Should I?

November 29, 2012

If you've read my blog on a regular basis, you know I like the word, "dithering." It just sounds better than wishy-washy or indecisive, especially since I'm neither. But I do, from time-to-time, dither. 

The 2013 A to Z Blogging Challenge is rapidly approaching. Should I do it again? Should I let it pass this year and pick it up again in 2014? Do I really have time between now and April first to get thirty blogs - with pictures - together? 

See - I'm dithering.

I flew by the seat of my pants in 2011. I didn't hear about the challenge until the day was almost upon me. This year, 2012, I spent a lot of time preparing blogs on the subject of being a published writer. Which worked better? I don't know. 

I begin to suspect 2013 might be another year where I fly by the seat of my pants if I decide to do it. I haven't even gone to check and see when sign up begins. 

That's because I'M DITHERING.  (big sigh here)

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com 

A Cat Named Hercules for this Six Sentence Sunday

November 25, 2012

I've had cats all my life. NONE have had the personality of the tuxedo cat I have now. When Amber Allure wanted to put together a PAX of stories about pets bringing their owners together, I hopped on board. My little darling even got to be the cover model!

Authors are frequently asked if bits and pieces of their own lives creep into their stories. In A Cat Named Hercules, I say "yes." Raising a kitten can be quite an experience, as Shiloh finds out. It's a good thing he has a sexy vet on speed dial.

*_*_*_*_*_*

If I had only known kittens can climb drapes, perch on top of a

traverse rod, and then screech like some femme fatale in a low budget horror flick to be rescued.

That a kitten sounds like a herd of buffalo running on hardwood floors in the middle of the night.

If I had only known a kitten’s claws can sink through a sheet into your balls while you’re jerking off.

An old adage says “live and learn” and I amassed an encyclopedic amount of cat wisdom in less than twenty-four hours.

I tried to do as Galen suggested and put the kitten in the bathroom with food, water, and his litter box for his first night in his new home. He wailed at the top of his kitten vocal chords, and I figured he was alone and scared so I opened the door – mistake one.

A CAT NAMED HERCULES
Book five in the Men of Marionville series

Now available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers

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

Being Thankful

November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving themed blogs will abound today. I wasn't going to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. If you're a regular reader here at Between the Keys, you already know I'm thankful for the many blessings in my life. But I decided the blogosphere could stand one more little post, especially when I stumbled across the picture above.

Not many people around here put out fancy harvest displays these days. Time was I got some dried corn stalks, colored corn (can you still say Indian Corn without the politically correct police coming after you?), a couple of gourds and pumpkins, and a pot of chrysanthemums, and set them beside the lamp post. Every night when I arrived home from work it was there for me to enjoy. But even I, die-hard country girl and keeper of the old country traditions, have let go of this one. For now.

Life is busy with family and friends, writing and work. We'll drive across the state line in a few hours to share a feast at my sister-in-law's home. This is what really matters - being part of a healthy, growing family. And for this I am truly thankful.

Will I someday resurrect the tradition of a harvest display? I'm sure I will. With years to go it may be foolish to be counting the days until my retirement from the workforce, but I am. I look forward to having the time revisit the things I love doing, like decorating for the changing seasons. 

Until then, I'll remember to give thanks to God, from whom my many blessings flow, for the bounty in my life.

KC

KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

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

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

Double Deuce for Six Sentence Sunday today

November 18, 2012

**Updated 4/2/21  - the Six Sentence Sunday blog hop is defunct.**

Today was almost a no-brainer. No, really. I almost forgot to get something scheduled for Six Sentence Sunday. I like to get these things done ahead of time, but the current work-in-progress had my undivided attention from Wednesday on this week. 

So without further ado, here is today's six sentences from Double Deuce. 

*_*_*_*_*

“Hmm, I’ve heard of that. Some weird word that starts with an ‘R.’”

“Relationship?”

I snapped my fingers. “That’s the one! Can’t say as I have any first-hand experience with it.”

*_*_*_*_*

Free spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end a long, dark tunnel.

Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.

It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, has definite perks - ones not found in any departmental manual. 

DOUBLE DEUCE
Contemporary gay romance mystery
available now Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

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

Simple morning joy

November 13, 2012

This morning, before dawn, the wind carried in the sound of  hoot owl off in the woods. I paused to listen, wondering how many more times this country joy will come to me in our changing world. 

I stood on my cold patio listening to the low, seeking call and laughed at my aging "puppy" - a black Labrador Retriever who’s been by my side for going on twelve years. He listened, too, but he didn't like what he heard. Maybe the dog knows the owls are descended from raptors and raptors ate his distant kin. Just a thought.

For those of you living in more populated areas, what we call hoot owls are Great Horned Owls and what we call screech owls are Eastern Screech Owls. The little screech owls (picture) are more common in my woods and I'm sure the dog would have gone on about his morning business if they'd been calling.

Autumn is fading on my mountainside. Most of the leaves have fallen from the maples and mighty oaks, and the skies are graying. Squirrels are everywhere gathering what acorns the deer didn’t eat. The spicy scent of fall, that mélange of drying leaves, mowed lawns, and harvested fields, has given way to acrid wood smoke. The sound of busy chain saws drifts on strong winds as our neighbors hurry to build their woodpiles.

I usually have a lot of energy this time of year. Ideas for stories come faster than I’ll ever be able to write them, but I do try. After what seems like an incredibly long stretch, I have two books coming out within weeks of each other. I certainly didn’t plan it that way, it just happened.

