Sunday, December 30, 2012

Cocktails!

December 29, 2012


I'm very excited to announce I have an article in Cocktails Fiction & Gossip -eMagazine! Here's the link to check out the mag: http://cocktailsmagazine.wix.com/fictionandgossip#!issue-14

There's a lot more than my article in there so go take a look. It's very well done!

KC

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

2013- No Retreat, No Surrender

December 26, 2012



It's easy to settle into a reflective frame of mind as cold Winter wraps her arms around my world.  The old year is ending - which is better than the world ending as many feared. The New Year is a mere handful of days away, and I feel it pulling me forward. But for me, going forward means keeping one foot grounded in the past. I believe the past made me the person I am today and it's important to always remember where I come from.

But this blog is about the part of me that embraces being a writer, not those other sides of me that are partner, daughter, cousin, friend, and co-worker. That part that is writer is only ten years old - or is it? I’m a life-long reader so perhaps every book I’ve ever read was research, or at least I like to think so.

The year just past, 2012, was a year of “rest” for the author side of me. There are various schools of thought about scaling back, not that I put a lot of stock in them. The author is the single most important thing about a book - any book - and the trick is knowing how to nurture that element.

So just where was the author in 2012? With family, for the most part, and loving it. Did me a world of good, too. Writing is the Solitary Art. It’s just the writer and all those words ready to be plucked out of the air to form thought. Is the finished product the accomplishment, or is it the work itself? For the sake of this particular blog entry, I’ll take the side of the finished product.

What did I, the writer, accomplish in 2012? A Cat Named Hercules (book five of the Men of Marionville series), Eye of the Beholder (a story about voyeurism), Leather Jackets (book six of the Men of Marionville series), River Walk (the third Sundown story), and the newly released Doors of Time. Not at all a bad showing.

This leads us to the New Year, to the undiscovered country of the future. What lies ahead? Will the author continue several popular series, or forge into virgin territory? Not to admit to being in a holding pattern to echo 2012, but the answer is both.

Look for Desert Snow the first weekend of January 2013. No, it’s not about snow. In fact, it has nothing to do with snow. The story takes place at the Palm Springs White Party. Palm Spring = desert. Thousands of guys dressed in white - like snowflakes, each unique and beautiful. Ergo - Desert Snow. (I like the title and I’m the author so allow me to have my own way for once, okay?)

Expect another Sundown and Fallon story in the New Year, this one more light-hearted than River Walk. Our shapeshifter flees his responsibilities for his first-ever vacation and Fallon has his hands full, as usual. Private investigator Ian Coulter is back with a case of a cyber-stalker turned real-life stalker. Ian turns to Rick for help.

There’s a possibility of a new Marionville couple as part of an upcoming PAX. The story will be written and submitted by September 1, 2013, but it’s up to the powers that be at the publisher when it will come out, but to the writer, it’s a 2013 project.

A new project I’m very excited about is, um….can’t tell you the title for fear some enterprising so-and-so will steal it. Really. It’s happened before. Can’t trust anyone. Anyway, I’ve had this one on the back burner and it’s simmered to the boiling point. It’s time to get it written. There are a few more ideas taking shape, but will they be for 2013 or 2014? I’m not sure yet, and I know better than to force them into the light. The story will come in the proper time.

Where I’ve been and where I’m going. A glance into the past and a vision for the future. And between the two is a “now” full of contentment. I’ve made choices, good and bad, that guide my way. I’m right where I need to be to welcome the New Year, and I’m ready. No retreat, no surrender.

Will you step into 2013 with me? 

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

 

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Story Behind the Story: Doors of Time by KC Kendricks


December 17, 2012
Doors of Time is now available at
Available now at AmazoniTunesBarnes & Noble and other online booksellers.


One of the biggest blessings in my life has been living in a small community. Life in the country has made me who I am today. Maybe city slickers would consider me a “hick” because I still ride my bicycle and I still play in the creek, but simple country pleasures are deeply ingrained in my way of life. That's not to say that we don't have our share of culture. There are several larger towns within easy driving distance of my home. In fact the District of Columbia and Baltimore, Maryland, are each about an hour and a half drive away, depending on traffic.

When I was growing up, my parents were more than willing to drive me and my girlfriends into town on Saturday afternoons for a movie, and the place we frequently went was the Maryland Theatre. My friends and I were bad moviegoers- we talked a lot - and I’ve noticed teenage girls haven’t changed much since the 1970s. But all that aside, the Maryland Theatre was a special place for all of us.

