K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 28
October 12, 2020
A revamp for What You Don't Confess
October 12, 2020
When I was forced to go independent several years ago, I recognized how important it was going to be to know how to create my own covers. I purchased a photoshop program and got to work. The cover artist at Amber Quill Press offered to sell covers to the authors for $50 each. There was no way in this life or any other I was going to pay for covers for which the artist had already been paid by the publisher - out of MY sales, no less. So I had, in fact, already paid for the cover.
I did my due diligence and learned. Some of my early covers were passable, but not great. I always planned to redo them as my skill level increased. Then, if you follow allow here at Between the Keys you know, my life took a left turn. My mother developed Alzheimer's Disease, my stepfather died and I had to settle the estate, and my partner had three major surgeries. Writing took a back seat out of necessity.
But.....I'm back! I'm writing! I'm working! It feels so good to jump back into the pool and swim around.
Today's projects were making a new cover for What You Don't Confess, a promo card for What You Don't Confess, and burning the brush pile. I'm three for three! I wanted to warm up the background on this cover and by chance found a good photo of the inside of a restaurant, which fits perfectly in the story.
What You Don't Confess is the third book in the Men of Marionville series. The main character, Dylan Donoghy, is the character that ties the series together. This is his story.
Enjoy!*_*_*_*
What You Don't ConfessContemporary gay romanceBook three in the Men of Marionville collection
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 use 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. 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.
WHAT YOU DON'T CONFESS
Amazon www.amazon.com/What-Dont-Confess-Marionville-Book-ebook/dp/B01EP1QG7A
iTunes itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-you-dont-confess/id1101021403?mt=11
Barnes & Noble/NOOKwww.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-you-dont-confess-kc-kendricks/1109557615?ean=2940153242026
Kobo www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/what-you-don-t-confess-1
Universal link: www.books2read.com/u/bzEkq4
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks facebook.com/kckendricks
If you're curious about our adventure in the woods today, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2xHQ...
October 6, 2020
Desert Snow - a new cover
October 6, 2020
One of the things that has been on my To-Do List seemingly forever has been a new cover for Desert Snow. That's another book that never did have a good cover. Now I think I've finally hit on one that's a keeper. Yes, the guy's jeans fade into the party background, but it's okay. I like it, and I hope you do, too.
Here's the new cover for Desert Snow, once again available at the usual third-party vendors.
Enjoy the excerpt!
_*_*_*_
Desert Snow Contemporary gay romance
Laird Bennett accepts a friend’s invitation for a vacation with his eyes wide open. His buddy is pimping for him - in a sneaky sort of way. Why else set up his business meeting in Palm Springs the week of the annual White Party and ask Laird to go along? Laird goes with every intention of enjoying the eye candy, the weather, and behaving himself. Those plans change his first night out while waiting to cross the street and a younger man in white leather greets him.
Haydn Rinehart is at a crossroads. His pilgrimage to the White Party is to honor a promise made to his late partner before moving into the next phase of his life. Haydn strikes up a conversation with an attractive party-goer while waiting for a traffic light to change and invites him for a drink. When he discovers Laird is one of his favorite authors, Haydn volunteers to assist in some hands-on research in his hotel room. After all, they are at the White Party and some fun is in order.
It doesn’t take long for Laird to realize he has something special in Haydn but they live on different coasts. He says goodbye and goes home. Lucky for him, Haydn won’t let him go that easily.
Available at:Amazon: www.amazon.com/Desert-Snow-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01FZO71SY
ITunes/Apple itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1116536927
Barnes & Noble/Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/desert-snow-kc-kendricks/1115091642
Kobo www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/desert-snow-2
Universal link for areas outside the USA https://books2read.com/u/4XgBX5
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com facebook.com/kckendricks twitter.com/kckendricks
October 3, 2020
Re-issue: Lightning Shifts
October 3, 2020
I've re-released Chain Lightning under the title, Lightning Shifts. There are several reasons why an author or publisher re-issues a book. The main one is that the cover just doesn't resonate with readers. My feedback from other authors indicated this was the case in this instance. They loved the one guy on the cover, but not the other. It happens.
