K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 80
July 21, 2014
A Friendly Neighbor still going strong
July 21, 2014
Authors do more than write. In fact, we wear a lot of hats. Oh sure we can hire publicists and ad people, private editors, secretaries. Even if we do it just goes to prove the point we're representative of every business owner out there.
We research and develop the product, produce the product, run quality control, engage others to market the product, promote or pay to promote the product, and we pay our taxes on the product. So with all that invested into each and every book, you'll understand if we go a bit off-center when a book is doing really well.
I checked in at All Romance eBooks this morning and discovered A Friendly Neighbor is #15 on the Ellora's Cave list. That's the list which ranks recent sales. That's #15 out of 4752 selections.
Damn. I should have been paying closer attention.
A Friendly Neighbor is available at:
Ellora's Cave
All Romance eBooks
Omni
Kobo
Amazon
KC Kendricks
website
twitter
Authors do more than write. In fact, we wear a lot of hats. Oh sure we can hire publicists and ad people, private editors, secretaries. Even if we do it just goes to prove the point we're representative of every business owner out there. We research and develop the product, produce the product, run quality control, engage others to market the product, promote or pay to promote the product, and we pay our taxes on the product. So with all that invested into each and every book, you'll understand if we go a bit off-center when a book is doing really well.
I checked in at All Romance eBooks this morning and discovered A Friendly Neighbor is #15 on the Ellora's Cave list. That's the list which ranks recent sales. That's #15 out of 4752 selections.
Damn. I should have been paying closer attention.
A Friendly Neighbor is available at:
Ellora's Cave
All Romance eBooks
Omni
Kobo
Amazon
KC Kendricks
website
July 20, 2014
Such a quandry
July 20, 2014
When faced with life's little problems, the writer in me turns to blogging. Blogging is like talking to myself or talking out loud. I can hear myself and then see the printed words. You'll never know how many times I've written a blog and then deleted it because just the act of putting the words on the screen in front of me clarified how I felt or focused my decision making in the proper direction.
So here it is: I've got several stories promised between now and the end of 2015. That's not a typo. This morning I opened my email and there's one from the head guru at Amber Quill with an idea for a themed collection which is not a PAX at this time. Okay, but I've already written a book titled very loosely on this theme. Yes, it did very well but do I want to get stuck in that particular rut?
I don't think I do. Using the names of popular drinks as book titles isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. I don't want to be lumped in that group. I thought long and hard about using Kentucky 98 Proof for a title. It's not a drink but it is based on a distillery fact. Anything ninety-eight proof is very potent.
Then there's my editor who has always given me a very difficult time when my characters have a drink and drive home. Back in my day the term "politically correct" hadn't even been coined. EVERYTHING I did as a teenager and young women is now considered "politically incorrect" or "unsafe." Yet here I am. Healthy and gainfully employed. Go figure. It looks like cruising the streets of my hometown in my 1969 Camaro with the steering wheel in one hand and a ginger ale spiked with Jim Beam in the other didn't do too much damage to my prospects. Or anyone else's in our group for that matter. It was simply what kids in this town did in those days. The past is the past and I won't judge any of them today.
So do I want to add to the writing stack? I think seven new stories on the plot board to be finished between now and the end of 2015 is plenty. It's more than enough! So as much as I'd like to join the ranks of JA Konrath with a Whiskey Sour, a Bloody Mary, a Rusty Nail, a Dirty Martini, a Fuzzy Navel, a Cherry Bomb, Shaken, Stirred, Last Call.... It goes on forever! I think I'll pass.
KC Kendricks
website
twitter
When faced with life's little problems, the writer in me turns to blogging. Blogging is like talking to myself or talking out loud. I can hear myself and then see the printed words. You'll never know how many times I've written a blog and then deleted it because just the act of putting the words on the screen in front of me clarified how I felt or focused my decision making in the proper direction.
