K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 54

Beneath Dark Stars by KC Kendricks

September 17, 2016

Welcome to my part of the My Sexy Saturday blog hop! This week is about sexy magic, so I have seven sexy paragraphs from Beneath Dark Stars. What's more magical than a shapeshifter able to take on whatever form he chooses? That's Sundown. He's not limited to one shape only, and he keeps his lover on his toes. Of course, sometimes Fallon knows just what to say...

*_*_*

He drew in a quick, short breath, and then blew it out.
“The Chal can help. We are able to go into places where you can not.”
For once, his people would be on my side. “The Elders will sanction that. Right. Tell me another story.” 
“I was with the Elders yesterday, apologizing for my actions regarding Sergeant Mack. I have promised them – again – that I will cease to play Sasquatch tricks on him.”
“But did you promise not to play any tricks on him, period, or just the Bigfoot ones?”
He blinked at me, dismay written all over his face. Uh-huh. I had him now. “Chupacabra, perhaps?”
His mouth dropped open. His eyes widened. “That is not me! I have never been to Texas!”
_*_*_*_

About BENEATH DARK STARS


Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown.
Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is.
Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction?

Beneath Dark Stars
Book 2 in the Sundown saga
Available at All Romance eBooks, Amazon, iTunes and other online booksellers

Be sure to use the linky below to check out all the MSS blogs to read some great Saturday excerpts. 

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

For the Lexophile in us all

September 16, 2016

This came around in one of those endless emails we all get, but it’s pretty cute and worth a nod. Anyone who lives in Maryland in July has met Number 17. 
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. 
12. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it's a serious bummer.

13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you

14. Glibido: All talk and no action.

15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Have a good day!!!

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

Did you know my books are also on iTunes? Yep, they are!

September Morning for MSS 158

September 10, 2016

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday here at the blog! I've been on vacation this past week, enjoying a few day trips around the county as a way to say goodbye to summer.

This is the 158th week of My Sexy Saturday, and the theme is a sexy dilemma. A sexy dilemma? Which book to chose for that one? I think it's pretty simple for this month: September Morning.

_*_*_*_*_


Nate’s hand was warm on my thigh. The heat snaked towards my balls, inducing the almost forgotten tingling. My cock swelled. I was speechless, amazed I could feel arousal again.
Part of me fought it, whispering that it was cheating on Michael. But it wasn’t. He was gone. Would he expect me to mourn him forever? I didn’t think he would, so why did I feel so guilty?
“Hey. JD. What gives?”
I shook my head. “It’s complicated. I wish it wasn’t.”
“The guy in the photo I noticed at your place the other morning? The one who looks like you? Was he your brother? He died, didn’t he?”
In many ways, he had been like a brother. That and so much more.
“Michael was my partner. I lost him last summer.”

_*_*_*_*_

About September Morning:


Following the death of his partner, Jagger Davis is on a sabbatical to finish healing and to get his life moving again. JD goes to Sandbridge, Virginia, for a restful summer of solitude and discovers the cottage next door is full of friendly neighbors. One in particular catches his interest.
Nate Fischer is part of a group of guys who spend every summer at Sandbridge. An IT specialist for a private contractor at the nearby Naval base, Nate’s taking some vacation time. When JD arrives, Nate invites him to a cookout on the beach. It isn’t long before Nate and JD are inseparable, but there are three men in the relationship.
JD’s memories are a constant companion. He won’t banish them to satisfy someone new. When Nate’s job abruptly calls him away, JD realizes he didn’t give his summer lover a fair chance. Now he has to convince Nate there’s room in his heart for both the past and the future. 



SEPTEMBER MORNINGAvailable at All Romance eBooks and other online booksellers www.allromanceebooks.com/product-septembermorning-2004413-145.html


KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com twitter.com/kckendricks kckendricks.blogspot.com facebook.com/kckendricks
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The end of another summer (IWSG)

September 7, 2016

Why does the name of the ninth month of the year have its roots in "sept" or "seven"?

Authors ask themselves questions like that all the time. It's our curse, and our blessing. We who write become repositories of vast amounts of useless information. We get curious and go look up why the ninth month of the year is known by September. It won't save the world and we won't lose ten pounds, but we still have a need to know once the question forms.

It turns out September comes from the Latin septem, or seven. The Roman calendar had only ten months and, you guessed it, Septem was the seventh month. Mystery solved. (Until the curious ask when the calendar changed. In 45 BC, okay?)

