K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 49

Cover reveal: Chain Lightning

April 17, 2017

It's time for another cover reveal! Chain Lightning is finally finished! I'm putting the finishing touches on the story, tidying up the formatting, and setting up the page on my website. 

It seems like this story took forever to write. That may be because I've had the title in my head for such a long time, and needed a proper story to go with it. Then I found the perfect Rio and did the cover before I had the first chapter completed. Not to mention Christmas, New Years, and a major crisis at the day job involving the arrest of a prominent "player" in the organization. (Even those of us who simply stand and watch got sucked into that mess. Yep. The fun never ends.)

But, no matter. Chain Lightning is almost ready to go! Look for it next weekend, April 22, 2017.

*_*_*_*

Here's the cover blurb as it stands today. It might change a bit for the actual release. - KC


There is something a little peculiar about Eli Tate. Oh, he appears normal enough 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. 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 needs to move on.
Returning to the Big Apple, Eli takes up residence in his old apartment. An evening walk turns deadly when he’s attacked by pure evil. He barely escapes with his life - thanks to a stranger named Rio who is a shape shifter like him.
Rio says he knows Eli and that he’s been searching for him for many years. Rio confesses they were once lovers. Eli has no memory of such a time, and now he’s out of options. To remember his past, and destroy the creature pursuing them, Eli has no choice but to trust Rio - and maybe fall in love with him again. 
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks www.facebook.com/kckendricks kckendricks.blogspot.com
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An eclectic collection

[image error] April 12, 2017

I love, love, love having a home office. It has all the amenities. A nice desk, a reading nook, a flat screen tv on the wall, my beloved Deuce at my feet. What's not to love?

Maybe the answer to that is what lies on the corner of my desk. 

A couple of years ago, I decided I'd worked with old, and I do mean OLD, office furniture for long enough. My office was a collection of cobbled together and cast off pieces. I'd just paid off the mortgage so I treated myself to a matching mission-style desk and credenza, and upgraded my space. 

I swore to myself I'd avoid clutter. I would avoid clutter at all costs! I would put everything in its proper place. Yes indeedy dog, I would! 

And how well is that working out for me? I think the picture is proof. My cellphone would be in the photo except I needed it to take the photo. 

Having taken the photo, it suddenly occurred to me why the pieces were on my desk and not in their proper "homes." My earrings, everyday bracelet, fitbit, reading glasses, what passes for a car "key" these days, everyday rings I wear to the day job (not my good set), and the jump drive with my entire life on it. It's an eclectic collection but these are a few of my favorite things. 

Well, it's not too much clutter. And I guess keeping those items handy is a time savings. 

Of course, it could be the truth is I had a lazy moment and just dropped it all right there. Not that I will admit to that.

KC
www.kckendricks.com

A bit of prophecy?

April 9, 2017

Today is Palm Sunday. For Christians, this marks the day we believe Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, across a street covered with palm fronds waved and thrown down by the joyful masses to fulfill another part of the prophecy about the Messiah. 

Prophecy is a strange thing. Perhaps we believe. Perhaps we do not. Sometimes we utter what is intended to be a humor statement, and we get are stuck with an overwhelming unusual sensation we can't describe. It may be years until we recall the moment, but when we do, we realize it was what can only be called prophecy. 

It's a spooky feeling, to be sure. A couple of years after my father's death, I jokingly said to my mother she needed to find a man with enough money to take care of us and that spooky feeling hit me. Fast forward five years and damned if she didn't go out and do just that. Take another twenty-five-year leap forward through time, and the man she married is standing by her as she fades away from us with Alzheimer's Disease. 

Yes, prophecy is a strange thing. I wish I had a prophecy to share about where the ebook industry is headed in 2017. I ponder if I even have a place in it. To say things are in disarray is an understatement. Amazon really has become the biggest game in town. And yet to do well at Amazon, we're told we must give our work away. Having a well-developed sense of self-worth, I know this would devalue me and my talent. 

It's discouraging to believe the best option available right now is to keep writing and hope another viable bookseller will rise to challenge Amazon. The romance genre is special. It places what happens between people above who-dun-it. (We all know the butler did it!) Romance is about the journey of self to a new understanding of self. What was so good about ARE was it offered romance without having to wade through the self-promotion of new tech and automatic shimpment services to find it. 

All is not lost. I do think something will emerge to fill the void. Those of us who have worked with traditional publishers for many years have learned to simply ride it out. Many of us have been forced into self-publishing but we bring a collective experience with us. In other words, we learned plenty and we'll carry that knowledge forward. 