So here it is: I've got several stories promised between now and the end of 2015. That's not a typo. This morning I opened my email and there's one from the head guru at Amber Quill with an idea for a themed collection which is not a PAX at this time. Okay, but I've already written a book titled very loosely on this theme. Yes, it did very well but do I want to get stuck in that particular rut?
I don't think I do. Using the names of popular drinks as book titles isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. I don't want to be lumped in that group. I thought long and hard about using Kentucky 98 Proof for a title. It's not a drink but it is based on a distillery fact. Anything ninety-eight proof is very potent.
Then there's my editor who has always given me a very difficult time when my characters have a drink and drive home. Back in my day the term "politically correct" hadn't even been coined. EVERYTHING I did as a teenager and young women is now considered "politically incorrect" or "unsafe." Yet here I am. Healthy and gainfully employed. Go figure. It looks like cruising the streets of my hometown in my 1969 Camaro with the steering wheel in one hand and a ginger ale spiked with Jim Beam in the other didn't do too much damage to my prospects. Or anyone else's in our group for that matter. It was simply what kids in this town did in those days. The past is the past and I won't judge any of them today.
So do I want to add to the writing stack? I think seven new stories on the plot board to be finished between now and the end of 2015 is plenty. It's more than enough! So as much as I'd like to join the ranks of JA Konrath with a Whiskey Sour, a Bloody Mary, a Rusty Nail, a Dirty Martini, a Fuzzy Navel, a Cherry Bomb, Shaken, Stirred, Last Call.... It goes on forever! I think I'll pass.
KC Kendricks
website
July 15, 2014
Sometimes you can over-think a task
July 15, 2014
The spouse and I are sharing shared cooking duties tonight. Right now I'm hiding in my office so I don't beat him with a skillet say something I'll regret. He's making a recipe he saw Trisha Yearwood make on her cooking show. Potatoes, ground beef, cheddar cheese, onions, breadcrumbs. Think a variation on shepherd's pic with cheese instead of corn or peas. I've never known him to have such difficulty with a recipe and all because it said "make a rue" and to use a whisk to do it. Apparently whisks are bad things in his world. Like I said - I had to leave the kitchen.
I try to be methodical with my To-Do list. What's on the top of the list should get done first if at all possible. It helps keep me focused because I've been known to over-multi-task. About a week ago the task of updating all the publisher links here at Between the Keys rolled to the top and I did balk. If there's one thing I do not like is fixing any problem someone else initiated. But it had to be done.
Setting about updating the links back to the Amber Allure site has not proven to be an onerous chore. It's been rather simple, actually. I've completed 29 of the 33 books I need to do and I hope to finish those by Friday. It will be good to have order restored to my blog.
I suppose I should go restore order to the kitchen as well. I can't hold it against the spouse for over-thinking his projects when I do the same thing. Fair is fair, after all.
KC
website
twitter
The spouse and I are sharing shared cooking duties tonight. Right now I'm hiding in my office so I don't beat him with a skillet say something I'll regret. He's making a recipe he saw Trisha Yearwood make on her cooking show. Potatoes, ground beef, cheddar cheese, onions, breadcrumbs. Think a variation on shepherd's pic with cheese instead of corn or peas. I've never known him to have such difficulty with a recipe and all because it said "make a rue" and to use a whisk to do it. Apparently whisks are bad things in his world. Like I said - I had to leave the kitchen.
I try to be methodical with my To-Do list. What's on the top of the list should get done first if at all possible. It helps keep me focused because I've been known to over-multi-task. About a week ago the task of updating all the publisher links here at Between the Keys rolled to the top and I did balk. If there's one thing I do not like is fixing any problem someone else initiated. But it had to be done.
Setting about updating the links back to the Amber Allure site has not proven to be an onerous chore. It's been rather simple, actually. I've completed 29 of the 33 books I need to do and I hope to finish those by Friday. It will be good to have order restored to my blog.
