goods up and down the Potomac River. I know you wonder why not just float your barge on the river itself, but the Potomac River has a lot of secret rock ledges beneath the surface.

These days, it's easy to ride along and imagine what it must have been like when mules pulled the barges through the canal. The towpath is like some green-leafed time tunnel, lined by mature trees with a full canopy overhead. A ride on the towpath is private and quiet, unlike the rail trail which runs beside Interstate 70.

Even with the road noise, the rail trail provides a nice change of pace. The towpath is gravel with a lot of bumps, sticks, rocks and roots to dodge. The rail trail is paved with lots of people to dodge. And snakes. Let's not forget snakes.

They like the blacktop. It holds the heat. Be very careful about running over "sticks" on the rail trail.

On the towpath, you have to watch out for deer and squirrels - and even the occasional bald eagle. The snakes are all down by the water sunbathing.

But road noise, people and snakes aside, a ride down the rail trail has the one perk the towpath doesn't - my honey will ride with me. To protect me from snakes. Just kidding. He has nerve damage from chemotherapy in his legs, and the towpath is a bit too rugged for him. I have to slow down to his pace, but it's worth it to ride beside him. He even allows me to call him a slowpoke. How's that for true love?

It's time to finish my coffee, step away from the computer, and load the bikes. Honey is at the door, keys in hand, ready to be underway, and I suppose I shouldn't keep the man waiting.

May your day find you riding a happy trail.

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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When all else fails, try humor

2011-07-09T08:05:00.000-04:00

July 9, 2011

Last night. Words fail me. The memory needs to be blotted out of my brain.

It was one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed. The hometown team needed a mercy killing in the first inning. I'm actually glad my grandfather, who was an AVID fan of the Baltimore Orioles all his life, was not alive to see it.

I dug this old joke out of the archives to share this morning, because after last night, all us Oriole fans need a laugh more than the team needs prayer. Lots and lots of prayer............

* * *

Baseball in Heaven

Two ninety-one year old men, Moe and Sam, have been friends all their lives. It seems that Sam is dying of cancer, and Moe comes to visit him every day.

"Sam," says Moe, "You know how we have both loved baseball all our lives, and how we played minor league ball together for so many years. Sam, you have to do me one favor. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will go to Heaven, somehow you've got to let me know if there's baseball in Heaven."

Sam looks up at Moe from his death bed, and says, "Moe, you've been my best friend many years. This favor, if it is at all possible, I'll do for you."

And shortly after that, Sam passes on.

It is midnight a couple of nights later. Moe is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him, "Moe.... Moe...."

"Who is it?" says Moe sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"

"Moe, it's me, Sam."

"Come on. You're not Sam. Sam just died."

"I'm telling you," insists the voice. "It's me, Sam!"

"Sam? Is that you? Where are you?"

"I'm in heaven," says Sam, "and I've got to tell you, I've got really good news and a little bad news."

"So, tell me the good news first," says Moe.

"The good news," says Sam "is that there is baseball in heaven. Better yet, all our old buddies who've gone before us are there. Better yet, we're all young men again. Better yet, it's always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play baseball all we want, and we never get tired!"

"Really?" says Moe, "That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams! But, what’s the bad news?"

"You're pitching next Tuesday!"

* * *

Have a great weekend, everyone!

KC

Borders back in the news

2011-07-07T17:26:00.000-04:00

I'm proud to be an epublished author.

So if you think it's odd I hate to think of a world without brick and mortar book stores, please chalk it up to one of the contradictions that make up each one of us and define who we are.

Publisher's Lunch keeps up to date with the happenings in the publishing world, and today included an article on Borders. The article states if the $215M offer to buy doesn't work out, Borders will have to liquidate. That would be a shame for my little town, but a possible boon for the epublishing industry.

Maybe I can take a mason jar to Borders and capture a bit of that new-book fragrance before it's too late. Sort of a homage to my younger years.

Read the article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/borders-book-stores-considers-215-million-sale-bid-173100288.html

June 2011 - Your Whisper in the Dark, No. 5 on the Amber Allure Best Seller list

2011-07-06T18:57:00.002-04:00

July 6, 2011

Whoo-hoo! Your Whisper in the Dark was the #5 Best Seller at Amber Allure in June! Thank you! Thank you! to everyone who picked up a copy. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Here's the June list in its entirety:
1. Becoming His - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Between Sinners And Saints - Marie Sexton (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Sins Of Influence - India Harper (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Free Me - Brita Addams (Gay / Contemporary)
5. Your Whisper In The Dark - KC Kendricks (Gay / Contemporary)6. Music Of The Night - M. L. Rhodes (Gay / Contemporary)
7. Static - L. A. Witt (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Catch Me If I Fall - Riley Knox (Gay / Contemporary)
9. All Work And No Play - Anah Crow & Dianne Fox (Gay / Contemporary)
10. Sex, Lies, And Edelweiss - J. L. Merrow (Gay / Contemporary)

For those of you who are reading the stories set in the fictitious town of Marionville (okay, okay, I've got the start calling it a series, I know), Your Whisper in the Dark is about Kenzie, who is an old friend of Noel Springs of the previous story, Open Roads.

While not a sequel in the strictest sense of the word, Your Whisper in the Dark takes place after Open Roads.

For more info on the Men of Marionville series (there - I said it), please visit my website.

Congratulations to everyone who had a June 2011 book release at Amber Quill Press!

Just a teaser - There's another Men of Marionville story in the works. This time, it's a college friend of Cassidy Barlow (What You Don't Confess) who came to town when Cassidy offered him a job. If you're thinking I'm having too much fun with this series, you'd be correct.

And now for the prerequiste signature information, made all the more important since I don't know just where you'll be reading this blog (gotta love the Internet):

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

My Grandmother's Garden

2011-07-03T07:11:00.001-04:00

Last year I wrote a post about the reblooming of my grandmother's first garden. Discovering the garden was such a profound moment in my life, I needed to share it. I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn I had to take the blog entry down due to spam comments. Why they found that blog so attractive, I'll never fathom.

This summer seeds harvested from those amazing plants have sprouted and are growing and gaining strength in my garden, and I can barely refrain from hopping up and down with glee. I decided it was time to share the story once more, and hope you'll forgive me for not allowing comments to this post. - KC

***
A Precious Legacy

July 11, 2010

I have faded memories of the old log cabin on the other side of the creek, the one my grandparents ‘went to house keeping’ in back in 1930. Abandoned by my grandparents when they built a brick home in 1940, the dark logs with their white chinking had almost disappeared when I was a girl, hidden by the poplar grove that sprang up in the old front yard. When I was about eight, my granddad hooked a chain on the old Allis Chalmers tractor, and pulled the cabin down lest one of his grandchildren come to harm playing in its shadow. From 1965 to 2007, the forest laid claim to the property, shrouding it with grapevines, and a carpet of ferns.

Being an only child, in a family of mostly only children, makes for some very close ties. My cousins and I act more like brothers and sister than some blood siblings do. When the subject was broached that one among the third generation was interested in the old lot, there was no need for discussion. All of us grand-kids are established with our own homes, on property given us by our grandparents (yes, we’re all neighbors and have been for almost thirty years). We welcomed the chance to honor the spirit of our grandparents, and pass the old property to one of the great-grand-kids who would care for it. Clearing began in 2007, and the new, modern house was completed in 2008, built on the exact spot where the cabin stood so many years ago.

Little did I know the treasure that would surface this year when I paid a visit to my young cousin. I strolled down my lane, hopped the creek, and walked across a carpet of grass where a few short years ago, wild ferns grew. Being family, I went around the corner of the house with the intent of using the kitchen door. What I saw stopped me dead in my tracks.

The entire length of the backyard, where lawn met the woods, was awash with pink, purple, and white foxgloves, yellow coreopsis, white daisies, pink columbine, and red sweet Williams. What sprawled before me was my grandmother’s first garden. I plopped down on the porch step, and cried.

All those seeds, dormant in the good earth for decades, had fulfilled the promise of sun and rain, sprouted and grown, and now bloomed. I marveled at the miracle, even as I berated myself for not visiting my young cousin at the right time last year. But things happen for a reason, and last year the foxglove would not have bloomed yet, and I might not have noticed what I've been assured was only a few daisies.

I’ve since transplanted roots and harvested seeds. Come fall, I’ll move more roots to my own garden, increasing my chances of good growth in the spring. I will cast the seeds back onto the earth, and watch for seedlings in the coming years, a precious legacy unknowingly left by a woman who loved her only granddaughter well.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Beneath Dark Stars has been Joyfully Reviewed

2011-06-30T17:25:00.002-04:00

June 30, 2011

And sometimes you can score one!

Thanks to Lisa at Joyfully Reviewed for her glowing words about Beneath Dark Stars!

A realistic world where humans unknowingly walk side by side with shape shifters, Beneath Dark Stars is a richly compelling story. Fascinating characters make Beneath Dark Stars a deliciously intense and passionate drama. Fallon is finding his way in a new life with a special lover while the exotic, intense Sundown quietly bridges the human world and his own. This sequel stands on its own easily, yet the world of the Chal is so hazy that it’s frustrating at times, though the reasons for secrecy are obvious. The inexplicable connection between Fallon and Sundown is what sets Beneath Dark Stars apart from other romances. Their love story is fiercely satisfying. - Lisa, Joyfully Reviewed

Read the entire review at: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-reviews/beneath-dark-stars-by-k-c-kendricks

Beneath Dark Stars

Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown.

Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is.

Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction?

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
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To Page or Not to Page

2011-06-25T08:05:00.002-04:00

June 25, 2011

Another Saturday morning and I'm taking an Internet stroll through websites and blogs as I enjoy a cup of Caribou Mahogany coffee. Mahogany is a darker roast with a milder flavor and, at least to my poor palette, no aftertaste. But I digress...again...

As with many authors, I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my website and blog. Gone are the days when all the author had to do is write the story. We're all a one-person show and since we are, we help fuel Internet marketing trends with our ceaseless efforts. Yep. There are that many of us.

For some time now, I've wanted to clean up the appearance of Between the Keys. I love color so having all those gorgeous covers Trace Edward Zaber has done for me on display usually hits on the pleasure receptors in my brain. Maybe it's the coffee, but this morning I'm thinking they might be a bit much. That leads straight to the question of what should I do with them?

Hmm. Maybe it's time to try a few blogger pages. A blog is just a mini-website, right? I know lots of authors who only have blog-sites and never do go .com . At this point in time, blogs are usually free so maybe they're smarter than me. I don't know. I happen to like having a professional .com and a for-fun freebie blog, too. I'm digressing again, aren't I?

Back to the idea of adding pages to my blog. How hard can it be? Blogger is usually quite easy. Figuring out what I should put on the new pages is the hard part.

I think I'll go fix another cup of coffee and take it and a notepad to the patio. It's a fine Saturday morning in western Maryland. The world around me is green, full and lush with all the rain we've had. The hummingbirds are busy conducting aerial battles around the feeder. None of my neighbors are outside with power tools yet, making noise.

Forget the notepad. It seems like it's the perfect time to indulge in a lazy morning away from the one-person show. I'll get the idea of pages on the blog figured out later. And who knows? Maybe all the quiet will inspire me.

KC

Your Whisper in the Dark highlighted by Carolina Valdez

2011-06-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

June 24, 2011

Many thanks to author Carolina Valdez for highlighting Your Whisper in the Dark on her blog, Sweet Ecstasies (http://www.carolina-valdez.blogspot.com/?zx=3a814ffa39714adc)

When I began my writing journey, I didn't consider that I would meet so many interesting people along the way. Carolina hails from sunny California and had it not been for the wonders of the Internet, we would have never met. Check out her website at www.carolinavaldez.com .

