K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 87
January 27, 2014
January 24, 2014
Leather Jackets for a cold My Sexy Saturday morning
January 25, 2014
It's another My Sexy Saturday and this week I have seven sexy paragraphs from Leather Jackets. I chose Leather Jackets because I wore mine one day this past week and about froze my a$$ off. For the record, I'm done with this winter stuff. Enough, already!
So let's warm up a bit with Wynn and Jude.
*_*_*_*_*
LEATHER JACKETS
Contemporary gay romance available
now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LeatherJackets.html
“Maybe, Wynn, but perhaps not. You had things you had to do. I had things I wanted to do.”
“Having you with me would have made it all sweeter.” He lowered his mouth to mine.
I was startled by the gentle poignancy of his kiss. For a split second, he laid himself bare for me, then I opened my lips and invited him in. The change in him was swift. A deep groan rumbled in his chest. His pelvis flexed to mine. My balls drew up as my cock swelled, eager for his touch, for the wet swipe of his tongue.
Wynn’s lips trailed fire down my neck and along my jaw line. My heart pounded as the skin on my back and buttocks prickled. Deep inside, small muscles twitched with anticipation of something I couldn’t be sure would happen. I hooked my foot around the back of his knees and rolled us against the other seat. We ended up on our sides facing each other.
“Damn, it’s tight quarters in here.”
Wynn’s big hand clamped onto my ass and squeezed. “We had to promise no sex in the limo to keep our driver happy. But he turns a blind eye to the occasional little grope-and-pant session.” His cool hand dipped under the waistband of my pants and his long fingers wrapped around my hard shaft and moved in short strokes. I rested my forehead to his.
“Oh, God. Every time I jerk off, I think of your hand.” I cupped his balls through his slacks.
*_*_*_*_*
KC Kendricks
website
blog
Follow me on Twitter ! See the little Twitter widget on the left side of your screen?
Facebook? Click on the badge on the left side of your screen!
It's another My Sexy Saturday and this week I have seven sexy paragraphs from Leather Jackets. I chose Leather Jackets because I wore mine one day this past week and about froze my a$$ off. For the record, I'm done with this winter stuff. Enough, already!
So let's warm up a bit with Wynn and Jude.
*_*_*_*_*
LEATHER JACKETS
Contemporary gay romance available
now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LeatherJackets.html
“Maybe, Wynn, but perhaps not. You had things you had to do. I had things I wanted to do.”
“Having you with me would have made it all sweeter.” He lowered his mouth to mine.
I was startled by the gentle poignancy of his kiss. For a split second, he laid himself bare for me, then I opened my lips and invited him in. The change in him was swift. A deep groan rumbled in his chest. His pelvis flexed to mine. My balls drew up as my cock swelled, eager for his touch, for the wet swipe of his tongue.
Wynn’s lips trailed fire down my neck and along my jaw line. My heart pounded as the skin on my back and buttocks prickled. Deep inside, small muscles twitched with anticipation of something I couldn’t be sure would happen. I hooked my foot around the back of his knees and rolled us against the other seat. We ended up on our sides facing each other.
“Damn, it’s tight quarters in here.”
Wynn’s big hand clamped onto my ass and squeezed. “We had to promise no sex in the limo to keep our driver happy. But he turns a blind eye to the occasional little grope-and-pant session.” His cool hand dipped under the waistband of my pants and his long fingers wrapped around my hard shaft and moved in short strokes. I rested my forehead to his.
“Oh, God. Every time I jerk off, I think of your hand.” I cupped his balls through his slacks.
*_*_*_*_*
KC Kendricks
website
blog
Follow me on Twitter ! See the little Twitter widget on the left side of your screen?
Facebook? Click on the badge on the left side of your screen!
January 23, 2014
Deja vu strikes
January 22, 2014
All you retailers out there, read up. Us middle-age folks just don't understand all these new-fangled gizmos you're using. We've got money, honest we do. Let us select our purchases, put them into our basket, and continue shopping. We get a little testy when you treat us like criminals. We're hard-working-tax-paying-born-on-American-soil-go-to-church-meeting-law-abiding-baby-boomer-citizens. While we don't excuse our little laspes, such as leaving a mess of men's toiletries lying in the aisle, we are far from contrite. In fact, some of us will never be contrite again.
