K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 73

Doing Double Duty - D is for Doors of Time

April 4, 2015Day 4
The 2015 A to Z Blogging ChallengeMany Sundry Things
D is for Doors of Time
* * * *
Today’s A to Z blog has to do double duty which is a very appropriate phrase since today is D. Today is a Saturday and that means it’s time again for the My Sexy Saturday blog hop. So today it’s a straight D promotion – D is for Doors of Time.
The My Sexy Saturday blog hop calls for seven sexy sentences or paragraphs from the author, but since it’s also the A to Z, I’ll keep it toned down and go for seven fun paragraphs from Doors of Time. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post and visit all the participants in today's blog hop - but be warned that some of them will be hot, hot, hot romance fiction and not suitable for timid readers. 
= = = = = = =
Emory leaned forward. “Okay, Calvin, spill it. Just what do you plan on doing with the Clocktower Theatre once it’s been restored to its former glory?”
Calvin laughed softly and sipped his coffee. With slow deliberation, he set the cup down. “That would be getting the cart way before the horse, wouldn’t it?”
Emory grinned and teased his friend. “You always did play hard to get.”
Instead of laughing again, the smile faded from Calvin’s face. Emory backpedaled. “I was teasing you, Calvin, so don’t take that too seriously.”
Calvin licked his lips, his eyes dark and serious as he leaned forward. “You don’t know me the way you think you do, Emory.”
They’d not seen each other in years. Calvin didn’t know the older version of him, either. It would take some time for them to catch up on everything, but Emory knew him well enough to know there was a hidden meaning in his words.
“So why don’t you tell me what it is I don’t know and what is I should know?”
= = = = = = =
For more about Doors of Time, please visit the author’s website at http://www.kckendricks.com/DoorsofTime.html
Doors of Time is available at the Amber Allure imprint of Amber Quill Press.
= = = = = = = = = = =About Doors of Time:
Calvin Lawson arrived in Clear River to rebuild bridges with his ailing father, not hook up with Emory Fleming, although being an honest man, he has to admit Emory’s on his mind. But first things first, and before he goes looking for his boyhood friend, he needs to find a restoration project to generate personal income so he’s not sponging off his father. Gutted by an arsonist, the Clocktower Theatre, affectionately called the Time by everyone in town, is in dire need of his special skills. 
As an on-the-air journalist, Emory Fleming is making a name for himself and getting noticed. He’s back in Clear River at the local network affiliate, preparing for the move up to a major market in a few years. When Calvin Lawson rolls back into town, Emory’s stunned. The old pal he worked with at the Time kept a big secret - he’s gay. All the fantasies Emory had as a teenager about Calvin suddenly become real as he and Calvin reconnect and quickly become lovers.
Calvin’s planned restoration of the Clocktower Theatre may not be a practical possibility. He has to secure a lot of funding to do the job properly, and money is tight everywhere. When Emory’s big break comes faster than anticipated, Calvin sees only one option - step aside so Emory will accept the job he’s always wanted. It doesn’t take  Emory long to figure out why Calvin walked out, and put in action a plan to win him back before the doors of time close between them permanently.
KC Kendricks http://www.kckendricks.com

C is for Camaro (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

April 3, 2015 KC Kendricks
Day 3
The 2015 A to Z Blogging ChallengeMany Sundry Things
C is for CAMARO* * *
I’m a motor head. I love cars. I won’t apologize for it. As a girl, I was my Daddy’s Little Princess. I won’t apologize for that, either.
My late father liked cars. His favorite Saturday morning hang-out was at the (relatively) local Sinclair station. Upon occasion, and more frequently as I grew, I was allowed to accompany him instead of grocery shopping with my mother and grandmother.

Dad had a few cars he held in fond regard. The first was a 1955 Pontiac Chieftain and the second a 1959 Chevy Impala. In fact, my parents had a grand total of six Impalas over the years. Dad also (really, really, really!) liked my first car, a 1969 Camaro. If he hadn’t have liked it, no way would I have gotten it no matter how much money I’d managed to squirrel away from doing odd jobs. I was sixteen and in those days his signature was required.
My father taught me how to change the oil, check the belts and hoses, check the antifreeze, replace fuses and lamps, change a tire, check the brakes and rotors. I’m grateful for the time he gave me because those lessons have saved me a lot – A LOT – of money over the years. The add-on computers cars have today might require a technician, but the shop foreman can’t fool me about the mechanical workings of my car and sell me work my car doesn’t need just so he can improve his bottom line. 
The 1969 Camaro isn’t something you see on the road much these days. The last forty-five years have decreased the numbers to a precious few, but they do exist. My ’69 Camaro is still on the road, lovingly tended by a fellow who drives it to classic car rallies and such. He stops by every now and again to say hello and I enjoy seeing the pictures of the trophies the car has won. My care, and my father’s, figure into its success.
In my opinion the 1969 was the best Camaro every made. It took Chevrolet forty years to make another Camaro worthy of the name. My current school of thought says drive my Charger for another few years, get a new Camaro, retire, and take that long cross-country drive to see the national parks.
Who says my glory days are behind me?
_*_*_*_
Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?
C is for Colby Denton of Netting Neptune.
Theron Bowman is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. At forty, he needs to make some serious decisions about his future. He splurges on a two-week vacation in the Caribbean, and like everything else in his life, things go horribly awry and he ends up working to pay for his room. 
Forced by his father to break ties with his family, Colby Denton came to rest on St. Lucia, and opened an exclusive resort. To celebrate his tenth year on the island, and his birthday, Colby arranges for a series of festive beachside parties. When a sexy sea god swims out of the ocean in front of him, Colby has a brand new plan – netting Neptune.