Deciding to re-issue the book gave me the opportunity to go through it and add a few things I wished I'd thought of the first time. Stories are like that. Some of them never stop growing and maturing. I don't think I have a book on my list I couldn't find something to add. When writing the story, sometimes the author has to say "finished" and stick to it else the book would never get published. I'm having that problem with The Quest. Too many ideas crowding into my thinking.
I liked the story Chain Lightning, now Lightning Shifts. It's about a shapeshifter - a true shapeshifter, one that can take on any form. That means he's not a werewolf or a werecat. He's not a "were" anything. He's something different but at the beginning of his story, he's lost his memory and he doesn't know what he is. All he knows is he's different and he needs to hide.
Here's a little bit about Lightning Shifts.
Enjoy!
_*_*_*_*_
LIGHTNING SHIFTS
There is something a little peculiar about Eli Tate. He appears normal on the surface, but he’s spent years trying to remember what happened to him - and why he doesn’t age. Then there’s the way he can shift shape and take on any form he desires. He doesn’t know what kind of being he really is or if there are any others like him. What he does know he’s been in the same town for thirty years and he must move on before his secret is discovered.
Returning to the Big Apple, Eli takes up residence in his old apartment. An evening walk turns deadly when he's attacked by a being reeking of pure evil. He barely escapes with his life - thanks to a stranger named Rio who is just like him – able to shift shape.
Rio says he knows Eli, that he’s been searching for him for many years, that they were once lovers, and the creature stalking them once held them both captives to experiment on them. Eli has no memory of such a time, but he’s out of options. To remember his past, and destroy the creature pursuing them, Eli has no choice but to trust Rio, even if that trust fails him.
LIGHTNING SHIFTSParanormal gay romance (shapeshifter)
Available at:
iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1529536267Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lightning-shifts-kc-kendricks/1137553106KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lightning-shiftsUniversal link: https://books2read.com/u/3y7xZV
Excerpts and more at www.kckendricks.com
KC Kendrickswww.kckendricks.com
I've re-released Chain Lightning under the title, Lightning Shifts. There are several reasons why an author or publisher re-issues a book. The main one is that the cover just doesn't resonate with readers. My feedback from other authors indicated this was the case in this instance. They loved the one guy on the cover, but not the other. It happens.
Deciding to re-issue the book gave me the opportunity to go through it and add a few things I wished I'd thought of the first time. Stories are like that. Some of them never stop growing and maturing. I don't think I have a book on my list I couldn't find something to add. When writing the story, sometimes the author has to say "finished" and stick to it else the book would never get published. I'm having that problem with The Quest. Too many ideas crowding into my thinking.
I liked the story Chain Lightning, now Lightning Shifts. It's about a shapeshifter - a true shapeshifter, one that can take on any form. That means he's not a werewolf or a werecat. He's not a "were" anything. He's something different but at the beginning of his story, he's lost his memory and he doesn't know what he is. All he knows is he's different and he needs to hide.
Here's a little bit about Lightning Shifts.
Enjoy!
_*_*_*_*_
LIGHTNING SHIFTS
There is something a little peculiar about Eli Tate. He appears normal on the surface, but he’s spent years trying to remember what happened to him - and why he doesn’t age. Then there’s the way he can shift shape and take on any form he desires. He doesn’t know what kind of being he really is or if there are any others like him. What he does know he’s been in the same town for thirty years and he must move on before his secret is discovered.
Returning to the Big Apple, Eli takes up residence in his old apartment. An evening walk turns deadly when he's attacked by a being reeking of pure evil. He barely escapes with his life - thanks to a stranger named Rio who is just like him – able to shift shape.