To what do I refer?
The spousal unit decided he needed a new electric shaver. No problem - or so you'd think. It turned out to be a big problem, same as the last time.
We hopped into his full-size Chevy Silverado pickup with an extended cab and honking big redneck tires able to plow through a foot of snow like it's confetti, and we did sally forth into the bitter cold night to the not-so-local pharmacy. It's about ten miles from our home to what passes for a town. And did I mention it was freakin' cold?
The spousal unit drives through the parking lot and not finding a reserved handicapped parking space (yes, he has HD license plates) he picked out a really tiny parking space in which to park his truck. (Please refer back to the line which describes said truck as a full size Chevy Silverado.) We slip and slide across a poorly plowed parking lot into the pharmacy and find the aisle with the electric shavers and that's when the trouble started. Again.
Yes, we've been down this particular ugly road before, about seven years ago, and with the same consequences. It was deja vu in a different store.
The security boxes will not, WILL NOT, come off the hook on which they attached. We looked for the security latch, but no luck. So my beloved gave the box a good yank. Giving the box a good yank had consequences. Remember Newton's Law that states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Right. The box was attached to the metal pegboard-thingee which was attached to the shelf-unit-thingee which was not attached to the floor.
Also not attached to anything - men's deodorant, men's hair color, men's shampoo and, of course, condoms. At least nothing shattered into a million pieces upon landing on the floor. BUT the electric shaver came loose and we ran to the checkout as fast as we could knowing one true fact:
The only safe place for us is on our mountain.
We have no clue as to why electric shavers are hot contraband. The experience has left us a bit jaded and thinking maybe we need to reconsider big online retailers. And that's a shame because we think buying local is important and we endeavor to do so.
But I'm not sure we can go back to that pharmacy. Considering the mess we left in our wake, they might not allow us in the door....
KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
January 18, 2014
A dusting of snow
January 18, 2014
I missed signing up for today's My Sexy Saturday and the sky did fall - we got a dusting of snow in the overnight hours. My world looks white and clean this morning, but it won't last. The fine powder is already blowing off tree limbs and branches, and in a few hours will be gone. It was pretty to wake up to, though.
It was a hectic week. Getting the new processor up and running has taken a lot longer than I thought. You see, the moment I mentioned I had purchased a new processor, my lovely stepdad had to rush out and get one, too. Guess who he called for help?
Laughing at the man who takes care of your mother, and does it quite well, simply isn't very kind, but I couldn't help myself. I hope that doesn't make me too much of a bad person, but ....okay, I'm laughing again thinking about it so maybe I should move on. He's really a great guy and it's nice to be needed, isn't it?
I'm not sure where the hours will lead me today. The dusting of snow tempts me toward the outdoors for a walk, but since my old dog's arthritic feet don't allow him to travel far, the lure of clean, crisp air is muted. I miss his presence on my walks but I can't bring myself to get a pup. How could I take off on a walk with a young dog knowing it would distress my poor old love to be left behind? I can't do that. So if I go for a solitary walk, I'll sneak out of the house while he's napping.
The fact that part of my day will be spent working on a story goes without saying. I'm down to the very last pages in Fallon and Sundown's latest adventure. A lot of truth about the Chal shapeshifters come to light in this story and it leaves Fallon wondering about his total involvement with his lover. Maybe not a happy thought, but certainly a natural progression to their story.
With that said, it's time to get to it. The cup of coffee I made in our handy-dandy K-cup machine needs a trip to the nuker to be warmed. Being Saturday, I need to check for updates on all the electronic gizmos that crowd my life these days and then I need to get some writing done.
Have a great Saturday!
KC
www.kckendricks.com
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks
I missed signing up for today's My Sexy Saturday and the sky did fall - we got a dusting of snow in the overnight hours. My world looks white and clean this morning, but it won't last. The fine powder is already blowing off tree limbs and branches, and in a few hours will be gone. It was pretty to wake up to, though.
