K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 105
April 6, 2012
F is for First Person Fiction
Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I'm focusing on things I've learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I've been published. If you're a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer's world. If you're new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you're an established writer, maybe you'll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you'll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2012
April 6, 2011
Day 6
Before you read this post, be advised of one thing - opinions like this will not win you friends. I suggest you leave this out of your blogging repertoire. Nevertheless, I believe this is something that needs to be said and I'm at the place in my career where I can say screw the naysayers. You might not be.
Make no mistake. Writing in the first person is very difficult to those who don't know how.
The author must immerse herself/himself totally into the character to create an intimate bond with him/her - and exploit it. The mental and emotional relief of shifting to another character's point of view is unavailable. For only by that total immersion can the first-person story be brought to life.
There is a Great Debate about whether or not fiction written in the first person is saleable. Many authors boldly criticize first person fiction claiming readers don't like it. Reviewers, many of whom are published writers themselves, will criticize from behind the anonymity of their reviewer persona. (Read another opinion that won't win friends when we get to the letter 'R'.)
Until very recently, all my stories were written in the first person. I decided to do a little experiment and write a story in the third person - Highway Nights. Sales of that book have not surpassed sales of the books I've written in the first person. By all accounts and opinions contrary to my own, sales of that book should have outdistanced my other books two to one based simply on the fact it's third person. It didn't happen, which leads me to one singular conclusion, which will not be popular.
Those who can write in the first person do, and those who can't nitpick about it.
Don't let anything said here - or anywhere else - dissuade you from writing in the first person if you desire to do so. If you want to try it, you should. It is, at the very least, an exercise that will strengthen your ability to write more depth into your character's point of view.
And if your story reads good to you, don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't submit it, or that it won't sell. Believe me when I say "they" don't know all "they" think they do.
Anytime your instincts tell you you're more than a one-trick pony, listen and obey. You'll never make a wrong move if you follow your voice. And if you decide you need to stick with the third person then you should.
But never cut yourself off from trying something new, and learning more about yourself and your craft, based on someone else's inability to do it. Never sell yourself short.KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
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
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2012
April 6, 2011
Day 6
Before you read this post, be advised of one thing - opinions like this will not win you friends. I suggest you leave this out of your blogging repertoire. Nevertheless, I believe this is something that needs to be said and I'm at the place in my career where I can say screw the naysayers. You might not be.
Make no mistake. Writing in the first person is very difficult to those who don't know how.
The author must immerse herself/himself totally into the character to create an intimate bond with him/her - and exploit it. The mental and emotional relief of shifting to another character's point of view is unavailable. For only by that total immersion can the first-person story be brought to life.
There is a Great Debate about whether or not fiction written in the first person is saleable. Many authors boldly criticize first person fiction claiming readers don't like it. Reviewers, many of whom are published writers themselves, will criticize from behind the anonymity of their reviewer persona. (Read another opinion that won't win friends when we get to the letter 'R'.)
Until very recently, all my stories were written in the first person. I decided to do a little experiment and write a story in the third person - Highway Nights. Sales of that book have not surpassed sales of the books I've written in the first person. By all accounts and opinions contrary to my own, sales of that book should have outdistanced my other books two to one based simply on the fact it's third person. It didn't happen, which leads me to one singular conclusion, which will not be popular.
Those who can write in the first person do, and those who can't nitpick about it.
Don't let anything said here - or anywhere else - dissuade you from writing in the first person if you desire to do so. If you want to try it, you should. It is, at the very least, an exercise that will strengthen your ability to write more depth into your character's point of view.
And if your story reads good to you, don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't submit it, or that it won't sell. Believe me when I say "they" don't know all "they" think they do.
Anytime your instincts tell you you're more than a one-trick pony, listen and obey. You'll never make a wrong move if you follow your voice. And if you decide you need to stick with the third person then you should.
