K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 60

I is for I'm the Only One

Day 9April 11, 2016
2016 A to Z Blogging ChallengeIt’s All About Time 
Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys today for Day 9.  
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I’m the only one who can write this story.
Does that read like an egotistical edict from an author who thinks she/he is hot stuff? If it does, read it again, this time with a touch of desperation.
Writing isn’t easy. Pulling pure thought from the air and translating it into print form is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It can be exhausting and exhilarating, frustrating and fulfilling. And it takes an inordinate amount of time.
If a person can type sixty words a minute, they should be able to write thirty-six hundred words an hour, don’t you think? It doesn’t work that way.
Each author is the only person who can tell the story they are meant to tell. It’s a gift given to us. Managing our time to get the story told is simply a way to honor the gift.
You are the only one who can tell your story.
 KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news.Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
*_*_*_*
I is for Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove series.
Double Deuce Deuce of Diamonds Ace, Deuce, Trey Circle of Steel
Free spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end a long, dark tunnel.
Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.
It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, has definite perks, ones not found in any departmental manual.

For more information about Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove, please visit my website at http://www.kckendricks.com/DoubleDeuce.html

H is for Help & for Hey, Joe (2016 A to Z Challenge and MSS)

Day 8April 9, 2016
I'm doing double duty here at Between the Keys today. It's both a 2016 A to Z Challenge and a My Sexy Saturday blog hop day, so it's a little tricky.
We might not be Paul, Ringo, George or John, but we all need a little help from our friends. Case in point - today is Saturday so it’s another My Sexy Saturday.
My Sexy Saturday is a weekly blog hop for authors to showcase their work. The premise is to paste the list after your entry so people can hop to the next blog. Because the link stays up on those other blogs (and on this one) we’ve doubled, or even tripled, our promo time in one blog post.
Now I don’t personally know everyone who participates in the blog hop. Nor do they know me. But we set aside a few minutes almost every week to help each other out with some promo. It opens doors when we help each other. If one of those other writers would ask to promo a new release on my blog, I’d be more than happy to set them up at Saturday Evening Romance so they could work their back list as well as new releases. 
Look for ways to help others save time, and someone will look for ways to help you. And when you find a person willing to give mutual help and support, treat them well. The Fab Four had it right. We get by with a little help from our friends.

Now here are seven sexy paragraphs from Hey, Joe for My Sexy Saturday. Enjoy! 
*_*_*_*

“I can’t wait until you have your twenty years in for retirement and this crap is done and over forever. Anyway, I’m just glad you didn’t ask some gay guy here to fill in for me because, bucko, you’re not allowed to kiss anyone else, not even in the line of duty!”
Joe grinned, a wide smile that lit his entire face. His eyes sparkled with good-natured mischief.
“I don’t think I could kiss anyone else. You’ve ruined me for all other men.”
That was the man I fell in love with, the one before the job dragged him down and sucked so much of the joy out of him. And me.
But in a few short years it would be behind us. Joe could retire and pursue his dream of owning a pub. Maybe I could open a photo gallery right beside the pub. That would be fun, but that was for the future. I had a more immediate need.
I gripped his hand tighter as I stood and pulled him back to the bed. I had only one thought – be skin-to-skin with him. I let go of his hand only long enough for us to slip out of our robes and hop into bed. We stretched out on the sheets and jostled around until he pinned me down and kissed me.
I reveled in the feel of his thighs straining against mine and the easy flex of his hips as he rocked against me. It was the instinctive move of a male coaxing his lover to mate and I was never immune to it. His lips teased my ear.
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Hey, Joe is available now at All Romance eBooks www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heyjoe-1766739-149.html


Hey, Joe - A vignette of contemporary gay romance

New York City detective Joe Hamilton lives a double life as an undercover operative. When a case takes an unexpected turn, Joe finds himself separated from his partner. He scribbles a cryptic message in a birthday card and drops it in the mailbox.

Riley O’Shea kissed his partner goodbye at the beginning of a normal day only to have Joe disappear without a word. Riley’s worried but after a greeting card arrives with a date and flight number inside, Riley claims the ticket and boards a plane to Chicago. It’s the only way to get the answers he needs – and lots of reunion sex. 