It was a hectic week. Getting the new processor up and running has taken a lot longer than I thought. You see, the moment I mentioned I had purchased a new processor, my lovely stepdad had to rush out and get one, too. Guess who he called for help?
Laughing at the man who takes care of your mother, and does it quite well, simply isn't very kind, but I couldn't help myself. I hope that doesn't make me too much of a bad person, but ....okay, I'm laughing again thinking about it so maybe I should move on. He's really a great guy and it's nice to be needed, isn't it?
I'm not sure where the hours will lead me today. The dusting of snow tempts me toward the outdoors for a walk, but since my old dog's arthritic feet don't allow him to travel far, the lure of clean, crisp air is muted. I miss his presence on my walks but I can't bring myself to get a pup. How could I take off on a walk with a young dog knowing it would distress my poor old love to be left behind? I can't do that. So if I go for a solitary walk, I'll sneak out of the house while he's napping.
The fact that part of my day will be spent working on a story goes without saying. I'm down to the very last pages in Fallon and Sundown's latest adventure. A lot of truth about the Chal shapeshifters come to light in this story and it leaves Fallon wondering about his total involvement with his lover. Maybe not a happy thought, but certainly a natural progression to their story.
With that said, it's time to get to it. The cup of coffee I made in our handy-dandy K-cup machine needs a trip to the nuker to be warmed. Being Saturday, I need to check for updates on all the electronic gizmos that crowd my life these days and then I need to get some writing done.
Have a great Saturday!
KC
www.kckendricks.com
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks
January 10, 2014
A Hard Habit to Break for My Sexy Saturday (week 31)
January 11, 2014
Baby, it's cold outside! So let's heat it up a bit for the first My Sexy Saturday of the New Year with a first kiss from A Hard Habit to Break, the first book in the Men of Marionville series.
(I had a little trouble getting the linky-list to show at the end of this post so click My Sexy Saturday to see this week's participants if it's not there.)
= = = = = = = = = =
Crap. He was sliding downhill fast. How much alcohol had he consumed before I arrived? I put my arms around him, drinking in the feel of his lean body against mine. He held me tightly, clinging like a man drowning. Maybe he was, and not from the booze. “Let’s go to your place. We can stop and get some coffee on the way.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “No food or drink in my car, Heath Kelley, or have you forgotten?”
I’d never forget dumping soda all over the inside of his first car, and apparently neither would he. I licked my lips. “It was an accident. Besides, you were the one that hit the pothole and bounced me around.”
Before he could reply, I pulled his mouth to mine.
The touch shot through me. I meant to keep the kiss brief, even chaste, but Travis seized the advantage, his lips moved hungrily over mine. My mind whirled with memories of that long-ago kiss, which had been almost innocent, and his more recent words of denial. Heat swept through me, even as I tried to pull away. I couldn’t do this tonight, not when he might regret it once he sobered up. I broke off the kiss so I could gather my wits. Travis grabbed me, his arms like steel bands around me.
“Don’t run, Heath. I’m sorry.”
I held him as tightly as he held me. "Don't be sorry, not for this C'mon. Let's get you home."
= = = = = = = = =
For more information and a longer excerpt from A Hard Habit to Break, click here.
KC Kendricks
Website: http://www.kckendricks.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksBlog: http://kckendricks.blogspot.comPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kckendricksMailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeysFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/kckendricks
Baby, it's cold outside! So let's heat it up a bit for the first My Sexy Saturday of the New Year with a first kiss from A Hard Habit to Break, the first book in the Men of Marionville series.
(I had a little trouble getting the linky-list to show at the end of this post so click My Sexy Saturday to see this week's participants if it's not there.)
= = = = = = = = = =
Crap. He was sliding downhill fast. How much alcohol had he consumed before I arrived? I put my arms around him, drinking in the feel of his lean body against mine. He held me tightly, clinging like a man drowning. Maybe he was, and not from the booze. “Let’s go to your place. We can stop and get some coffee on the way.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “No food or drink in my car, Heath Kelley, or have you forgotten?”
I’d never forget dumping soda all over the inside of his first car, and apparently neither would he. I licked my lips. “It was an accident. Besides, you were the one that hit the pothole and bounced me around.”
Before he could reply, I pulled his mouth to mine.