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Blog: Between the Keys: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Gateways

2011-06-21T15:54:00.001-04:00

June 21, 2011
The first day of summer

The first day of summer brings thoughts of getting away from it all. I was surfing the web, the only sort of surfing I do although the real kind looks like fun, and found this picture. The scene beckons to me, calling me to step through into life lived at a slower pace. I want to sit in the shade and gaze out over the water.

Hmm. That might be just enough beach for me this year.

Don't forget - new this week - Your Whisper in the Dark. Which also means this week only get it at 35% off from the Amber Allure website.

KC Kendricks
Website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Blog: Between the Keys: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Just released! Your Whisper in the Dark_KC Kendricks

2011-06-18T19:30:00.001-04:00

June 18, 2011
Just released!

A new release is always exciting! It's a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work. For those of you who frequent a lot of blogs, you may see this announcement at several different places. And if you think you're tired of seeing it, think how tired the author gets posting it!!

Just kidding :) We're usually too pumped over having a new book out to get tired. So... Your Whisper in the Dark. Now available!

Your Whisper in the Dark
Contemporary erotic gay romance
available now at Amber Allure

Kenzie Zahn is starting over as a single man. Left with few immediate options, he accepts a friend’s invitation to visit and house sit. It’s the perfect opportunity for Kenzie to put a little space between the past and present while figuring out the best path for his future.

Mason Hall enjoys the carefree single life. He works hard, plays a little harder, and doesn’t think much about settling down. The right man will come along – or not – and he’s content to wait. A night out to enjoy a little dancing leads to a hook-up with Kenzie, the kind of man Mason has only ever fantasized about. Mason can’t let him get away.

Kenzie’s smitten. Mason is irresistible, but home is a thousand miles away and a long-distance romance isn’t workable. A strange twist of identity brings a linked past to light. Kenzie and Mason are brought to the realization that even when Fate arranges a man’s destiny, he still has to take a leap of faith, or lose out on love.

INTRO:

I scampered off to the parlor like a love struck teenager, snatched the receiver off the hook, and fell breathlessly onto the sofa.

“Hey, Mason.”

“Hey. I had this number on the service ticket from last fall. Um, is it okay I called?”

I heard the ‘click’ as Tyler hung the phone upstairs. “Yeah, sure. I guess I should give you my cell phone number, though.”

“Yeah. Do it tonight.”

My stomach plunged. The weather wasn’t conducive to going out. I appreciated Tyler’s offer of his truck, but it would be foolish to go out on unfamiliar icy roads when I didn’t really need to.

“It’s snowing, Mason.”

There was a clattering crash in my ear.

“Fuck. Dropped my screwdriver. Dropped my wrench. Hold on.”

I grinned as I listened to more noise and additional foul language. Was he nervous over calling me? His smooth voice flowed back into my ear. “Sorry about that. I know it’s snowing, damn it. So you’re not coming into town?”

“I’d better not. I don’t know the roads around here that well.” I held my breath, dreading his next words. What if he hung up and we never connected again?

But wouldn’t that be best? My head and my heart weren’t in agreement.

“I guess you’re right.” He cleared his throat. I heard him take a deep breath. “Kenzie, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

I failed to remember I was thirty-six, and a mature man. I ignored how bad of an idea it was to get involved with anyone a thousand miles away from home.

We’d already had each other in the most physically intimate ways possible, and now he wanted to take me dinner. I pumped my fist in the air in a gesture of victory.

“I would love to have dinner with you, Mason.”

EXCERPT:

“Kenzie, please. We need to go someplace private so I can tell you everything.”

I couldn’t think about anything except getting the hell away from him. “I’m leaving, and neither one of us is going to make a scene. Goodbye, Mason.”

I stood, turned on my heel, and left him sitting there. I needed fresh air, to somehow manage to breathe again. If I could get out the door, I could quiet the pounding ‘why, why, why’ beating inside my skull. Was this what people meant by a surreal experience? I fumbled my car keys, dropping them. I bent over to retrieve them without paying attention to how close to the car I was and whacked my head on the car door.

“Fucking hell!” I plopped down on the frozen tundra of blacktop and grabbed the right side of my head to make sure my brains weren’t spilling out.

Just fucking great. I’d sport a bruise for sure come morning, not to mention the fucking headache already eating through bone.

Every time I went queen-out, something nasty happened and it was usually my own fucking fault. Like now. I welcomed Mason’s body heat as he knelt beside me. “Kenzie? Are you okay?”

I kept my right palm pressed to my forehead and glared at him.

“What the fuck to you think?” I moved my hand. “Just tell me if I’m bleeding.”

Mason hesitated, then stroked my face with cold fingertips. “The skin isn’t broken, but I think you’re going to have a bump.” He eased down beside me and I hoped his balls would freeze fast to the macadam through his jeans and stick when he got up. “Please talk to me, Kenzie.”

I suspected there was no way to avoid a conversation with him. Self-induced concussion aside, I seemed to have regained some composure. Maybe. I had one burning question for him.

“Mason, why the fuck even tell me? Why not let me live in blissful ignorance?”

He reached for my hand but stopped short of taking it. I sighed and held it out to him. His chilly fingers closed around my equally cold ones. My gloves were in the car instead of my pocket. Score another point for the home team.

“I had to tell you, Kenzie. It was the only right thing to do once I realized who you were.” He started to put his arm around me but I froze him with a look.

Yes, it was. I had to agree with him on that point. He could have kept it from me. How would I ever learn of it? Dennis and I weren’t in touch, and as far as I was concerned, we never would be. It was all in the past, his and mine, and it couldn’t be changed. Generally, I held with the belief that if there was one thing gay men had no right to judge, it was another gay man’s past sexual history – casting the first stone and all that crap.

My immediate thought was he’d blown that out of the water, but maybe not. He’d taken a big risk by telling me about knowing my ex-partner. Lord, my head hurt.

“So you told me. Now you can fuck me guilt free.”

Mason blew out a short, tired breath. “Kenzie.”

“Sorry. I’m not at my best when my head is splitting and my balls are freezing.”

This time, I didn’t stop him when he moved to put his arm around my shoulders. “I told you because you deserved to know my side of it, okay? If I could take back that day, I would.”

That day? One day? Had Dennis wrecked our life together over one lousy fuck? I certainly saw why he’d be attracted to Mason. The man was smoking hot and, heaven help us all, principled.

“I’m going home, Mason. I need to think about a few things.”

“Will you come to my place so we can talk? And I mean talk. No sex unless you say so.”

The man’s sincerity rang clear and true in his low voice. I hated to turn him down, but I had to.

YOUR WHISPER IN THE DARK
ISBN 978-1-61124-129-7
available now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/YourWhisperDark.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Website updates - again! Life upates - again!

2011-06-10T22:11:00.000-04:00

I've been working on the website again. It seems I never actually attain the perfection I seek. But that's okay. The website evolves as I evolve, and I think that's a good thing.

There were several things that weren't working for me, like the nav bar. It's gone in favor of something more streamlined. To have a cascade menu, or not? That has been the question. So far the answer is not. I tried it, and it didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board.

The Bookshelf page pleases me. I tried several incarnations before I stopped and said, "it'll do."

As each book as its own page, Your Whisper in the Dark is finally loaded, complete with the excerpt...yea! I can't believe it will be out on June 19th. I haven't even gotten the galley yet. Scary stuff, these last minutes rush jobs. I always worry what I've missed, but I've got a great editor and I find my worry is generally unfounded. Doesn't stop me from doing it, though.

The weather has been triple-H this week. Yes, I'm in the mid-Atlantic states and that is the summer norm. Hazy, hot and humid. I'm a walker. I like to get out four or five times a week, frequently during my lunch break, and walk. This past week was heatstroke weather. I got out one day for ten minutes, then I wilted and quit.

Highway Nights, the current WIP is under control. I *see* the ending, now all I have to do is get it committed to the page.

This weekend is the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival over in Halltown, WV, just a bit south of Harper's Ferry. I won't know if I'm going until I see just how hot it gets tomorrow afternoon.

And so it goes in my world, June 10, 2011. Not a great deal of excitement, nothing much out of the ordinary. But there is one singular fact to all my rambling tonight - life is good!

KC

May 2011 Top Ten Amber Allure Titles

2011-06-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

June 1, 2011

The May 2011 Amber Allure Best Seller list was just posted. Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea made it to number three! Yea!

A big congratulations to everyone on the list this month, and to everyone who had a book released during May.

AMBER ALLURE / May 2011

1. Kissed By God - T. A. Chase (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Between Sinners And Saints - Marie Sexton (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Between The Moon And The Deep Blue Sea - KC Kendricks (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Galaxy's Heart - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
5. Infinity Pools - L. A. Witt (Gay / Contemporary)
6. Homeless In Heaven - Deirdre O'Dare (Gay / Contemporary)
7. Catch Me If I Fall - Riley Knox (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Crossing The Line - Christiane France (Gay / Contemporary)
9. Class Distinctions - Rick R. Reed (Gay / Contemporary)
10. Four Days With Jack - Kelli A. Wilkins (Gay / Contemporary)

New cover - Your Whisper in the Dark

2011-05-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

The cover for the next book, Your Whisper in the Dark arrived this week. Being swamped with vacation prep at the day job, I didn't get around to posting it. Now I'm playing catch-up with the fun stuff.

Your Whisper in the Dark. The cover's a little different from all of my other covers. The guys look too young (my readers know I'm into mature characters), but I like the overall color and tone.

Look for Your Whisper in the Dark around June 19, 2011.

Damn You Autocorrect!

2011-05-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while you just have to throw decorum to the four winds. Screw the politically correct. Forget age and image. Every once in a while you have to come clean and admit you found something so funny you almost wet yourself laughing.

A friend sent me the link to the Damn You Autocorrect website and I haven't laughed like this in ages! Based on some of the things friend's phones have emailed me, I believe every one! Enjoy!

http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/

The Story I'm Meant to Write

2011-05-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

May 22, 2011

I think one of the hardest things for an author to do is to completely ignore what those around he/she are writing as it applies to their own work. Writing is a solitary pursuit, and we humans are not solitary creatures. Every day we are bombarded – literally- with news about fellow writers. New releases, new reviews, new blogs – you name it, we hear about it.

That’s not to say it’s wrong to keep informed because it’s not, but information is a mixed bag of good and bad. You wish some people would stop pounding themselves on the back. You begin to wonder if their mother neglected them to the point they simply must, must, must find approval and affirmation anywhere and any way they can. Some people you wish would share their good news from time to time even as you appreciate their low-key approach to life. It’s never right and it’s never wrong, all being part of that solitary pursuit.

Having this bombardment of news creates a peculiar problem for me. I was a reader long before I decided to put my writing talent to use, and I’m still a reader. This morning, I checked on the new releases from various publishers, read the book blurbs to see which one(s) I might like to add to my Kindle. I stumbled across one in particular and wondered why I didn’t think of that plot. The answer is because it’s not the story I was supposed to write.

From time to time, I’ve heard other authors voice the question, “Has someone copied my work?” I’m not going to say that it never happens because maybe it does. Piracy is a big problem and very little is being done to address it at the levels at which it has a chance to be effective. Once a story leaves your hands, anything is possible. But I think it’s more likely that the professional writer taps into the well of shared human experience. Some stories, even if occasionally made familiar by the daily news, are told in our individual voice.

While however disheartening it is to learn someone else has written a story similar to something that we’ve had on our plot board for months, I think our job is to go ahead and write our story as we envision it, to put our own stamp on it. When finished, it will be different, unique with our own voice.

It is also unsettling when demands are made for information. The Internet is a very public place and once we have committed our ideas to the Internet they are free for the taking. When asked what we are currently working on, we need to weigh the pros and cons of our answer, of who is asking the question, why they believe they are entitled to that information, and in what forum we find ourselves when this question is put to us.

