K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 81

One angry flyboy

June 21, 2014
If you’ve been following along here at Between the Keys you know I enjoy living in the country. I know for some there is nothing like the big city, and I confess I love to visit New York and soak up the electric vibe. You see, the real upside of country living is we can go to the city and find hotels. City dwellers can’t come to the country and find our vibe in resorts, bed & breakfasts or campgrounds.
Of course, city dwellers are probably a lot safer from summer’s one great menacing presence. It’s not what you might think. It’s not snakes, spiders, bears, bats, bees or ticks. It’s the Ruby-throated hummingbird.
I kid you not.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest breeding species of bird found in the eastern USA and Canada. They’re small, tiny even, but they’re one full ounce of pure wily aggression. (If they even weigh that much.) And this morning one nasty little flyboy put me in my place.
I kid you not.
It was my own fault. I knew last evening his favorite feeder (I put out two feeders) was empty and instead of refilling it then, I waited until this morning. Mistake one. I was sitting at my desk, playing around on Twitter, when a flash of movement caught my eye. I paused and looked out the window to find the hummingbird hovering, staring right at me through the glass with his beady little eyes. I ignored him. Mistake two.
When my coffee cup ran dry, I decided I’d refill his feeder (having made nectar last night in preparation) while the k-cup machine brewed my coffee. I stepped outside on the patio to get the feeder and there he was, lurking in the maple tree. I took the feeder off the hook and the little ingrate dive-bombed me!
I filled the feeder as quickly as humanly possible and carried it back to the hook. I barely got it up when he came at me again. This time he hovered in front of my face and chittered in his high-pitched voice. I’m sure I was not painted in a favorable light even though I’d just provided fresh go-go juice.
I hear and obey, oh Master. I’ll never allow the feeder to run dry again.
KC http://www.kckendricks.com http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

A Friendly Neighbor is up at ARE

June 19, 2014

Sometimes things work the way they should and sometimes things need a nudge. I got the notice A Friendly Neighbor was available at All Romance eBooks days ago but repeated searches failed to locate the book. Hmmm...

This afternoon I ran a search and there it was! Glitch apparently fixed. So thanks to whomever it was at ARE that figured out something was not connecting and fixed it. 

Sooooo.... If you prefer to do your book shopping at All Romance eBooks, you can now get your copy of a Friendly Neighbor by following this link or by doing a search on the title or the author. 

I hope you'll enjoy A Friendly Neighbor.

KC Kendricks
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A Friendly Neighbor! A new release for My Sexy Saturday

June 14, 2014

Welcome to Between the Keys! Today the blog is doing double duty again. I have a brand new release entitled A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR to promote and it's My Sexy Saturday. (To find out more about My Sexy Saturday, click here.)

A Friendly Neighbor is my first release with Ellora's Cave. It's been a long time since I dealt with two publishers at the same time but it's working out rather well so far. I didn't expect A Friendly Neighbor to get bumped up so far in the release schedule, but there it is. I'm not complaining at all.

So to celebrate the release of A Friendly Neighbor and to support the wonderful My Sexy Saturday blog hop, here are seven sexy paragraphs from A Friendly Neighbor. Enjoy!

_*_*_*_

Jackson kissed him to shut him up. “It was. So let’s not talk it to death.” He was a good one to say that when all of a sudden he felt like babbling and asking Kyle to spend the night which would be the pinnacle of stupidity at this point, but his dick was saying it was a great idea. They could go for Round Two.

Kyle rolled away from him and stood, treating Jackson to a good look at his tall frame.

Even relaxed his cock was beautiful. Photo worthy, in fact. “Think we can make it until Saturday night?”

Jackson cast about frantically for his scattered wits as Kyle slipped into his sweatpants. What had the man said while he was focused on those slim hips and perfect endowment?

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Seven. On Saturday. Rum cake.

“Saturday at seven would be great. I’m looking forward to it so don’t forget dessert. Dress casual.”

Kyle brushed another kiss across his lips. “If I dress at all.”