The touch shot through me. I meant to keep the kiss brief, even chaste, but Travis seized the advantage, his lips moved hungrily over mine. My mind whirled with memories of that long-ago kiss, which had been almost innocent, and his more recent words of denial. Heat swept through me, even as I tried to pull away. I couldn’t do this tonight, not when he might regret it once he sobered up. I broke off the kiss so I could gather my wits. Travis grabbed me, his arms like steel bands around me.
“Don’t run, Heath. I’m sorry.”
I held him as tightly as he held me. "Don't be sorry, not for this C'mon. Let's get you home."
= = = = = = = = =
For more information and a longer excerpt from A Hard Habit to Break, click here.
KC Kendricks
Website: http://www.kckendricks.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksBlog: http://kckendricks.blogspot.comPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kckendricksMailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeysFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/kckendricks
January 8, 2014
What's ahead for 2014? Wouldn't it be nice to know?
January 8, 2014
What AM I going to do in 2014?
I did a 2013 year in review blog so it stands to reason I should follow it up with the prerequisite speculation into 2014. The only problem with that is.... well, hell. It's Wednesday. My desk has neat little piles of crap...um...work.. all over it, and I can't think past the fact the copier sounds like it's about to croak. I sure picked a bad time to thing about blogging. But perhaps I digress.
I'm stepping into 2014 with a new processor, which should be interesting. I haven't gotten a new machine in quite a few years and so have skipped over a few operating systems. I suspect I'll be purchasing new software, too. Will it help me write faster? I doubt it since I'll still have my same trusty wireless keyboard that sometimes forgets to register keystrokes. (I mention that in case my editor reads this and starts to get excited about maybe finding an "s" everywhere one is supposed to be. Not gonna happen, I'm afraid. I know myself and that keyboard too well.)
On the writing front, I find I'm not as far along as I'd hoped. I'm working hard on the next Sundown story and making lots of notes for the next Ian Coulter tale, a follow-up to Deuce of Diamonds. Yes, there is some big, let's say BIG news on the horizon, but until the digital ink is on the digital page, I can't share. But you know me after all this time, I can, of course, give you a tease.
The Men of Marionville will also be back in 2014 when a friend of Dylan's moves to town to join him in a business venture. After that, a shopkeeper hires a helper and sparks fly, and somewhere in this mix two guys in the same apartment building meet and find their careers, and lives, are about to intertwine.
So that's five books on top of family, friends, fun and a full-time job. AND let's not forget the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge in April. And since I'm stuck on the letter "f" I'll mention that I hope to do better on facebook now that I have a handle on Twitter.
It looks like 2014 is going to be a fantastic and fulfilling year. I hope you'll come along for the read.
KC Kendricks
website
blog
January 6, 2014
It's a shopper beware world
January 6, 2014
Happy Epiphany! Today, in Christian circles, marks the arrival of the three wise kings to greet the newborn Jesus. A lot of folks leave their decorations up until today, but I jumped ship on that this year and took it all down on New Year's Day. But I'm not blogging today to talk about camels. I wish I were.
Today was not a good day and I feel compelled to tell my story as a warning to others.
I visited a Hagerstown, Maryland, warehouse "Club" today to get a few things. At the checkout, I handed the cashier my club card and my check. Her cellphone was lying beside her drawer. As she processed my check, she lifted her cell phone in a strange manner and slipped it into her pocket.
I immediately confronted her, point blank. "Did you take a picture of my check and card with your phone?"
She replied she did not - what else would she say? I was not reassured and went to the membership desk and asked to see a supervisor. I told him what had happened and he confirmed the cashiers are not allowed to have their cell phones out of their pockets while at the register. I asked them to issue me a new account number on the spot, and they did.
More worrisome was that she might have gotten my checking account number.
I went to my bank, had a very enlightening chat about my legal options with bank personnel, and transferred all but the minimal amount to cover the check I'd just written to another account. The bank will assist me in watching to see if anyone attempts to access my checking account.
Suffice it to say, I'm concerned.