But never cut yourself off from trying something new, and learning more about yourself and your craft, based on someone else's inability to do it. Never sell yourself short.KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
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
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
April 5, 2012
E is for Endings
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2011
April 5, 2012
Day 5
Guilty as charged! The accusation has been made that a KC Kendricks book reads like a, well, a KC Kendricks book! And the ending of a KC Kendricks book will generally have a wrap-up that takes place three to six months after the characters make the commitment to see how things might work out in the long run for them.
Endings are not easy. Too abrupt, and the reviewers hammer you. Too long, and the reviewers hammer you. It pays to remember those who criticize can't do it any better and ignore them.
Beating your head on your desk is pointless and unproductive, not to mention painful. So what's an author to do?
First off, accept the fact that perfect endings are few and far between. You don't want to abandon the characters you love. The readers don't want to be forced to close the book on the characters they've come to love. But the book has to end somewhere.
I struggle with each and every ending. I want to leave the reader feeling good about the characters and their future. If I can infuse the reader with a sense of hopeful completion, I've done what I set out to do.
So how does the writer do that?
I think it begins by envisioning the characters as settled into their relationship. What's the form of their pairing? Did they marry? Are they still monogamous? Those questions are secondary to asking are they happy together? That's the crux of the issue. A good ending in romance fiction will show the main characters happy and hopeful for their future. It doesn't matter if they're on the sofa watching a movie or cleaning the garage.
I also happen to think the ending is a great place for the "fade to black" sex scene, provided you've already got a lot of heat in the story. Using the fade-to-black at the end without any prior heat won't make anyone happy. Using it after the heat leaves the reader feeling upbeat.
Just like how you develop the story, go with your gut instinct. If you don't like the ending, rework it. If you think you've gone overboard, rework it.
If you read it and wonder if you should maybe perhaps tweak it just a wee bit because, well, this word could be a little better if I just maybe change it to something else but I don't know what….LEAVE IT ALONE.
The End.
KC Kendricks
Website
A to Z Blogging 2011
April 5, 2012
Day 5
Guilty as charged! The accusation has been made that a KC Kendricks book reads like a, well, a KC Kendricks book! And the ending of a KC Kendricks book will generally have a wrap-up that takes place three to six months after the characters make the commitment to see how things might work out in the long run for them.
Endings are not easy. Too abrupt, and the reviewers hammer you. Too long, and the reviewers hammer you. It pays to remember those who criticize can't do it any better and ignore them.
Beating your head on your desk is pointless and unproductive, not to mention painful. So what's an author to do?
First off, accept the fact that perfect endings are few and far between. You don't want to abandon the characters you love. The readers don't want to be forced to close the book on the characters they've come to love. But the book has to end somewhere.
I struggle with each and every ending. I want to leave the reader feeling good about the characters and their future. If I can infuse the reader with a sense of hopeful completion, I've done what I set out to do.
So how does the writer do that?
I think it begins by envisioning the characters as settled into their relationship. What's the form of their pairing? Did they marry? Are they still monogamous? Those questions are secondary to asking are they happy together? That's the crux of the issue. A good ending in romance fiction will show the main characters happy and hopeful for their future. It doesn't matter if they're on the sofa watching a movie or cleaning the garage.
I also happen to think the ending is a great place for the "fade to black" sex scene, provided you've already got a lot of heat in the story. Using the fade-to-black at the end without any prior heat won't make anyone happy. Using it after the heat leaves the reader feeling upbeat.
Just like how you develop the story, go with your gut instinct. If you don't like the ending, rework it. If you think you've gone overboard, rework it.
If you read it and wonder if you should maybe perhaps tweak it just a wee bit because, well, this word could be a little better if I just maybe change it to something else but I don't know what….LEAVE IT ALONE.
The End.
KC Kendricks
Website
April 4, 2012
D is for Development
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2011
April 4, 2012
Day 4
Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I'm focusing on things I've learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I've been published. If you're a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer's world. If you're new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you're an established writer, maybe you'll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you'll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.
Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my computer is a file labeled "hints and tips" - or something like that. It contains copies of all those sundry things that circulated back in the day when I was a newbie. In those times, it was all on Yahoo groups. These days, it's all on blogs, which is better because of the search engines.
As a fledgling professional writer, I worried about being a One-Book-Wonder. What if I couldn't develop another story? HOW did I develop another story? I looked at all the information and listened to the din of voices and felt beyond lost.
Volger's twelve steps to a blockbuster. The conflict box. Conflict worksheets. Plot charts. Plot workbooks. Plot grids. Plot storyboards. Character information pages. World building worksheets.
It's a miracle I didn't give up. I'm sure many have been overwhelmed by the din, which is a shame and a disservice to those individuals, our sisters and brothers in this creative passion.
While things like plot worksheets and how-to articles are intended to be helpful, none should be taken as a writer's personal Bible. That's something each writer has to develop for his/her own self. Or not.
Take a deep breath here.
As a lifelong reader, I already knew everything contained in the above-mentioned writing tools. But as a newbie, I was slow to realize I knew it. I never dissected the books I loved best for the technical reasons they were so good. I never even thought about the "why." It was all about the story, and that's the way it should be for the reader.
When I reached the point where I needed to develop the next story, and the next, I discovered the only way I can do it is from my gut. I did try to follow a plot workbook for a while, honest I did, but when I started to write the prose, the characters refused to follow the form. I felt guilty. Why couldn't I follow a simple W-plot outline? Well, I finally (slowly) figured it out.
Because I didn't create it for myself, that's why. And as for the characters taking a sudden left turn at chapter five, did that make me a plotter or a pantser? Yes, it did. It made me both, and that, in my humble opinion, makes for a better writer. Never be unwilling to abandon your original idea for the current story and run with your characters.
Development takes as many individual forms as there are writers. Don't be afraid to try all the help aids or to abandon them. (You can use any search engine and find the ones I mention.) You might write six stories straight from your gut and then need to fall back on one of the help aids for number seven. There is no right or wrong, only what works for you with each individual story. You may well find it's different every time. It is for me.
Whether you use one simple descriptive word for each chapter (I use "boink" for the first love scene which has occasionally taken a lot of pages to get from foreplay to afterglow), or a detailed outline, don't shy away from the conscious thought process of development.
The more you practice your craft, the easier it becomes to develop the next story. A line of dialogue in a movie can trigger an entire plot. A picture on the Internet can inspire a setting. Make it a conscious process and pretty soon it's second nature and unconscious. It will become a part of who you are and you'll find inspiration at every turn.
Take that inspiration and follow your instincts. Let the process become as unique to you as your voice. Allow the process to feed your creative juices. You have the best of both worlds. You are the writer and the first reader of the story. Enjoy it!
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
April 3, 2012
C is for Contracts and Conventions
On Being a Published Writer
April 3, 2012
Day 3
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Oh, my goodness the offer of that first contract! It was a Saturday night and so I checked my email and there it was. The Offer.
I screamed. I cried. I scared my poor partner right out of his recliner (no mean feat, that).
It was surely a magical moment. Looking back with older, wiser, and sometimes jaded, eyes, I see how fortunate I was to land with a reputable company.
Of all the advice I could give you about any contract, the best would be to read it and understand it. If the language isn't plain enough for me to understand without legal counsel, I'm going to turn it down. What are they hiding in all the mumble-jumble? I don't care to get burned to find out.
These days, there's less magic in a new contract, maybe because I understand what to expect each time through the process that takes the author and publisher to release day. I know what can go wrong. And being an older hand at this, I know just because some publishing house offers me a contract doesn't mean I'm going to jump to sign it. I don't have to – and neither do you.
A bad contract is a thousand times worse than no contract, so use your head. If you have questions, ask them. If you don't like the answer, give the contract a pass. Don't worry. There will be more offers. Don't be in such a hurry to get published, or get into company XYZ, that you bind yourself up in misery. And that is some of the best advice I can give you.
