Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Spring whispers


February 25, 2014

This has been a brutal winter. The mercury dipped to zero and snow, snow and more snow blanketed my part of the world. It seemed to drag down the spirit of everyone around me, and I could, with great empathy, relate to their feelings. 

It wasn't a fun winter for the two adults trapped together in a small house with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It's a good thing we know when to shut the f*ck up or things could have gotten serious. 

The cat, normally a brave and determined hunter, elected to remain indoors and did with much unhappy wailing constrain himself to the indignity of using his basement litter box. The old, wise dog completed his forays into the white wilderness with amazing speed and agility for a pup his age. I did say he was wise. 

My car, a 2006 Charger that corners on rails and has a top speed of.... um... never mind... was rendered yard art by the snow. With only six inches of clearance I didn't even bother to start the engine with fourteen inches of snow blanketing my long lane. I like the spousal unit's pickup but driving it every day is not my first choice. Compared to the Charger, it wallows like a hippo, but it does push the snow out of the way.

But, wait! There are signs of spring around me! 

The maple trees have pushed out tiny red tips (I'll be sneezing soon). The daffodils and tulips have broken ground and there was a flock of robins in my yard when I arrived home from work yesterday afternoon. Now if I could only spot a crocus in bloom, I'd know for sure spring lurks just one warm day away. 

KC Kendricks
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Saturday, February 22, 2014

No One But You by KC Kendricks and My Sexy Saturday

February 22, 2014
**updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is no longer operational**



Welcome to another My Sexy Saturday here at Between the Keys. 

This week, I've got to give everyone a big head's up.  If you're offended by sex, read no farther. Just click away. There's some man on man action ahead this week. 

The setup - Our lovers just spent a week apart while one was on a business trip. Stacy comes home early with the intention of treating Levi to a hot night in a motel to spice things up. He meets Levi at their favorite billiards and the next thing you know..... 


_*_*_*_

It didn’t take long. A week without him, the surprise of him being here waiting on me for this little bit of action, had both of us primed. I pressed back, he shifted his angle, and my world burst into white-hot flame as I came in his hand. He was with me, his release scalding and wet, beginning as mine ended. We hung there, pressed tightly together, our breathing returning to normal. I shivered as he carefully withdrew from me, missing his body heat.

I turned, and we wrapped our arms around each other. He nuzzled my neck. “Did you miss me, puppy?”

“I missed you every moment, old man. How ’bout you?”

Stacy kissed me, putting everything he felt for me into it, and I responded in kind. I breathed in his scent like a drowning man, not wanting to let go of him. His forehead came to rest on mine. “You know I did. I love you more than life, Levi.”

A lump formed in my throat, and my voice refused to work. “Stacy…”

“Hey, don’t get all emotional on me,” he whispered in my ear, then he cleared his throat. Twice.


I hugged him even tighter. “Let’s take this home so we can do it all over again.”

_*_*_*_

No One But You
The sequel to Shining Victory
For more information, a longer excerpt, and current buy links please visit
http://www.kckendricks.com/NoOneButYou.html

No One But You is available at 


Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B073QFSRFQ

 KC Kendricks

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - new cover up!

February 15, 2014

One of the things I always look forward to (with a touch of trepidation) is the cover for an upcoming release. Covers are the purview of the publisher. Yep. That's a period, end of the matter deal. They might give us lowly authors a form to fill out, but when it comes to the actual end product, it's take it or leave it. It's even a contractual item. 

I've been very lucky in my career. I'd say about ninety-percent of the covers I've received in my eleven years have been pretty darn good. The cover guru at Amber Quill does his level best to make "his" authors happy, which is in his best interest considering he's dealing with a bevy of females.  

I've waited a long time to splash a muscle car on the cover of one of my books. When Amber Allure put out the call for a PAX with a theme of our heroes meeting in a garage, I raised my cyber-hand. And what car should pull into the garage? That's a no-brainer. A 1969 Camaro Z28. 

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted is a term mechanics use when restoring an engine. You bore (increase diameter) of the cylinders to install larger pistons then change out the camshaft for a longer stroke and you get more horsepower. To "blueprint" the engine is to rebuild it to very precise specs. Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted sounds sort of naughty but it's car talk. Of course, it's a KC book so there IS naughty inside. 