I suppose I should go restore order to the kitchen as well. I can't hold it against the spouse for over-thinking his projects when I do the same thing. Fair is fair, after all.
KC
website
July 14, 2014
Fox on the run
July 14, 2014The eastern red fox. We had a pair of them in the backyard this evening.
No, we weren't pleased. A fox will eat a cat.
I have a cat.
A brave cat.
A cat is not a match for a pair of foxes.
This is not a good thing.
Pa, get yer gun....and put some bullets in it....
July 14, 2014The eastern red fox. We had a pair of them i...
July 14, 2014The eastern red fox. We had a pair of them in the backyard this evening.
No, we weren't pleased. A fox will eat a cat.
I have a cat.
A brave cat.
A cat is not a match for a pair of foxes.
This is not a good thing.
Pa, get yer gun....and put some bullets in it....
July 11, 2014
July Fridays
July 11, 2014
It's a lazy Friday afternoon in my world. I'm sure there are things I could and should be accomplishing, but it's Friday. It's July. Concentration is a problem right now.
Looking at my To-Do list didn't inspire me. In fact, it made me yawn. And that's the To-Do at the day job, too. I worked my butt off this week and I'm mentally bushed. With an hour to go, do they really expect to get a lot out of me? Probably.
Guess what? Not happening. I simply crammed too much into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to be able to function now. I hope this passes by the time I get home later this afternoon. I've got lots to do!
There are two special projects on my desk at home and I need to finish both of them so I can get back to work on my own stories. AND the Beachcombers PAX I signed up for a while back finally got another three participants so now it's a "go" for next year. I said I would only do two PAX stories a year and now this will be three for 2015. Deadlines are not my friends,
Then there is the little project of updating all the *(#!&^ links here at Between the Keys. It's making my wrist ache. Not a good sign.
And My Sexy Saturday. Do I want to hop in at the last minute and go for it? Don't know. Can't focus. Need a nap.
I'm sure it will all work itself out, one way or the other because it's Friday. And it's July.
And it's the best reason I know of to relax and let what will be, be.
KC
website
It's a lazy Friday afternoon in my world. I'm sure there are things I could and should be accomplishing, but it's Friday. It's July. Concentration is a problem right now.
Looking at my To-Do list didn't inspire me. In fact, it made me yawn. And that's the To-Do at the day job, too. I worked my butt off this week and I'm mentally bushed. With an hour to go, do they really expect to get a lot out of me? Probably.
Guess what? Not happening. I simply crammed too much into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to be able to function now. I hope this passes by the time I get home later this afternoon. I've got lots to do!
There are two special projects on my desk at home and I need to finish both of them so I can get back to work on my own stories. AND the Beachcombers PAX I signed up for a while back finally got another three participants so now it's a "go" for next year. I said I would only do two PAX stories a year and now this will be three for 2015. Deadlines are not my friends,
Then there is the little project of updating all the *(#!&^ links here at Between the Keys. It's making my wrist ache. Not a good sign.
And My Sexy Saturday. Do I want to hop in at the last minute and go for it? Don't know. Can't focus. Need a nap.
I'm sure it will all work itself out, one way or the other because it's Friday. And it's July.
And it's the best reason I know of to relax and let what will be, be.
KC
website
July 6, 2014
Caution - mini rant ahead
July 6, 2014
I'm not a person who rants. I bitch. Is there a difference? Of course there is. I do my best to bitch in a lady-like manner.
Earlier this year my home publisher moved to a new server. Every URL to every book I have published through the company changed. Think about this for a moment.
All the links on KC's website needed changed.
All the blogs KC ever did now contain bad and broken links, and there is over 500 entries.
All the promo posts KC ever did in every Yahoo group now contain broken links.
All of KC's old tweets that promo a book at that publisher now contain broken links.
Let's face it. Everywhere KC ever did a promo prior to 2014 now has at least one broken link.
Do you ever wonder why the Internet is so slow? I usually blame my crappy rural DSL but the real reason is because the Internet can't find anything!!!