And some of us might be bold enough to retire and open our own digital bookstore specializing in romance. We can only hope that will turn out to be prophecy. 

KC
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Stat check (because I can't help it!)

April 2, 2017

You know how it is. You read an off-the-wall headline and it sucks you in and you click to see what it's really about. Yeah, I fell for one this morning.

Being my own webmaster webmistress, I try to keep up. So when an article tells me that more and more people are ditching desktops and laptops in favor of using only their smart phone, I need to do my own version of fact checking. I come here to Between the Keys and look at the nice charts and graphs Blogger gives me. 

So what did Blogger tell me this morning? I don't think I need to revamp my world around iPhone and Android just yet. I am a bit worried about the Russians, though. (And I swear they did NOT influence my vote one iota!!)

In all seriousness, it is interesting to see what browsers other folks use, what OS they use, and where people landing on the blog are on the planet. I prefer to think those 103 Russian hits are ordinary people looking for free smut romance, but it is enough to make me pause. I mean, seriously - why hack this little blog?  

It's true we need love and a little help from our friends to get along. It seems I'm doing my part right here at Between the Keys. Who knew? 



KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks

The 2017 April A to Z Blogging Challenge

March 31, 2017

For the past six years, I've taken part in the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge. I decided to opt out this year - and it feels a bit strange. It feels like giving up. 

Probably because it is. 

I had a good run with the challenge. I completed each year. That's one hundred and eighty blog entries posted on time and on topic. Plus the odd into and promo. It was a lot of blogging, and even though I like to blog, it was, well, a lot. 

Life brings changes and not all of them are positive. With my mother in a care facility for Alzheimer's patients, my time is spent between work, my home, the facility, and my step-father's home. Keeping up the writing schedule of year's past is no longer possible and that tears at me. I don't have time to do the one thing I enjoy at my very core. But I'm not whining. This is the normal for now. It won't be the normal forever. 

I hope the A to Z Challenge continues because one day I'll be back to it. And when I do get back to it, I'll add another badge. Until then, I might go back and re-post a few of my favorite letters as we walk through April. It depends on the constraints on my time. 

Now I must get back to work. The afternoon is winding down toward the weekend, and no one wants to miss the sound of the starting gun on that! 

KC
www.kckendricks.com

PS. I'd give you the link to the list of A to Z participants, but they're no longer doing a list. I'm not sure how you can find participants this year. 

Shine A Light for MSS#182

March 25, 2017

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday #182. Wow! That's a lot of Saturdays. Just a bit of trivia for this Saturday - Sir Elton John turns seventy today. If you follow along here at Between the Keys, you've read that Elton has laid down the soundtrack to my life. But I digress...

This week, we're going to shine a light on a fallen star and the small local theatre where he gets a second chance to shine. 

Be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs using the list below. 

Enjoy! 
_*_*_*_


“Scared, too. You’re Donovan MacKenzie. I don’t want to disappoint you.” Shane’s fingers brushed the bulge that snaked down my left thigh, still trapped by denim.
Touched by that confession, I gave him by own. “I don’t want you to be disappointed in me, either. This is me right now, not some Hollywood image that’s impossible to live up to.”
“I know.”
We moved at the same time, and whether I kissed him, or he kissed me, I didn’t know or care. His warm, coffee-flavored lips parted under mine. My senses reeled, hit by jolt after jolt of arousal as his soft, breathy sigh drew me in. He was like some live flame in my arms, with his heat and energy ready to be unleashed at my command. The memories of other lovers flickered and dimmed. His tentative eagerness reminded me he was only in his mid-twenties, maybe too young for my cynical attitude, even as it banished any thought of staying away from him because of his age.
Shane inhaled sharply and his tongue met mine in a lively dance of joyful discovery. I felt the laughter building in him, and we both grinned, which ended our kiss. He licked his smiling lips.
“Wow.”
I was barely able force air into my lungs. “Wow? I was hoping for five stars.”
_*_*_*_

ABOUT SHINE A LIGHT:


After being viciously outed by his spiteful ex-lover, Van MacKenzie, fallen Hollywood and Broadway star, lands on stage in a small town community theatre - and in the arms of set designer Shane Hollister. Van knows his attraction to the talented young man could seal the fate of his career, but he can’t resist having a ‘summer thing’ while performing at The Globe. When an act of violence catches them unaware, Van recognizes the message was really meant for him. Walking away from Shane might be the smart thing to do to keep him safe.
Shane Hollister had established himself as a Broadway set designer before his father’s accident forced him to move home to St. Charles. Needing work, Shane accepts a job at The Globe. To his surprise, the small operation equals any big city production. When Donovan “Van” MacKenzie signs on for the new show, Shane grabs the chance to have a summer fling with his big screen idol, refusing to allow Van’s past to intrude. 
Shane knows he has only one chance to catch a fallen star, and keep him for his own. 