***
Conventions. I've been to one and it was absolutely fabulous! If I could afford it, I'd go to a convention every month.
Yes, it was a hassle to drive four hours to get there. Yes, the food was lousy. Yes, the hotel was in the middle of renovations. But what could be more exciting than twelve hundred people speaking my language? Nothing in the intervening years has come close.
I went to 2007 Romantic Times Pittsburgh with one purpose in mind. I didn't make any agent or editor bookings. I didn't sign up for the book fair. I went so I could quietly observe the actions of publishers, editors and other writers. I came away from Pittsburgh convinced of the validity of my future in epublishing, and with valuable insights on career paths to avoid. In my opinion, knowing where not to go is equally important with knowing where I should go.
A convention on the scale of Romantic Times is the publishing world encapsulated. If you have the opportunity to attend conventions, you owe it to yourself to go. Observe. Participate. Talk to the people around you. Absorb everything you can from everyone you come in contact with, even the guy behind the coffee bar.
This is your business. Use everything at your disposal to learn it well.
You're a writer, and everything you learn will feed your passion and create your success.
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
April 3, 2012
Day 3
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Oh, my goodness the offer of that first contract! It was a Saturday night and so I checked my email and there it was. The Offer.
I screamed. I cried. I scared my poor partner right out of his recliner (no mean feat, that).
It was surely a magical moment. Looking back with older, wiser, and sometimes jaded, eyes, I see how fortunate I was to land with a reputable company.
Of all the advice I could give you about any contract, the best would be to read it and understand it. If the language isn't plain enough for me to understand without legal counsel, I'm going to turn it down. What are they hiding in all the mumble-jumble? I don't care to get burned to find out.
These days, there's less magic in a new contract, maybe because I understand what to expect each time through the process that takes the author and publisher to release day. I know what can go wrong. And being an older hand at this, I know just because some publishing house offers me a contract doesn't mean I'm going to jump to sign it. I don't have to – and neither do you.
A bad contract is a thousand times worse than no contract, so use your head. If you have questions, ask them. If you don't like the answer, give the contract a pass. Don't worry. There will be more offers. Don't be in such a hurry to get published, or get into company XYZ, that you bind yourself up in misery. And that is some of the best advice I can give you.
***
Conventions. I've been to one and it was absolutely fabulous! If I could afford it, I'd go to a convention every month.
Yes, it was a hassle to drive four hours to get there. Yes, the food was lousy. Yes, the hotel was in the middle of renovations. But what could be more exciting than twelve hundred people speaking my language? Nothing in the intervening years has come close.
I went to 2007 Romantic Times Pittsburgh with one purpose in mind. I didn't make any agent or editor bookings. I didn't sign up for the book fair. I went so I could quietly observe the actions of publishers, editors and other writers. I came away from Pittsburgh convinced of the validity of my future in epublishing, and with valuable insights on career paths to avoid. In my opinion, knowing where not to go is equally important with knowing where I should go.
A convention on the scale of Romantic Times is the publishing world encapsulated. If you have the opportunity to attend conventions, you owe it to yourself to go. Observe. Participate. Talk to the people around you. Absorb everything you can from everyone you come in contact with, even the guy behind the coffee bar.
This is your business. Use everything at your disposal to learn it well.
You're a writer, and everything you learn will feed your passion and create your success.
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
April 2, 2012
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
As part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012, I'll be posting bits from my backlist in addition to the regular "alphabet" posts. Please remember I write for a mature audience when clicking to read excerpts. - KC
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
excerpt at http://www.kckendricks.com/BetweenMoonSea.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...
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
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
excerpt at http://www.kckendricks.com/BetweenMoonSea.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...
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
April 1, 2012
B is for Book
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2012
Day 2
B is for Book
Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I'm focusing on things I've learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I've been published. If you're a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer's world. If you're new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you're an established writer, maybe you'll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you'll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.