So bear with me, and other authors, when we are silent, for we have much work to do, writing the story we are meant to write.

The Science of Desk Clutter

2011-05-18T11:38:00.001-04:00

May 18, 2011

I like to stay up-to-date on things. Every day, the current news stories the homepage of my browser selects for me keep me in touch with the real world.

Okay. Maybe not the real world, but some world outside my own four walls.

Somehow, and I don’t remember the actual series of clicks my little mouse took to get me there, I landed on a page with this headline: “Computer Desktop Clutter Reveals Your Personality.”

Say…what? That’s a scary headline. Why in the world would I want to know what my clutter says about me? I wouldn’t, but it was too late. I was sucked in – snared by my own curiosity into reading the article. Imagine my relief when I got to the part that says their survey, based on 80 million answers, is not scientific because it’s not based on a representative sample of the population.

I wondered, too, at this point, why Live Science was wasting web space, but I read on, unable to stop myself.

It seems that men are more likely than women to have a neat desktop. That led me straight to the burning question of why can’t men get their dirty clothes in the hamper, but I digress. They did say the survey wasn’t scientific.

Moving on, messy desktop users are more likely to have completed some sort of higher education. Uh-huh.

I’ll keep my mouth shut and my fingers off the keyboard on that one.

People who live in crowded cities are more inclined to keep a messy desk as compared to those in rural areas.

Messy deskers say work is often more important than their personal life. Messy deskers often have messy closets. (This was a surprise…why?)

Neat deskers who are more tech-savvy are more likely to place their personal life first and responded they work simply to pay the bills.

So where am I in all that? I’m female (cluttered), I live in a very rural area (uncluttered), didn’t go to graduate school (cluttered), I work because it pays the bills and provides health insurance (uncluttered).

My desk? It falls between “can’t find a freakin’ thing” and “a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind.”

And I like it that way.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Find me on facebook - KC with the little butterfly
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

4.5 Divas for Beneath Dark Stars

2011-05-14T06:51:00.000-04:00

With many thanks to Lasha at Dark Divas for her kind words:

Beneath Dark Stars is the sequel to The Back Stairs by KC Kendricks. Set six weeks after the original book, once again we enter the world of Fallon Roxbury and his shapeshifting lover, Sundown. In this installment we learn more about the Chal, the clan Sundown belongs to, and follow along while Fallon hunts down a serial killer.

As with the first book, KC Kendricks has created a unique being in Sundown as he is not your typical shapeshifter. Sundown’s back-story and origins are fascinating as is the relationship between Sundown and Fallon. Combine their super hot sex scenes with true love and caring, then add in some comical relief with Fallon’s police detective partner, Juny and you have an exceptional plot.

So if you like something a little rare in your m/m romance, then this series is for you. With its distinctive characters, amazing world-building and sexually charged love scenes, Beneath Dark Stars is a great read and hopefully we will get more from the author in this universe.

Rated 4 ½ Delightful Divas by Lasha!

Read the entire review here.

To read an excerpt from Beneath Dark Stars, click here.

Beneath Dark Stars
ISBN 978-1-61124-078-8
Contemporary gay romance with a paranormal twist
available now at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BeneathDarkStars.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Find me on facebook - KC with the little butterfly
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea by KC Kendricks

2011-05-08T12:00:00.005-04:00

May 8, 2011

Just released!

Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Contemporary gay romance available now at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BetweenMoon.html

Chad Collier’s had enough of providing stud service to rich men. It’s true he’s had more fun than any one man deserves, but now it’s time to make a plan for the rest of his life. At the urging of a mentor, he takes a leap of faith and breaks with his old ways. Yet a job interview lands him smack in the path of Darcy Paulson, the sort of rich man Chad vowed to avoid.

Darcy Paulson came of age as the prodigal son in a wealthy manufacturing dynasty. Every man he’s ever met has been after his money, until Chad Collier shows up on his doorstep. Darcy finds Chad prickly, standoffish, and utterly irresistible. Smitten by Chad’s dark good looks and determination to stand on his own two feet, Darcy is happy to give him an opportunity. It doesn’t take long for them to figure out that some private, no-strings fun is what they both need.

An unexpected event brings them face-to-face with the truth. The magic that happens between the moon and the deep blue sea is something a man can’t own, and it can be fully experienced only in the arms of a lover...

INTRO:

…His low, husky voice rippled over me in the small space. I stood still, unmoving, caught between fight and flight, as his warm palm stroked my side. I looked up into his glittering eyes and fell into his intent. Hot blood pooled in my groin. My cock surged full in a handful of pounding heartbeats. Darcy’s dark pink tongue flicked over his lips, leaving them moist. He meant to kiss me and, against all better judgment, I wanted him to do it. I gripped his hips and pulled him closer.

Darcy’s lips touched mine, soft and clinging, whispering promises. The sweet contact jolted though me with its unexpected tenderness. His tongue teased my lower lip, and all too soon he pulled away and left me wanting more. Darcy’s thumb traced the path across my mouth his tongue had taken. He licked his lips, as though he could still taste me. All the while I stood rooted to the floor, aching for him to kiss me again, and cursing my own cowardice. I knew if I kissed him, he wouldn’t push me away, but I…

“I won’t hurt you, Chad. I swear.”

“Don’t promise me anything, Darcy. You don’t know where my head is these days.”

His hands skimmed my sides. “Fair enough. Just don’t lie to me and tell me you don’t want to be kissed again.”

I let my hands fall from his hips. “What I want and what’s best for me right now are several galaxies apart.”

Darcy studied me for the longest thirty seconds of my life, then nodded. “Okay. I’m backing off.” The corner of his mouth twitched in a quirky smile. “I don’t want to, but I will.”

The tiny spark of hope longing for him to push me past my reluctance died, and only when it faded did I realize what I’d done…

EXCERPT:

If the blowjob was hot, was it still stupid? I knew the answer was ‘yes’, but I kissed him anyway. I didn’t linger at his lips – I needed to catch my breath.

"So. Darcy. You always carry a rubber in your pocket?”

He snorted and rolled me onto my back. “I’m gay. What do you think? Don’t you?”

“I usually do, but this wasn’t in the plan, you know.” I grabbed his hands to stop him from pulling my pants completely off. “Let me up.”

“Oh no. I want you, Chad. I’ve got another rubber, and this was in my plan.”

His intent jolted through me. He meant to fuck me right here on the floor. I held him at arm’s length. “Now, wait a minute. This isn’t going to work for me.”

Darcy froze. His expression darkened as he moved toward anger. “You think it’s acceptable to leave me hanging, all hot and bothered, so long as you get off?”

“Don’t get pissy with me, Darcy. I’ve never let a guy up my ass, and this…”

“Never!”

“For God’s sake, don’t look so shocked. I’ll laugh, and you’ll be all hurt.” I twisted out of his grasp and tried to yank my jeans up. Strong hands closed around my hips to pull me back into the curve of his body. Soft lips nibbled on the back of my neck as his fingers teased my ass.

“I agree. The kitchen floor isn’t the place for auspicious beginnings. My bed is.”

I’d gone all shivery from what he was doing to my butt. The light strokes of his fingertips brought to memory the moans of pleasure I’d drawn from other men. Could he do that to me?

“Let me go, Darcy. I not ready for this.”

I felt the anger snap through him. It was there in the way the length of his lean body stiffened, the sharp intake of his breath. Abruptly, he shoved away from me and rolled to his knees.

“My mistake, Chad. You won’t get the chance to use me again.”

His words cut painfully into the part of me that struggled to break free of the mistakes of the past. I tripped my way to my feet, tossed the used rubber in the trashcan, and zipped up.

“I’m not using you. You started this. Yeah, I was wrong not to stop you, but you bushwhacked me – twice now!”

Darcy got to his feet with more grace than I’d mustered, and glared at me. Even pissed off, he had pretty blue eyes.

“Why the fuck didn’t you stop me? Oh, yeah. Must have been that woody you popped up for me, huh?”

“Pardon me all to hell for being human! I never said I don’t find you attractive.”

Darcy’s eyebrows slid toward his hairline. I refused to blink under his scrutiny.

“Andrew says you’re broke.”

Maybe I was broke in more ways than one, but Darcy referred to my lack of funds.

“What if I am? Do you think I’d come all this way looking for work if I had money?”

“Why didn’t the ex, what was his name? Sidney? Why didn’t he set you up?”

“Because I wouldn’t take his money. I didn’t want it. So now what are you going to do, Mr. Paulson? Offer to pay to fuck me?”

Darcy looked me up and down, then shrugged. “I’m going to eat my dinner, unless it’s charred to ash.”

I stood, my mouth hanging open, as he got the bottle of wine out of the freezer and a corkscrew out of the drawer.

I hadn’t even gotten my hands on his dick.

BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
ISBN 978-1-61124-107-5
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BetweenMoon.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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I Survived!

2011-05-01T22:10:00.002-04:00

YES I DID!!!!

Zee End

2011-04-30T04:30:00.005-04:00

April 30, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 26 - Z

We’re finally to ‘Z’ in the A to Z Blogging marathon. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off – don’t go there – but here I am, at Zee. One thing is for sure - Zee is not final. It’s not an end in and of itself. It’s a stepping-stone to another level, one that I feel challenged to attain. Zee is having kept the commitment to complete the challenge and looking forward to next year.

The 2011 A-Z Blogging Challenge brought bloggers from all over the Internet together. I stopped by the blogs of writers, gardeners, movie lovers, chefs, moms, music lovers - you name it, the bloggers were there. How wonderful to have a glimpse into the lives of so many and see how the things I love are shared by others.

Sadly, the A-Z 2011 Blogging Challenge has to end. Zee must be met for this year and I must get back to zee writing. Thanks to everyone who stopped by Between the Keys, especially those who decided to click the follow button. I hope you’ve gotten a smile or two, or at least been entertained in some fashion.

Will I do the A to Z Challenge in 2012? It depends on where I am in my life to some extend, but I plan to regardless of those unexpected things the future may bring. I'm already plotting and planning, on the lookout for interesting topics for all the letters. Perhaps I'll even blog on one central theme. Check back and see.

I need to keep going toward my goal of a better me, to remember that no matter how hard I work or how much I learn, it’s likely my best will always be out there ahead of me, in the undiscovered country. I’ll make it there, someday. Rest assured I travel a path that allows me to enjoy the journey.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

In Celebration of Yellow

2011-04-29T18:09:00.005-04:00

What sort of blogger would I be if I didn't comment on the Royal Wedding? It was a given Katie-Catherine would look stunning. Okay - she was absolutely-completely-utterly-regally stunning and I'm sincerely happy for her.

But I was also pleasantly surprised at the Queen. She was a little ray of sunshine in yellow. No matter your politics - love the monarchy, hate the monarchy or couldn't care less - today isn't the day to quibble over anything. And to that end I'll give the old gal her grandmotherly due - in celebration of yellow.

Yellow Cars

2011-04-29T04:29:00.016-04:00

April 29, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 25 - Y

There’s something about a yellow car that grabs the attention. They’re like a burst of moving sunshine. I’ve never owned one, nor do I plan to, but I confess I like them.

I take it back. I certainly would own one like this.

Or this. I actually did own a 1969 Camaro, like this one, only in that weird shade of medium green Chevy had year.

Oh, heck. I fibbed again. Give me a Gibbs car!

Or a Nash Bridges ride!

And let’s not forget two-time Winston Cup champ Terry Labonte’s best ride. It was easy to keep an eye on the rooster, back in the day.

A buddy of mine had one of these. He was a little Starsky & Hutch crazy, but he got over it before he ruined this paint scheme.

And so goes the next to the last day of the A to Z 2011 Blogging Challenge. I hope you enjoyed the sunbursts.

