Cruising in the Neutral Zone

December 30, 2014

The days between December 23 and January 2 are, for this author, a writing neutral zone. With Christmas successfully celebrated it's time to examine the year ending and plan for the year coming. If you're a regular here at Between the Keys, you know I believe the past is an important tool for planning for the future. That is to say a person needs to know where they've been to know where they're going. 

 Every year I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and then I pull up my contract information spreadsheet and discover I actually did accomplish a few things. It's amazing on some levels and a bit alarming in others. Did I in 2014 accomplish all I'd hoped? Nope. Did it all turn out the way I planned? Nope - but I won't dwell on that. 

My love affair with the American muscle car came to the forefront in 2014. First up in March - Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. This story of a mechanic meeting the guy who happens to own the car of his dreams was very well received. Thank you all! Apparently, I'm not the only person out there who knows what "bored, stroked and blueprinted" means. (Hint: it's not about sex although the book is pretty sexy fare.) And the 1969 Camaro on the cover? My first car. 


Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted was followed by Moon Dances in June. Moon Dances is the fourth book in the Sundown saga. The entire series is, in order, The Back Stairs, Beneath Dark Stars, River Walk and Moon Dances. I love writing this series because of the world-building. Sundown is not your average shapeshifter. His people are alien, from another world. The challenge is not divulging everything about the Chal too fast. Once it all comes out, the series is over and I'm likely to get weepy emails when that happens. So if all goes well, book five will be out sometime in 2015. 


The Men of Marionville series was up next. How far can I go with Marionville as a backdrop for the story? Dreams to Sell is number eight in the series. Dylan and Cass are revisited when Dylan invites an old friend to join him in a business venture. The friend, Keith, jumps at the chance and meets the man of his dreams who happens to be a realtor with a listing for the house of Keith's dreams. The trouble is, Terry is a widower and Keith keeps putting his foot in his mouth. Keith does manage to pull himself together and get both his man and his house. We may not return to Marionville until 2016, but we will go back.

And speaking of fun, Ace, Deuce, Trey was absolutely the most fun I had in 2014. I love, love, love writing Ian and Rick's story. Rick is so serious and Ian is not. They're perfect for each other. Both have their fair share of insecurity about being in a "relationship" but they're working on it. Saylor Blackwood is back in this book and he and Rick are forced into the same room. Ian has to make them behave. Ace, Deuce, Trey is the third book in Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove series. I'm running out of "deuce" title ideas so it's difficult to say what the next installment will be titled. Hopefully, title inspiration will strike one more time. Ace, Deuce, Trey will also be a stand-alone paperback at some point in time. 


When I wrote the first m/m story and signed with Amber Quill/Amber Allure, I was welcomed as an AQP author by Christiane France. At the time no one knew I was already published under another pen name, and I wasn't ready to enlighten them. It may sound strange but I had so many people telling me I was good that I stopped believing them. I needed to re-invent myself and see if that "new" writer would have the same success. Amazingly, I've had more! 

Anyway, Chris welcomed me and we struck up a friendship. We decided it would be fun to co-write a few stories. So we did. 

Here's to a happy, healthy and equally productive 2015! 


(partial content of this entry removed by the author after Amber Quill closed.)


KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

It's What You'd Expect

December 21, 2014

It's what you'd expect for the days leading up to Christmas. The hustle and bustle of the holidays, the last-minute rush for the last-minute gift replacement when something arrives via a shipper damaged. It's the Christmas card that somehow slid between the passenger seat and the console in the Charger. You know all those things are likely to happen. Then you get surprised in a good way.

Yesterday was the annual Christmas gathering at the sister-in-law's house. Word must have gotten around, most likely from the lips of my beloved, that I want a new mixer. Christmas seemed like the time to tell the man of the house that if he wants to continue to eat cookies, mama needs new equipment. Besides, he owes me. Long story short, there was some collusion happening. I received gift cards totaling $170 all for the same store, and that would be the store that sells the mixer I want. 

I think I have new respect for the sneakiness of the spousal unit. We're going to town this afternoon. 

On other fronts, I have to show up at the day job Monday and Tuesday and then I'm off until the following Monday. I'm happy to report the work is done. I just have to commune with the copier for a short while, then I'm free for my own devices. I think I'll dial up the plan for the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge and get serious about setting the daily topics. 