SHINE A LIGHT is available at Amazon, iTunes/Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other online booksellers. 


KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks blog: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com mailing list subscribe email: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


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St. Paddy's Day Irish

March 17, 2017

A few years ago I started researching my genealogy. I'd planned to save this endeavor until after I retired, but the universe put a distant cousin in my path. She shared what she had on my maternal grandmother's ancestry. To my complete surprise, I actually have a smidge of Irish blood to go along with the German. 

This distant cousin's grandfather was a brother to my great-grandmother. She traced that branch of the family back into the 1600s in Ireland. It's fascinating. 

My German ancestry is rather well-documented. A member of the family made the ancestry of our shared last name her life's work. I have three thick professionally printed volumes that trace us back to Germany in the 1500s. It's fascinating. My seven-times great grandfather arrived in Philadelphia in October of 1751 and, like so many others from Germany, settled in the area where I live. 

So having a bit of Irish blood is something new to me. I'm not sure how, have come lately to this, how I should celebrate. Certainly I should wear something the proper color of green, but green isn't a color my winter coloring wears well. I do have a black scarf with shiny green leaves on it - it must suffice. 

I don't often consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages, but maybe I'll have a fancy root beer at the bowling alley tonight. Rainbows are a part of my world, but never once have I found a pot of gold at the end. Four-leaf clovers? Nope. Not in my yard. 

But when I look back at those who came before me, I read wonderful story after wonderful story given to me by the distant cousin. Through her I know the names of my great-great grandparents. Not even my mother knew their names. I have copies of newsletter clippings and death certificates. I have pictures of my Grandma Mary when she was a child. I even have photos of her mother. Part of me rails that this information came to me from a stranger and not my mother and grandmother, but most of me is beyond grateful. 

So how best to celebrate my Irish heritage? First off, I'm not going to embarrass my living relatives. After that, all bets are off. 

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to enjoy my bowling night and then go home and go bed. My dog doesn't care I'm twenty-five percent Irish and seventy-five percent German. To him, I'm one-hundred percent wonderful as long as his food dish is filled twice a day. And I think that's as much as I really need to be. 

KC Kendricks
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The Sundown Saga mega-book

March 7, 2017

Available for a limited time - The Sundown Saga mega-book.

All five Sundown stories in one volume. 


The Back StairsBeneath Dark StarsRiver WalkMoon DancesFly By Night

The Sundown Saga is available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

To learn more about The Sundown Saga, please visit the website at:
http://kckendricks.com/SundownSaga.html

KC Kendricks
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And for only $19.97....

March 5, 2017

A few years back, our family and friends banded together and gave us a shitload bunch of gift cards to Bed, Bath and Beyond. In response to the age-old question, "what do you want or Christmas?", my honey had passed the word around I wanted a good Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer. The next year we were given gift cards and instructed to go get attachments, which we did. 

The same thing happened this past Christmas, but we had planned to hoard those cards in case we got more for birthdays, etc. The family knows they've hit on something within their budget, useful, and appreciated. 

During November 2016, I put a set of Michelin's on the Charger and received a $70 rebate card. Last week, a twenty percent coupon came in the mail. The spousal unit and I pulled out our BB&B cards, did the math, and being a beautiful Saturday afternoon, headed east across a few mountains to Frederick, Maryland. 

We purchased the three-piece pasta-making set, a $199 item, for the grand total of $19.97 out of pocket. That's a pretty good deal. 

We took the long way home, enjoying a pleasant drive through the countryside and speaking fondly of family members. As soon as we perfect our pasta making skills, we'll issue dinner invites. Our education begins today with lasagne. It should be fun.

KC Kendricks
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Photoshop education continues

February 26, 2017

It's Daytona Sunday. I've got one ear tuned in to the race and the other on the dog. Deuce isn't happy I'm not going outside with him to play Frisbee or ball. He'll survive it.

The truth is, I do understand. Watching television for hours on end makes me antsy. It's rare that I do it. To keep my mind from atrophying, I worked on learning something new with the photo shopping program. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll take it for a first effort. If nothing else, I learned a few things that I should not do, but all-in-all I'm satisfied with it.




Netting Neptune
Book 1 in the Southern Cross collection

Available now at Amazon, iTune/Apple, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
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