The management of the big "- Club" pulled the cashier off her station immediately. I hope they insisted on seeing her phone. (Actually, I hope they fired her to protect themselves. She broke a rule of employment to their detriment and an unhappy customer is blogging about it. They can't view the end result as good promo.)
I would hope the cashier is smart enough to know I have her name should I suddenly begin to have identity theft problems. Heck, I have a cell phone of my own. I might even have a picture of her stored away for a lawsuit should "problems" arise within my financial empire. I think I'll snap a photo of everyone who is about to handle anything that touches my finances.
Will I shop at that "Club" again? Not for a long time. Maybe never again. Right now I'm leaning toward the never again, but I might work past it. I'll see how I feel when my annual membership fee is assessed.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. Had I not been paying attention, she'd have gotten away with it, if in fact she did snap a photo of my information.
I trusted my instincts which say better safe than sorry. This is the first time I've experienced this and it will change the way I shop. I don't know what has happened to the world in the last few years. Five years ago, I don't think it would have happened.
If you work as a cashier and your employer says no phones at the register, please remember this rule of employment can also protect you.
When you shop, be alert. Trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to inform management if you suspect a problem. You may save more people than yourself - even your grandmother.
KC Kendricks
Happy Epiphany! Today, in Christian circles, marks the arrival of the three wise kings to greet the newborn Jesus. A lot of folks leave their decorations up until today, but I jumped ship on that this year and took it all down on New Year's Day. But I'm not blogging today to talk about camels. I wish I were.
Today was not a good day and I feel compelled to tell my story as a warning to others.
I visited a Hagerstown, Maryland, warehouse "Club" today to get a few things. At the checkout, I handed the cashier my club card and my check. Her cellphone was lying beside her drawer. As she processed my check, she lifted her cell phone in a strange manner and slipped it into her pocket.
I immediately confronted her, point blank. "Did you take a picture of my check and card with your phone?"
She replied she did not - what else would she say? I was not reassured and went to the membership desk and asked to see a supervisor. I told him what had happened and he confirmed the cashiers are not allowed to have their cell phones out of their pockets while at the register. I asked them to issue me a new account number on the spot, and they did.
More worrisome was that she might have gotten my checking account number.
I went to my bank, had a very enlightening chat about my legal options with bank personnel, and transferred all but the minimal amount to cover the check I'd just written to another account. The bank will assist me in watching to see if anyone attempts to access my checking account.
Suffice it to say, I'm concerned.
The management of the big "- Club" pulled the cashier off her station immediately. I hope they insisted on seeing her phone. (Actually, I hope they fired her to protect themselves. She broke a rule of employment to their detriment and an unhappy customer is blogging about it. They can't view the end result as good promo.)
I would hope the cashier is smart enough to know I have her name should I suddenly begin to have identity theft problems. Heck, I have a cell phone of my own. I might even have a picture of her stored away for a lawsuit should "problems" arise within my financial empire. I think I'll snap a photo of everyone who is about to handle anything that touches my finances.
Will I shop at that "Club" again? Not for a long time. Maybe never again. Right now I'm leaning toward the never again, but I might work past it. I'll see how I feel when my annual membership fee is assessed.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. Had I not been paying attention, she'd have gotten away with it, if in fact she did snap a photo of my information.
I trusted my instincts which say better safe than sorry. This is the first time I've experienced this and it will change the way I shop. I don't know what has happened to the world in the last few years. Five years ago, I don't think it would have happened.
If you work as a cashier and your employer says no phones at the register, please remember this rule of employment can also protect you.
When you shop, be alert. Trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to inform management if you suspect a problem. You may save more people than yourself - even your grandmother.
KC Kendricks
December 29, 2013
The Year in Review - A 2013 Writer's Retrospective
December 29, 2013
Like many, I’m amazed another year has passed. My recollections of the year just past tends to blend together in a blur of meetings, appointments, conflicting schedules and myriad responsibilities. That’s not all bad because I like what I do, but here in the long, dark evenings of winter I wish I’d taken more time to relax and play. I don’t make formal New Year’s resolutions, but perhaps I’ll keep that in mind as we sail into 2014.
I’m a firm believer that to know where you’re going you need to take stock of where you've been. The past and future is what this blog is all about as the present is taking care of itself very nicely.