ALL is not lost. The links to All Romance ebooks, Amazon, and other third-party vendors remain the same. It helps some but in the past I've tended to link to the publisher where, frankly, the writer gets a slightly better slice of the pie for all her/his hard work.
I can't do a thing about what the publishers do. I can't round up all the old tweets and Yahoo posts and fix them. What I CAN do, and will do, is fix the links here at Between the Keys.
Is it the best use of my time? I don't really think so but it seems to me if I want to remain proud of my work and of Between the Keys then I need to do this. The old adage states "if it's not broke don't fix it." Unfortunately, it is broke and I do have to fix it even though I'm not the one who broke the links and even though it will take a lot of my time.
Please bear with me as I finish updating the links at Between the Keys. If you've wondered why more recent links tend to direct you to my website instead of a publisher page, it's so I don't have to do this again here at Between the Keys.
And this is how I bitch like a lady.
KC
I'm not a person who rants. I bitch. Is there a difference? Of course there is. I do my best to bitch in a lady-like manner.
Earlier this year my home publisher moved to a new server. Every URL to every book I have published through the company changed. Think about this for a moment.
All the links on KC's website needed changed.
All the blogs KC ever did now contain bad and broken links, and there is over 500 entries.
All the promo posts KC ever did in every Yahoo group now contain broken links.
All of KC's old tweets that promo a book at that publisher now contain broken links.
Let's face it. Everywhere KC ever did a promo prior to 2014 now has at least one broken link.
Do you ever wonder why the Internet is so slow? I usually blame my crappy rural DSL but the real reason is because the Internet can't find anything!!!
ALL is not lost. The links to All Romance ebooks, Amazon, and other third-party vendors remain the same. It helps some but in the past I've tended to link to the publisher where, frankly, the writer gets a slightly better slice of the pie for all her/his hard work.
I can't do a thing about what the publishers do. I can't round up all the old tweets and Yahoo posts and fix them. What I CAN do, and will do, is fix the links here at Between the Keys.
Is it the best use of my time? I don't really think so but it seems to me if I want to remain proud of my work and of Between the Keys then I need to do this. The old adage states "if it's not broke don't fix it." Unfortunately, it is broke and I do have to fix it even though I'm not the one who broke the links and even though it will take a lot of my time.
Please bear with me as I finish updating the links at Between the Keys. If you've wondered why more recent links tend to direct you to my website instead of a publisher page, it's so I don't have to do this again here at Between the Keys.
And this is how I bitch like a lady.
KC
July 3, 2014
Happy July the Fourth
July 4, 2014Let it not be said I'm not feeling patriotic today.
Enjoy the holiday, but take a moment to reflect on what it means to be free - how fragile that freedom has become and our personal responsibility in maintaining the freedom we take for granted.
We're free to be the best person we can be.
We're free to pursue what makes us happy.
We're free and able to live life without fear of oppression.
We're free to make mistakes and grow from them.
We're free to vote away our freedoms with a touch to a computer screen.
Let us all prayerfully and mindfully protect our precious freedoms.
KC
You want how much for that?
July 3, 2014
We love lasagna, perhaps the chef more so since she can make a batch in a 13x9 cake pan and get four meals out of it. Cook once, eat four times. What busy working person wouldn't like that? Being that I'm beginning a four-day weekend I thought I'd make lasagna for dinner and then freeze the other portions for Himself to heat when Herself doesn't feel like cooking after a day at the office.
Did you know the local grocery wants $6.59 for a large tub of Ricotta cheese? (You want how much for that????) I can buy a half-gallon of milk for $2.49 to make my own and it will taste better.
Making it's easy. When making ricotta for lasagna, I use the entire half-gallon of whole milk. Heat the milk to just before it's ready to boil, but don't allow it to boil and foam. Sprinkle in a dash of salt. Two if you like salty which I don't. While it heats, squeeze the juice from two lemons (yes, catch the seeds and discard). Some recipes call for using white wine vinegar, but I like the mild lemon flavor as opposed to the more acidic wwv flavor. And I usually get the zest off the lemons before I squeeze the juice because I might get energetic and use it in something else.