Rio says he knows Eli, that he’s been searching for him for many years, that they were once lovers, and the creature stalking them once held them both captives to experiment on them. Eli has no memory of such a time, but he’s out of options. To remember his past, and destroy the creature pursuing them, Eli has no choice but to trust Rio, even if that trust fails him.
LIGHTNING SHIFTSParanormal gay romance (shapeshifter)
Available at:
iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1529536267Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lightning-shifts-kc-kendricks/1137553106KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lightning-shiftsUniversal link: https://books2read.com/u/3y7xZV
Excerpts and more at www.kckendricks.com
KC Kendrickswww.kckendricks.com
September 27, 2020
September Morning by KC Kendricks
September 27, 2020
There was a time in my writing career I thought to write books with the months in the title. So far, I've got December Promise, Hot August Comes, and September Morning. I'll eventually get through the months, I hope. One should never give up on an idea with promise.
To celebrate this month that is coming to a close, here's a bit about September Morning.
Enjoy!
_*_*_*_*_
September Morning
KC Kendricks
Contemporary gay romance
Jagger Davis, JD to his friends, is at a crossroads in his life. He takes a summer sabbatical at picturesque Sandbridge Beach in Virginia to enjoy sun, surf, and solitude while plotting a new direction for his life. Arriving at a rented cottage, JD finds sun and surf, but the cottage next-door houses six fun-loving guys determined to include him in their summer activities. It’s quickly evident JD won’t have time to feel lonely.
Nate Fischer is one of a group of friends who spend every summer at Sandbridge. An IT specialist, Nate’s taking a few weeks off before his next assignment sends him out to sea for months. He introduces himself to the new neighbor and invites JD to the first bonfire of the season.
JD fends off advances from Nate’s roommates as the two men become close. But JD harbors a secret in his past, one he worries Nate won’t accept. When Nate’s job abruptly calls him away, JD realizes his mistake. He hasn’t given his summer lover a fair chance. Now he has to convince Nate he’ll be waiting when Nate returns - if Nate still wants him.
~ ~ ~ ~
Apple/iTunes - itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098476445
Amazon - www.amazon.com/September-Morning-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01E1ZFGGM
Excerpts and more at www.kckendricks.com
KC Kendricks
September 24, 2020
The end of summer 2020 and becoming a prepper
September 24, 2020This has not been a good year for the writer. There used to be an old saying, "they lost their mojo." Not exactly. The events of this year stripped mine away. The first time I went into the grocery store and couldn't by something as basic as flour reprioritized my entire life. I've become a prepper.
As summer winds down, many of my plans for a more secure future are coming to fruition. We're fortunate to live in the country, that is to say in a very rural setting. With the "peaceful" riots in the cities, we're insulated by location but we remain watchful. All the hate bubbling out of everyone has me too unsettled to write. What goes on the page today may be deemed offensive in a year. Then what?
Becoming a prepper is not about hoarding toilet paper. It's about making a plan and methodically implementing it. It's about conscious decisions to gather in those items necessary to sustain my household for several months, perhaps even a year. It's carefully packaging pantry staples and slowing stocking the freezer, and then making sure there is fuel for the generator to keep the freezer running in the event of a power grid collapse. It's about conducting your day-to-day living with a new and growing awareness of what you need to do to weather another, longer stay-at-home order.But this does not mean it's all doom and gloom and the world is ending. Quite the contrary. I've found that working my prepper plan has brought me back to who I was as a younger woman. I learned so many things at my grandmother's side - soap making, canning food, tending a garden, etc. I'm putting those lessons to use and I'm enjoying doing so.
We've purchased a small greenhouse to start seeds next spring. We've rearranged our spare bedroom to create our prepper pantry on the main level of the house where the spouse can access it. (He can't go up and down stairs any longer.) We're carefully planning meals together so that nothing goes to waste. Instead of dabbling with the dehydrator, I'm actually preserving fruits we'll use. I'm small batch canning and the spouse is interested and enthusiastic about helping.