Be it the seventh month, or the ninth, September has historically been a busy TCOB (taking care of business) writing month for me. Summer may be ending, but I'm beginning. September is my month of planning. And yes, planning counts as writing time in my world.

Part of that is due to what goes on at the day job. There, too, we are planning. I'm obsessed with budgets and calendars in September, and I think the mindset carries over. I keep a list of title ideas and in September I check the list and see what is possible.

I set up folders for those titles that speak to me. I write character bios and story blurbs. I look for inspirational photos. This year, the inspirational photo search will be more focused. I'll be looking for cover stock. And as I piece together the ideas, the most important thing is happening. Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my brain, the story is starting to cook.

The best stories I've written, and the easiest ones to write, are the stories I've allowed to have a proper simmering time.

This does NOT mean I'm going to let the stories cook forever. I need to be more diligent than ever to keep my head in the game and keep writing. As freeing as the lack of a publisher deadline is, it's in my best interest to try to set one for myself and attempt to meet it. Nonetheless, 2016 will go down in the annals as one weird-ass writing year, and not at all what I planned in 2015. 

Not. At. All. 

And while this is the Insecure Writer's Support Group, I'm secure enough to know writing isn't a science. Sometimes going with the flow of your life is the best option. Or the only option. I think writers on the whole get too caught up in the desire to "write something every day" they put a lot of undue pressure on themselves. I didn't learn that over night, but I learned it, and it's made my writing life easier. 

So that's what you'll find me doing this September. Planning and going with the flow of my life. Enjoying the last days of summer and looking forward to the magic month of October. 

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


In the mood for a mystery/private investigator/FBI agent story? Check out the Amethyst Cove series. Ian and Rick are waiting. 

School days, old days we remember

September 3, 2016

The spousal unit and I often enjoy in-depth discussions. It's true. The man really can do more than grunt. Oh, I'm sorry. That's a politically incorrect statement. We can't man bash any longer. Oh, wait. He's "mine" so I can say that. 

I'm so confused as to what's proper and what's not. Utopia is out and dystopia is in. Humor is out and gloom is in. It's a different world. 

Back in the day, Maryland schools resumed the day after Labor Day. Somewhere along the way, that changed. Gov. Larry Hogan proposed adopting a more traditional schedule for Maryland schools as a way to save upwards of $100 million in the school/education budget, and this became a BAD thing. Soooo I can only assume spending more taxpayer money is in and saving taxpayer money is out. 

Yeah, no shock, that. 

Hogan's proposal led us - me and the hubby - to a discussion of our school days. RC is almost ten years older than me, but our experiences are similar. We rode a school bus and we had to walk to a central spot with all the other kids to get on the bus. There was no stopping every fifty feet for individual curb service - and fuel was a lot cheaper back then. 

Spring break? What the fuck is that? We didn't get a spring break and we weren't scarred for life. 

Snow? Get your ass on the bus and go. If the roads got bad, they sent us home early. 

The music program: my choice was to ignore it since they didn't exactly promote rock 'n roll but RC played lead guitar in various bands for over thirty years. He still won't let me hang his Strat on the wall for decoration, though. 

Gym class. Basketball? Why? Archery? Why? Although now I won't mind being skilled with a weapon that launches a deadly projectile. 'Nuff said on that. 

The exterior doors are locked? Someone is about to get an ass-kicking from the principal and they scurried away to hide. So the janitor locked 'em in. Other than that, the doors were not locked.

Take a gun to school? Are you fucking nuts? What if your father found out you did something that fucking stupid? You're grounded!

We definitely came of age in a different time. We worry about the quality of education the grandsons received. We know how well they did in cross country track, but can they make change without a cash register read-out telling them the amount? Simple things. 

I can't say that RC and I abhor progress because we don't. We each have our own computers, smart phones, and Kindles. (I win because I also have a laptop!) Endless hours are spent sharing neat little apps and tips to make all the toys run better and give more enjoyment. We've embraced Prime videos, Netflix and network apps. Someone even brought home a smart TV recently (my checkbook did not take that hit). 

I love being able to do work at home and email it to myself for later retrieval. And of course, I'm proud to be an e-published author with blogs, facebook, and twitter at my fingertips. I do my own website and I've recently mastered the art of book covers. And I drive a car without a carburetor that still ranks as American Muscle.  

Speaking of art, there's an art-like beauty to the ways life changes from generation to generation. But as the world turns, I feel a sort of sadness, or perhaps melancholy, for those things children today will never know - because we allowed them to slip away. 