There's also a manuscript which needs to be turned in. I promised it by the end of the year so I need to fill out those dratted forms and get it all in. I've got another manuscript hanging in limbo and it can just hang. If I paid any attention to gossip at all it wouldn't be hanging, but that's for another blog. Gossip ain't my thing and my aversion to it bit me in the ass but I'm not about to become a gossip monger. 

Then there's the writing plan for 2015. I need to get that in order. I have deadlines for March 1, June 1 and September 1. What the fuck was I thinking? The deadline is not my friend. I get far too lazy with a deadline. When I know I have time, it slows me down. Not. A. Good. Thing.  Anyway, I need to work out a flexible plan for the coming year. 

So there it is. Like most of my "personal" blog entries, putting my thoughts into words has crystallized what I need to do. It's like talking out loud to myself with my fingers.  It's all part of my planning and organizing process and I'm happy to let you share in it here at Between the Keys.  

Have a healthy, safe and happy Christmas! 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

Ace, Deuce, Trey by KC Kendricks

Ace, Deuce, Trey – the sequel to Deuce of Diamonds

Book #3 in Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove series

Available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

About Ace, Deuce, Trey:

Ian Coulter has his hands full with a sexy office assistant, a favorite movie star client and a drag queen determined to save the world one lost runaway at a time. He can juggle all of it because he and his lover, FBI agent Rick Mohr, are finally together.

Rick’s transfer to Amethyst Cove puts him in charge of multiple operations. When one of Ian’s clients is targeted, it doesn’t take long for Ian to suspect the con artist is on an FBI watch list. With their cases overlapping, Ian and Rick are short on time. Together they set a trap and spring it before their suspect escapes.

Doing the job is easy but figuring out the relationship is tougher. Fitting their lives together isn’t without obstacles, but one thing is certain. On or off the case, Ian and Rick always get their man.

*_*_*_*_*

An excerpt from Ace, Deuce, Trey

The description of the Harmon con man was a good match to the pictures we had of Saylor’s accuser. I checked the name of the detective on the Harmon case. I didn’t know him but I’d take the chance and call him to let him know I had a client with a similar situation and see what he said. I’d do what I could to ensure this con artist didn’t make Amethyst Cove his permanent home.

The air around me changed, expanded. I froze and listened into the quiet office. The outside door snicked closed. I drew my Sig Sauer P228 and held it in my lap.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, Ian.”

I laid the gun on my desk. “You should have yelled first.”

It was so quiet I wondered if my mind had played a trick on me.

“What the fuck are you doing, Rick?”

He swaggered into my office. His hot green gaze slammed into mine. “Making sure the blinds are closed.”

I leaned back and put my feet up on my desk. “I have a gun, bucko. What are your intentions?”

Rick reached behind his back, pulled out his Glock .9mm and laid it beside my pistol. “Mine’s bigger than yours.” He leaned over and kissed me. I pulled back.

“Dream on. That must have been one hell of an arrest and booking to get you so worked up.”

“Oh, it was. Law enforcement agents in three countries are going to dance in the street when word gets around.”

I grinned up at him. “And your name is going to be on the report.”

He shook his head. “Not mine, no. I have an alias, you know.”

That was news to me. “Because you’ve done undercover work for the Treasury?”

Rick grasped my ankles and lifted them off my desk. I set my feet on the floor and he went to his knees in front of me.

“And I might have to do it again so my team second gets the credit and the public glory on this one.”

I spread my knees and he slid his big, warm hands up the inside of my thighs to my balls. “You have something in mind here, Mr. FBI man?”

“You don’t have anything to say about the fact I might have to go undercover again?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Something you need to fill me in about?”

“No, no. I’ve let it be known I’m the last option for those assignments.” He pulled my shirttail out of my jeans. “I even told them why.”

“That’s a good career move. ‘I’m gay and I’m shacked up so don’t call me.’ I bet your boss loved that.”

My cock swelled as Rick eased my zipper down. “He laughed at me. In my face. So I beat the shit out of him.”

I snorted. “Right. On the shooting range. What do you think you’re doing?”

He yanked my pants down and all but dragged me out of the chair to the floor. “I’m going to do you in your office, darling. It’ll be a fantasy come true.”

“I’ll scream.” I wiggled my ass to aid him in getting my jeans down and out of the way.

“Yes you will before I’m done with you.”

*_*_*_*

Available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

Book #3 in the Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove series

*_*_*_*

Also available –

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

DEUCE OF DIAMONDS
available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

KC Kendricks
website at http://www.kckendricks.com
Between the Keys blog at http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Oh, Christmas Tree

December 6, 2014

There's something that strikes me as very wrong about putting up my Christmas tree. 

