Saturday, August 29, 2009

A project finished, a new cover, and coming soon

August 29, 2009



Yea! I did it! I finished the third, and last story in my resort trilogy. Earlier today, I sent it off to the publisher along with all those nasty, required forms.

[deep breath]
Was it hard to write three stories in approximately three months? It took a lot of focus, and I will be the first one to admit I have the attention span of a gnat. So in that respect, yes, it was a challenge for me. But overall, it was a blast, and setting challenges for oneself is important for growth.

I loved introducing characters that got to appear in all three books, although each book does stand alone. It was great fun to give them a cameo, and check back with them “a year” down the road and see how they were doing.

The first story, Netting Neptune, is set to release September 12 or 13, 2009. The galley is done. I’ve got a cool blue cover, and now the truly hard part is here: waiting! Not that I’m idle while I wait. My pile of idea folders yielded my next project a few nights ago. I spent some time at my picnic table with a notepad, a glass of ice tea, and a few now deceased mosquitoes, and I’m ready to bang out the first chapter.

The cover for the second story, Taming Triton, arrived earlier this week, too. I was at work when I got the email, and had to wait hours to get home and take a look. Naturally, I loved it. My publisher does some nice covers, although I confess the Seducing Light cover is my favorite so far.

But tomorrow, I rest. It’s time to check in with family and friends and see what I may have missed these last two weeks when I kept myself buried in my work. A girlfriend is sending me her DVD set of Dexter, and I’ll have that to watch for a bit of relaxation.

Hmm. Serial killer. Relaxing. That says something about me I maybe shouldn’t reveal.

Next weekend will bring Labor Day, and what for me is the end of summer. I welcome the cooler weather. I love autumn, even though it brings a lot of work around the house. There’s something about getting the nest ready for winter that is equally satisfying to finishing a tough project.

And so it goes. Life, that is. Enjoy!

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
twitter.com/kckendricks
facebook.com/kckendricks
pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards
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My country life at Holly Tree Manor

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Facebook? What about it?


So I'm still messing around with Facebook, and I'm still sorta lost. I've got information loaded, even a book cover. But I still don't know what the URL is to tell people where to find me.

I hope sooner or later I can figure it out.

You can find me under KC Kendricks. Look for my little butterfly. It's the Baltimore Checkerspot, the official State of Maryland butterfly. Pretty little thing, isn't it? I should plant some Chelone glabra, or Turtlehead, to lure one into my yard.

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Roll With It (writing, that is)

August 12, 2009



This has been a wonderfully productive year for me. So productive, it's scary. I wonder if I can keep up the pace, or if I even want to keep the pace. Heck, yeah, I do! I'm having fun!

The first edit of Netting Neptune came back this week. I cringed over some of the typos. Proofreading my own work is not one of my strong points. My brain knows the story and simply fills in those missing words: the, and, to, and the pesky 's' on the end of some words. And with my usual proofreader vacationing in France, well, my apologies to my editor.

Aside from that, I'm excited about Netting Neptune. I originally had the title slated for a different story, but I had this idea and decided to run with it. That idea became Netting Neptune, Taming Triton, and Poseidon's Pleasure. I'm sure you see the sea theme working there. I'm nearing the end of Poseidon's Pleasure, and I confess experiencing a bit of sadness that I'll be leaving my island world for other settings.

But new settings bring a certain level of excitement to my writing process. With the Internet, the world is at my fingertips, and I get to go exploring. Pretty cool. I learned a few things in my seaside realm, and building on that new knowledge is exciting, too.

Now I must get back to the edit, but I invite you to visit my website and check out the Netting Neptune page. And while you're there, why not take part in the Two Lips Third Anniversary contest? Find the banner on my site, click on it, and get the details. Lots of stuff up for grabs, and this is the one and only contest I'm involved in this year. Good luck!

KC Kendricks
website

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Ode to the Over-Educated

Never talk religion, politics or sex. Isn't that what they used to say? Well, guess what? That just flew out the window on a three-fer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090805/ap_on_re_us/us_psychologists_gays


I don't know how long that link will be good, so here's the upshot of it. After an extensive study, the American Psychological Association has declared that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients that they can become straight through the use of therapy or other treatments. Therapy can still be helpful, same as for anyone of straight sexual orientation with issues, and should be a positive experience for the patient.

I suppose I'm a little appalled that in 2009 we really needed a study and a declaration to help mental health professionals come to that conclusion.

KC
website

No One But You - now available

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

No One But You - #5 Best Seller at Amber Allure



Thanks to everyone for sending No One But You to the #5 Best Seller slot on the July 2009 Amber Allure list! This puts me at an amazing six for six hitting it. Thank you! Thank you!

I can't say as I expected this to happen. So far, there aren't any reviews back on No One But You, and I DID expect that. There's a strange phenomenon in this writing business - new authors get reviewed right and left. With each subsequent release, the reviews get harder to come by. It's not that reviewers no longer enjoy your stories, they're just looking for the next new (big) thing.

If I were new at this writing life, I'd likely find that disappointing. So to those of you who are new - don't let it bother you. Keep writing your best stuff because it's the readers that count the most.

So, one more time to my readers, because you can never say it enough, thank you for making No One But You the #5 best seller at Amber Allure July 2009!

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Beautiful




I've been on the hunt this morning, pointing and clicking to my prey. It's not for me
that I do this, rather it's for my darling housemate, he who is pretty much computer illiterate.

I don't say that as any sort of criticism, believe me. I watch him work on engines, and while I get what he's doing, I can't follow in his wrench tracks. So it is with him when I'm on the computer. It's a balanced relationship. I tell him to keep his virus protection updated and he tells me to keep air in the tires.

On Fridays, I breeze in the back door stoked for the weekend. Dogs, cats, and man scatter out of my way as I bolt for my old ratty cut-off jeans and a tee shirt. Yesterday, I walked in the door and froze. On my hubby's monitor screen was a very small copy of the Farrah poster. You know the one.

My over-sixty, balding, slightly pouchy, and definitely myopic man greeted me with a very sheepish, "hi."

Yeah, baby, you're busted. I already saw it. Ya old lecher.

I tried, I really tried, not to laugh at him, but if you'd seen his face, you'd have laughed with me. Then he looked at me and said, sadly, that was the biggest picture of the poster he could find. What else could I do but offer to find a higher resolution of it for him?

And for me.

I miss the way I was in the late seventies. Free, on my own for the first time. Still innocent about the ways people hurt other people. Still unaware of impending betrayals and the breaking of promises. Believing in the myths of marriage and life never ending. The Farrah poster somehow captures that era, freezing it in one perfect moment.

Those days are gone, but never forgotten, just like a beautiful woman with a bright smile.

KC Kendricks