And one of those things we allowed to fall away are the sweet hours of the Labor Day weekend. The unofficial end of summer and the last dwindling moments of September's sunlit freedom before school starts again. 

KC Kendricks
w ww.kckendricks.com

Looking out the window

August brings the anniversary of a personal milestone that generally goes unremarked. I've now lived in this same spot for thirty-five years - definitely more than half my life. It's almost two-thirds of my life, but I shall drop that thought and move on. 

Back in 1980, when my grandparents gifted me with three acres of land, it was completely wooded. I worked alongside grandfather, father, and then husband to clear an acre to drill a well, install a septic system, and build a house. It was hard, physical work and I regret none of it. 
Two-story dog trot log cabin.
I had a vision of a log cabin in the woods, but those people in my life at that time overruled me. That I do regret. I wanted - I still want - a log cabin. Specifically, I want a dog trot styled log cabin, or house, with its central breezeway, but I must be realistic. It's not something I'm likely to acquire at this point in my life. 

It's not that my little house in the woods isn't sufficient. It is. In many ways, it has shaped my lifestyle and I have few complaints about that. I have all that I truly need here. The house is easy to heat, cool and clean. The mechanical systems have been well maintained. My property is secluded and private, which makes it rather safe against some of the things that can happen in the world. If you're not visible, you're not a target. I think my grandparents knew that, which is why their only granddaughter got this particular piece of ground. My male cousins are subject to every manner of annoyances living beside a road. 

Which finally brings me to the unchanging view from my office window. 

My home office is my favorite room in the house. It's me. There was no compromise on wall color, flooring, rug, furniture and its placements, lighting, curtains and artwork. I spin stories in this room, travel via the wonders of the Internet, and I read and learn in this room. I share my innermost thoughts from this room. And yet I gaze out at the lush green of my backyard (so very green for the end of August!) and for the first time question if this all there is to see for the next thirty years? 

They say identifying a problem is the first step in solving the problem. My father and grandparents are gone, and soon so shall be my mother. My retirement income will follow me wherever I live. My husband of over twenty years would welcome a place that is his in ways this property never has been, its history being that of my family. There's nothing to hold me here if I choose to let go of roots and begin a new adventure elsewhere. 

Except, that is, the view through my window. 

KC 
www.kckendricks.com

_*_*_

Coming soon: Where There's Smoke by KC Kendricks
Part of the Men of Marionville collection

Double Deuce: a sexy reunion

August 20, 2016

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday #155! My Sexy Saturday is a blog hop that brings the reader a sampling of different authors in the romance genre. I like to participate in MSS because 1) it's fun and 2) I get to build a relationship with other authors and 3) it's pretty clear from the bump-up in the number of visitors I get on MSS days that readers like it. Be sure to check out all the blogs using the Linky List below. 

This week is about the sexy reunion. Right away I thought about Ian and Rick. They thought they'd never see each other again, but Fate works its magic in strange ways. Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Deuce of Diamonds. 

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_


“I need you, Ian.”
The last night he’d spent here, the one before his job in Amethyst Cove was wrapped up, we’d gone to bed and stared at the ceiling. Lying side by side in the dark, we’d not shared our thoughts. I’d regretted not making love one last time, even though I knew at the time he’d made the only decisions he could. Our last kiss had been bittersweet, full of regret and mourning for what would never be. Now it might be if we were both brave enough to reach for it. Was I? I turned my head and found his mouth.
His lips were fever hot, but soft and willing. He held me tighter as my mouth slid over his to taste longing mixed with hesitation. I licked his lips with a slow, deliberate swipe of my tongue, and he let me in. His tongue moved over mine—silky smooth—and the need to have him burst free in my groin. My balls tightened as my cock swelled. I pushed him against the counter and ground my pelvis to his.
Rick’s big hands cupped my ass and held me tight to him, never breaking the kiss. He was equally hard, the firm ridge of his dick bumping and grinding against mine as we mock fucked. Rumbling sounds vibrated through his chest and into mine as the kiss deepened. I needed to breathe, but I’d sooner pass out from lack of oxygen than give up his lips.
There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but none of them mattered. I needed him as much as he did me. The things that we had to say, and they were many, would have to wait until we healed the distance of the last few months.
His lips burned a path down my neck and to my ear. "Ian. Dear God, I've dreamed of you. Been haunted by you."
*_*_*_*_*_*_*