Drumroll please............

Here's the new cover for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted, coming March 23, 2013. It's rather simplistic, but I like it. You can read a story excerpt here





BORED, STROKED, AND BLUEPRINTED
is available at:

Amazon

iTunes/Apple

Barnes and Noble

Rakuten/Kobo





KC Kendricks
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Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day? Oops!

February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day! As a writer of romance, I feel compelled, yes compelled, to write a V-Day blog.

I was going to google for the origins of Valentine's Day, but then I got lazy. Anyone can do that so I decided to share the day's place in my life.

We don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Oh, we exchange cheapie dollar store cards which honestly are just as nice, if not nicer, than expensive Hallmark cards. We've been together twenty-plus years so we've said it all and seen it all with each other.

Some years he's given me a tiny box of chocolate that is shared in a fifty-fifty split. Two or three pieces each. No bigee but a nice thought. Some years we've shared the preparation of a "fancy" dinner, but through most of the years Valentine's Day proves to be no big deal.

It's not that we don't like giving and receiving romantic gestures because we do. We just don't need a special day for them. We don't need to be told that today is the day to remember to tell each other "I love you." As a child of the 60's and 70's, I know some things need to be spontaneous and organic.

This morning I walked into the kitchen and spied a red envelope on the island. Instead of saying "how nice," I muttered "oh crap." (Well, words to that effect.) My card for him was at my office, ten miles away. It snowed yesterday and I didn't go to work so the card was still at my workplace. Oh, OOPS! Talk about poor planning and this from a person who lectures on organization.

When I got to work I snapped a few pictures of the card with my cellphone and sent them to him. Best I can do until I get home this evening and hand him the real thing. He thought it was creative and funny, and he appreciated that I'd taken a few minutes out of my morning to do it for him.

And so it goes, Valentine's Day 2014. No bells. No whistles. No credit card bills to pay off. Not even an "I love you." Just a heartfelt thanks for still caring through all the years.

It feels pretty darn good.

KC
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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Wisdom has done it again!


February 9, 2014

Hooray for Wisdom!! According to a story published last Friday, Wisdom, a Laysan albatross and the world's oldest bird, has become a mother again at age 63. (Read the story here.)

Wisdom first captured my attention back in 2011. I love the strange and oddball pieces of news found on the Internet because I never know what will trigger an idea for a story. True, I doubt I'll write a bird story, but you never know. It may come to pass that a character might happen to be a backyard bird watcher. 

But back to Wisdom. She was first banded in 1956 as an adult bird so they do have a close approximation on her age. Layson albatross mate for life so it stands to reason she's outlived a few of her soul mates. That's sad to the romantic heart but there's a lesson there - never stop going forward. 

That she's still mating and producing a viable egg every year speaks to her continued health. In this era of doom and gloom news, Wisdom is a certainly a bright spot. She's calmly leading her life, doing what she does while blissfully unaware of her growing celebrity. 

Sounds like she's living up to her name. 

(Here's the link to last year's blog about Wisdom.)

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

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Kentucky 98 Proof on the Seductive Studs & Sirens blog hop

February 8, 2014
**Updated 4/2/21 - the Seductive Studs & Sirens blog hop links have been disabled**

Ranger padded out of the bathroom, toenails clicking softly on the oak floor. Vic pulled his knees to his chest, held his breath, and slid under the water. He could almost float in the tub. He sat up, wiped the water from his eyes, and glared up at the tall man leaning on the doorframe.
“You’re early.”
“You’re not ready.” Boone raised an eyebrow. “But since you’re naked I don’t think I mind much.”
“The washcloth has me covered.”
“Damn. That must be disappointing.”
“It’s a big washcloth.”
Boone snorted. “Wouldn’t cover me.”
Vic flicked water drops at him. “You’re talking yourself into a corner, my friend. You gonna wash my back?” He grinned as the smirk faded from Boone’s face, replaced first by surprise then a glittering interest in his smoky blue gaze.  “Go make yourself useful and check the fire. And close the door.”
The muscles in Boone’s throat worked as he swallowed. “I’d rather climb in the tub with you.”