Xanthippe for a day

2011-04-28T04:28:00.023-04:00

April 28, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 24 - X

I think it would be appropriate to confess the letter ‘X’ almost stumped me. There are the usual “X Factor” ideas, and the list of strange and obscure words begging with the letter X, but I don’t count those as too original. And let’s not mention my fear that with all us authors blogging about the really cool X-words that are out there, some reviewer whose wit does not outpace the English language will start using them to describe contemporary gay romance books. (Make a bet, anyone?)

In my quest for X, I did find this one and it struck a chord:
xanthippe- an ill-tempered woman. That might very well describe me today. Here I am, all the way to X, and the well of words has filled with silt, and it’s made me cranky.

And cranky authors are not a good thing. Unless you're Maxine.

What You Don't Confess by KC Kendricks

2011-04-27T04:27:00.003-04:00

April 27, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 23 - W

What You Don't Confess
Contemporary gay romance
available at http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/WhatYouDontConfess.html

Bright and beautiful, Cassidy Barlow is one of Marionville’s new breed of movers and shakers. Outspoken on political and social issues, Cass draws a lot of media attention, and knows how to us it. Out and proud, Cass makes no apologies for who he is, or who he wants – and he wants Dylan Donoghy. The only thing is, from where Cass stands, Dylan seems to be involved with two different men.

Coming out. The most difficult phrase in Dylan Donoghy’s vocabulary. Handsome, successful, wealthy, he’s made it this far in life with only his closest friends knowing he’s gay. Dylan has a good reason for that to change – his deepening attraction to Cassidy Barlow. It doesn’t come easy, but Dylan takes a few first steps out of the closet. It’s his only choice if he wants to be with Cass, even though he knows Cass has some secrets of his own.

Every man has a private past, and an unwritten future. What he won’t confess stands between the two.

EXCERPT

“You do know those four watchdogs of yours were there the entire evening, don’t you?”

I nodded. “They like to keep an eye on me. Obviously, it didn’t discourage you at all.”

His hand gripped my shoulders again. His amber gaze drilled into mine. “Just so I don’t step in it, Dylan, how many of them have you slept with? And don’t lie to me.”

I fought back against of wave of anger. How dare he imply I’d not tell him the truth? Being astute, he knew he’d pissed me off. I saw the apology in his eyes as he touched his fingertips to my lips.

“That didn’t come out right, Dylan.”

“ Apology accepted. Before today, I might have told you it was none of your business, but now I think you should know. We’re no longer intimate, but I have a very close, special relationship with both Travis and Tyler. I’m very happy for them that they both found a partner.”

“That’s what I figured out Friday night when they spent all that time running in and out of an area marked ‘private’. Especially Templeton.”

“Don’t test me too often, Cass. I don’t like it.” I spoke sharper than intended, but he needed to know my boundaries. “There’s a lot of space between your age and mine. Be careful not to judge until you get to where I am.”

Those restless hands of his skimmed along my sides. “I’m not being judgmental, I swear. I just needed to know what the dynamics are between you and them so I don’t put both feet in my mouth.”

“Okay. I get it. And for what it’s worth, all four of them, especially Travis, are rooting for you.”

“Really? He’s in my corner, is he?” Cass tucked his fingers under my belt and tugged. I levered my weight off the door and stepped past him, capturing his hand to pull him into the casual space I used for informal gatherings.

“He’s using tough love on me when it comes to you, so don’t be shocked, or surprised, at his little quips. Have a seat.”

Cass eased down on the love seat and patted the spot beside him. I ignored him, and went to the bar. “What would you like to drink?”

“Ginger ale?”

I nodded and poured two, handing his to him with an apology it didn’t come in a brandy snifter as I settled in beside him. I stopped him when he moved to put his arm around me.

“You’re killing me here, Dylan.”

“No, I’m not.” I sipped my drink. “Cass, I don’t want to make a misstep with you. I know what you want tonight, but what do you want next week? Or next month? Christ, what do I want next week?”

He leaned back and watched me with those amber eyes. His cool, even regard gave little indication of his thoughts. Cass downed his drink in three fast swallows, then swirled the ice around in the bottom of the empty glass.

“Do you always think everything to death, Dylan?”

“It’s a hazard one encounters in middle age.”

“I’m not some mistake you’ll regret when you’re ninety.”

I laid my hand on his thigh. The heat of his skin penetrated his jeans, and snaked up my arm. “You’re right, you know. I won’t regret meeting you, whether dinner is all we share, or we become friends, or if we become lovers.”

“Or? If? I don’t appreciate being jerked around.”

“Well, poor little you that I haven’t figured this out yet.”

Cass’s mouth dropped open, then snapped closed. He stared at me, blinked, and stared again. I reveled in private glee that I’d seen him speechless twice in one day, but that amusement was strongly tempered by the knowledge I had him too far off balance. I squeezed his knee.

“Look, Cass. I’m not jerking you around. Getting involved with someone isn’t easy for me. I’ve never been someone who gets a hard-on for a guy and loses my mind until I fuck him. I have to think things through, and consider the impact it may have on my life.”

He shook his head. “Babe, you’ve got to start living in the moment, and stop living in fear.” Cass set his empty glass down on the end table and stood. With angry, disappointed eyes, he met my gaze. A muscle moved in his clenched jaw.

My heart beat painfully. I knew what he was going to say...

WHAT YOU DON'T CONFESS
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-020-7
Contemporary gay romance
available at http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/WhatYouDontConfess.html

This title is also available as part of the Stepping Out PAX available athttp://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AP_SteppingOut.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Vino & Violets

2011-04-26T04:26:00.006-04:00

April 26, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 22 - V

We're in the home stretch of the A to Z Blogging Challenge month. The days have has flown past. Presenting a blog every day has not been a chore, although I would never say there have not been a few challenging moments. It's taken a great deal of time - enjoyable time - and that's fine. As we near the finish line, I'm pleased I will cross it.

I'm not sure what made me think of Vino and Violets for today. Perhaps a more logical choice would have been to promo the Victory series, but out of memory came the following poem. I'm sure my tenth grade English teacher would be surprised if I could tell her the six weeks of poetry she shoved at us weren't entirely wasted.

Reading the poem again led straight to The Days of Wine and Roses, so I've included those lyrics as well.

I'll leave you to your own interpretation of the poem. Like art in the eye of the beholder, what it means to you is the important thing.

"Vitae Summa Brevis"

They are not long,
the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no
portion in us after
We pass the gate.
They are not long,
the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while,
then closes Within a dream.
–Ernest Dowson (1867-1900)

* * * *

The Days of Wine and Roses

The days of wine and roses laugh
and run away like a child at play
Through a meadow land
toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore"
that wasn't there before

The lonely night discloses
just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you

The lonely night discloses just
a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you.
_Johnny Mercer

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
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The Undiscovered Country

2011-04-25T04:25:00.010-04:00

April 25, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 21 - U

“I offer a toast: the undiscovered country – the future.” - the future (and late) Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire
* * *

Marty McFly: What about all that talk about screwing up future events? The space-time continuum?Dr. Emmett Brown:Well, I figured, what the hell! – Back to the Future* * *

“Just because something is unknown does not necessarily mean it needs to be feared.” - Teyla Emmagan, Stargate Atlantis
* * *

“If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced.” – Mulder, X-Files
* * *

“And so it begins.” - Kosh, Babylon 5
* * *

“Always in motion is the future.” – Yoda
* * *

Marty McFly: Hey, Doc! Where you goin' now? Back to the future?
Doc: Nope. Already been there. - Back to the Future III
***

"I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life" - George Burns***

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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Happy Easter

2011-04-24T08:30:00.002-04:00

To all who celebrate the mystery and joy Easter - He is Risen!

And yes, KC is on her computer instead of being among the faithful at her house of worship. It gets too crowded on Easter morning and someone I haven't seen in a year is always in my favorite seat. :) Besides, I'm cooking for a hungry hoarde due to arrive in a mere three hours and thirty minutes. Who wants to peel the potatoes? Vacuum the living room floor? Glaze the ham? Sweep the walk after last night's storm? Can I get a little help here?

I didn't set out to blog about all that. No, it's my horror-scope again. If it seems strange that I celebrate Easter and also read my horoscope - hey, life is full of contridictions so move along and get over it. Anyway, Mercury is just out of retrograde and I get this for today:

Your intellectual energy is pulsing today, and you should find that it's easier than ever to tackle big issues with ease. In fact, your good ideas come so quickly that you should write them down!

The universe has too much fun at my expense. Excuse me. Did you not just hear me say I have to cook? Who has time for good ideas when one is glazing a ham and making biscuits? Oh well, I can always write them in butter.

Tiwanaku and the Tough Target Story

2011-04-23T04:23:00.010-04:00

April 23, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 20 - T

I’m fascinated by ancient lost cities and civilizations. Machu Picchu, Teotihuacan, Easter Island, Angkor Wat, and Tiwanaku.

There’s speculation about just how old Tiwanaku really is. There’s speculation about just who actually built the city. The ruins of the city are near the shores of Lake Titicaca (think El Dorado’s gold) and is generally recognized as important to the emergence of the Inca. And yet what we don’t know is greater than what we do know.

I’ve long wanted to write a story that includes these marvelous ancient places, but I’m unsure of how to proceed. Oh sure, there’s the archeologist, the adventurer, the hapless pilot, but I fear those characters have been around the block a few too many times.

The desire to write something that is likely unmarketable is something most authors will encounter sometime in their career. Our personal interests are not always shared by the masses, and it’s never a good thing to expect our readers to fall into line and love our stories no matter what.

That’s not to say we should allow ourselves to grow stale, writing the same thing over and over and over again. That also is a disservice to our readership. The reader/author relationship is deeply symbiotic, and we need to remain cognizant of that fact.

So perhaps, someday in a story, I will insert a moment like this one:
A lover comes home from a long day at work and flops on the sofa beside the object of his affection. He’ll ask what’s so interesting on the television. The reply, just before they kiss: A special about the ancient city of Tiwanaku.

Mission accomplished.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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Shine A Light for the Earth

2011-04-22T04:22:00.005-04:00

April 22, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 19 - S

For the Christian world, today is Good Friday. The faithful fast, recreate the walk of the cross, reflect on certain aspects of in their lives that need attention, and pray. It’s a solemn day that prepares the Christian for the celebration of Easter.

Easter – the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. That’s why Easter falls on a different Sunday each year. Honest. It’s a bit pagan, isn’t it?

Today is also Earth Day 2011. Founded in 1970 on the premise that everyone, regardless of race, religion, location or income has a moral right to a healthy environment, Earth Day reminds us to take stock of how we live our lives, and what positive changes we may need to adopt.

There’s something about Good Friday and Earth Day falling together that strikes me as very appropriate, although I don’t think we need to give up our life(style) to make the world a better place. I think we need to pick one thing we can do better and consistently do it. From there, if you choose, you can build on your success and step up to the next thing. Lists of ideas abound on the Internet so I won’t bore you with suggestions. Myself, I’ve taken steps that are both financially practical and environmentally friendly.

My home has an upgraded heat pump and compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout. Both my partner and myself us stainless steel reusable water bottles and coffee travel mugs that cost a small fortune, but are very good quality and will last forever. As a country girl, some of the things like composting are way old school stuff. It’s all little things, and admittedly painless, but it’s always a good thing when doing the right thing doesn’t hurt.

Of course, I’ve got to give a plug to ebooks. Think of the trees you save by buying ebooks. After people, trees are the number one thing that can most benefit the environment.

So shine a light for the blue planet, metaphorically speaking. This is our home, the only one we have. We may or may not be all alone out here in the void. If we are indeed alone, we need to take care of us because we’re worth it.