January saw the release of Desert Snow. Desert Snow was an easy story to write. I’d had it in mind for a while and it flowed onto the page. January also launched the new tradition of our Cousin’s Dinner, a more formal quarterly gathering of all us cousins. It gives us a chance to sit down together for a meal on a regular basis. Making time for each other has become more important as we all seem to be busier than ever.
February brought the Snow Moon. They called the storm that went through here Winter Storm Nemo. We had some snow and then rain, but it could have been much, much worse. We were lucky, unlike folks north of us. Catching Fireflies was released in February 2013, and I’ve been wondering if I need to revisit the guys on Ocracoke Island.
March was a quiet month. I prepared for the blogging challenge and did my income taxes, and I didn’t write as much as I would have liked. My sunroom became an impromptu greenhouse as I planted seeds - dill, coriander, green pepper and more.
April has taken on a new meaning in the last few years with the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days going with topics from A to Z. More information about the A to Z Blogging Challenge can be found here. Think it’s easy to blog every day excepts Sundays for an entire month? Ha! I dare ya to do it and no cheating - write real entries!
May was the release month for Deuce of Diamonds, the sequel to Double Deuce. There’s definitely a third installment of Ian and Rick’s story in the works. We made a flying trip south to visit the brother-in-law and I came home with a mild case of strep throat. Luckily I got antibiotics promptly and my vacation wasn’t ruined.
June - my birthday month and Mercury went into retrograde. I still got some writing done but I took some time to work on my genealogy project. We got a small pool, just deep enough to relax and cool off in, and we enjoyed it all summer long.
July was a slow month. I wrote a lot of prose but no book releases. It was one of those stretches where foundations were laid for the future. Thinking about the future convinced me to actually make Twitter part of my daily routine. I now remember to go tweet, but I'm a lost cause with the pictures part of it. Perhaps I'll work on that in 2014. Liking photography, I did what I knew I shouldn't and joined Pinterest. No joke - I set a timer if I'm going to play on Pinterest. My website got an overhaul in July.
August. The release of Kentucky 98 Proof. I knew this book would take off like a rocket and it did. Kentucky 98 Proof was the #1 Bestseller at Amber Quill Press in August and it was on the top ten bestseller list at All Romance eBooks. I went to my roots for this story and the end result was magic.
September was busy. I spent a lot of time on the promo circuit with Kentucky 98 Proof while doing the edits for Station to Station. The month also brought the worst news of the year when a young family member was diagnosed with cancer just before her first wedding anniversary. We know her fight will be difficult, but youth is on her side.
October found us having a quiet celebration at my house. My partner passed the seven-year mark of being cancer free. Even as we give thanks and count our blessings we pray for others undergoing treatment. Station to Station released in October, and seemed to be well received. I was delighted to have this new installment of the Men of Marionville series available but the truth is I privately think with our cultural focus on the fun sides of Halloween, October is only good for paranormal releases. So if you missed Station to Station in October, now’s the time to circle back and get it.
November 2013 marked the 30th anniversary of my father’s passing. That, coupled with a brutal month at the day job, left me a little tired. Not much writing happened in November, but sometimes it’s important to step back and take a breath while dealing with employer horseshit. Excuse me. Horse manure. No, I was correct the first time. It was all horseshit. I took a good look at my retirement portfolio and upped the ante. I don’t need to buy shoes in 2014. I have enough pairs of heels to last the next three years.
December, finally. There are stories submitted several places and I’m waiting to see if I can expand my horizons in the coming year. Keep your fingers crossed. With any luck I can spread my wings a bit and take my writing up a step. It's a circular conundrum. If I retire I'll write more but I can't write more until I retire. So in preparation of writing more, I need to get my name into new places. It's a prime example of how interconnected all things are. I hope you’ll stay tuned and see how it goes.
There it is - 2013 in a single blog entry. My sincere thanks for coming along with me in 2013. All in all it was a great year. I hope the good trends continue.
To you and yours I wish you a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling New Year.