When the milk is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice - give it a good stir - and let it sit for five to ten minutes. Clumps should form. Then strain the mixture using cheesecloth or line a colander with coffee filters and strain through that. The filters take a lot longer but I like the result better. The ricotta will keep four or five days refrigerated in a container with a good seal. One of these days I may try freezing some just to see what happens although I expect the end result might be sort of nasty.
If you need a real recipe you can find one here. This is the one I started with and modified for what works for me. The page also has handy pictures.
So I'm going to make my own ricotta, save a bunch of money, and bypass ingesting some preservatives. What should I do with the money I save?
Go buy a book, of course.
KC
website
We love lasagna, perhaps the chef more so since she can make a batch in a 13x9 cake pan and get four meals out of it. Cook once, eat four times. What busy working person wouldn't like that? Being that I'm beginning a four-day weekend I thought I'd make lasagna for dinner and then freeze the other portions for Himself to heat when Herself doesn't feel like cooking after a day at the office. Did you know the local grocery wants $6.59 for a large tub of Ricotta cheese? (You want how much for that????) I can buy a half-gallon of milk for $2.49 to make my own and it will taste better.
Making it's easy. When making ricotta for lasagna, I use the entire half-gallon of whole milk. Heat the milk to just before it's ready to boil, but don't allow it to boil and foam. Sprinkle in a dash of salt. Two if you like salty which I don't. While it heats, squeeze the juice from two lemons (yes, catch the seeds and discard). Some recipes call for using white wine vinegar, but I like the mild lemon flavor as opposed to the more acidic wwv flavor. And I usually get the zest off the lemons before I squeeze the juice because I might get energetic and use it in something else.
When the milk is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice - give it a good stir - and let it sit for five to ten minutes. Clumps should form. Then strain the mixture using cheesecloth or line a colander with coffee filters and strain through that. The filters take a lot longer but I like the result better. The ricotta will keep four or five days refrigerated in a container with a good seal. One of these days I may try freezing some just to see what happens although I expect the end result might be sort of nasty.
If you need a real recipe you can find one here. This is the one I started with and modified for what works for me. The page also has handy pictures.
So I'm going to make my own ricotta, save a bunch of money, and bypass ingesting some preservatives. What should I do with the money I save?
Go buy a book, of course.
KC
website
June 27, 2014
A Friendly Neighbor on the blog hops today
June 28, 2014
Welcome to another week of the My Sexy Saturday AND Seductive Studs & Sirens blog hops. I'm doing double blog hops today for A Friendly Neighbor since next Saturday falls on a holiday weekend here in the States. Please check out the lists at the bottom of this entry and visit all the great blogs for today's excerpts.
I love Saturdays! Sure the obvious is I'm not at the day job, but beyond that I'm having far too much fun with the weekly blog hops. It's been a little difficult to keep up with them every week, being that it's summertime and there's so much to do in the yard. We just got our little soaking pool set up this past week so there's another summer time-waster. But enough of all that and on to seven sexy paragraphs from A Friendly Neighbor.
*_*_*_*
That voice. Jackson knew it from somewhere, and yet he was sure he’d never spoken to his neighbor before. He cleared his throat. “Don’t encourage him. He doesn’t grasp the concept of how much it’ll hurt to hit the ground.” “They never do.” Jackson searched for words as the man fell silent. He needed to keep the guy talking so he could enjoy his voice. It wouldn’t matter how silly the conversation might be tonight. They had to start somewhere. “I’m Jackson. Have you lived here long?” The guy sipped his drink. “Kyle. I’ve been here about six months. So far the place pretty much lives up to the hype.” There was a slight pause. “I enjoy the views.” Jackson’s cheeks heated. Did Kyle realize he’d put on a bit of show for him last night? Had Kyle seen him watching him back while he jerked off? Yeah, it figured the one time he’d be an exhibitionist someone would call him on it. But since Kyle found it amusing, he’d give it right back and let Kyle know he’d seen him playing with himself. “I like the views too. Why don’t you freshen your drink and bring it on over?