KC

Rewind, Relax, Renew

2011-04-21T05:16:00.003-04:00

April 21, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 18 - R

When I signed up to do the A-Z Blogging Challenge, I’d just completed a very busy writing period. I’d lived through the holidays and completed a few manuscripts while doing so. One of the books had released, and the edits were finished on the other two. Two more stories are partially written at about 10K each. Not a bad six months.

Like every other super productive phase I’ve passed through, I felt the need to step back from writing. The Challenge seemed as though it would be just the ticket, and it has been. As I write this, some weeks before it will actually be posted at Between the Keys, I’ve been working on the daily articles for just a week, and I’m all the way to ‘R’.

I confess I’m almost ready to get back to the writing. A week might not sound like long enough to relax, but down time from writing can’t be measured in definable units like minutes. It’s almost as if I can feel some wheel or dial inside me turn. Or maybe it’s like the tumblers in a lock falling into place. I’ve got one last thing to do before I begin again – walk back to the pond.

When I was growing up, a walk to the pond was a family affair, and most of us came home with wet shoes and paws. You have to cross three different creeks to get there - and cross them again to get home. Being young and nimble, I usually managed to make the leaps. Dad never landed in the water, but being six- foot-two he had the advantage of longer legs than the rest of us.

The pond is a magical place for me, a place of renewal. You might look at the picture and shrug, but you can’t smell the spicy tang of the woods, or hear the smallest twig snap as a deer comes in to drink. The picture doesn’t let you see the flash of silver as one of the little sunnies swims into a too shallow spot and has to flap his way back to deeper water. The pond photographs best in autumn, when I generally go, but this year I want to see it poised on the edge spring, echoing what I feel inside.

Walks to the pond are almost solitary events these days. The dog goes with me, but the woods walkers in the family have been reduced to one – me. Mom can’t do the distance now, which is worrisome in that it reminds me she’s not so young anymore. My partner completed the walk once, by willpower alone, but while chemotherapy saved his life, it left him no longer strong enough to walk such a distance and we both know it. My grandparent’s are gone, and my cousins married girls that practice mall walking. It’s all part of a bigger wheel turning and it’s okay.

Take time for yourself in all your endeavors. Discover what it is that gives you space to breathe and learn to use is as the life tool it is. Don’t shortchange yourself by living with your nose unceasingly pressed to your personal grindstone. It will strip you away, layer-by-layer, and leave you wondering what the heck happened to the days of your life. Without downtime, it’s easy to forget why you love doing what you do.

Rewind, relax, renew. You really are worth it.

Quetzal

2011-04-20T07:16:00.002-04:00

April 20, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 17 - Q

Did I fool you on this one? Blogging for “Q” is not easy. Yeah, yeah, I know. I could have gone with queer (as in the unusual) or Queen (long may the music reign, Freddie), but that was too easy. I just shluffed off three days on promo for Netting Neptune, Open Roads, and Passion’s Victory. I had to come up with something special for Q.

The quetzal is a bird that lives in Central America. I guess it needs the beautiful colored feathers to make up for a less than pretty face. I knew about this bird and its importance to Mayan and Aztec cultures (being a National Geographic devotee), but who knew I’d ever use it as blog fodder? Not me, that’s for sure. But this is one of the more interesting aspects of writing – the pieces of information that become useful.

Curiousity about the obscure is something I hope I never lose. This little blue sphere we live on is full of magic and mystery. Imagine life one-hundred years ago, a time when virtually all of us would never know about the huge cave found in an Asian jungle, or Easter Island, or the Nazca Lines. I’ll never be an expert on any of it, but I’m happily curious about it all.

The more serious writer would probably scoff at the time I waste clicking here and there about the Internet, wasting time on things like looking at pictures of a weird little bird. Heaven only knows what sort of infractions I’ve heaped on my own head by blogging about it, but I don’t really care. I don’t think it’s time wasted.

I don’t think it matters that I’ll never write a story about a quetzal. Just knowing it’s out there, that it’s been out there in some stage of evolution for thousands of years, brings a sense of wonder into my life. And we could all use a little more of that.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
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Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Passion's Victory by KC Kendricks

2011-04-19T06:57:00.002-04:00

April 19, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 16 - P

I don't know many authors who don't have at least one book that garnered some pretty awsome reviews. I don't put a lot of stock in reviews, but when one of the most acclaimed authors in the genre rates a story 5 out of 5, I take notice. When it's one of my books that received such a review, I say a very respectful 'thank you'.

We're through the promo patch, and entering the last third of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. So far, it's all good. - KC

PASSION'S VICTORY
2008 CAPA Nominee
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/PassionsVictory.html

When passion is the prize, it’s time to change the rules….

Micah Souther is young, talented, and gay. As the junior owner of the family business, he knows better than to look for love “on the clock.”

Jonas Chadwick is the new guy at the firm. Older, wiser, and a survivor of the school of hard knocks, he’s not in the market for an office romance, even if he knows for certain his young boss is gay.

One kiss is all it takes to send Micah and Jonas on a collision course, and when bodies collide, the friction gets hot...

EXCERPT

...My pulse pounded loudly in my ears and my cock rose, anticipating something I knew wasn’t a certainty. He’d come back, but for what? His warm lips found mine, seeking permission. I opened to him, inviting him to plunder at will. He did, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. I met him eagerly, hungrily. I wanted this, and more.

Jonas’ strong fingers encircled my wrist and he lifted my arm above my head as his body pinned me, full length, against my front door. He pressed the hard ridge of his erection firmly to mine. I reached for him with my free hand, wanting to feel his length and girth, but he grabbed that wrist, too, and lifted it beside the other. I bucked against him, totally turned on by the aggression I sensed in him.

“Be still,” he growled in my ear. He trailed kisses down my neck, even as his grip tightened. I struggled to break free of the vise grip he had on my wrists.
His pelvis ground against mine. I tilted my head and delved into the heat of his mouth. I moaned. He moaned. I wanted my hands free in the worst way. I needed to touch him, caress the sensitive, silky skin I knew sheathed his penis. I ached to feel his lips on my cock.

I threw my weight forward, desperate to force him to take a step back. It worked and I quickly spun him around and pinned him with my body. He grunted as he came in contact with the door and his lips bowed beneath mine. His strong fingers released my hands, and I reached for him, gathering him to me. His muscled thigh slipped between mine and applied upward pressure on my balls. Instead of worrying about injury I pressed down, reveling in the tingling sensation.

“Jonas,” I murmured against his smiling lips. “Talk to…” His tongue flicked to mine, cutting off my request for a moment of conversation.

Any of my neighbors watching were getting quite a sideshow. I shoved my hand in my pocket, fumbling for my keys. They fell from my shaking fingers to the porch decking. Jonas pushed me back, breaking physical contact. I longed to see his eyes, to get some idea of what he thought, what he felt.

“Bend over and pick them up,” he said cheerfully as he rubbed my nipple.

I stared at him and tried to catch my breath. “Not in front of you, Chadwick. I know all about men like you.”

“Do you?” Something rough and dark in his voice gave me pause. What demon did he battle?

“I know enough.” I pushed him back against the side of the house, not with some little force. “Why did you come back?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to satisfy my curiosity.”

“Bullshit.” I fisted my hands in his shirt and gave him a shake. “We take this inside, make it private, or we’re done here.”

Jonas stared at me for the longest twenty seconds of my life, then he nodded. I released him and he bent over, snagged my keys, and dropped them into my outstretched palm. I unlocked the door and invited the devil into my home for the second time in one day.

“I need a drink. Do you want one, Jonas?” I needed to haul him into my bedroom and have my way with him, that’s what I needed. My insides quivered. I shivered despite the warm evening.

But I knew, to my sorrow, that quickie sex now would be a mistake, and I bet he knew it, too.

“I’ll take a brandy, if you have it.”

“I hope you’ll settle for bourbon.”

I poured us each a generous shot and handed him one. He nodded and tossed it back like a pro. I followed suit, and we set out empties down on the counter in unison. Jonas reached for me again. I lifted my chin and stared him down. His hand dropped to his side.

I wanted him. God, how I wanted him. I ached with it. His gaze met mine before flicking down to the bulge in my pants and back up.

“Looks nice.”

“It’s a sock,” I told him cheerily, in the same tone that he’d used to tell me to bend over.

“Hmm. Well, that’s the risk we run, isn’t it?”

I snorted. “Ya think?” I went to check his package, and he moved away.

“Shy?” I hardly thought shyness to be a problem for him given his examination of my tonsils with his tongue.

“Let’s just say I’m cautious...”

PASSION'S VICTORY
2008 CAPA Nominee
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/PassionsVictory.html
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-330-6

Also available:
SURRENDERED VICTORY
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/SurrenderedVictory.html2008 Amber Heat Wave Winner
ISBN 978-1-60272-283-5

SHINING VICTORY
One of the Top Ten Bestsellers at
Amber Allure November and December 2008
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/ShiningVictory.htmlISBN 978-1-60272-422-8

A TASTE OF VICTORY (PAPERBACK)
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TasteVictory.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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4 Divas for The Back Stairs

2011-04-18T18:41:00.009-04:00

Dark Divas Reviews has given The Back Stairs a 4-Diva review. My thanks to Lasha for her glowing words. I blushed when I read them. (Was she saying that about MY story???)

It's my first Dark Diva review, and I couldn't be happier. The reviewer used words like "original and intriguing," "unique," and "sizzle." Now there are words to make an author's heart go pitter-patter! AND THEN she said she may read Beneath Dark Stars!

Yes, I'll be over the rush by morning, sad but true. Real life will intrude like it always does, but tonight - I gloat!

Here's the scoop, but be a doll and go give the review site a click for their counter. It's good politics.

I loved the world-building in The Back Stairs as it brought a depth and texture to the plot. Although the novella is set in the present, it had an other-worldly feel and the backstory of Sundown was original and intriguing. Bring in Fallon and Sundown’s unique love story and this book really begins to sizzle.
And since I enjoyed this first novel so much, I am looking forward to reading (and reviewing) the second book in this series, Beneath Dark Stars. Sundown and Fallon are quickly becoming my favorite human-shapeshifter pairing.
Rated 4 Delightful Divas by Lasha!

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Open Roads by KC Kendricks

2011-04-18T06:03:00.005-04:00

April 18, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 15 - O

Open Roads is one of those special
stories. Every author has a few.
The ones that just flow onto the
page without any apparent effort,
writing itself. Open Roads is
the kind of story a writer looks
back at and says,
"Wow. I wrote that...."

Open Roads
contemporary gay romance
now available at
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/OpenRoads.html

BLURB:

Tyler Phillips enjoys his small town life. He’ll never get rich working the family business, but he knows there’s more to a man than the size of his bank account. Easing into mid-life, Tyler’s restless for something he can’t find in the little borough of Easton – male companionship.

Noel Springs got caught up in the economic downturn. His job gone, and retirement a lot of years in the future, Noel decides to take a long drive and see some of the country before dedicating himself to finding new employment. The open road is just what he needs right now.

When his car overheats outside the little town of Easton, Noel discovers the local mechanic is hotter than his radiator, and just as eager to blow off some steam.

INTRO: (from Tyler's point of view)

“Nice car. How far back did the trouble start?”

He leaned inside and pulled the release lever. Little lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes as he smiled. “About forty-one years.”

I grinned at him, already liking his sense of humor as I lifted the hood. A wave of steam engulfed us. I hastily closed my eyes and stepped back to keep the antifreeze-laden vapor from leaving a film on my contact lenses. “Come inside. We’ll let that cool down so I can take a look at her.”

“You’re going to tell me it’s the radiator, aren’t you?” His clear tenor held just a trace of the west as he followed me into what passed as a reception area and office combined. I opened the soft drink case.

“What would you like, on the house? And don’t panic yet.” Based on the way the steam smelled, I suspected his radiator would be fine, but what was inside it was not.