It's a different world now. As a couple, we're closer than ever as we work together to make sure we're as secure as possible in the face of an uncertain future. I can't help but feel that's what a pair bond is supposed to be like, a couple who are united in all. Even in these trying times, it's a wonderful feeling.
It gives me ideas for stories that may someday be written.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks www.facebook.com/kckendricks
September 13, 2020
Big steps, big changes
September 13, 2020
Before I get on-topic, I want to pause and remember my friend Jimmy Ray, who would have been 59 years old today. It's hard to believe he's been gone for eleven years. Rest well, Jimmy. *_*_*_*_*_*
I've alluded to it many times. I've danced around it. I've dreamed about it.
Tomorrow, I will finalize the last item on my Must Have Done to be Able to Retire list. Years of planning are about to pay off as I give myself the gift of TIME.
Time to do those things I enjoy, those things which enrich my life and emotional well-being. Time to care for my partner.
It's a big change for him, too. He's been home alone for over twenty years while I was out working. I'm going to be intruding on his time. Or not. I expect to spend a certain amount of every day at my computer writing.
I'm excited! I've gone through being frightened of such a big change to being so ready that working out my notice at the day job is going to be very difficult. Nonetheless, the day job has nothing more to offer me.
I can't wait for tomorrow to come so I can make that last phone call. Now, in the spirit of honesty which is very important to me, I must tender a confession. There is a part of me that gleefully anticipates my employer's reaction. That is rather base of me, but there it is. I won't lie about it.
When the new CEO came in August of 2019, I told myself I would give them a year. I did that, and it was a miserable year. I've not enjoyed working with them at all, and so started to get the cats herded and the ducks lined up in a row. My contract says I have to give a four-week notice. I'm going to give a two-week notice and see what happens. No matter what, my train is leaving the station headed to MY destination.
It's been a long time coming. I've weathered a lot of storms the last several years - Mom developed Alzheimer's Disease and had to be institutionalized, my step-father died suddenly and I had to handle the estate to benefit Mom, and my partner had three major surgeries.
It's my time to breathe.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com
Before I get on-topic, I want to pause and remember my friend Jimmy Ray, who would have been 59 years old today. It's hard to believe he's been gone for eleven years. Rest well, Jimmy. *_*_*_*_*_*
I've alluded to it many times. I've danced around it. I've dreamed about it.
Tomorrow, I will finalize the last item on my Must Have Done to be Able to Retire list. Years of planning are about to pay off as I give myself the gift of TIME.
Time to do those things I enjoy, those things which enrich my life and emotional well-being. Time to care for my partner.
It's a big change for him, too. He's been home alone for over twenty years while I was out working. I'm going to be intruding on his time. Or not. I expect to spend a certain amount of every day at my computer writing.
I'm excited! I've gone through being frightened of such a big change to being so ready that working out my notice at the day job is going to be very difficult. Nonetheless, the day job has nothing more to offer me.
I can't wait for tomorrow to come so I can make that last phone call. Now, in the spirit of honesty which is very important to me, I must tender a confession. There is a part of me that gleefully anticipates my employer's reaction. That is rather base of me, but there it is. I won't lie about it.
When the new CEO came in August of 2019, I told myself I would give them a year. I did that, and it was a miserable year. I've not enjoyed working with them at all, and so started to get the cats herded and the ducks lined up in a row. My contract says I have to give a four-week notice. I'm going to give a two-week notice and see what happens. No matter what, my train is leaving the station headed to MY destination.
It's been a long time coming. I've weathered a lot of storms the last several years - Mom developed Alzheimer's Disease and had to be institutionalized, my step-father died suddenly and I had to handle the estate to benefit Mom, and my partner had three major surgeries.