_*_*_*_

About A Friendly Neighbor:


Kyle Remington isn’t a voyeur but when a sexy neighbor forgets to close his curtains, he’s not above looking. After all, it’s just a little harmless self-pleasure to balance out the long hours he’s put in on the job lately. He’ll exercise some self-control next time, or maybe stop spying all together. What Kyle doesn’t realize is his neighbor knew he watched. 
Jackson Jones’ voyeuristic neighbor has piqued his interest. Kyle is a great guy, sexy and smart, someone Jackson is more than willing to get to know a lot better.  Jackson thinks they can take it slow and enjoy a courtship but Kyle has other plans.  When the two men are tapped for the same photo shoot, Kyle makes sure Jackson knows there are more fun things to do in the dark than look through the window.   
A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR is available now at Ellora's Cave. Click here to purchase.

To read a longer excerpt, visit KC's website here.

To visit all the My Sexy Saturday blogs, see the linky-list below.

Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys today!

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com
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Cover reveal - A Friendly Neighbor

June 8, 2014

Welcome to Between the Keys on one of my special days. Had my father lived, today would have been my parents fifty-ninth wedding anniversary. I often wonder what they'd be like together, but those pictures my mind supplies are mere flights of fancy. My stepdad is a wonderful man who takes very good care of my mother. What more could I ask? 

Today is also special in that I get to finally tell all of you who follow along here at Between the Keys my "big" news. I inked a three book deal with Ellora's Cave earlier this year and the first book, A Friendly Neighbor, is set to release this week. (Pre-order is available at http://www.ellorascave.com/a-friendly-neighbor.html.) I'm excited to pick up a second publisher and to be able to add "multi-published" to KC's accomplishments. 

So now for the drum roll..... Here's the cover for A Friendly Neighbor, which will be available at Ellora's Cave this week. I like it. It really works with the story. The file name says "mock up" so I sure hope my editor sent me the right file. I'll be disappointed if she didn't. 

The book blurb is below.

_*_*_*_*_


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
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Netting Neptune for My Sexy Saturday #MSS45

June 7, 2014

Welcome to another My Sexy Saturday! I've been on vacation (read that I've been a slackard) but I'm getting back into the swing of things. This week I'm highlighting Netting Neptune, book one of the Southern Cross series. 

Here's seven sexy paragraphs from Netting Neptune: 


The wine arrived, saving him from having to answer. Tomas poured for us, flashing me a curious look. I nodded slightly. Word would spread through the staff I might not be alone tonight. Unless some major emergency occurred, Tomas was on duty and he’d save all questions until tomorrow. Theron gave no indication he’d noticed the exchange, but he probably had. Before I had the chance to tell him I hoped he’d consider sharing my bed tonight, a couple of friends breezed in to wish me a happy birthday. They’d barely gone before the dam broke and the patio flooded with people. Theron ate, listening while I chatted, snatching bites of filet between greeting people. Much too soon he left the table and settled into his bartender duties as I lived it up as the hosting guest of honor. I managed to find my way to him in time to see the sunset reflected in his eyes. Theron smiled and handed me a seltzer with a lime twist. I whined. “I ordered a vodka and tonic with a lime twist.” He shook his head. “No more alcohol for you tonight, birthday boy.”  My heart performed a funny little dance in my chest. I lowered my voice. “Does that mean what I hope it means?”
“Save the last dance for me.”
_*_*_*_

About 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 his very own Neptune.
Netting Neptune is available at Amber Allure, All Romance eBooks, Amazon and Nook. 

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

Knockout Roses

June 5, 2014

I've been seeing row upon row of roses lately. I mean huge rows, too. Waves of colors on banks and along fences. I finally stopped at a local nursery to ask what kind of rose everyone is planting to get such a beautiful display.  The answer - Knockout Roses.

And they are a knockout. We cleaned up a few years of semi-neglect along the front porch and planted three Cherry Red Double Knockout Roses. I can't wait until mine grow to resemble the photo. 

Too bad they didn't have them twenty years ago. It would have saved me an awful lot of time weeding.