DEUCE OF DIAMONDSThe sequel to Double Deuce
Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/jfrwle3All Romance eBooks tiny url:  http://tinyurl.com/DeuceDiamonds
About Deuce of Diamonds:
Private investigator Ian Coulter has a knack for finding trouble even when he’s minding his own business. Ian’s in the midst of a routine weekly job for movie star client Saylor Blackwood when the man confides he thinks he has a fan turned stalker. Ian stays close to Saylor to observe the people around him and gets an unwelcome shock when FBI agent Rick Mohr contacts him.
Rick Mohr has a problem. Ian’s name just popped up on an FBI watch list. Rick knows it’s guilt by association where Ian is concerned, but what about Blackwood? Rick won’t allow Ian to get dragged into the mix when he’s not involved. For Ian he’ll break whatever confidentiality rule necessary.
It doesn’t take long for Ian and Rick to join forces to clear Ian’s name and get to the bottom of what’s going on in Amethyst Cove, because on or off the case, together is how they work best.

KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com Twitter Facebook

Some good advice arrived too late

August 11, 2016

I'd love to be sitting in the shade, under one of the majestic oak trees in my backyard. Truly, I would. There's only one problem with that. It's too hot outside. To stay cool, I'm sitting in my office with the air conditioning on, and the lights off. Am I staying cool? You bet. 

I'm also in the midst of an afternoon of staying current with the publishing industry. I consider myself a social media novice, so I ran a search for articles with tips and techniques to get the word out about my books. I'll confess the number of articles the search returned was a string of digits with about a gzillion commas, so no, I didn't read all of them, only a few. 

Keeping a presence on social media isn't easy. Blogs, Twitter, facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and oh my God who knows what else. I doubt I could name them all and it's too hot to think about it. Let's just say it's all out there if you have the energy to utilize it. 

One recurring theme is to center everything on a website. I've given that one a second, third, heck, maybe even a fortieth look. Do I really want to host Between the Keys on my website? I don't know. How big do I want to allow my website to grow? It already has about seventy-five book pages. Here at Between the Keys, I'm approaching my seven-hundredth blog. Do I want to lose that history? Nope.

I understand the logic behind having everything on one site. If I were just starting out with blogging, I'd heed the advice and set the blog on my .com. 

It's a good idea that came my way a few years too late. Moral to the story - I need to make time to read industry-related articles more often. 

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



Available now - The Sundown Saga
He's a different sort of shapeshifter. 

Deuce at six months

August 7, 2016

It's hard to believe Deuce is almost seven months old. He's been a real joy, and a challenge as any Lab owner can testify. 

I wouldn't change a moment I've had with him. Even when he was only weeks old and had to go outside at midnight and again at four a.m., it was all worth it. 

He's a great dog, and already a faithful companion. We'll never require him to win a ribbon (not into it at all) because he's already our champion. He even has his own blog.

But maybe I would change ONE thing. He sure takes up a lot of space on the bed. Maybe I can convince him to sleep on the floor. 

Probably not.

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

Depends on the author

August 4, 2016
Over the last several years, it was a bit of a habit for some people in my circle to occasionally do a bit of Amazon bashing. Most of what was said was neutral ground for me, although I do agree with the assessment Big A is in fact a monopoly, whether it meets the legal criterion for said entity or not. 
Yes, Amazon has changed the publishing business. Is this bad for the author?
That depends solely on the individual author.
Is the author willing to independently do their best work without the aid and/or expense of an editor? Maybe the question should be is the author talented enough to work without an editor? Some are, and some have been good students of the editors they worked with.
A critique partner is invaluable. Is the author ready to accept suggestions from a colleague? Is the author ready to acknowledge colleagues have experience wisdom, too?
Is the author willing to learn how to make a book cover? Or is the author willing to pay a premium price for a cover if they don’t want to learn Photoshop or similar software?
Is the author willing to take the time to properly format a manuscript for digital publication?
Is the author willing to take the time to learn Amazon’s upload system, or any other for that matter? The All Romance eBooks system requires patience, but the results of my first full indie quarter there were both rewarding and...enlightening.

Is the author willing to either put their book out for review or simply not worry about it? 
Is the author willing to accept direct payment?
Is the author ready to accept her/his perceptions of the industry and those who made money from the author's intellectual property may be changed forever? 
And, for what is probably the most eye-opening part of direct publishing with Amazon or any online book seller, is the author willing to know exactly how many copies of each book is selling without that information going through a “middle man” or publishing company?
If you answered “yes” to those questions, get ready to seize the day and take charge of your future. 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com