I remember the day in 1974 the Maryland Theatre burned. Living on the side of the mountain way we do, we could see the smoke as it blanketed the town. A few quick phone calls to relatives living in town got us the story on what happened. An arsonist did the dirty work in the night. We weren't sure how badly the theater was damaged but as it turned out the fire had burned to the front of the building. What came after when the building sat empty and open to the elements was just as destructive as the blaze. For all intents and purposes the Maryland Theatre was gone.

But now remember when I said what a blessing it is to live in a small community? A local funeral director bought the building to save it from being demolished for the one million bricks the structure held. A community group got to work on restorations, and in 1978 the Maryland Theatre reopened in all her neoclassical glory and she remains open to this day. She is now home to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, as well as hosting musical productions and recent shows such as Ron White's Comedy Tour.

The creative process is often a mystery. I don't know why I thought about the Maryland Theatre when I sat down to plan the story, Doors of Time. But like with many of my stories all I needed was that one little kernel for the characters to spring to life. So there's a little bit of real life in this one, and at the heart of it sits the old movie house and the echoes of friendships forged that have lasted a lifetime. I hope you'll enjoy Doors of Time.

*_*_*_*

Doors of Time by KC Kendricks

Calvin Lawson arrived in Clear River to rebuild bridges with his ailing father, not hook up with Emory Fleming, although being an honest man, he has to admit Emory’s on his mind. But first things first, and before he goes looking for his boyhood friend, he needs to find a restoration project to generate personal income so he’s not sponging off his father. Gutted by an arsonist, the Clocktower Theatre, affectionately called the Time by everyone in town, is in dire need of his special skills.

As an on-the-air journalist, Emory Fleming is making a name for himself and getting noticed. He’s back in Clear River at the local network affiliate, preparing for the move up to a major market in a few years. When Calvin Lawson rolls back into town, Emory’s stunned. The old pal he worked with at the Time kept a big secret - he’s gay. All the fantasies Emory had as a teenager about Calvin suddenly become real as he and Calvin reconnect and quickly become lovers.

Calvin’s planned restoration of the Clocktower Theatre may not be a practical possibility. He has to secure a lot of funding to do the job properly, and money is tight everywhere. When Emory’s big break comes faster than anticipated, Calvin sees only one option - step aside so Emory will accept the job he’s always wanted. It doesn’t take Emory long to figure out why Calvin walked out, and put in action a plan to win him back before the doors of time close between them permanently.

DOORS OF TIME

Contemporary gay romance
Available now at:

Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and other online booksellers.


KC Kendricks
facebook: www.facebook.com/kckendricks

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Garden Plots


December 6, 2012



I’m contemplating a small vegetable garden. Ho-hum you say, but this is a more earth-shattering statement than you might think. It’s been years since I had more than a tomato plant in a pot on the patio. What if I’ve forgotten everything I learned about growing veggies?

The love of having a veggie garden skipped a generation in my family. My mother was never into it. She had beautiful, beautiful flowerbeds, but grow something to eat? Nope. If you grow it, you have to either eat it ASAP or preserve it in some fashion. Mother just wasn’t into it, and no one in my father’s family had a garden. So most of what I learned was at my grandfather’s knee.

I’m blessed with three acres of land, so a spot for a garden isn’t a problem. A way to keep the deer out of it is, though. Those bast…er…animals can jump over moving cars. A cute little picket fence will have them laughing. My solution - my honey is making me a plywood cut-out black “wolf pack” to install on top of the stone fence. It won’t stop them completely, but it will help.  And I’m getting another dog, one who is young, agile, and thinks chasing deer from the yard is fun. My old dog can’t run anymore, but he’s earned his retirement.

My cousin will till the plot for me, but I think we’re going to invest in our own Kubota. Or John Deere. Or whatever we can get a deal on. So muscle and deer prevention are handled. The real dilemma - what do I want to plant?

Tomatoes, peppers and lots of leafy lettuce are givens, but what else? I like cole slaw so some cabbage would work. Onions, cucumbers and maybe a watermelon would fit in the plan. That’s probably enough for 2013 as I delve back into this. I’m sure I’ll expand as the years progress and I get closer and closer to my imaginary retirement.