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

Reflections of a vacation well spent

June 1, 2014

It's been a lovely vacation. Eleven days to putz around the house, write, sit on the patio, write, spend a lazy afternoon or two with the spouse, write, blog and write. I haven't written so much in so short a time since Netting Neptune, Taming Triton and Poseidon's Pleasure. Those stores came together fast. 

This is the first vacation spent in my newly refurbished home office. Having finally gotten a good desk and credenza has made the room very comfortable. My reading corner must be comfortable, too, but I can't get the cat out of the chair long enough to sit there and find out for myself. I'll have to abide by the cat's opinion. The room is "me" in a way the rest of my house is not as one has to make concessions to one's spouse. It reflects the steps I've taken as a writer and as a person and I enjoyed every moment I spent in it these last eleven days. 

With the writing going so well it was inevitable I'd ponder the possibility of becoming a full time writer. I'd have time to construct a different shapeshifter. Not that I don't love Sundown because I do, but because there are other avenues to explore. Same for science fiction. I think a little world building would be good for me. And then there's the big "who-dun-it" story I want to attempt that will require a lot of time to complete. Time is a truly un-recoverable resource. 

I know I'm very fortunate to have the day job with all the benefits as so many positions like mine are disappearing. In truth, I think when I retire the company I work for will not hire another full time person to do  what I do. Over the course of the next few years I may even suggest they scale my position back to "three-quarter time." It might be a bit self-serving but then again it might just be the reality of the situation. 

It would give me time to write. To see if what I accomplished this week (as an author I measure productivity by word count) can be sustained. There's no way to know until it happens and it can't happen if I'm working elsewhere. But writing more has the potential to replace lost income. It is a very circular discussion. To have what I want, I must give up what I need. 

Tomorrow will find me miles from home and the craft I love, but it will come with some different goals in mind. For my own health, mental and physical, I plan to take steps to carry the peaceful attitudes of this vacation with me. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life and tomorrow will find me even more determined than today. 

This vacation has given me new dedication to old goals. It's the season to achieve them, one day at a time.

KC

Wine Trail - Sunset Hills Vineyard gets an A+

May 28, 2014

Warm weather means it's time to explore the highways and byways as we create our own wine trails. We gave serious consideration to taking one of the guided bus tours but as we still enjoy each other's company after more than twenty years, we know we do better on our own. 

Today's wine trail took us to five places. We laid out a driving loop and headed for Harper's Ferry. We knew of three vineyards we wanted to visit in that area last year but we ran out of time. This year we put them on the top of our list. In the order in which we visited them they were Breaux, Doukenie, Hillsborough, Loudoun Valley, and Sunset Hills.  Sunset Hills proved to be our find of the day. 

We have several pet peeves about about wineries, the lack of paved driveways and handrails for those with physical limitations being the main two. Other folks may not notice, but we do so I mention them as they apply. 

Loudon Valley  Vineyard wasn't open today but we were right there so we decided to drive in and check it out. Not a good move. I drove on the grass because the grass was smoother than the gravel lane. Sorry, folks. My car does not do potholes. You really need to fix the potholes. People notice potholes. Potholes are not a good thing. 

Doukenie Winery - another long and not so smooth lane but no potholes and not too bad at 5mph. The staff was very pleasant and friendly and that sort of offset the nasty lane. They do a lot of events and there was a group there planning a wedding reception.  We bought a bottle of their "every day" wine but even if it turns out we enjoy it, it's unlikely we'll make the drive back the half-mile lane again if they don't pave. Just because I have sturdy suspension on my Charger doesn't mean I plan to abuse it. 

Breaux Vineyards - wow! WOW! What a beautiful place. Paved driveway! Paved parking! Handicapped accessible - not so much. There's a lack of handrails and the patio was very uneven which was a bit surprising given the general quality of everything. I'm guessing this past winter caused the tiles to heave and crack. But all-in-all a beautiful, beautiful facility. Definitely the most pricey vineyard I've ever visited and priced well above the per-bottle limit we set for ourselves when we began our wine odyssey. But did I mention the 'wow' factor the place has? 