Netting Neptune is available at the Amber Allure imprint of Amber Quill Press.
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1168-Netting-Neptune.aspx

http://www.kckendricks.com

B is for Believe you will

April 2, 2015
Day 2

The 2015 A to Z Blogging ChallengeMany Sundry Things  B is for BELIEVE You Will* * *
To achieve your dreams you need to believe that you will.
That’s a rather simplistic statement on the surface. Believe that you can. It can be difficult - but it’s not impossible.
After my father died in November of 1983, my mother coped with her frequent insomnia by devouring the romance novels of the day which were mostly Harlequin. Her co-workers kept her supplied and she’d always pass the books along to me. Every once in a while she’d ask if I enjoyed a particular story and I’d always joke, “I could write one like that.”
Being a supportive mom, she always agreed and she challenged me to sit still long enough to do it.
Deep down inside I never doubted I could write a book. I don’t know where that belief came from. Truly. I have no clue. It was simply there.
It was late in 1995 when I first tested that belief. I think I was a bit worried but we’d gotten our first desktop, an HP that we quickly outgrew. I sat down and officially wrote a short story.  What the experience taught me was I would always do well if I remember to believe that I can.
BELIEVE that you can and you will.
_*_*_*_
Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?
B is for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. (If you’re a car buff you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, go look it up.)
As a boy, Mick Ambrose fell in love with cars. Now he owns and operates an auto restoration shop specializing in all things American Muscle. When the black 1969 Camaro Z/28 he years ago dubbed Onyx pulls into his garage, Mick forgets his first love in favor of her driver, Logan Gregg. Mick’s interested and cruises Logan at a speed worthy of the car he drives.
Logan Gregg’s plan to avoid entanglements in his life drives away when he stops at American Muscle to ask a few questions about restoring the Z/28 he inherited from his uncle. The owner of the shop is smooth as a well-tuned V-8 engine and twice as hot. Logan is quick to shift gears and take a closer look at Mick Ambrose and the road ahead. When Mick wants to get too close, too fast, Logan backs off. His past holds painful memories he can’t escape and the tattoos on his arms aren’t just for decoration.

Working on the Z/28 brings the men closer, but Mick makes a mistake when he confesses his knowledge of the past Logan wants to keep buried. Mick knows a man has to settle his past to step into his future, but Logan’s unconvinced. To slay his personal demon, he’ll first have to look it in the eye. 
Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted is available at the Amber Allure imprint of Amber Quill Press. 

http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1935-Bored-Stroked-And-Blueprinted.aspx


KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

A is for AGAIN?????

April 1, 2015
Day 1


The 2015 A to Z Blogging ChallengeMany Sundry Things
A is for AGAIN???
* * * *
Five years. This is the fifth year in a row I've participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge.
I must have lost my freakin’ mind to take this on AGAIN!
The first year, way back in 2011, I heard about the challenge at proverbial eleventh hour. I thought it would be fun and it was. Every evening I picked a topic for the next day and wrote a blog. I did it. I kept up and got all thirty done on time but my work, the actual writing of the romance story, suffered greatly.
Year II was better organized. I had a theme, “The Writing Life.” I’m a writer so it was a natural to write about what I do.
Year III was “All About the Books.” Pretty self-explanatory. Quite a few bloggers use the A to Z to highlight what they do. And why shouldn’t they? I’m a writer. It’s who I am. I work a full-time job as an administrative assistant but that’s not who I am. That’s just my day job. I’ve read some grumbles about people who promote something during the challenge, but the entire thing is a Promotion of Self. Let’s be honest when we can’t live and let live.
Then came Year IV and “A Rural Life.” I took a trip down memory lane. It was nice, but once again my writing got derailed. My conclusion was I didn’t start the planning phase soon enough and if I couldn’t plan out Year V well in advance, it would be better to not participate.
But here I am. AGAIN.
Welcome to my fifth year as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge and “Many Sundry Things.”
_*_*_*_
Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

A is for Austin Michaels from the book Taming Triton.
Austin Michaels accepts his brother’s standing invitation for a Caribbean vacation at his island resort. Some time in the sun is just what he needs to map out a plan for his future. Maybe he’ll even meet a hot guy to have a little vacation fling with, as long as the man can keep things fun.
Steve Guthrie’s secret longings have haunted him all his life. It’s time to face his questions and find the truth of who he really is. His love of the sea prompts him to take a vacation at a Caribbean hide-a-way for relaxation and reflection that develops into a rowdy romp with a handsome tattooed stranger. 
Now Steve’s the student in a high stakes class of one, and to pass, he has to tame his very own Triton.
Taming Triton is available at the Amber Allure imprint of Amber Quill Press. 
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1169-Taming-Triton.aspx


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

Ready Set Go - The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

March 31, 2015

Tomorrow is the kick-off of the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge! 