KC Kendricks website blog twitter facebook
Like many, I’m amazed another year has passed. My recollections of the year just past tends to blend together in a blur of meetings, appointments, conflicting schedules and myriad responsibilities. That’s not all bad because I like what I do, but here in the long, dark evenings of winter I wish I’d taken more time to relax and play. I don’t make formal New Year’s resolutions, but perhaps I’ll keep that in mind as we sail into 2014.
I’m a firm believer that to know where you’re going you need to take stock of where you've been. The past and future is what this blog is all about as the present is taking care of itself very nicely.
January saw the release of Desert Snow. Desert Snow was an easy story to write. I’d had it in mind for a while and it flowed onto the page. January also launched the new tradition of our Cousin’s Dinner, a more formal quarterly gathering of all us cousins. It gives us a chance to sit down together for a meal on a regular basis. Making time for each other has become more important as we all seem to be busier than ever.
February brought the Snow Moon. They called the storm that went through here Winter Storm Nemo. We had some snow and then rain, but it could have been much, much worse. We were lucky, unlike folks north of us. Catching Fireflies was released in February 2013, and I’ve been wondering if I need to revisit the guys on Ocracoke Island. March was a quiet month. I prepared for the blogging challenge and did my income taxes, and I didn’t write as much as I would have liked. My sunroom became an impromptu greenhouse as I planted seeds - dill, coriander, green pepper and more.
April has taken on a new meaning in the last few years with the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days going with topics from A to Z. More information about the A to Z Blogging Challenge can be found here. Think it’s easy to blog every day excepts Sundays for an entire month? Ha! I dare ya to do it and no cheating - write real entries!
May was the release month for Deuce of Diamonds, the sequel to Double Deuce. There’s definitely a third installment of Ian and Rick’s story in the works. We made a flying trip south to visit the brother-in-law and I came home with a mild case of strep throat. Luckily I got antibiotics promptly and my vacation wasn’t ruined. June - my birthday month and Mercury went into retrograde. I still got some writing done but I took some time to work on my genealogy project. We got a small pool, just deep enough to relax and cool off in, and we enjoyed it all summer long.
July was a slow month. I wrote a lot of prose but no book releases. It was one of those stretches where foundations were laid for the future. Thinking about the future convinced me to actually make Twitter part of my daily routine. I now remember to go tweet, but I'm a lost cause with the pictures part of it. Perhaps I'll work on that in 2014. Liking photography, I did what I knew I shouldn't and joined Pinterest. No joke - I set a timer if I'm going to play on Pinterest. My website got an overhaul in July.
August. The release of Kentucky 98 Proof. I knew this book would take off like a rocket and it did. Kentucky 98 Proof was the #1 Bestseller at Amber Quill Press in August and it was on the top ten bestseller list at All Romance eBooks. I went to my roots for this story and the end result was magic.September was busy. I spent a lot of time on the promo circuit with Kentucky 98 Proof while doing the edits for Station to Station. The month also brought the worst news of the year when a young family member was diagnosed with cancer just before her first wedding anniversary. We know her fight will be difficult, but youth is on her side.
October found us having a quiet celebration at my house. My partner passed the seven-year mark of being cancer free. Even as we give thanks and count our blessings we pray for others undergoing treatment. Station to Station released in October, and seemed to be well received. I was delighted to have this new installment of the Men of Marionville series available but the truth is I privately think with our cultural focus on the fun sides of Halloween, October is only good for paranormal releases. So if you missed Station to Station in October, now’s the time to circle back and get it. November 2013 marked the 30th anniversary of my father’s passing. That, coupled with a brutal month at the day job, left me a little tired. Not much writing happened in November, but sometimes it’s important to step back and take a breath while dealing with employer horseshit. Excuse me. Horse manure. No, I was correct the first time. It was all horseshit. I took a good look at my retirement portfolio and upped the ante. I don’t need to buy shoes in 2014. I have enough pairs of heels to last the next three years.
December, finally. There are stories submitted several places and I’m waiting to see if I can expand my horizons in the coming year. Keep your fingers crossed. With any luck I can spread my wings a bit and take my writing up a step. It's a circular conundrum. If I retire I'll write more but I can't write more until I retire. So in preparation of writing more, I need to get my name into new places. It's a prime example of how interconnected all things are. I hope you’ll stay tuned and see how it goes.