Hillsborough Vineyards - again not too good in the handicapped accessible department. They didn't even have marked handicapped parking. My partner stayed in the car while I went inside and called him on the cell phone and read the entire wine list to him. The young man behind the counter was very helpful and offered to help my partner make it inside. But the problem was not getting him down the slope, but back up it to the car. I bought a bottle of Carnelian because the nice young man said it was his favorite. I hope it does turn out to be good as it was also the most affordable of our purchases today. Again, I doubt we go back because my partner would be unable to share in a tasting with me. Perhaps if they improve access for the handicapped they'll put that on their website. 

And that brings us to Sunset Hills and the lovely Jan. The driveway was not paved but it was firm and smooth with signs of regular maintenance. They not only had plenty of parking but handicapped parking and a drop-off point at a handicap access ramp. The steps were more like landings with short rises and good handrails. We stepped inside and Jan immediately - immediately - brought a chair to my partner. 


The "storefront" is in a rustic barn. It's difficult to tell if it's an old barn that was meticulously restored or a new construction. Either way, very nicely done. 

Since we knew this was our last stop of the day, we decided to share a glass of Sunset Rose. It's described as fruity with cherry, raspberry, lemon and melon, mid-palate, and off-dry. I would add there is no aftertaste at all which puts it high on my list of good wines. We asked for a bottle. Then in conversation with Jan we mentioned some of the other wineries we'd been to and some of the things we liked. Jan asked if I'd like a sip of the Cabernet Franc. It's a bold wine with a peppery bite that hits your tongue in a wonderful way and doesn't linger over long. We looked at each other and agreed it would be great with steak and a bottle of that went into the bag. We walked out of Sunset Hills with two bottles and a plan to return. 

We had a great day on our personal wine trail. Sunset Hills isn't exactly nearby, and not even remotely close to Knob Hall or Elk Run, but the next time we have the desire for a Sunday drive in the Shenandoah Valley, it's not too far to go. 

KC Kendricks
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Kicking it old school

May 26, 2014

I enjoy my little corner of the world. Living "rural" isn't just where I live, it's a way of life. With that said I also enjoy all the modern electronic gadgets I can get my paws on. Computers, smart phone, Kindles, iPods, Bluetooth, laptops... Well, I used to have a laptop.

Sure, it was a dinosaur. It didn't even have an internal wireless card. I had to stick a "card" in the slot to go Wi-fi. It was my patio companion. It was my picnic table companion. I took it outside and did the digital version of scribbling down ideas.

A list here. A partial scene there. Some eye candy that I swear I don't know HOW it could have gotten there....

Do you know what happens when you drop an eleven year old laptop on a concrete patio?

You go back to kicking out the ideas old school with pad and pen.

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com
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Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - A Couple of Reviews

May 25, 2014

I'm generally remiss about posting reviews. I admit this with a clear conscience. The nastiness which permeates many so-called reviews really turned me off to the whole process which I know isn't fair to the truly professional reviewer. I do hope the tide has turned since the end of last year and we're entering into a renaissance of the legitimate reviewer.

Many thanks to Lisa at MM Good Book Reviews for giving Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted 4 Hearts. From the review: I really liked this story and definitely will be checking out the other books that this author offers. I would definitely be recommending this story. Read the entire review at MM Good Book Reviews here. 

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted also garnered 4 Stars from Caroline at Prism Book Alliance. Caroline was pretty cagey and didn't give a "sound bite" I can use to promo her review, but her rating is definitely noteworthy so I'll give the link back since she did give it a 4 out of 5. 

And the absolute best of the bunch from a guy who really matters, a reader, who gave Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted 5 Stars. Check it out on here at Amazon. I'd love to reprint what he said but without his permission, that's a no-no. 

So that's it for today's review roundup. My thanks to Lisa, Caroline and Bo for reading the book and especially for taking the time to post a review. 

I'm off to enjoy day four of my vacation. May you also enjoy your day. 

KC
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