* * * *
Book – noun. A set of written sheets of skin or paper or tablets of wood or ivory. -Mirriam-Webster online
From the time of Johannes Gutenberg until Stephen King's Riding the Bullet (the first ebook I heard about) books were printed on some form of paper. Almost six hundred years is one heck of a good run, don't you think?
The printed page was the standard, the norm, the expected. Suddenly, that one bullet changed the world (as bullets often do). Now we read media on our computers, our laptops, our tablets, our Kindles, our Nooks, our cell phones, and yes, we can still read them on good old paper.
So is it fair to continue to call all this non-papered media books? E-books have been around for over ten years now and the question persists. Those who started their careers in print and had good success are often uncomfortable with the notion of calling a story sold digitally a book. I can personally testify to this based on my experience at the Romantic Times Convention in Pittsburgh, 2007.
One of the grand dames of my mother's style of romance was beside me in line and upon learning I was e-published admonished me to follow the guidance of the Romance Writers of America. I chose to continue to follow my heart instead – thank heavens!
I'm proud to be able to say I've been an e-book author for nine years now, in one incarnation or another. I see the same arguments against ebooks and epublishing presented today as I saw in 2003. I'm reminded of the wonderful Billy Preston song, "Will It Go Round in Circles." Yes, it all goes round in circles.
Times HAVE changed. Epublishing is coming into its own, claiming a bigger percentage of the romance industry. For 2009, the RWA reported ebooks claimed $313.2 M of the romance market. I think it was a lot more because many e-publishers do not report their sales to the RWA. Why should they when the RWA has historically refused to acknowledge and support them, and the publishers have proven they can do business without the RWA? Will it go round in circles? Yes.
More and more "print" authors are finding their way into the e-publishing arena. (Why do you think that's happening?) So are they still writing books, or are they now writing media with those they used to look down upon?
The question of why they've turned to ebooks has already been answered – money. Will they try to say their royalties aren't any more real than the ebooks that earned them? Will it go round in circles? Yes.
For me, a book is a book is a book. I write the manuscript and a publisher turns it into a finished product that is marketed as a book. I don't feel the need to split hairs or redefine the language. In our modern usage, a book is a story told by the written word regardless of the media upon which the words appear in order to be read and enjoyed.
I write books.
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 Hard Habit to Break by KC Kendricks
As part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, in addition to my "alphabet" posts, I'm going to run through my backlist, just for fun. -KC
A HARD HABIT TO BREAK
Available now at Amber Allure
http://amberquill.com/
AmberAllure/HardHabitToBreak.html
As the reigning stud of the local gay club scene, every guy in the county knows Travis Templeton, and vies for his attention. Travis wears his crown lightly, careful not to break any hearts. He knows what it's like to really love someone who doesn't love you back-at least, not in the way you want.
Heath Kelley made the biggest mistake of his life the night before his best friend Travis left for college. One small action snowballed into years of silent misunderstanding and empty distance. When Heath accepts a transfer that sends him to his hometown, he doesn't know Travis has moved back home, too. It doesn't take long for the men to reconnect.
Admitting they never stopped thinking of each other as "best friends" is easy. Forgiveness of past sins is easy, but confessing their secrets comes harder. When Heath discovers the truth about Travis' private life, the newly repaired bonds of friendship are stretched taut.
It's time for Travis to choose – the love of his best friend, or a life of being second best.
Excerpt:
The ghost of his lips slid coolly over mine like they had so many times over the years, a phantom whisper that raised gooseflesh on the back of my thighs and buttocks. Travis fixed me with a stare far colder than my memories. His angry, hurt voice froze my insides.
"You had what I wanted, Heath. You were normal. You dated girls. You fucked girls." He sucked in a deep, difficult breath. When he spoke again, the anger was gone, but not the hurt.
"Then you kissed me and brought the very thing I hated right to my bed. How could you do that to me? Why didn't you tell me you were really gay?"
Stunned, my knees wobbled, and I leaned back against his car before they gave out and I ended up on the pavement. Never had I imagined he felt such self-loathing. I hadn't seen it, but then I'd been just seventeen. Liking some girls muddied the water for me, and I never thought of myself as anything but straight, back then.
What I felt for Travis was special, outside everything, and everyone, else. He was my best friend. I was a senior in college before I dared put a name to my sexuality, and begin to accept what it meant. I took a chance he wouldn't shake me off, and grasped his elbow. He trembled under my fingertips.
"Travis, I'm sorry. I didn't know. How could I?"
He shivered, like he had a sudden chill. The anger left his beautiful eyes, to be replaced by a great sadness.
"I'm sorry, too, Heath. I didn't know how to tell you. I thought you'd hate me.
I thought you'd run away from me, and then I ran away from you."
My chest ached. Thirteen years lost.
"I could never hate you, Travis. There was a lot I didn't know about my teenage self. So much I didn't understand." I took a deep breath. "The truth is, I'm bi."
His eyebrows drifted up. He blinked. I nodded and rolled my eyes at him.
"Don't look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language."
Travis swallowed, hard, his Adam's apple moving convulsively. "Um, sorry. Not that you're…Your mom… I mean, I thought… is Dani a man or a woman?"
It was my turn to blink. "How'd you hear about Dani?"
"Your mother mentioned her."
Fuck.
"Well, buddy, Dani is a guy. Daniel."
"That's not what I heard, man. Your mother thinks you had a live-in girlfriend."
I snorted. How was he going to handle this bit of information?
"Well, Travis. Dani is fucking hot in a skirt, and on the telephone, it would be easy to jump to several conclusions."
He blinked owlishly. "I see."
I doubted it. Dani did standup comedy in full drag regalia, and it was damn funny.
Travis slumped against the fender beside me, our shoulders brushing. "You still want to go get that pizza? I really have to eat something so my glucose level doesn't bottom out on me."
That sounded like my old friend. "Do you still run for fun?"
Travis treated me to a real grin. "Yeah. Gotta feed the machine. Do you still run?"
I shook my head. "It wasn't the same without you. Maybe I can get back into it, though. What do you think? Will you help me start training again?"
He looked pleased as he nodded. "Sure. It'll help us get to know each other again."
I leaned a little closer. "So, you're not going to blow me off?"
Travis drew back like I'd struck him. Too late I realized the double-entendre. I grabbed his arm.
"Oh, no. No, man, I did not mean I wanted…I meant you weren't going tell me to go to hell and then run away again."
His eyes narrowed. "What? I'm not good enough to give you a blow job?"
We'd veered into very murky waters, the potential for disaster suddenly and exponentially increasing. We'd just reconnected, and the only thing that kept me from throwing my arms around him and never letting go was fear he'd bolt again.
As for blow jobs, I'd go to my knees for him anytime he snapped his fingers and pointed at the spot, but I didn't dare tell him that for the exact same reason.
"Lord, Travis. Let's not talk about sex just yet."
To my surprise, he chuckled. "Heath Kelley, backpedaling. I'm amazed I lived long enough to see it happen."
"Laugh all you like. We can talk sex over lunch."
Travis turned to me, arms crossed over his chest, his hip against the car.
"No, Heath. We won't talk sex. You'll always be my best friend. Hell, you're more than that. I've missed you so much." He paused and took a deep breath.
"Sex is off limits, Heath. I don't want to talk about it with you, and as friends, we're not going to do it."
He might think that, but I knew better.
A HARD HABIT TO BREAK
ISBN 978-1-60272-671-0
Available now at http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HardHabitToBreak.html
This title is also available as part of FROM THIS MOMENT ON, a five-story PAX available only at Amber Allure. http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AP_FromThisMomentOn.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
A HARD HABIT TO BREAK
Available now at Amber Allure
http://amberquill.com/
AmberAllure/HardHabitToBreak.html
As the reigning stud of the local gay club scene, every guy in the county knows Travis Templeton, and vies for his attention. Travis wears his crown lightly, careful not to break any hearts. He knows what it's like to really love someone who doesn't love you back-at least, not in the way you want.
Heath Kelley made the biggest mistake of his life the night before his best friend Travis left for college. One small action snowballed into years of silent misunderstanding and empty distance. When Heath accepts a transfer that sends him to his hometown, he doesn't know Travis has moved back home, too. It doesn't take long for the men to reconnect.
Admitting they never stopped thinking of each other as "best friends" is easy. Forgiveness of past sins is easy, but confessing their secrets comes harder. When Heath discovers the truth about Travis' private life, the newly repaired bonds of friendship are stretched taut.
It's time for Travis to choose – the love of his best friend, or a life of being second best.
Excerpt:
The ghost of his lips slid coolly over mine like they had so many times over the years, a phantom whisper that raised gooseflesh on the back of my thighs and buttocks. Travis fixed me with a stare far colder than my memories. His angry, hurt voice froze my insides.
"You had what I wanted, Heath. You were normal. You dated girls. You fucked girls." He sucked in a deep, difficult breath. When he spoke again, the anger was gone, but not the hurt.
"Then you kissed me and brought the very thing I hated right to my bed. How could you do that to me? Why didn't you tell me you were really gay?"
Stunned, my knees wobbled, and I leaned back against his car before they gave out and I ended up on the pavement. Never had I imagined he felt such self-loathing. I hadn't seen it, but then I'd been just seventeen. Liking some girls muddied the water for me, and I never thought of myself as anything but straight, back then.
What I felt for Travis was special, outside everything, and everyone, else. He was my best friend. I was a senior in college before I dared put a name to my sexuality, and begin to accept what it meant. I took a chance he wouldn't shake me off, and grasped his elbow. He trembled under my fingertips.
"Travis, I'm sorry. I didn't know. How could I?"
He shivered, like he had a sudden chill. The anger left his beautiful eyes, to be replaced by a great sadness.
"I'm sorry, too, Heath. I didn't know how to tell you. I thought you'd hate me.
I thought you'd run away from me, and then I ran away from you."
My chest ached. Thirteen years lost.
"I could never hate you, Travis. There was a lot I didn't know about my teenage self. So much I didn't understand." I took a deep breath. "The truth is, I'm bi."
His eyebrows drifted up. He blinked. I nodded and rolled my eyes at him.
"Don't look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language."
Travis swallowed, hard, his Adam's apple moving convulsively. "Um, sorry. Not that you're…Your mom… I mean, I thought… is Dani a man or a woman?"
It was my turn to blink. "How'd you hear about Dani?"
"Your mother mentioned her."
Fuck.
"Well, buddy, Dani is a guy. Daniel."
"That's not what I heard, man. Your mother thinks you had a live-in girlfriend."
I snorted. How was he going to handle this bit of information?
"Well, Travis. Dani is fucking hot in a skirt, and on the telephone, it would be easy to jump to several conclusions."
He blinked owlishly. "I see."
I doubted it. Dani did standup comedy in full drag regalia, and it was damn funny.
Travis slumped against the fender beside me, our shoulders brushing. "You still want to go get that pizza? I really have to eat something so my glucose level doesn't bottom out on me."
That sounded like my old friend. "Do you still run for fun?"
Travis treated me to a real grin. "Yeah. Gotta feed the machine. Do you still run?"
I shook my head. "It wasn't the same without you. Maybe I can get back into it, though. What do you think? Will you help me start training again?"
He looked pleased as he nodded. "Sure. It'll help us get to know each other again."
I leaned a little closer. "So, you're not going to blow me off?"
Travis drew back like I'd struck him. Too late I realized the double-entendre. I grabbed his arm.
"Oh, no. No, man, I did not mean I wanted…I meant you weren't going tell me to go to hell and then run away again."
His eyes narrowed. "What? I'm not good enough to give you a blow job?"
We'd veered into very murky waters, the potential for disaster suddenly and exponentially increasing. We'd just reconnected, and the only thing that kept me from throwing my arms around him and never letting go was fear he'd bolt again.
As for blow jobs, I'd go to my knees for him anytime he snapped his fingers and pointed at the spot, but I didn't dare tell him that for the exact same reason.
"Lord, Travis. Let's not talk about sex just yet."
To my surprise, he chuckled. "Heath Kelley, backpedaling. I'm amazed I lived long enough to see it happen."
"Laugh all you like. We can talk sex over lunch."
Travis turned to me, arms crossed over his chest, his hip against the car.
"No, Heath. We won't talk sex. You'll always be my best friend. Hell, you're more than that. I've missed you so much." He paused and took a deep breath.
"Sex is off limits, Heath. I don't want to talk about it with you, and as friends, we're not going to do it."
He might think that, but I knew better.
A HARD HABIT TO BREAK
ISBN 978-1-60272-671-0
Available now at http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HardHabitToBreak.html
This title is also available as part of FROM THIS MOMENT ON, a five-story PAX available only at Amber Allure. http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AP_FromThisMomentOn.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
March 31, 2012
A is for Author
April 1, 2012
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 1
On Being a Published Writer
There is no one more important to the publishing world than the author.
The entire publishing industry rises and falls with those authors willing to publish their intellectual property.
Without the author, there are no stories.
Without the author, there are no books.
Without the author, there are no readers.
Without the author, there is no publishing.
Each and every one of us is absolutely vital to our industry. There are no exceptions.
Each and every one of us has something so unique to offer that only the individual can provide it.
Each and every one of us is deserving of the respect of our peers and our publishers. We are created equal and that equality has nothing to do with sales numbers.
Each and every one of us is entitled to the protection of copyright.
One very serious problem I've witnessed over and over throughout my years of being a published author is that too few of us realize our own value. This must change.
Authors are the publishing industry.
***
Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I'm focusing on things I've learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I've been published. If you're a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer's world. If you're new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you're an established writer, maybe you'll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you'll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.
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
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 1
On Being a Published Writer
There is no one more important to the publishing world than the author.
The entire publishing industry rises and falls with those authors willing to publish their intellectual property.
Without the author, there are no stories.
Without the author, there are no books.
Without the author, there are no readers.
Without the author, there is no publishing.
Each and every one of us is absolutely vital to our industry. There are no exceptions.
Each and every one of us has something so unique to offer that only the individual can provide it.
Each and every one of us is deserving of the respect of our peers and our publishers. We are created equal and that equality has nothing to do with sales numbers.
Each and every one of us is entitled to the protection of copyright.
One very serious problem I've witnessed over and over throughout my years of being a published author is that too few of us realize our own value. This must change.
Authors are the publishing industry.
***
Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I'm focusing on things I've learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I've been published. If you're a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer's world. If you're new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you're an established writer, maybe you'll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you'll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.
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
The 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge Kick-off!
March 31, 2012
Tomorrow is the big day. I'm ready.
I've plotted and planned, set my schedule, written the entries and gathered the pictures. The exercise in discipline is complete. All that remains for me to do is make sure the daily post shows up properly. It's all good from here!
This year I'm blogging on twenty-six things that will give a glimpse into my writing world. I've titled the series, On Being a Published Writer. It's all about my experiences, and I hope you'll find some nuggets you can use in your own career.
Thank you for being a part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 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
The 2012 A to Z Blogging Challage Kick-off!
March 31, 2012
Tomorrow is the big day. I'm ready.
I've plotted and planned, set my schedule, written the entries and gathered the pictures. The exercise in discipline is complete. All that remains for me to do is make sure the daily post shows up properly. It's all good from here!
This year I'm blogging on twenty-six things that will give a glimpse into my writing world. I've titled the series, On Being a Published Writer. It's all about my experiences, and I hope you'll find some nuggets you can use in your own career.
Thank you for being a part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 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