The first is entitled, “Doors of Time,” and is about two high school friends who reunite as adults. “Doors of Time” will be part of the This Old Gang of Mine PAX along with stories from Clare London, Stevie Wood, Sean Michael and Aislin Kerry. If you want to read an excerpt, check out the page on my website. The page is under construction, but the excerpt is there. Look for “Doors of Time” in mid-December.

The second story, “Desert Snow,” will be out the first weekend of January. Is it about snow? Nope. It’s about two guys who meet at the Palm Springs White Party. Palm Springs - desert. White Party - everyone dresses in white but is still unique. Get it? I thought it witty but I’m just the author so what do I really know? Here again, check out the page on my website, also under construction at the time I type this.

So that’s all there is for this time around. Thanksgiving is a bit more than a week away. It's the Season of Cheesecake. Hide the scales. 

KC

Six Sentence Sunday: What You Don't Confess

November 11, 2012

Today is Veteran's Day, and I recognize the debt I owe to each and every person who served to protect my freedom and rights. Thank you.

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

By the time I wrote What You Don't Confess, I realized just how much potential I had in the Men of Marionville series. (You know, the series I never set out to write which hijacked me when I wasn't paying attention.)

Dylan is the anchor that ties the stories together. He's mentioned in all six books, and it's very fitting his story is the third in the series to complete the original trilogy. Dylan's been around a bit, but when he meets Cassidy, his world get tilted off its axis. In the selection below, the four watchdogs Cass refers to are Travis and Heath from A Hard Habit to Break, and Tyler and Noel from Open Roads.

“You do know those four watchdogs of yours were there the entire evening, don’t you?”
I nodded. “They like to keep an eye on me. Obviously, it didn’t discourage you at all.”
His amber gaze drilled into mine. “Just so I don’t step in it, Dylan, how many of them have you slept with?"

What You Don't Confess is available now at 
Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers.

KC Kendricks

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

Twenty-nine Years

November 8, 2012

Today is the twenty-ninth anniversary of my father’s passing. I never know how I’ll feel when the day dawns, and this sunny morning finds me worried about the future, the one he served to protect.

Admittedly, my father’s time spent on active duty didn’t put him in harm’s way too often. He chauffeured a general to the man’s appointments, or wherever else the man wanted to go. Of course, driving a general also meant protecting the general, or so I imagine. I also imagine it gave Dad an enlisted man’s unique perspective on the chain of command.

Dad was a soft-spoken man. He rarely raised his voice in anger. At family gatherings, my uncle, grandfather, and great-uncles would all “discuss” things, getting louder and louder as the “discussion” went along. When Dad would finally weigh in with his opinion, the other men ceased shouting and listened. I never gave it much thought growing up, but I realize now such was the measure of their respect for him.

We hear a lot these days about the “war on women.” My father would have never called a woman a bitch, cunt, slut, or a “ho.” Nor would my father have associated with men who did. He was a foreman where he worked and I know, from his own lips, he wouldn’t tolerate such dis-respectfulness. You showed that sort of attitude and you didn’t work on his job site with him.  Had I ever brought home a boyfriend who used those words…. Well, I certainly wouldn’t have anything to do with a male who used those words, then or now.  That level of insidious disrespect, the teaching of the next generation it’s okay to behave that way towards women, is the real and subversive war on women and it’s highly effective in that it eats away at self-perception and self-respect. It damages from the inside out. That’s it’s been given the stamp of approval at the highest level is frightening. Anyway, my father had an honest love for me.

I’ve got a lot to accomplish today and I will check off everything on my list. I scored my first job when I was sixteen and saved up money for the all-important first car. Dad was proud of me for being proactive about getting a car, but he was a lot less happy when I chose a FAST car…..  He was proud I managed a part-time job and kept my grades above the ninety percent mark. I think part of my current work ethic can be traced directly to his support, and his example.

While today is an anniversary to mark, not a day goes by I don’t think of him. Not in sadness - those times are few and far between - but with joy and laughter. Dad had the best sense of humor. He was quiet with it, as befitted his nature, but he could deliver a one-liner that could make you fall down laughing. Great timing. I was going through some old photos a few weeks ago and found one of him. I recognize it as being taken when my parents were getting new kitchen cabinets. I wonder what he’d say about having this picture on the Internet? 

No, I don't.  He'd laugh. 

  

KC 
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
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Six Sentence Sunday: Beneath Dark Stars

November 4, 2012

When I decided to create my shapeshifter, Sundown, I knew he would young-at-heart with a wide streak of mischief in his soul. I had to explain how his people got to Earth, how they blended in and how they survived. It was so much fun I'm currently working on the fourth book in the Sundown series! 

This week's six sentences come from the second in the series, Beneath Dark Stars. There's a lot of things about humans Sundown is in the process of figuring out for himself. But he knows one thing for certain - Fallon is his. Of course, Fallon enjoys teasing Sundown from time-to-time.

 
His eyes flashed an angry red as his spine straightened. “This is a young man you must now work beside?”

“Don’t get excited, babe. He’s only a kid, a rookie, and Juny and I wi—.”

“How young? I will meet this boy and explain to him he would be in error to desire you!”


BENEATH DARK STARS 
Gay romance with a paranormal shift
available now at Amazon, iTunes/Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other online booksellers. 


KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
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