*_*_*_*
A Friendly Neighbor is available now at Ellora's Cave, All Romance eBooks, Amazon and Kobo.
About A Friendly Neighbor:
Kyle isn’t typically a voyeur but when his sexy neighbor forgets to close his curtains, he finds it difficult to look away. And why should he? It’s just a little harmless fun and maybe an erotic bit of self-pleasure to balance out the long hours he’s put in on the job lately. Next time he’ll exercise some self-control and turn away from the too-hot for words spectacle, but just this once he’s determined to let himself enjoy the show.
Jackson might have been offended by his neighbor’s voyeuristic evening had Jackson not taken advantage of the delicious show he unwittingly inspired. Unwilling to let the opportunity to turn a smoldering fantasy into a scorching hot sex life, Jackson invites Kyle over for a drink and is pleasantly surprised to find Kyle is smart, sexy and someone Jackson wants to get to know—in bed and out.
KC Kendricks
website
twitter
facebook
');
Welcome to another week of the My Sexy Saturday AND Seductive Studs & Sirens blog hops. I'm doing double blog hops today for A Friendly Neighbor since next Saturday falls on a holiday weekend here in the States. Please check out the lists at the bottom of this entry and visit all the great blogs for today's excerpts.
I love Saturdays! Sure the obvious is I'm not at the day job, but beyond that I'm having far too much fun with the weekly blog hops. It's been a little difficult to keep up with them every week, being that it's summertime and there's so much to do in the yard. We just got our little soaking pool set up this past week so there's another summer time-waster. But enough of all that and on to seven sexy paragraphs from A Friendly Neighbor.
*_*_*_*
That voice. Jackson knew it from somewhere, and yet he was sure he’d never spoken to his neighbor before. He cleared his throat. “Don’t encourage him. He doesn’t grasp the concept of how much it’ll hurt to hit the ground.” “They never do.” Jackson searched for words as the man fell silent. He needed to keep the guy talking so he could enjoy his voice. It wouldn’t matter how silly the conversation might be tonight. They had to start somewhere. “I’m Jackson. Have you lived here long?” The guy sipped his drink. “Kyle. I’ve been here about six months. So far the place pretty much lives up to the hype.” There was a slight pause. “I enjoy the views.” Jackson’s cheeks heated. Did Kyle realize he’d put on a bit of show for him last night? Had Kyle seen him watching him back while he jerked off? Yeah, it figured the one time he’d be an exhibitionist someone would call him on it. But since Kyle found it amusing, he’d give it right back and let Kyle know he’d seen him playing with himself. “I like the views too. Why don’t you freshen your drink and bring it on over?
*_*_*_*
A Friendly Neighbor is available now at Ellora's Cave, All Romance eBooks, Amazon and Kobo.
About A Friendly Neighbor:
Kyle isn’t typically a voyeur but when his sexy neighbor forgets to close his curtains, he finds it difficult to look away. And why should he? It’s just a little harmless fun and maybe an erotic bit of self-pleasure to balance out the long hours he’s put in on the job lately. Next time he’ll exercise some self-control and turn away from the too-hot for words spectacle, but just this once he’s determined to let himself enjoy the show.
Jackson might have been offended by his neighbor’s voyeuristic evening had Jackson not taken advantage of the delicious show he unwittingly inspired. Unwilling to let the opportunity to turn a smoldering fantasy into a scorching hot sex life, Jackson invites Kyle over for a drink and is pleasantly surprised to find Kyle is smart, sexy and someone Jackson wants to get to know—in bed and out.
KC Kendricks
website
');