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

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news about new books and anything that's really, really big. Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

G is for Goals (2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Day 7
April 8, 2016
Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton (a good "G" word) for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun.
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Setting a goal is making a commitment, and if you’re like me, you’re a bit commitment phobic. The problem, on my end, is I’m getting more commitment-phobic all the time. There’s even a word for it: Gamophobia. Seriously, it’s gamophobia.
Actually, the word is used for the fear of the commitment of marriage, but we writers use what works.
I’ve found the trick to setting, and achieving, a goal is to keep my expectations at a reasonable level. If I know I won’t be home on Saturday, I’m not going to set my goal for the day at writing a thousand words. It’s more likely I’ll set the goal as reading over what I’ve already written and fixing typos and such.
The good thing about reaching small goals is that it gives you the confidence to set another goal and reach for it. But never carve your goals in stone. Be flexible. Life is a changeable experience. Maybe a good goal to set is to enjoy it.

KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the important news when it happens.Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

F is for Focus

 Day 6April 7, 2016
Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun. Today's blog is about focus.  Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys! 
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Attaining focus is not as easy as one would think. Distractions are everywhere and I’m a weak, imperfect writer. What should be easy is often elusive. So what is there to do?
The ability to focus is highly individualized. I can tell you what works for me, but you might need something radically different. I prefer quiet. You might like “white” background noise.
I think short meditation is helpful, but I don’t like to stare at a flame. I like to close my eyes and rest in the dark. You might like to burn a candle and focus on the fire.
Whatever method you employ, learning to focus is a helpful tool. I joked once that all my writing habits are bad ones so you don’t want to immolate me. It’s still true today. I schlep along working on a couple of projects at a time. I know they’ll all get finished. All I need is for one of the stories to strike a spark. When that happens, I get serious.
I shut down the Internet, close the door, turn off the rock and roll music, put the Kindle and the cell phone in the bedroom, and I focus on the story. Having been at this awhile, I can make a lot of headway if blot out the distractions.
None of us can focus for days and days on end. We’re humans. Variety keeps us healthy. But if you can focus, really focus, on the story for a space of time during every writing session, you’ll find it gets easier to do and the rewards reaped will be worth the effort.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks
*_*_*_*
Being a writer and talking about time, it seems appropriate to use this blogging opportunity to do a short book promo. Here’s a bit about Fly By Night, book five in the Sundown Saga.  
F is for Fly By Night  Lieutenant Fallon Roxbury has a few secrets. His lover Sundown is a shapeshifter, and his entire Clan is under Fallon’s protection. He can usually handle the job but the universe has conspired to align a few unusual events. A body was found at the old rail yard where the shapeshifters once had a village, the clan’s nestlings are about to mature, and his lover and his police partner are suddenly behaving like best friends.
When the clan elders confirm the identity of the murderer, Fallon has more trouble. The suspect is one of the city commissioners and the evidence points to him killing more than once. It’s up to Fallon to find legally admissible evidence to connect his cold case to the more recent murder. He’ll need some specialized help for that, the kind only Sundown can provide.
Bit by bit Fallon gathers evidence, not only about the murders, but about the secrets Sundown has kept. It’s a sobering reminder that looks can be deceiving, and the shapeshifter he shares his life with isn’t human.  

FLY BY NIGHT
Available now at All Romance eBooks

E is for Every Day (A to Z and IWSG)

Day 5April 6, 2016
Welcome to the first Wednesday of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge and, since it’s the first Wednesday of the month,
  the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

To explain a bit, the A to Z Blogging Challenge takes place in April. Bloggers follow the alphabet, A to Z, every day except Sundays. So it’s twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days.   This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge and I’ve completed every year, one hundred percent, on time. 
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is rather self-explanatory. On the first Wednesday of the month, everyone who has joined the group (the blog hop) posts a blog with some sort of writing wisdom. It can be advice or personal experience as long as it pertains to the art of writing.
So…to combine both, today’s topic is “E is for Every Day.” As in write something every day.
I’ve already touched on this in another A to Z blog. I’ve always questioned the wisdom of hammering it in on novice writers the importance of writing every day. I know we’d like to see each and every “newbie” develop the good work habits necessary to succeed. But, and I zipped over to the folder and counted, I’ve written a total of seventy-seven (77) books under two pseudonyms. That includes eight in partnership with Christianne France. I did not, and I do not, write something every day.
Each writer has to strike a balance between their passion for writing and everything else in their life. Time is at a premium for all of us. What works for me is this: Be about the business of writing every day.
Every day I do something in regard to my writing life. It may be a character bio, or a plot worksheet. If I have an edit to do, I don’t get anything else done that evening and I don’t beat myself up over it. I may be filling out those blasted publisher forms on a new submission. If it’s a book I’m putting out indie, I may be working on the cover. I might be blogging or doing promo. It varies from day-to-day and that’s just okay. Even if I’m taking some “dithering” time (downtime) on the patio it’s very likely I’m thinking about writing.
To be about the business of writing every day. That’s what works for me.