I like the idea of becoming more self-sufficient, even if it is in small ways. It takes me back to my youth. I suppose it’s ironic that so many people thought abandoning the backyard garden was a sign of prosperity and now it’s in vogue again, but that’s a blog for another day. Right now, I’m going to the Burpee website and look at seeds and dream of home-grown tomatoes on a thick, juicy hamburger with grilled onions and peppers, some homemade dill pickles and a side order of slaw.

Hmm. Perhaps I should’ve had lunch.

KC Kendricks




Monday, December 3, 2012

Temptation Ride

December 3, 2012

For the record, I love my Charger. Great car. Fast, corners on a rail. Paid for. But today I took a ride down memory lane in a 1974 Challenger.

High school was a few years ago and I almost didn't recognize the driver when the car stopped. I had the fleeting thought that KD had a car just like that back in the day - and then he got out of the car, waved at me, and asked if I was who he thought I was.  Deja vu, boys and girls.

Or maybe a ghost. I was in, of all places, a cemetery searching for evidence of an ancestor. It seems my high school acquaintance is into genealogy, too, and was on a similar mission. (We traded a few notes in case we stumble across something helpful to the other but I know I'll never hear from him if he does.) Anyway, this guy has had his Challenger since he was a high school senior. Amazing. That's almost 40 years.

And it still rumbles, be still my heart!

We took a little spin around the block and laughed as we passed that Prius.... good times...




It was nice to see this fellow, even so briefly, but it opened a can of worms for me. The new Challengers are so retro I really want one. And getting inside a car I dreamed of a ride in when I was in high school hasn't helped. Never mind I didn't make the cut in high school. The guy doesn't make the cut now. But his car still does.  How's that for poetic justice?

I guess I'll keep my Charger for a while longer. It might be a few years old, but the milage is low and I know how well it's been treated. And it's paid for.

Damn, I hate being a resonsible adult and resisting the tempation ride.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Beguiling!

December 2, 2012



Do not... I repeat...DO NOT let this cute face fool you. There sits a troublemaker.

And no, thank God, that's not my porch swing. My personal experiences with coons have not been so charming. Well, accept for the one that hid behind the big oak tree and kept peeking around it to keep an eye on me. I surprised that one by walking out of the house at dawn. Usually these critters are bedded down for the day by then. I can only assume it was on its way home since healthy animals are very nocturnal. I'm pretty sure this guy was fine since he was thinking clearly enough to hide until I went inside then run like hell for the other side of the stone fence. 

Anyway, I found this picture and it made me laugh, and laughter is something in short supply these days. 

KC

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Disconnect of Disrespect

December 1, 2012

Coming up with an opening line to interest people in reading your blog isn't always easy if you've chosen a topic to get something off your chest. Is there ever a good place to start when the emotions are in play? I don't know, but here goes. 

It was brought home to me last night just how much times have changed. How much people have changed. What happened was at the local bowling alley. I can hear you scoffing across miles of fiber optics now, but I'm not talking about bowling. I'm talking about what happens when a group of people are in the same place at the same time. Venue hardly matters. 

In the two years I've been bowling in the Friday night league, I've seen coats tossed on the floor so someone else could use the hanger, bowling bags flung down on top of a girl's purse (which broke her husband's eyeglasses he needs to drive that were inside the purse), shoes kicked aside so someone else could set their shoes in that exact spot, and full cups of soft drinks tossed in the trashcan so guys could play cards at that spot on the counter.

When did we become so disconnected to the concept of common courtesy we can't do something as simple as respect the personal property of others?

Perhaps I'd understand it better if it were the same person doing these things. I could look at my girlfriend and we would very quietly move our belongings away from him/her. But each of these instances were perpetrated by someone different - to the same person. (Think about how I'd know this.) And if those things have all happened to one person (a person bowling in the same league and therefore known to these people) I think it's safe to say it's happened to others. 

I'm really not sure what to make of this behavior. What causes it? Is it the fracturing of the family? A lack of parenting? Addiction to video games? The influence of the current trends in what passes as "music?" Too many entitlements? Not enough church? The failing of the education system? I really don't know.

What I do know is each of us are responsible for our own behavior. If we respect others, and their belongings, the chances are they will respect us and ours. Give it a try. I swear to you it's not too difficult to do, and you might just make the part of the world you inhabit a better place.

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