It's my time to breathe.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com
September 9, 2020
Strange days - the colors of 2020
September 9, 2020
The year 2020 has brought a lot of changes to everyone. Some changes are ones I never thought to see, but see them I did. I know now that I really don't know what my grandparents endured during the Great Depression, that their stories were actually warnings to me and my cousins, ones we understand and heed so much better now.
One thing I never expected to have happened was for a facemask to become a fashion item, but here I am. I had some bandannas in a variety of colors and I made masks out of them. These days, when I have to leave home, I grab my cell phone and then select what color mask I want to wear with my outfit. Strange days, indeed.
And the vacillating between do/don't cloth masks work is enough to make a person want to scream. Who's getting close enough to me for it to be an issue? Right. No one. Trust me on this.
No, my bandana masks have now become a statement. This country girl will show her colors because maybe she's a bandit at heart. I come from a long line of hard-working blue-collar men and women. The colors of 2020 are one way to show my pride in that heritage.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks
www.facebook.com/kckendricks
September 3, 2020
A small harvest
As I edge closer to retirement, my focus is more and more about what do to fill the hours I used to work outside the home. Writing will certainly be a big part of that, but my writing hat doesn't settle on my head for endless hour after hour after hour at a stretch. I find I can sit at the computer for perhaps an hour, and then I need to move around. I'm sure the fact my muscles stiffen up when I linger in the same spot for a long time is a sign of getting older. I don't like it much, but there it is.
The "experts" agree that moving more is good for the body. So what is something else I'll do to move around for a few hours a day once I retire from the day job? The quick answer is container gardening. We enjoy fresh produce and growing some of our own will be a worthwhile hobby. Preserving some of it will enable us to eat cleaner, and growing in containers will help us keep the whitetail deer from eating all our hard work.
This year we tried out a set of 5-gallon grow bags made of a heavy fabric that allows the bags to drain well - almost too well. Keeping the dirt moist enough was an issue during the hottest stretch of the summer. But all-in-all, the bags worked well. We were overrun with cucumbers, and the cherry tomatoes produced at a good pace for fresh eating. The bell peppers were doing great until a young doe got brave and munched the top out of the plants. She didn't get down to the peppers, but she ate off the flowers so those plants were finished. We're working on a better plan to thwart the deer next season.
Growing up in the country, and watching my mother and grandmother preserve the bounty from the garden taught and prepared me to do this. I don't see it as work, but a connection to those who went before me. I've worked all my life with this as a goal - to one day, very soon now, to truly become the lady of the manor.
My task for this coming winter is to select a canner for next year and purchase canning jars. Why can instead of freeze? Freezers are dependant on electricity, for one thing. The other is that I feel the freezer is better utilized for meat, baked goods, and prepared meals.
I'm really looking forward to next summer. "Retirement" no longer means sitting at home drawing a pension, at least not to me. I think an early morning walk with Deuce, a turn at the computer, tending the garden before noon, another stretch at the computer during the heat of the day, evenings on the patio, a final time at the computer after dark will make for many perfect days. It's just the sort of schedule to feed this writer's soul.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks
www.facebook.com/kckendricks
The "experts" agree that moving more is good for the body. So what is something else I'll do to move around for a few hours a day once I retire from the day job? The quick answer is container gardening. We enjoy fresh produce and growing some of our own will be a worthwhile hobby. Preserving some of it will enable us to eat cleaner, and growing in containers will help us keep the whitetail deer from eating all our hard work.
This year we tried out a set of 5-gallon grow bags made of a heavy fabric that allows the bags to drain well - almost too well. Keeping the dirt moist enough was an issue during the hottest stretch of the summer. But all-in-all, the bags worked well. We were overrun with cucumbers, and the cherry tomatoes produced at a good pace for fresh eating. The bell peppers were doing great until a young doe got brave and munched the top out of the plants. She didn't get down to the peppers, but she ate off the flowers so those plants were finished. We're working on a better plan to thwart the deer next season.