KENTUCKY 98 PROOF

Contemporary gay romance 

For more information, buy links, and a longer excerpt, please visit the author's website at https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/kentucky-98-proof-by-kc-kendricks.html 

*_*_*_*_*

Welcome to Between the Keys. While I usually hop on the My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop on Saturday, I thought I'd change it up a bit with the Seductive Studs & Sirens Blog Hop today. I hope you'll take the time to visit both.

*_*_*

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






Monday, February 3, 2014

Blogging vs. Freebie Story

February 3, 2014

"I wish she had a free book so I could see how she writes."

Ever hear someone say that? Ever say it yourself? Ever consider writing one? 

I was chatting with an author friend who bemoaned the fact she didn't have a free book available. I suggested she blog because every time an author blogs, she/he is writing something for free. Blog often enough and readers get a feel for your writing. Use your blog for promo and excerpts, and readers will get a sense of your books.  Join a great blog hop like My Sexy Saturday, and even the writer gets to enjoy free snippets and know the work of other writers. 

In this digital age, free is such a mixed bag. It's not that I'm opposed to free stories. Heck, I may actually find the time some day (which will really curtail my blogging time while I work on it). I think what bugs me is that when you give one story away, there is a certain element within the readership out there in cyberspace that think it's then okay for them to give any and all of a writer's work away - like to pirate sites. 

I know most folks are completely honest and to them I do apologize. It is a case of a few bad apples ruining what is generally considered appropriate for an author to do. So I guess until technology improves or cyberspace pirates see the light of truth and honesty, I'll be a blogger. 


_*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

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

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

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Deuce of Diamonds on the first My Sexy Saturday of February 2014

February 1, 2014

**updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is no longer operating**

Welcome to February! If I seem delighted the deep freeze of January is over it's because I am!! We had some nasty cold nights. When my cat sleeps under the covers, you know it's cold.

For this My Sexy Saturday I've selected seven sexy paragraphs from Deuce of Diamonds, the sequel to Double Deuce. I got a lot of gasps! at the end of Double Deuce when Rick left Ian but if you read closely the clues that Rick won't be gone for long are there. Rick needed closure on his situation, and Ian needed time to get his feet back under him. A third installment of Ian and Rick's story is in the works even now. If you've read both Double Deuce and Deuce of Diamonds, I'll give you a tiny teaser - Saylor figures into this story, too. 

So without more rambling, here are seven sexy paragraphs for My Sexy Saturday.

*_*_*_*_*

The last night he’d spent here, the one before his job in Amethyst Cove was wrapped up, we’d gone to bed and stared at the ceiling. Lying side by side in the dark, we’d not shared our thoughts. I’d regretted not making love one last time even though I knew he’d made a decision to try to patch it up with his ex again. 

Our last kiss had been bittersweet, full of regret and mourning for what would never be. Now it might be if we were both brave enough to reach for it. 


Was I? I turned my head and found his lips. 



His lips were fever hot but soft and willing. He held me tighter as my mouth slid over his to taste longing mixed with hesitation. I licked his lips with a slow, deliberate swipe of my tongue and he let me in. Rick’s tongue moved over mine, silky smooth, and the need to have him burst free in my groin. My balls tightened as my cock swelled. I pushed him against the counter and ground my pelvis to his. 

Rick’s big hands cupped my ass and held me tight to him, never breaking the kiss. He was equally hard, the firm ridge of his dick bumping and grinding against mine as we mock fucked. Rumbling sounds vibrated through his chest and into mine as the kiss deepened. I needed to breathe but I’d sooner pass out from lack of oxygen than give up his lips. 


There were so many things I wanted to say to him but none of them mattered. I needed him as much as he did me. The things that we had to say, and they were many, would have to wait until we healed the distance of the last few months. 


His lips burned a path down my neck and back to my ear. “Ian. Dear God, I’ve dreamed of you. Been haunted by you.”


_*_*_*_*_

DEUCE OF DIAMONDS
available now at 
AmazoniTunesBarnes and NobleKobo


 KC Kendricks

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com