* * *


E is also for Emory from Doors of Time! What sort of writer would I be if I didn't do a little promo? 

Doors of Time is available now at All Romance eBooks, and soon to be at Amazon. 

Doors of Time - a second chance at love takes time. 
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks www.facebook.com/kckendricks
Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news when a new book is available or something really big happens.

Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

D is for Dithering, The Practical Use Thereof

Day 4April 5, 2016
Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys on this fourth day of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today I’m considering a bad habit of mine - dithering.
Dithering is an old country word for a state of mind best described as a mix of procrastination with a hint of indecision and orneriness. Old-timers like my grandfather liked to get to the point. If someone was dithering, there was no need for more detailed explanations. It didn’t matter what a person was dithering over, they were wasting valuable time.
Well, maybe. Fast forward to our modern, fast-paced, almost out of control, life.
As a writer, there are a lot of good reasons to manage your time wisely. Finishing your current work-in-progress is near the top of the list. Meeting a deadline you’ve committed to is another. Prioritize, divide and conquer is one of my mottoes. But so is “dithering has its place.”

The month of December is a dithering time for me. With so much going on, writing is difficult. Blogging isn't. Knowing this allowed me to work on the A to Z guilt free. And some evenings, not work at all. 
I can’t do good work if I’m tired, or stressed from the day job. It’s up to me to know when I’m like that and not compromise a story. I find it counterproductive to write a thousand words of trash I’m going to end up deleting. Dithering can equate to necessary downtime. 
In my world, dithering is another skill to hone to a sharp, practical edge. The trick is to learn when to effectively use it to save time and be more productive in the long run.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com ww w.twitter.com/kckendricks www.pinterest.com/kckendricks 

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news.Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
*_*_*_*
D is for Double Deuce

Being a writer and talking about time, it seems appropriate to use this blogging opportunity to do a short book promo. Here’s a bit about Double Deuce. ** 
DOUBLE DEUCEContemporary gay romance
Free spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end a long, dark tunnel.
Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.
It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, has definite perks - ones not found in any departmental manual.
DOUBLE DEUCE
Available now at All Romance eBooks
For more information about KC and her books, please visit
http://www.kckendricks.com

C is for Calendar

Day 3April 4, 2016
C is for Calendar
Welcome to the first Monday in the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge and I’ve set my theme as “time” and ways to manage it more productively in regards to my writing.  And I can’t think of much I value more than a working calendar.
For many year I kept a day planner, then a friend turned me on to the Google calendar. Oh, my goodness, what a revelation - and so easy to use! The best part, for me, is that I can have more than one and I can selectively share an individual calendar. My partner and I share one, which began life as WHAT’S FOR DINNER, but has morphed into whatever notation we want to share. Beyond that I have one for writing notations, one for birthdays and anniversaries, one for NASCAR - you get the idea. And they can all be displayed at once so I use a bit of color-coding.
Another one I like, and used for quite a while, is Essential PIM. The basic version is a free download. If it wasn’t for the need to check my personal calendar while at the day job, I’d probably still be using it. It may work great in your situation since you can use it offline. 
If you’ve not been writing long and are obsessed with the notion of “write something every day,” take a break and set up your own personal calendar. The words will still be there and you’ll save time in the long run, especially if you need help remembering a submission deadline. You never have time enough to flub one of those.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks www.pinterest.com/kckendricks

B is for (the) Back Stairs

Day 2April 2, 2016
Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as we kick-off the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year (yes - 6th!) I’ve participated in the challenge. It may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is the A to Z is a lot of fun.
Today is also Saturday, so that means it’s time for the MySexy Saturday Blog Hop. Luckily, I have a “B” title, so it works out pretty well. Be sure to check out the My Sexy Saturday blogs at the link at the end of this blog.
To explain a bit, the A to Z Blogging Challenge takes place in April. Bloggers follow the alphabet, A to Z, every day except Sundays. So it’s twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days. The My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop brings the reader seven sexy words, sentences, or paragraphs from one of the author’s books.
Now on to B is for The Back Stairs and seven sexy paragraphs. This is an exchange between the detective, Fallon, and the shapeshifter, Sundown. 

*_*_*_*
His fingers grazed mine, the gentle touch heating my blood.
“I knew you were a good man. I trust you, Fallon. Will you trust me?”
“I trust you to be nothing but trouble.”
A wide grin split his face. “You’ll see how right you are, but not today. Today is for you to climb the last steps and come inside.” The smile faded. “I have things to share with you, if you will trust me.”
I had to give it one last-ditch effort to move away from him. “That’s very cryptic. I don’t enjoy playing games, Sundown.”
“Nor do I. Perhaps my truth is best kept silent.”
Damn him. He played me perfectly, knowing my curiosity wouldn’t allow me to walk away. I went up a step and stood aside so he could get past me on the narrow metal stairs.
*_*_*_*

THE BACK STAIRS
Available now at All Romance eBooks and other online book sellers.


Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.
Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.
Shapeshifters, that is.

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

A is for Analyze Your Time - 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Day 1April 1, 2016
A is for Analyze Time
Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun.
It was October of last year until I decided I could do the challenge again. It takes a massive about of time to figure out topics and write the blogs. I wasn’t sure I should devote the time to it, and that’s when it hit me. I set my theme as “time” and ways to manage it more productively in regards to my writing.
Then on January 2 of this year, Amber Quill Press announced it was closing and I was back to square one. With a lot of work to do to send my books back out as an indie author, would I have time to do the A to Z?
I’m talking about time and how to make the most of it, so to prove I can walk the walk, of course I’m doing the A to Z Challenge!  
So here goes. Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as we kick-off the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge.  
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Writing is a very time intensive pursuit. Pulling pure thought out of the air and molding it into the written word doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. We’re all busy with family, friends, fun and “day jobs.”
I want to spend my time writing. It’s a sacred time for me, writing. I don’t want to squander any of it although I know, realistically, some of it will be wasted. (Welcome to the human condition and the lure of the Internet.) Given this goal, analyzing how I spend my time is an appropriate activity.
Searching for help on how best to accomplish this, I found the suggestion of keeping a time log. It sounded easy enough - set your cell phone to sound an alarm every fifteen minutes and write down - honestly - what you just did. They even have software to help with this but I’m a starving writer. It’s an old fashioned spreadsheet for me.
How did I do with this exercise? Well, I found out I spend too much time weekly blogging and too much time joining the cocktail party known as Twitter. Same for Pinterest. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily.
Now that I know how much of my writing time isn’t spent actually writing, I can take the steps I need to take. Maybe some nights will be marked strictly for writing time and maybe some nights will be split time. I’ll probably have to do some adjusting along the way and that’s okay.
And if I need to stop and check myself after a couple of months, I know what to do to track and analyze my time. The end results are up to me.
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com www.twitter.com/kckendricks www.pinterest.com/kckendricks
Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news.Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
*_*_*_*
A is also for Ace, Deuce, Trey
Being a writer and talking about time, it seems appropriate to use this opportunity to do a short book promo. Here’s a bit about Ace, Deuce, Trey, book three in Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove series. ** Ian Coulter has his hands full with a sexy office assistant, a favorite movie star client and a drag queen determined to save the world one lost runaway at a time. He can juggle all of it because he and his lover, FBI agent Rick Mohr, are finally together.
Rick’s transfer to Amethyst Cove puts him in charge of multiple operations. When one of Ian’s clients is targeted, it doesn’t take long for Ian to suspect the con artist is on an FBI watch list. With their cases overlapping, Ian and Rick are short on time. Together they set a trap and spring it before their suspect escapes.
Doing the job is easy but figuring out the relationship is tougher. Fitting their lives together isn’t without obstacles, but one thing is certain. On or off the case, Ian and Rick always get their man.
Ace, Deuce, Trey - the second edition is coming soon to online booksellers. 
More information is available at my website at
http://www.kckendricks.com/AceDeuceTrey.html

The Waiting Game

March 30, 2016

After what seems like an eternity, we've arrived at the last days of March. I feel like I've been living in the perfect storm.

Amber Quill announced its closing leaving me with forty books to self-pubMy mother had surgery We had a blizzard with thirty inches of snowMy mother ended up in the hospital again, then rehabI got a puppyMy best friend in the whole world is moving awayI prepped for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, which begins April 1I subbed a story to Loose Id as KC and it was accepted (my alter ego was one of the first authors they published back in 2004)
I've not written much new prose. This worries me but I've been a bit busy. On top of everything, I do work a full-time job and I do have the spousal unit. Both need a certain amount of attention. 

But for some reason, I got up this morning ready to kick ass first and take the names of anyone left standing later. Maybe it's because my mother is finally back home. Or perhaps it's because Deuce is pretty much house-trained. 

More likely it's because the waiting game is almost over. I can finally DO something. Amber Quill closes tomorrow. My books are already off All Romance eBooks and Amazon. Tonight I'll do as much pre-order loading as I can to make what books I have covers made for available on April 1. 

I've already made preliminary updates to my website. I'll have to go back and add the buy links when they're available. Same for here at Between the Keys. 

Finally, finally, finally, I feel like I can get moving again.

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

PS. Don't forget to check back on April 1 for the opening of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!