“Too late. I panicked about five miles ago when the temperature gauge shot up.
You can’t imagine how relieved I was to see your sign. I’ll take coffee, if you have it.”

I popped the cap and handed him a cola. “Sorry. It’s a little late in the day for any to be left in the pot.” I grinned at him. “And I hear that a lot about my strategically placed sign out there on the Interstate.”

His grey gaze held my hazel one captive as I held out my hand to him. “Tyler Phillips, owner-operator.”

Strong fingers closed around mine, holding my hand a moment too long for politeness. “Noel Springs, stranded motorist.”

EXCERPT:

Our bodies brushed, hip against hip, as I leaned past him. I heard the sharp intake of breath as he jumped, and felt his heat when he seized the moment and pressed the long length of his muscled thigh to mine. My mouth went dry, but I didn’t need to speak.

Hidden from public view by our bodies and the car, Noel’s hand stroked across my ribs and came to a stop as his strong fingers gripped my waist. I had my hands full, carefully securing the pie for the ride home. His pelvis bumped my ass, a quick thrust that almost knocked my head against the doorframe. My cock hardened in a rush, straining within its denim prison.

“That’s what you get for bending over in front of me, you little tease.”

I wiggled my butt, and he smacked it, hard. I straightened and turned around, grinning at him.

I looked down. He looked down. Noel returned my grin. His grey eyes gleamed in the sunlight as his pink tongue licked his full, rosy lips.

“Seven-and-a-half, cut.”

"Eight. Cut"

Noel narrowed his eyes. “Top or bottom?”

I grasped his hips, not caring if the whole town buzzed it up on the gossip chain by sundown. “You’re too eager.”

He glanced down at my bulging zipper a second time. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“You know, Noel, I don’t want to get all stupid with you. I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of your misfortune on the highway.”

“I know, Tyler. And I don’t want you to think I ever planned to abuse your hospitality. This is just one night. Maybe a little friendly companionship, provided…”

He moved to kiss me, and I jerked away. He looked surprised.

“Sorry, Noel.” Kissing on Main Street might be a bit too much for the neighbors whose good will supported my standard of living. “I keep my private life low profile.”

“Of course. I’m out, and I guess I thought you were, too.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m in sort of a limbo. I don’t care if people know, but this is a small town. I don’t flaunt it in public, but in truth, around here, neither do straight lovers.”

“Got it. When in Rome.” He backed away, his expression unreadable as he climbed into the car.

Maybe I’d tripped some trigger of his, or not, but I’d figure it out when we got to my place. Insides quivering with anticipation, I headed out of town.
Noel remained silent for the remainder of the drive to my home, at least until
I turned onto the long gravel lane that led to the two-story frame farmhouse. He shifted in his seat and fixed that clear grey gaze on me in an incredulous stare.

“Excuse me for asking, but what the hell is a good looking stud like you doing out here in bum-fuck middle America, working as a grease monkey, and living on a farm, for God’s sake!”

The answer that filled my being came out of the still darkness of countless solitary nights.

Waiting for you.

OPEN ROADS
ISBN 978-1-60272-731-1
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/OpenRoads.html
KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Are we having fun yet?

2011-04-17T07:05:00.003-04:00

April 17, 2010

So it rained yesterday.

And rained. And rained some more.

I don't think I'm leaving home anytime soon.

Thank God the Internet connection has been restored.

Netting Neptune by KC Kendricks

2011-04-16T05:24:00.002-04:00

April 16, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 14 - N

When I planned out the A to Z month, I had a good idea of how to pace myself. I wanted to strike a balance between personal stuff, fun stuff, and promo stuff. We've hit the middle stretch, which happens to be the promo stretch. So here's a bit about Netting Neptune, the first of story in the At the Southern Cross series.

Netting Neptune
Contemporary gay romance
#6 Best Seller, Amber Allure, September 2009
http://www.amberallure.com/NettingNeptune.html
Theron Bowman is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. At forty, he needs to make some serious decisions about his future. He splurges on a two-week vacation in the Caribbean, and like everything else in his life, things go horribly awry and he ends up working to pay for his room.

Forced by his father to break ties with his family, Colby Denton came to rest on St. Lucia, and opened an exclusive resort. To celebrate his tenth year on the island, and his birthday, Colby arranges for a series of festive beachside parties. When a sexy sea god swims out of the ocean in front of him, Colby has a brand new plan – netting Neptune.

EXCERPT

I nibbled Theron’s earlobe, aware a few of my staff surreptitiously watched our dance. I never hid the fact I was gay from them, but they’d never seen me openly courting anyone before. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the simple pleasure of swaying to the music with him.

As the music ended, soft applause rippled through the shadows. I pulled back and looked at him. “Ready to turn in for the night?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Yes. I’m ready, but there’s something… Look, Colby, let’s not get all caught up in tonight, okay? I’m going home as soon as I can.”

I understood him all too well, but from the moment he’d risen from the sea, I’d been under his spell. It would be hard to let him go in the morning, but it was clear he’d already made that choice. I wondered, for a brief moment, about the man who’d betrayed him. Was there still involvement there? The heart was a strange ruler, forgiving what on the surface seemed unforgivable. It wasn’t something I could ask and expect to share his passion tonight. His past was his own, and I wouldn’t be the one to reopen old wounds.

“I hope you won’t be upset when you get to my suite. I ordered a few things in case you said yes.”

“It’s okay. I suspected you would. Any man who lives on a tropical island has to be a bit of a romantic.”

I kept my arm around his waist and propelled him off the dance floor. “It’s not a bad thing, you know. Surf, sand, starlight.”

“I didn’t say it was.” Theron pulled me off the path and into a dark shadow.
His fingers teased the wisps of hair on my collar as his arms snaked around my neck. I forgot how to breathe as his dark eyes watched me. The blood pooled in my groin; my cock lengthened. I ran my hands up his sides, feeling every ridge of his ribcage. He held his back stiffly, like he hadn’t felt a connection to anyone in a while. My knees shook when he wet his lips.

I’d tried not to obsess over why he’d not kissed me earlier, but it had bothered me off and on all day. We’d come to the moment where he would, and I reached down for every ounce of self-control I had to remain still and let him kiss me, his way. Did he have any clue what he did to me?

I had to know if his dick was as hard as mine. Theron’s eyes lit with anticipation as I cupped his ass cheeks and ground my pelvis to his. He was hard, the ridge of his cock pushing the length of his zipper.

I managed to croak a few words. “I had to know.”

He ran his thumb over my lower lip. If he didn’t kiss me soon, I’d faint from lack of oxygen.

“And now that you do, what happens?”

“You tell me, Theron. I don’t want to push you.”

“You’re not.” He cupped the back of my head and brushed his lips to mine, a whisper-soft touch that snapped through me, shattering my good intentions along with my control.

I backed him to the side of the restaurant where the shadows were deepest and kissed him, hard. His tongue licked into mine, eager and willing. Wanting. I tasted the faint trace of lemon from his drink as I nibbled the corner of his mouth. Theron scraped his teeth over my lower lip and heat coiled in my belly, like some spring awaiting release.

His strong arms held me as I massaged his ass. My balls drew up as he groaned and thrust his tongue into my mouth. Deep inside, a phantom memory ached for a new touch, his touch, and from that phantom came images of him pressing me down beneath him on clean, crisp sheets.

NETTING NEPTUNE
Book One of the Southern Cross series
#6 Best Seller, Amber Allure, September 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-573-7
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/NettingNeptune.html
Also available:

TAMING TRITON
Book Two of the Southern Cross series
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-586-7
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/TamingTriton.html

POSEIDON'S PLEASURE
Book Three of the Southern Cross series
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-599-7
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/PoseidonsPleasure.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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Monet Musings

2011-04-15T00:00:00.009-04:00

April 15, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 13- M

I’ll be the first person to admit I don’t have a good eye for art. My niece and I went to the Corcoran Gallery in the District of Columbia this past summer, and most of the art on display left me cold. I had no true understanding or appreciation of the more modern pieces. But show me a Monet and I can stare at it for an hour.

Long ago and far away, in my high school days, I had an art teacher that expected her students to create a painting in oils on canvas. Yep. It was a scary concept for a room full of sixteen year old kids in a small town. I had to choose one of six paintings and copy it. I was drawn to the Monet.

Seriously. Now is that a get out of town moment, or not? Copy a Monet, for heaven’s sake! What was that teacher thinking?

To my mother’s credit, she forked over the cash for a small paint kit and off to class I went. She may still have the painting I did all those years ago. She keeps things that make me cringe. It’s her job as a mother. Yet every once in a while I think it might be fun to get a canvas and paint something. I doubt that the intervening years have magically given me artistic talent, but a splash of my own colors on the wall might be great fun.

I can’t say as I remember any masterpieces being generated out of that class. What I do remember is my art teacher’s patient and glowing encouragements of everyone in the room. It took a little while, but I finally got it. Impressionist painting is about freedom of interpretation. It’s about how you perceive the nuances of color and form. Right and wrong had no place, and everyone who gave it an honest try got an 'A'.

In some regards, an author’s voice is like the brush of an impressionist artist. There is no right or wrong to the stories we write. While the painter uses oils to create cohesive colors and patterns to create a picture, we pull emotions and thoughts out of the air around us to bring our creations to life. The words are filtered by our experiences and perceptions and become unique to us, a painting of words. And like those artists of old, we frequently suffer the slings and arrows of the jealousy of those who cannot copy what we do, and in that jealousy seek to take away our freedom. I’m aware, and wary, of them.

And while those intervening years haven’t given me painterly talents, what they have given me is knowledge of self, the ability to love, and an understanding that the more different people are, the more alike we become. We’re all little dots of color on a universal canvas and together we create a complete picture, one even more beautiful than a Monet.

KC Kendricks
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Lessons From the Cat

2011-04-14T00:00:00.002-04:00

April 14, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 12 - L

When I was very young, we didn’t have cats, and the reason we didn’t was because my grandfather had hounds. Hunting hounds, not pets. No small animal was safe running loose around the old homestead. It wasn’t until my parents had saved enough to buy their first house that I had a cat. And my first cat was a Siamese named Mugsy.

We came by Mugsy as a favor to our next-door neighbor. They built a new house along a busy highway and feared for Mugsy’s life. I’m not sure why keeping him inside wasn’t an option, but 1967 was a long time ago and it hardly matters now. The neighbors asked my mother if we’d take him since the neighborhood was his home and he knew us. Mom said yes.

Mugsy adjusted to eating his meals and sleeping at our home. Whether or not he still haunted his old yard, I don’t remember. The yards backed up to each other so he probably did. What I do remember is Mugsy was quite the feline pugilist – or so he fancied himself.

Before he came to live with us, Mugsy was oblivious to the presence of another Siamese who lived across the road - Cocoa. We know this from Cocoa’s owner who never saw Mugsy before he came to live with us. Apparently our yard was the neutral zone, much like the one between the Federation and the Romulans.

Younger, and apparently stronger and smarter, Cocoa never came calling. He simply sat in his driveway and taunted Mugsy. By doing nothing.

Okay, he was breathing, but we have to give him a pass on that.

Mugsy hated Cocoa just on general principle… who the hell knows why. It was a cat thing. The moment Mugsy saw Cocoa, hot cat rage seized him and across the road he’d sprint, tail in the air. Cocoa would merely sit there and wait until Mugsy tackled him, and then HE WOULD KICK MUGSY’S CHOCOLATE BROWN ASS.

It was pathetic in a gotta-take-the-idiot-for-stitches-again sort of way. My dad was not pleased and now that I’m older I understand why. Vets are expensive.

We didn’t have Mugsy too many years. He was hit by a car on his way to do battle and we had to tell his original owners he died at home in the very manner they’d feared.