Growing up in the country, and watching my mother and grandmother preserve the bounty from the garden taught and prepared me to do this. I don't see it as work, but a connection to those who went before me. I've worked all my life with this as a goal - to one day, very soon now, to truly become the lady of the manor.
My task for this coming winter is to select a canner for next year and purchase canning jars. Why can instead of freeze? Freezers are dependant on electricity, for one thing. The other is that I feel the freezer is better utilized for meat, baked goods, and prepared meals.
I'm really looking forward to next summer. "Retirement" no longer means sitting at home drawing a pension, at least not to me. I think an early morning walk with Deuce, a turn at the computer, tending the garden before noon, another stretch at the computer during the heat of the day, evenings on the patio, a final time at the computer after dark will make for many perfect days. It's just the sort of schedule to feed this writer's soul.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks
www.facebook.com/kckendricks
August 31, 2020
Poplar
August 31, 2020
Summer’s end approaches, the poplars are first to know sending yellow leaves drifting to the green carpet below.Straight and tall they stand in their silent glory catching not the ordinary ear or eyedemanding not the saw or splie.
Brittle in every insistent breeze, they do not yield taking the majestic oak and rustling maple as shields. Only time forces them to come to ground by branch and limb, one by one, until weary they stand, devoid of youth’s greenery.
Autumn’s quick coming is not to be met foolishly, this she knows in the unplumbed depths of many sleepless nights. The poplar knows not how to bend but she does, learning forced upon her in summer and spring, lessons taught by those unwary of her flight.
Equal to the stately oak, the poplar stands with grace, asked and received, yet hidden from those who cannot see. Autumn comes clothed in brilliant shades of joy, standing firm, unrelenting in her convictions, awake, unafraid, acknowledging winter will come.
KC Kendricks
Summer’s end approaches, the poplars are first to know sending yellow leaves drifting to the green carpet below.Straight and tall they stand in their silent glory catching not the ordinary ear or eyedemanding not the saw or splie.
Brittle in every insistent breeze, they do not yield taking the majestic oak and rustling maple as shields. Only time forces them to come to ground by branch and limb, one by one, until weary they stand, devoid of youth’s greenery.
Autumn’s quick coming is not to be met foolishly, this she knows in the unplumbed depths of many sleepless nights. The poplar knows not how to bend but she does, learning forced upon her in summer and spring, lessons taught by those unwary of her flight.
Equal to the stately oak, the poplar stands with grace, asked and received, yet hidden from those who cannot see. Autumn comes clothed in brilliant shades of joy, standing firm, unrelenting in her convictions, awake, unafraid, acknowledging winter will come.
KC Kendricks
August 22, 2020
It's certainly not linear
August 22, 2020Our time is linear. No one argues that. What we do with our time seldom is.
For some reason, the origin of which I know not, I always thought writing would be more of a linear process. You get the idea, you plot the story, you write the story, BOOM! Finished book.
Oh, how wrong...
As I put the finishing touches on The Quest, I had an inspiration for an older story I took off the market some time ago. The story is about true shapeshifters, those being the kind that can take on any form they choose, but something didn't resonate. I always thought it was the cover. And in the deep dark of a restless night, it popped into my conscious mind what to do about the cover. I wasn't even thinking about that book. I was pondering the ending of The Quest, but later that same day I was revamping a cover. No, it wasn't very linear.
Nor is it linear that I have words to type for The Quest and I'm blogging instead. Procrastinating? Not really. Living in 2020 means coloring my hair myself. I can type a blog with goop on my hair and call it a good use of twenty minutes. If I tried to write viable prose in that time frame, it wouldn't work.
No, writing isn't linear. It has smooth curves and sharp turns as it treks through valleys and over mountains. Writing is a reflection of life in all its nonlinear glory. I don't think I've taken enough time to enjoy it in this year of uncertainty, but it's never too late to begin, no matter where nonlinear takes me.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
twitter.com/kckendricks
facebook.com/kckendricks