Welcome to Between the Keys and my fifth year participating in the challenge. Organization being a good thing, I've got the calendar. I've scribbled down ideas and I'm ready to expand on them.

I hope you'll travel the next month with me for Many Sundry Things. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Hey, Joe by KC Kendricks

March 28, 2015

It's a brave new world out there! Just in time for My Sexy Saturday (#MSS85), I've dipped my fingers into indie publishing. After having over sixty books published I thought I was competent enough to put out a short story on my own. Finding the photo I turned into the cover helped a lot, too. I saw that picture and I knew I had a story for that guy. 

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from my first indie story, Hey, Joe.

_*_*_*_*_


“Riley.” He tapped my hip. “Riley?”
I groaned and made an attempt to slide to the side and get off him. He aided my effort by giving me a shove. I snickered at him. “That’s payback, isn’t it?”
Joe was breathing hard but he managed to speak. “I recall you said, and I quote, ‘Get the fuck off me now’ just before you flipped me to the floor.”
I stroked his cheek with my knuckles. “I helped you up.”
He smiled as a streak of sunlight fell across the bed. His beautiful blue eyes sparkled as he gazed at me. “I’ve missed you, Riley. I’m so sorry--”
“Shh. Don’t you think that after all these years I know?”
His eyes glittered in the bright light. “But it was a shitty thing to do to the guy I’m in love with.”
_*_*_*_

HEY, JOE
Available now at All Romance eBooks, Omni Lit and Amazon
Only 99-cents for a limited time

About 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
http://www.kckendricks.com 


Be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs for some great excerpts!

A Conversation Between Writers _ Bacon!

March 27, 2015

I've got to whip up a batch of Crack tonight. I made some last weekend. I got a bag of mint chocolate chips (Andes Candies chips) for this batch. And real butter, too. I need it like I need a hole in my head, but the sh*t is really good. It freezes, too, and if I put it in the freezer in the basement, I really have to crave it to go get it. It's one of Trisha Yearwood's recipes. So far I've tried four of hers and they've all been good. ~ KC Kendricks

~~~~~
You've put a batch in the mail to me, right :-)

I have a recipe I want to try with saltines. Cut bacon in half and wrap around the saltine and bake until the bacon is crispy. My son loves bacon. ~ Brenda Williamson
KC Kendricks www.kckendricks.com

2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal Day

March 23, 2015

Today is the day many participants in the A to Z Blogging Challenge are revealing their theme for 2015. If you're not familiar with the A to Z Challenge, it's twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days. It begins April first and you blog following the alphabet every day except on the Sundays. This will be the fifth year I've been a part of the Challenge. I survived the first four and I plan to survive this year. 

All my survivor badges are currently displayed at the bottom of the page. 

So.... drum roll please....

My 2015 theme is "Many Sundry Things."  It is, as you may promptly guess, about many different things. From A is for Again! to N is for NASCAR to Y is for Year's Passing, it's a mish-mash of many sundry things. 

I hope you'll check back, from A to Z, in April.

KC 
www.kckendricks.com 

Stat Curious and Techie Talk - What does it mean?

March 22, 2015

Here in the USA we really like our numbers. Maybe it's not just a cultural thing. For all I know it could be global. My sympathies to the rest of the world if it is, because here in the States we are truly addicted. 

I check my blog stats from time-to-time for no real reason other than to avoid what I should be doing which is basically anything other than looking at the blog stats. But with the 2015 A to Z Challenge about to start, I thought I should take a snapshot and see if some of the numbers hold. And while this is a snapshot of a moment in time, it's an indication of trends. 

For example, Windows is the clear winner in the OS department. That's not a surprise. What I do find curious is that Firefox still has such a lead over Chrome. And poor little Opera isn't even mentioned. (Is it still in use at all?) And what the heck is PhantomJS? Never heard of it. 

At one time I used Firefox at work but even with my security settings pegged one notch above paranoid the thing still accepted every creepy toolbar that was flung at it. It drove me nuts! According to the stats, and the fact IE is being phased out, perhaps I should give it another look. Maybe newer versions have learned how to just say no to toolbars. 

The other thing I'm very, and I mean VERY, curious about is Linux. My old XP computer with the fab speakers is stashed in the den with a boatload of music on it. Now that was a processor like none other, not like this cheap piece of crap I've been using for the last year. I've been talking to the new kid, the millennial, at work about Linux. He mentioned he was pretty sure I could replace XP with Linux on that machine. The thought of having that absolute beast of a machine under my fingertips again is almost orgasmic. 

Do you see what I mean about avoidance? I need to go do some writing while the house is quiet. 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

Spring? Really?

March 21, 2015

Yesterday we celebrated the arrival of spring with several inches of snow, which is still on ground here on the mountain. Today, the weather forecasters are calling for the high temp to be 60F. 

I don't know about you, but I'm afraid to complain too loudly for fear of what might happen in July.