I don’t remember if I cried or not, being maybe ten, but I suspect I did. My stoic father didn’t protest when my mother declared we were getting a Siamese kitten at the earliest opportunity. I suppose that blunted the grief. I remember KiKi with love and fondness. He lived to the ripe old age of seventeen.

Mugsy never really joined our household. I think to him his real family deserted him and he never got over it. We cared for him, fed him, housed him and took him to the vet, but we were not his people.

And while I don’t remember Mugsy with any great affection, he taught a young girl a valuable lesson – never start a fight you can’t win.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Karma to Kings

2011-04-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

April 13, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 11 - K

When I signed up to do the Blogging from A-Z thing this month, I never imagined that ‘K’ would be the letter I’d stumble over. Well, here I am with nothing witty or profound to say about K. Since that is the case, I’ll give you a warning right here and now. You’re about to be subjected to a mish-mash of words and things that somehow, and occasionally, relate to K. Run now, or forever hold your opinion.

K – Karma. Let’s all remember karma and be NICE to one another, dammit!

K – Kelly. The dog my parents owned when my dad died.

K – Kiss. A romance writer’s secret weapon.

K – KISS. One of the best live shows I ever plunked down thirty bucks for. Bad grammar, yes.

K – K-cups. We got a k-cup coffee brewer in December and we love it. Every cup is fresh. We got the Cuisinart with the little basket so we can use our regular ground coffee as well as the little k-cups. So far we’ve tried about six different brands and we like Tully’s Kona and Green Mountain Dark Magic the best.

K – Kona. It’s a bad year for Kona lovers. The weather on the Big Island has led to a reduced crop. I’m hoarding the twelve Kona k-cups I have left for special mornings.

K – Kahlua. The smaller the drinking establishment you’re visiting, the more important it is to ask if the “cream” they are mixing with your Kahlua has passed its expiration date.

K – Klingon. Either you’re a Trekker or you’re not.

K – Kinks. Thank you, Ray Davies, for introducing me to transvestites. Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls, it’s a mixed up, muddled up shook up world except for Lola. Lo-lo-lolo-Lola.

K – King Leonidas. I confess. I saw the movie ‘300’ on the big screen. Why you ask? I hate to admit this, being a writer and all, but there are times a picture is worth a thousand words. Do you see that man’s thighs?

That’s it for the letter K. I hope to have more cohesive thoughts on L tomorrow. Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you’re checking out some of the other A-Z bloggers. We aim to entertain.

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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J is for JUNK

2011-04-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

April 12, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 10 - J

Junk in the attic: Christmas decorations and wrap, artificial Christmas tree in the box, assorted glassware and boxed up knick-knacks, old tax returns, old picture frames, old silk flowers, an old steamer chest, old wicker baskets, and only God knows what else.

Junk in the basement: canning jars, two old coffee makers, paint in colors that will never grace my walls again, computer packaging and boxes, twelve coolers in whatever size you can imagine (we only use one of them), old kitchen canisters, old candles, bags of sawdust for on an icy driveway, a box fan, a desk fan, a ripped raincoat, and I don’t want to even know what Himself has in his workshop. I don’t go in there.

Junk in the shed: a broken shovel; a non-operational roto-tiller, garden pond supplies for a pond we no longer have, two non-functional weed-whackers, three non-operational chainsaws Himself swears he’s using for spare parts, an old window air conditioner in case the central air goes out, birdhouses, decorative flags, a sled, one large dog crate, on small dog/cat carrier, a doll’s bed, four bicycles (we only ride two), two bicycle racks (we just load the bikes into the bed of the Silverado), a grass seed spreader, a garden canopy, a tent, window screens, buckets, old flower pots, a box of ceramic tile, low-voltage lighting we took out when we got solar lights, and only God knows what else.

How did we get so much JUNK?

Call the Pickers. I’m ready to sell!

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
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Individual Pursuit

2011-04-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

April 11, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 9 - I

Of all things I’ve set my hands to, writing is the most solitary, the most individual pursuit I know. Yes, it falls short of the individual existence, that thing of spirit and skin we alone can experience, but our singular being is all that surpasses the pursuit of writing. Writing is pulling pure thought from the essence of self and committing it to the page.

I like to think writing is for introverts, perhaps because I am one. Years ago, an employer gave everyone in the company ye olde Myers-Briggs test, and I’m so far into being an ISTJ, the HR idiot thought I fudged some of my answers. I moved on from that company. Like Popeye, ‘I yam who I yam’.

The long hours spent staring at a blank computer screen isn’t for everyone. And hitting the delete key and dumping a thousand words one just wrangled into a coherent existence isn’t for the faint of heart. Writing is not easy. Writing can be lonely. Writing will rip dreams and secrets out of you and splash them across the page for all to see. Fail to recognize what writing does to you, and you bleed for all to see.

And yet, every day, I never hesitate to place my fingers on the keys and type. Some nights it’s a struggle to pull five hundred words out of the air. Some nights my fingers can’t move fast enough. I never know until I begin what sort of evening it will be. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.

There is much of the power of creation to writing. A single pure thought takes on life and light and becomes real. I coax the characters alive to share my mind and my days until their stories are told and then brutally cast them aside to embrace others. But they never completely leave because they are part of me. Scary, isn’t it?

And it’s wonderful. Have I regressed to my childhood with my imaginary friends? No. I share them with you, the reader, and allow you to see into myself – if you know where to look.

I practice my individual pursuit with great passion, and by doing so find that I am never lonely, and never truly alone.

KC

PS. The picture is of a mouse pad I got at a craft fair. The fellow has them for a variety of occupations and sports. I wish I still had his business card because his creations are unique and fun. If he's at the Mountain Heritage Festival in June, I'll get a new card and share his url with you.

Hemerocallis

2011-04-09T00:00:00.004-04:00

April 9, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 8 - H

I come from a long line of gardeners, so it's hardly a surprise I enjoy getting down in the dirt to plant something green. I have clear memories of my great-grandmother, clothed in traditional “plain” dress and bonnet, working in her garden. Mary’s garden was a mix of vegetables and flowers, as one would expect from someone born in 1889 and raised in those simpler days.

I’ll tell you another time how amazing I think it is to have known someone born in the 1880s. I was around eleven when she died, and too young to fully understand how difficult her life had been, and how she triumphed over two world wars, a great depression, the death of young children and the discriminations a woman of her time endured.

Up until about two or three years before her death, every Saturday morning, my great-grandmother loaded up a truck with whatever she was taking to “city” market to sell. She engaged more in trade with other sellers than straight sales, but that was the way it worked. It was from market trading, a century or so ago, somewhere around 1910 when she first 'went to housekeeping,' she acquired the first hemerocallis fulva – the common orange daylily.

She planted her traded clump of daylily down by the creek, and there it thrived for almost a hundred years until very recently when a spring flood eroded the bank out from under the plants. I was sad to see this link to my great-grandmother break, but I have plenty of the old daylily planted around my yard. Everyone in the family has it in their yard. But you know what? A few young clumps are re-establishing themselves along the creek, downstream.

I will “rescue” them one dark night when the park rangers are sleeping and plant them back where they belong, along the stretch of the creek where Mary's great-great-great grandson plays. And I will tell him, when he is older, the importance of the orange daylily in his family lore.

Resilient in the face of what the universe throws at it, the daylily thrives. Flood or drought, it manages to flourish and prosper. Its roots spread beneath the surface, unseen, storing what it needs for difficult times. Its leaves shape themselves to catch the morning dew and channel the precious drops down to the roots. It displays it’s finest blooms to the world, one day at a time.

And that’s a life lesson we can all receive from the daylily, my favorite perennial.

KC

Give Me One Night by KC Kendricks

2011-04-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

Apirl 8, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 7 - G

Woo-hoo! The first week of the A to Z Blogging Challenge is 'in the can'. I can say it's all good. As in - it's a darn good thing I organized, organized, organized and had a game plan worked out. Without it, my brain would be mush. Seriously.

Pacing is important, so for the letter G, I've given myself a break. Not only am I doing a promo, I'm posting it just a tad early since tomorrow is Friday. So without further ado, here's a promo from an early best seller, Give Me One Night.

One night can change a life....

GIVE ME ONE NIGHT
Contemporary gay romance
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/GiveMeOneNight.html
When passion changes the rules, one more night can alter the future...

Brody O’Connor joins the revelry of the yearly pub crawl, hunting a like-minded man for a night of fun and frolic with no strings attached. When a mystery man in an emerald green shirt engages Brody’s interest, it doesn’t take long for the hunter to become the prey.

Well-matched with his mystery man, Brody regrets his "no strings" approach to a night of shared passion that leaves him hungry for more. The morning after, Evan is gone, as agreed. Brody knows it was a mistake to let him go, and vows to find him.

Evan also never expected to meet someone like Brody. Now Brody wants to change the rules, and Evan decides he’ll give Brody one more night to convince him to stay...

EXCERPT: (from Brody's point of view)

My quarry stood at the bar, sipping what appeared to be a soda. I stepped into the whirling lights, planted my feet, squared my shoulders, put my hands on my hips, and waited for him to spot me. It didn’t take long.

He looked me up and down, a slow, lazy appraisal that focused my attention on his face. Then he smiled and lowered his eyelids with a slight nod of his head.

In that instant I knew something about him there are no flowery or romantic words for – only gut instinct. He wanted me to fuck him.

My body responded to the knowledge. Arousal snapped through me, sending shivers down my spine. My nipples, sensitive as any girl’s, tingled to the point that the fabric of my sweater rubbing against them became deliciously painful. My cock swelled to its full seven and three quarter inch glory in a single pounding heartbeat.

I’d fuck him until he was limp as a rag doll in less time than that if I could get my hands on him.

His chin lifted, the knowledge of the game joined in his eyes. I gestured for him to join me on the dance floor. He smiled and weaved his way through the crowd in my direction. A dancer whirled between us and I bolted for the door, no doubt in my mind he’d follow.

I made it to my car in time to see him step out the door, pause, and look around. He handed something to the bouncer cum doorman. His keys?
He allowed others to drive his Jaguar? The man held stunning, hidden possibilities.

Sure enough, the burly attendant loped across the street and out of my line of sight. Within a minute, the Jag whirled into view and Blue Eyes reclaimed his ride. When he pulled out into the center lane, I steered my car in behind him.

The next stop, according to the pub crawl itinerary, was Rumours, and that was good for me. Blue Eyes turned left onto Potomac Street and his turn signal stayed on. I made a sharp left into the alley and the Rumours private rear parking lot.

Rumours was part of my regular circuit. I breezed through the kitchen door like I owned the place, which I did. I held a very modest, and quiet, ten percent of the business and the real estate.

Several of the wait staff yelled friendly profanities at me – and made a few offers. I smiled and waved as I hustled my way through, exiting the kitchen beside the bar. A buddy had the barstool on the end and I shooed him off it with the promise of imminent entertainment.

Thank heavens the chair was right in front of an air vent and a breeze blew from it to cool the mob of revelers. I was sweaty, sticky, and not because the night was at all warm. The bartender handed me a glass of ice water with a lime twist and I gulped down a few swallows.

No more alcohol for me until I got Blue Eyes home.

And speaking of, there he was, just on the other side of the dance floor, smiling at me, one eyebrow cocked up and looking amused. He gestured to me to join him with the same palm up wave of the arm I’d used at Tully’s.

I shook my head, lifting my glass to indicate I was thirsty. He clasped his hands over his chest and feigned heartbreak.

Right.

The dancer behind him was rubbing his butt, without any protest from Blue Eyes, so how crushed could he be? I finished my water and walked towards him, my gaze never leaving his. He stepped into the throng of dancers, meeting me halfway.

