Passing it on

October 30, 2012

Usually I enjoy the rare weekday I get to spend at home. Being home as the result of a hurricane doesn’t fall into that category.

We all knew Hurricane Sandy was brewing and building in the Atlantic Ocean. We listened to the pseudo-celebrities who forecast the weather wax dramatic. We saw the radar imagines. And we began to cringe.

The first big storm I remember well was Hurricane Agnes in 1972. I was young enough to be spared the worry, but old enough to help bail water. In 1977, an unnamed storm filled my grandparent’s basement with water - all the way to ground level. And then came Isabel in 2003 - very bad. We were without power for 45 hours.  In 2004, Ivan paid us a visit.  Ike, in 2008 made a swing up from Texas to wet us down. Then came Irene’s fury in 2011. Storms named with an “I” definitely get my attention now. October 29, 2011, we had the freak snow that knocked out our electric for 55 hours and left us with a bigger mess to clean up than Isabel.

Comparatively, for us, Hurricane Sandy was almost a non-event. Thank you, Lord. The rains came and we had some minor flooding, but the worst of the wind missed us. We’re just - just - far enough east to miss the snow blanketing the higher elevations of the Appalachians, although I would not be surprised to see the odd snowflake.

The power stayed on and we remain warm, dry, fed and comfortable. Not so for thousands of other people. Some have suffered the loss of loved ones. Many are in shelters. Many have lost valued belongings. How can I, in my warm house, begin to know their experience?

I can’t. I would not presume to even think I can. What I can do, and will do, is lend financial support to provide aid. In my case, it will probably be through my house of worship. Money is tight, a fact we’re all too aware of, but I can spare a few dollars to help. Many small gifts combine into larger ones to do good.

I’m not after thanks, or to have anyone think I want a pat on the back. It’s not that at all.  You see, many years ago complete strangers came to my aid when I had a need. I can never thank them, but I can multiply and pass on their gifts. At the end of the day, for me, it’s the right thing to do.  

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Family Matters: How It's Not Nice to Prank Your Kids

October 28, 2012

My immediate family is small. I’m an only child in a generation of only children. I have many cousins, but no siblings. Not the case with my beloved. He’s the oldest of five, having two sisters and two brothers. He has two children and six grandchildren, and ten nieces and nephews. His family has a blowout reunion every year. We have quiet little affairs we call get-togethers. It’s all good, though.

A few years back, his oldest grandson completed the Royal Rangers program through church (it reminds me of trying to reinvent the Boy Scouts). Being invited to the award ceremony, we cheerfully went, pleased to be included in this milestone of the youngster's life.

I knew one of my cousins was involved in some program for the boys of his church, but he never shared the minute details. He enjoyed being a leader in the program - great! It made him happy and that’s all I really needed to know. Besides, it was a guy thing, and I do girl things. Usually…

The day of the ceremony my beloved and I walked inside the hall and there stood my cousin in his leader’s uniform. There stood my stepdaughter, waiting for her dad. While her father greeted her, my cousin greeted me with a big hug, then he kept his arm around me.

My stepdaughter’s lovely brown eyes grew to the size of saucers. She looked at me - at my cousin - at my cousin’s wife - at her father. Clueless. Totally clueless. My cousin looked at her and informed her I was his very first girlfriend. I nodded. (I was probably three at the time, and he was six.) To add to her confusion, my cousin’s wife was smiling instead of ripping my head off for snuggling up to her husband. My poor stepdaughter didn’t know what to say when we launched into the “do you remember the time…..?”

Her father finally took pity on her and confessed all. She looked so relieved I almost felt sorry for putting the joke on her. (Note I say ‘almost.’)  We shared the laughter and our family added a joyous new layer to our relationships. 

Today we celebrate the same rite of passage for the third grandson. I’ll greet my stepdaughter and ask her if she’s seen my ‘boyfriend’ anywhere, and we’ll laugh again. I can’t think of a better way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon. 

KC
www.kckendricks.com

New and improved - bah humbug!

October 23, 2012

Once upon a time, my most recent tweets showed up on my blog. Now suddenly they don't any longer.

No fair, Twitter and Blogger. Taking away features we like makes you suck.

Open Roads this Six Sentence Sunday

October 21, 2012

This week for Six Sentence Sunday I'm highlighting Open Roads, book two in the Men of Marionville series. Open Roads was unique in that it crystallized the series for me. Until I got into the story, I didn't realize how far I could go with the Marionville setting. Who says a writer has to be a one-trick pony? Not me.

Open Roads also launched the Working Stiffs series at the now defunct Amber Allure. For once - the one and only time it's happened - I was working on this story when the publisher announced the call for Working Stiffs. Open Roads fit right in. I finished in within a week or so and sent it in. First in, first out. Yea! All the Working Stiffs books share the very same cover, so look closely at the title/author name to get the one you really want (which I hope is mine!).

Now without more Open Roads history, here's this week's six sentences. 

KC

*_*_*_*  

“So, what about that Travis fellow? He seems nice.”

Surprise, surprise—he needed to know more about Travis and me.

“Travis and I met through a mutual friend - a very close, intimate friend, if you get my drift. This friend had it bad for Travis, but Travis always loved Heath.”

“So you and this fellow just use each other for sex?”

_*_*_*_
Open Roads is available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers.

KC Kendricks
website at: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/open-roads-by-kc-kendricks.html
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Six Sentence Sunday: Seducing Light

October 14, 2012

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys. Today, my six sentence selection comes from Seducing Light. Can you believe that MySpace banned the gorgeous Seducing Light cover? I couldn't either. It sorta ticked me off when they did - stupidity can do that to me. 

Seducing Light is available as an ebook or as part of the paperback, In the Limelight. Visit my website for more details. 


_*_*_*_
 

Tired of him referring to me as “boy,” I shot him a look, and froze at the glittering curiosity in his eyes. 

He studied me, his green gaze a mix of wary caution, grudging respect, and more.

I fell into those mystical depths, forgetting to breathe as the blood pooled in my groin.

My heart stuttered, then hammered in my chest.

I couldn’t look away, even as my face grew hot under his scrutiny.

My cock swelled, rising as the phantom of my nights stared at me with witchy interest.

*_*_*

SEDUCING LIGHT
#3 best seller at Amber Allure, June 2009
Available at Amazon.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Chalk one up for the good guys in Las Vegas

October 10, 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/las-vegas-cab-driver-found-reward-135731608.html

Being a headline news junkie, I had to read this one:

"Vegas cabbie finds, returns $221,510, gets $2,000 reward"

In case the link is gone by the time you read this entry, here's the story in a nutshell. 

It seems there are good and honest people to be found. The 42-year old cabbie from Ethiopia found the case of money between the seat cushions and turned it in. The proper owner gave him a reward. And while some of his friends think he should have gotten more, the driver wasn't quoted as feeling that way.

But one friend said he thought it was more important to let the world know there are still honest people who do the right thing with no thought to getting any size reward.

I certainly agree.

KC

Tybee Island musings

October 9, 2012

Vacationing is grand, but there's truly no place like home. Our trip to Savannah, Georgia went well. Actually, it was FAB and I can't wait to go back! Maybe we will in the spring when my partner's granddaughter graduates. It's difficult to know as June is a long way off. 

Historic Savannah is lovely. Unfortunately, my picture taking wasn't up to the task. I hesitate to say "my photography" because I took snapshots instead of photos, and crappy ones at that. Maybe if we go back in the spring, I'll take a decent camera. 

One of things we did was visit Tybee Island, which is much changed since the 1970's. The drive to Tybee was picturesque, and I'd like to say Tybee is a welcoming little island, but they make you pay for parking, so we didn't. We did pull over long enough for me to snap the Tybee Island Light Station, though. 