There it is - 2013 in a single blog entry. My sincere thanks for coming along with me in 2013. All in all it was a great year. I hope the good trends continue.
To you and yours I wish you a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling New Year.
KC Kendricks website blog twitter facebook
December 28, 2013
Grandpa! What's for dinner?
December 28, 2013
There are those of us who are of a certain age.... some of us edging toward middle age remember a cute but hokey television show called Hee Haw. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones forced by her elders to endure the first-run shows. The show had a segment where "Grandpa" rattled off what was cooking for the down-home dinner.
And for the record when "Grandpa" said dandelion greens, I could relate. I pulled many a dandelion for my grandmother. She paid well for that service. But I digress...
"What's for dinner?" is frequently a battle cry at my house. The spousal unit and I have differing views on what makes a good meal. He's hooked on the cooking shows and wants to eat the way the tv cooks do. I lived alone far too long before I met him and there are many evenings I think tossing a potato in the microwave or a bowl of soup will suffice. It gets ugly if I only pick at the wonderful dinners my beloved prepares.
But there's a light shining in the darkness of January: gift cards!
This Christmas was the year of the restaurant gift card and I suspect these cards will help me win the food wars in January. When Himself decides he wants ME to fix him a down-home southern breakfast, we're going to Cracker Barrel. When Himself decides we should grab something quick before we head home from town, we're going to Bob Evans. There's no date night in January due to the Cousin's Dinner, but in February I've got it covered at the Olive Garden. And the next time Himself wants a steak, I'm going to shine like a star when I toss his whiney ass in my Charger and haul it to the Longhorn Steakhouse.
So go ahead, Grandpa. Ask me what's for dinner!
KC Kendricks
website
blog
twitter
pinterest
facebook
There are those of us who are of a certain age.... some of us edging toward middle age remember a cute but hokey television show called Hee Haw. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones forced by her elders to endure the first-run shows. The show had a segment where "Grandpa" rattled off what was cooking for the down-home dinner.
And for the record when "Grandpa" said dandelion greens, I could relate. I pulled many a dandelion for my grandmother. She paid well for that service. But I digress...
"What's for dinner?" is frequently a battle cry at my house. The spousal unit and I have differing views on what makes a good meal. He's hooked on the cooking shows and wants to eat the way the tv cooks do. I lived alone far too long before I met him and there are many evenings I think tossing a potato in the microwave or a bowl of soup will suffice. It gets ugly if I only pick at the wonderful dinners my beloved prepares.
But there's a light shining in the darkness of January: gift cards!
This Christmas was the year of the restaurant gift card and I suspect these cards will help me win the food wars in January. When Himself decides he wants ME to fix him a down-home southern breakfast, we're going to Cracker Barrel. When Himself decides we should grab something quick before we head home from town, we're going to Bob Evans. There's no date night in January due to the Cousin's Dinner, but in February I've got it covered at the Olive Garden. And the next time Himself wants a steak, I'm going to shine like a star when I toss his whiney ass in my Charger and haul it to the Longhorn Steakhouse.
So go ahead, Grandpa. Ask me what's for dinner!
KC Kendricks
website
blog
December 25, 2013
And a Merry Christmas Day it was!
December 25, 2013
12 Grand biscuits with real butter11 dirty wine glasses (somehow?)10 slices of coconut cake09 serving dishes08 plates filled with hot food07 people liked the apricot sauce06 servings of cranberry sauce (with two abstaining)05 bottles of White Merlot (and none left)04 cups of coffee, leaded03 cell phones ringing02 dishes brought by others (that I didn't have to cook)and a turkey picked clean down to the bone
And a lovely Christmas Day dinner.
KC
12 Grand biscuits with real butter11 dirty wine glasses (somehow?)10 slices of coconut cake09 serving dishes08 plates filled with hot food07 people liked the apricot sauce06 servings of cranberry sauce (with two abstaining)05 bottles of White Merlot (and none left)04 cups of coffee, leaded03 cell phones ringing02 dishes brought by others (that I didn't have to cook)and a turkey picked clean down to the bone
And a lovely Christmas Day dinner.
KC