We moved easily to the music, our movements mirroring each other. I’d worry about the stupid grin on my face, but his expression matched mine. Our hips swayed closer. Our hands brushed. Blue Eyes turned, shaking his very well-shaped ass at me. I laughed in his ear, pulling him back against me. I was so achingly hard that my resolve to taunt him, to wear him down to a begging blob of gel, almost cracked. He grinned over his shoulder when I licked the rim of his ear.

“Are you going to tell me your name?”

I flashed my pearly whites at him. “Just before you come for the first time.”

“Cocky bastard, aren’t you?”

“You’ll have to wait a while to find that out.”

GIVE ME ONE NIGHT
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-490-7
http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/GiveMeOneNight.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Find me on facebook - KC with the little butterfly
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

The F-Word

2011-04-07T00:00:00.007-04:00

April 7, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 6 - F
****

When did “the F-word” become such a bad thing?

I'm a writer, and I like F-words. F-words are fundamental to my life, and I want to share my list with you today.

Fable – a story, a tale, a legend.

Faith – a belief or conviction

Farsighted – prescient, discerning, wise

Fascinate – captivate, enthrall, tempt, tantalize, charm, delight

Fellowship – friendship, comradeship

Fervent – passionate, ardent

Fiction – storytelling

Forbearance – endurance, self-control

Force – drive, wrest, extract

Fortitude- strength, firmness of purpose

Forward – onward, progressing

Foundation – bedrock, principles

Freedom – independence, liberty

Fulfillment – accomplishment, achievement, completion

Fundamental – elemental, intrinsic, essential, necessary

***

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Find me on facebook - KC with the little butterfly
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

Elton John, the Soundtrack of My Life

2011-04-06T00:00:00.002-04:00

April 6, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 5 - E

The first Elton John song I heard, that I knew the singer to be Elton, was Tiny Dancer. It was 1971, and AM radio still ruled the airwaves. I was ..younger… and on vacation with my parents. For the first time in my life I had a motel room all to myself, and as I lay on the bed, reveling in my new independence and watching the headlights zoom past, Tiny Dancer played on the radio. And so it began.

Madman Across the Water was followed by Honky Chateau in 1972. Rocket Man seized upon my imagination, and the lyrics to Mellow fed a young girl’s budding sexual fantasies. Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player fit into the old 8-track in the family car, the one I took my driver’s license test in. (I passed the first time.) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Caribou laid down the rhythms to dating and my first car, a 1969 Camaro.

Then came Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It’s hard to write about those days. No seventeen-year-old girl should have a gun put to her head by a stranger. I survived, but I’ll never know who I might have been had fear had not become a part of my life. When I retreated to the safety of my room, Elton kept me company.

Rock of the Westies – the tour. July 1976. The very first rock concert I attended, and it was Elton. He opened the show with Grow Some Funk of Your Own. We sat toward the back side of the stage right at his piano. If I close my eyes, I can still see it. Seven more Elton concerts followed until in 1985, I finally became financially opposed to the cost of the tickets.

By this time I’d gotten the old albums – Empty Sky, 11-17-70, Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Friends. I have Elton on colored vinyl, and vinyl with the picture inside. There’s Elton on cassette, 8-track, CD and now iPod. I’ve been to the backrooms at big music stores in the DC metropolitan area where bootlegs could be found, back in the day. The concert version of Rocket Man…R….O….C….K…E…T M-A-N! Oh. Yeah.

I could go on and on, but I don’t want to crash the server. I think it’s great Elton isn’t afraid to do what he wants to do. There’s a life lesson for ya, and it’s not just that money makes life easy. Fame and fortune can’t protect you from everything nasty.

Elton came out, married, divorced, married again. The world was his and yet he struggled, publicly, with a lot of demons. He didn’t mince words with interviewers who asked the tough, personal questions, and he threw a tantrum or three thousand. Elton hobnobbed with royalty, mourned the loss of friends like John Lennon, and he went down in the trenches with a dying boy. His public grief, and subsequent triumph, all played out in the public eye. And through it all, he held fast to the music that laid down the soundtrack of my life.

E is for Elton. Always has been, and always will be.

Amber Allure March Top Ten Best Seller List

2011-04-05T21:37:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who bought a copy of Beneath Dark Stars and got it to #4 on the best seller list for March! Don't forget to check in here at Between the Keys tomorrow for E in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. - KC

AMBER ALLURE / March 2011

1. Why I Love Geeks - T. A. Chase (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Accidentally His - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Into The Woods - M. L. Rhodes (Gay / Shapeshifter)
4. Beneath Dark Stars - KC Kendricks (Gay / Shapeshifter)
5. Wrong Number, Right Guy - Mia Watts (Gay / Contemporary)
6. (Boys Of The Zodiac) Pisces: From Behind That Black Door - Pepper Espinoza (Gay / Contemporary)
7. Love Matters - Christiane France (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Mask Of Night - Helen Louise Caroll (Gay / Futuristic)
9. The Wild Bunch: Spark - Deirdre O'Dare (Gay / Contemporary)
10. A Favor For A Friend - Stevie Woods (Gay / Futuristic)

D is for Dog

2011-04-04T18:15:00.008-04:00

April 5, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 4 - D

While I didn’t have a cat until I was eight or nine years old, I’ve always had dogs. In fact, my very first word was my version of the name of the dog.

I’ve had dogs, but it’s the last two who’ve enriched my life beyond the others. Callahan and Jett. The only time in my life I’ve been without a dog was between Cal and Jett. When I had to have Callahan put down after he developed Cushings disease, I was too heartbroken to even think about getting another dog for two years.

Cal was a pointer/hound mix. He had a rich caramel brown saddle with a white chest and blaze, with even ticking. He was a handsome lad, but his best feature was his yellow eyes. No one – no one – messed with that dog. He was completely gentle, but at 90 pounds of pure muscle, he didn’t look it. Cal was my constant companion for the seven years I lived alone. During that time a dog in the house, especially a BIG one was comforting. It was quite a relief when the dog liked the new man in my life and vice versa.

Taking him for that last drive was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but the dog had started to suffer. It was time. He was twelve, and the clock only goes forward. Then the man’s health took a bad turn. There was surgery followed by chemotherapy and I didn’t think much about getting a puppy.

A little over two years after Cal’s death, I received a sign. I know lots of people don’t believe in signs. I don’t either when it comes to big, showy things. To me, a sign is something small only the individual recognizes. It could be a random thought sent by the subconscious, or a scent on the breeze that triggers a memory or decision. My sign it was time to get a puppy was something only I could receive – a dream. Within days I unexpectedly came by a black Lab pup.

Cal was an alpha dog. I’d arrive home from work and he was glad to see me, sure, but he didn’t smother me with affection the way this Lab does. The Lab is a beta boy, eager to please, and yet he does display a mind of his own, firmly refusing to heed my warnings about sleeping on the sofa. Cal made it clear he accepted me as pack leader – of a pack of two. I like to think Jett would be a fine protector if I was ever threatened, but with Cal, I knew it in my gut.

Jett is past nine now, and showing his age. Those dozen or so white hairs on his chin that were so adorable on his puppy self have now spread in an alarming path to cover his muzzle, almost to his eyes. His clock has suddenly begun to tick faster, and I catch myself already mourning him. It’s normal, I suppose, a way of preparing myself for the inevitable day.

My boys are very different, but each will always hold his own place in my heart. And if it’s true that all dogs go to heaven, then Jett will walk beside me on the road while noble Callahan forges ahead, nose to the ground, to sit patiently waiting by the gate for us to catch up.

The Challenge of Commitment

2011-04-04T06:41:00.004-04:00

April 4, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 3 - C

When I signed up to do the A to Z Blog Challenge, I knew it meant dealing with that dreaded C-word: Commitment.

Webster defines commitment as: an act of committing to a charge or trust; an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; something pledged; the state or an instance of being obligated.

Heavy stuff, commitment, and something to be taken seriously by all those who by spoken word or action practice it. People depend on you when you make a commitment to them. They trust you and they make decisions based on that trust. But I think the most important aspect of commitment has to do with something more. Something inside us.

These days, it seems easy for folks to say ‘yes’ to doing [fill in the blank] and then not follow through. Most of life isn’t rocket science, so what’s the harm, right? So what if you tell your BFF you’ll go with them to [fill in the blank] and you stand him/her up on the night of the event? They love you and will forgive you, right?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Do they have the strength of commitment needed to love you as the flawed human being you are? If you aren’t equally committed to them, you might be in for a surprise.

And the Internet doesn’t always advance your cause. It’s far too easy to give a cyber-yes to something because cyberspace deals in the anonymous, especially in the world of romance fiction. But you’re kidding yourself if you think no one past those you made the commitment to will know you ignored your pledge. People have long memories, yes, but most importantly you’ll remember you duffed on your commitment, and if you’re any kind of decent human being you’ll have to ask yourself if that’s the kind of person you want to be.

Commitment is scary. It’s for grown ups. When you can truly commit, it’s a sign of maturity. Who the hell wants to be MATURE?? You do.

You want to know that when you say you’ll do something, you mean it. You’ll do it. You owe it to yourself to follow through on your word. Yeah, sure, it makes people look at you in a very favorable light when you make good on your commitment, but more importantly, it allows you to see yourself that way, too.

And that’s the whole point of acting like a grown up and embracing commitment. How do you want to see yourself? Who do you want to be inside?

Just so you know, I struggle with commitments every darn day of my life. Saying "yes" is so easy but it can get me into trouble. I hate to say “no” to my loved ones, to the people I work with, to people I know in the publishing world.

It wasn’t easy but I learned how to be mature and say “no” when it’s called for. And sometimes it IS called for. It’s far more appropriate to say “no” than to let down the people I’ve made a commitment to when I can't follow through.

And you know what? I think they respect me even more for having the courage to set boundaries on those things I commit to and to sometimes say “no.” Setting boundaries can be a very loving thing to do.

The journey to a better me hasn’t always been easy. It’s frequently a challenge, but I’m committed to my own evolution as a human being. And that’s the most important commitment I’ve ever made.

Take the Back Stairs - you'll find what you need there Beneath Dark Stars

2011-04-02T09:05:00.006-04:00

April 2, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 2 - B

Every so often a writer feels the need to stretch a bit. Step out of the comfort zone. Do something fun. Writing is a unique job. First, it's a calling to put to use a talent that comes from beyond oneself. Second, if you go at it professionally, it quickly becomes a manner of self-employment. Here in the States, when they pay you, the IRS demands its cut.

Sometimes when you scamper off to have writing fun, the readers don't follow. I'm very fortunate to be able to report that you, my loyal readers, definitely followed when I started the Sundown shapeshifter series. I thank you!

Sundown is a different sort of shapeshifter. Alien. Non-human. Actually, his entire clan is here among us. And among his clan, he is unique. Their only catalyst, and vital to the survival of his species.

He lives in the city. As wolf, which he certainly can become, he'd be noticed. No, when he wants to go boldly about in a non-human appearance, he wears a different skin. And he's a bit of a prankster. Just ask his lover's best friend, the one with the Bigfoot obsession. Sasquatch has come to town, or so it appears from the strange footprints, but Sundown knows the truth of whose feet have been where doing what.

Yes, I enjoy writing Sundown. I wasn't sure about creating a different kind of shapeshifter, but I knew I couldn't do the whole "big moment shape shift." I didn't want to do it. So many others do such a good job with that, what could I add? So I went...different.

Here are the blurbs and links to excerpts for The Back Stairs (book one) and Beneath Dark Stars (the sequel).

See you again tomorrow for the letter C.

THE BACK STAIRS
available now at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BackStairs.htmlGay romance with a paranormal shift

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

BENEATH DARK STARS
Gay romance with a paranormal shift
available now at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BeneathDarkStars.html

The sequel to Amber Allure’s Best Seller The Back Stairs...

Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown.

Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is.

Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction?

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks