Saturday, July 27, 2013

Cover up! Kentucky 98 Proof

July 27, 2013

***Updated March 7, 2019***

I finally got around to updating the cover for Kentucky 98 Proof. This is the third cover the book has had and it's the best so far. Not one to rest on my laurels, I'll keep working on my Photoshop skills. The third time might be the charm, but the fourth one could be magic. I won't know until I get there. - KC

***

It was worth the wait. The cover is finally finished for Kentucky 98 Proof, due out around August 18, 2013.  This might become my fave book cover, too! 


The cover blurb for Kentucky 98 Proof:

Victor Carter knows his grandfather only from a handful of black and white photographs, so his surprise when the man’s will is read is genuine. What’s he going to do with seventy acres on the side of a Kentucky mountain? More importantly, how’s he going to survive living there for a year to satisfy the conditions of the will so he can sell the property? Even worse, it’s not like the hills of Kentucky are teeming with gay companionship.


Boone Mosely is Kentucky-born and bred with a proud family heritage he can trace back to his home state’s founding. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Boone’s in his second term as sheriff of Four Points. He takes the job seriously and doesn’t suffer fools - or crime - in his town.

When city slicker Victor Carter arrives on Shepherd Mountain, Boone knows he’s got a whole new brand of trouble to deal with. And this time, the badge isn’t going to help him at all.


*_*_*

Kentucky 98 Proof
Contemporary gay romance

Available at 





Barnes & Noble/Nook


Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/bp8BXb

Kentucky 98 Proof webpage: 

_*_*_*_*_

KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
Visit my bookshelf at: 

Social media links:
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com




Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thursday morning ramble

July 25, 2013

I realized this morning I'm closing in on my 400th blog entry and I wondered if I should do something special to celebrate the occasion. The thought was short-lived as I'm not the sort who thinks every little mundane thing needs a party.

It's not like blogging is hard work. I truly enjoy it. It's sort of thinking out loud with my fingers. I type and whatever is on my mind comes into focus.

Currently, I'm just surfacing after a few weeks of intense writing. I've got several projects on the go and I need to get at least one of them finished and off my list. Couple that with summer and my desire to relax and enjoy my backyard, well, the writer is putting far too much stress on herself. But then, don't we all do that in different ways?

With a desk full of things to "handle" today, I needed to step back and take a breath this morning. It's worked pretty well in that I'm able to envision my desk completely cleared off when I walk out the door at four this afternoon.

So have a great day, everyone. I've got to get to work now :)

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com
http://www.pinterest.com/kckendricks

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Never satisfied

July 11, 2013

It's happened again. I'm changing the look of my website. I've lost count of what incarnation this is. Six? Seven? Twelve? I really don't know.

The last time I redid it, I loved the colorful rainbow I found. It's so bright and full of action and life I had to use it. After doing most of the pages it turned out that it didn't quite fit my vision, but I went with it. One must sometimes move back to priorities and I had a couple of deadlines to meet.

I still have deadlines to meet, but it's been bugging me. I still love the stylized rainbow, but I'm tired of the black background, especially since I figured out why the website didn't load properly on Chrome with the previous red background. (It's still best viewed using IE for some reason.) I'm going to have to do the work to revamp the site a little bit at a time, but that's the way it goes. I started on one of the "back" pages last night and I think it's going to be fine.

If you want to check it out, please visit the FAQ page at KCKendricks.

Have a great day!

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

Monday, July 8, 2013

Port.....or Starboard

July 8, 2013

The world is full of interesting and fun facts that don't do a thing to bring about world peace or to end world hunger. Nonetheless, we like them. Our brains are like little sponges and we suck up these tidbits because they make us feel smarter.

Wanna know what tidbit of totally useless information I learned recently? Sure you do. You're at Between the Keys so smile! So here it is. From Wikipedia, the reason why only PORT wine from Portugal can be called PORT: 

Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌviɲuduˈpoɾtu], Porto, and often simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal.[1] It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto.[2] In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world,[3] while the names "Dão", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.[4]

Huh. 

We recently stopped by Knob Hall Winery again and got a bottle of their wine made "in the style of port." OMG is it delicious!

So what do they call it since they can't call it "port?" Starboard, of course! 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com
http://www.pinterest.com/kckendricks
http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com




Sunday, July 7, 2013

The Family Tree

July 7, 2013

One of the things I wanted to do when I retired from gainful employment, but not from life, was research my family tree. That got a jump start about eighteen months ago thanks to a blunder made by my mother that led to the discovery of a previously unknown cousin. This cousin, being of a generous nature, handed over my maternal grandmother's genealogy. Every new reveal is great fun, well, except for learning someone died from snakebite, etc. Times were hard in the 1800s.

Along with the discoveries comes a different sort of eye-opener, that being the reason behind my lack of knowledge. Apparently very few in my family really cared where we came from. Heck, I'm not even sure they cared where we're going. It's a bit unsettling. Anyway, they didn't feel it necessary to impart some interesting information to myself or my cousins - like how many people we're distantly related to on this mountain and how. It's a bit scary-fascinating.

Thankfully there are places like Ancestry, Rootweb, Find a Grave and others. I really like Find a Grave because it's FREE and there are volunteers all over the USA finding grave sites and photographing monuments and stones to preserve the information before time and weather erode it.

If you're one of the lucky few who have had family members go before you and publish books on part of your family tree, get the books. You may not care but your children may thank you.

Remember - they won't learn this stuff through osmosis, so help them out. They might just thank you one day. 

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

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Congrats to John and Scott

July 6, 2013

Congratulations to Captain Jack Harkness and his long-time love Scott Gill on their nuptials! Yep - after twenty years or so, John Barrowman and Scott Gill have tied the knot in sunny California.


I hope the naysayers took notice that the sky did not fall.

And to whomever is in charge of these things - we need more TORCHWOOD!




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


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Doors of Time reviewed by Sensual Reads - 5 Stars!

July 3, 2013
**updated October 29, 2019**

Happy 4th of July holiday, everyone! As one of the lucky dogs who have a four-day weekend, I plan to cram as much as possible into the next couple of days. And housecleaning is NOT on my list. Nor is yardwork. It's time to have a little fun and celebrate - responsibly, of course. But before the family funfest begins, I have a wonderful piece of business to take care of!


Many thanks to Elise at Sensual Reads ** who has reviewed Doors of Time. I think this is the first time I ever got an email from a reviewer with a "great job" included, and I've been at this writing business for a while now.


Here's what she has to say about Doors of Time in her 5 Star review: 


Time can be reopened as shown in Doors of Time.


Doors of Time by K.C. Kendricks is a fantastic second chance type story.  Emory was able to come out when he was a teen but Calvin’s life was not so easy.  He left Clear River and never came out.  Now back to help his ailing father and the even more ailing Time, Calvin wants a chance only to learn he may keep Emory from grabbing his big break.

You cannot help but fall in love with these two men who want nothing but the best for each other. Neither one is afraid to do whatever is needed to ensure a happy ending. Looking for a great story with a happy ending, a great plot and two wonderful heroes? Look no more, you have found it with Doors of Time by K.C. Kendricks. You will not be disappointed. It is good to the last word.

All I can say is WOW! She really liked it!

*_*_*

Doors of Time is available at
Amazon, iTunes/Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo,
and other online booksellers. 

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

** The review page is no longer active, however, I have the entire review on file. 

Monday, July 1, 2013

July? Seriously? The summertime blues of dealing with people

July 1, 2013

I've been pensive lately as I consider my place in the universe. We've reached the halfway point of 2013 and I'm feeling a little stifled and stymied. That's not like me at all.

Nor is it like me to be discouraged. Is this the "summertime blues" for which there ain't no cure? If so, it's going to prove problematic to treat with the growing chaos of health care "reform" in the United States.

I suppose this funk started with a series of conversations with a woman who thinks she knows everything about everything. I'm sure you know the type. We rarely discuss life and death so in the overall scheme of things it's all fru-fru and just small talk. What I do care about is the lingering toxicity of dealing with her, what being nice on a continuing basis is doing to my state of mind.

The difficult person is something we all deal with from time-to-time. The stresses of a relationship in which we endeavor to create equality and balance with someone who cares little for such things is exhausting. Unless we decide to sever ties, we have to change our internal responses to that person for our own mental and emotional health.

Too often these days we do choose to sever ties. It's the easiest way out of a bad situation and, truthfully, no one should rule it out as a last resort. But isn't there more?

It's hard work to look beneath the surface, to take the time to discover the perspective of the other person and make the effort to understand their motivations and their point of view, but it's a worthwhile process. Sometimes we learn more about ourselves, who we don't want to be, than the other person but doesn't that benefit us? Learning about self comes from both the positive and the negative.

Some people live small lives full of fear and anxiety. As hard as it is, we need to be kind to them. We may be the only beacon of light they have and they fear losing us. The older they are, the greater that fear may become. Being alone at the end of days is a daunting prospect for anyone.

So it's time for me to shake off my dismay and discouragement and embrace a gentler, more loving approach to people I perceive to be greatly unhappy. I can't fix their situation or improve their lot in life, but I can be kind.

It will improve my life, and that is worth the effort.

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