The Tybee lighthouse was ordered built by James Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah, in 1732 and has guided ship captains into the Savannah River ever since in spite of having been rebuilt several times following storms.

Tybee Island also seemed to have an overabundance of police cruisers. Hmmm... out of state car.... in the south..... Yep. Made me nervous. I kept hearing Vicki Lawrence singing in my head. So sorry, Tybee business people. I had money to burn but between having to pay for parking and the cops following me around for doing nothing, you didn't get any of it. Sure wish I could have got a few lighthouse castings to give to friends.

Or maybe not. 

Giving trinkets that need to be dusted on a regular basis isn't really a sign of friendship to women in my age group. I should have brought back wine.

KC

Once again, A Hard Habit to Break

October 7, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday day! Last week, while perusing A Hard Habit to Break for six sentences, I had an awful time deciding on which ones to use. So this weekend I’m using the selection I didn’t last time. 

I’ve vacillated on the idea of continuing the Men of Marionville series. Some days I think six books in a series are plenty. Then I’m reminded of how much I loved writing about this bunch of guys and I think another two stories are in order. It was great fun to create a circle of friends and give them a life. If I sit down at the computer some day and the story begins to flow, I’ll have my answer as to what I’m supposed to do. 

So without further dithering, here’s six more sentences from A Hard Habit to Break. - 

This is after Heath and Travis are horsing around and end up on the floor. 

KC

_*_*_*_

I shoved up onto my knees and grasped his hips. 

“Bend over the bed, big boy.”

“You wouldn’t.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

 
I slipped my hand under the pillow, retrieved the condom packet, and held it up in front of him. “Oh, yeah, I would.”


A HARD HABIT TO BREAK Available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and other online booksellers. 
 (book one of the Men of Marionville series)

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

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Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

Georgia on my mind

October 4, 2012

It’s been many years since my partner and I vacationed – together. His health suffered more than a few blows in the last decade, and leaving home wasn’t something he felt strong enough to do. I took off with girlfriends from time-to-time to save my sanity while he stayed home and held the fort. These days he’s in a good place so here we are in Savannah, Georgia, to visit his son. I’ve already learned a few things.

One: I need some new toys. My old dinosaur laptop is great for writing prose on the patio, but not for much of anything else, like Google Earth.

Two: Savannah sucks for cell signal. I can’t go anywhere around home and LOSE signal and I can’t go anywhere down here and FIND one.

Three: I hate the glare on the screen of my digital camera and phone. Whose “better idea” was it to go from a viewfinder window with NO GLARE to this set up? Someone fixed something that wasn’t broken and Kodak bought into it. No wonder they’ve had difficulties. Surely I can find a digital camera with a screen I can see in any light and at any angle.

Four: Never, ever, never leave home without a stick of Tide-on-the-Go!! Some of us can manage to spill [fill in the blank] all over ourselves. Welcome to the club!

Five: Speed limits are made to be exceeded. I’m in NASCAR country. I don’t really have to explain this one, do I? (No, but I will. I didn’t get a ticket. I did the speed limit and got passed by everyone on the highway. It was embarrassing.) 

Six: I really need to get a Kindle Fire so my honey can have my trusty Kindle2. He needs his own toys. 

But all whining aside, and tongue out of cheek, the trip’s been good so far. Our hotel room is nice, the historic district of Savannah is fascinating and beautiful, and the family is healthy and happy. It’s good to see them face-to-face instead of on facebook.

Tomorrow, while the family is at work and school, we’re going to visit the waterfront and be tourists. I’m looking forward to lunch at the Irish pub and taking my partner’s credit card for a walk. I might even buy him a T-shirt. Maybe we can even find a spot where I can get a cell signal and call home to check on the folks.

And I plan to take lots of inspiration photos for new stories. I’ve got ideas and I can’t wait to get back to work. Good thing I have the dinosaur with me. 

KC