I used to love, love, love to decorate for the Advent and Christmas seasons. The day after Thanksgiving was Decorating Day. Box after box after box of decorations were pulled from storage and chaos did ensue. 

First on the list - Aunt Jane's bells. Always. Then it was time to hang the tinsel and balls around the great room. Even today the tiny tacks remain in the crown moulding. Hook the tinsel on the tack, hang the red ball, and move on to the next tack until tinsel adorned the room. Forty-four tacks holding forty-four balls. The (almost) first to go up and the last to come down. 

After the tinsel, anything could happen. Maybe the reindeer herd migrated in or perhaps the elves and snowmen arrived before the deer. Candles and shiny baubles appeared. Snowflakes on almost invisible thread danced in the bow window. And then it was time to go get the tree. 

Acquiring the perfect tree was a Big Deal in my family. My parents never bought a tree at the first place they stopped. It was more like the sixth or seventh place. A few of those places weren't about the trees, though. It was about the people selling the trees, namely farmers my dad went to school with. Anyway, we'd get a tree and take it home, and I carried on the tradition when I built my house thirty-odd years ago. Back to my story....

Setting the tree had to be done before sunset then the lights were put on after it got dark. Never forget to check the strings of lights BEFORE you put them on the tree. All the lights and lamps were turned off for this step so you could make sure the bulbs were spaced correctly. Stringing the light brought out the fragrance of the pine. Oh, how I love the smell of fresh pine!!! 

After the lights were on and working, every light in the room was turned on and the balls were hung. I'm not much for ornaments. I like balls. (Oh, don't go THERE.) The star topper went on, following by many, many, many balls. Then the whole tree was smothered in sliver icicles. When the tree is finished, all the room lights were turned off and we sat oohing and ahhing at the lighted tree. 

The room was finished and it was beautiful.

But then the world turned, time marched on, and the spousal unit prevailed. 

Just the idea of wrestling a box with a pre-lit artificial tree through the attic hatch and plugging it in sucks all the joy out of Christmas decorating. Why bother?

And that's my take on decorating for Christmas 2014.

Unless he agrees to get me a real tree. TODAY.

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

An excerpt from Highway Nights for #MSS#70

November 29, 2014

**updated 4/1/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is no longer operational**

The weeks go by fast. I went to sign up for the weekly My Sexy Saturday blog hop and discovered it had reached its 70th edition. It's been around longer than that but has had the occasional hiatus. That the blog hop came back stronger after the last one is a testament to its popularity.

So...for #MSS70 I finally settled on a seven-paragraph excerpt from Highway Nights. I want to mention Highway Nights got a 4 Heart review at The Romance Studio in which the reviewer closed with, "I liked it a lot." I thought it simple, perfect praise.

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

“I’ll walk you to your car.” Oliver slid out of the booth and leaned over the counter. “Hey, Murf, I’m stepping outside.” He slipped his arm around Garrett’s waist and rested it on the small of his back.

Garrett shivered at Oliver’s warm touch. The action was so relaxed and easy, he’d not seen it coming, but the contact instantly felt normal, and he regretted the loss of it as Oliver opened the door for him. Garrett’s pulse quickened as they approached his car. Dare he risk a goodnight kiss? He dug his keys out of his pocket and pushed the button. The headlights flashed. Instead of opening the driver’s door, Oliver leaned against it. In slow motion, his hands lifted and reached for Garrett.

“Stop in again sometime, Garrett.”

Garrett took a step to close the distance between them. He slipped his arms around Oliver’s neck and pressed tightly to him, thigh-to-thigh. “I’ll do that.”

Heat flashed through him as he slanted his mouth across Oliver’s. His body responded forcefully. His groin tightened as his cock swelled. Part of his brain registered the man’s soft lips and wiry mustache, and the lingering taste of coffee. All higher function faded as Oliver kissed him back, his mouth moving gently under his. All too soon, Oliver pulled back. He ran his thumb over Garrett’s lower lip. 

Garrett flexed his hips forward, testing. Enticing. Oliver shook his head. “Just because I’m hard and you’re hard doesn’t mean we’re going to go get stupid.”

Oliver was right, but stupid appealed to him at the present moment. “How about getting naked?”
*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Highway Nights is available at Amazon and other fine online booksellers. 

A little more about Highway Nights:

Garrett Webb has a five-point plan for starting his own business. To keep it on track, he takes a second job and settles into the evening delivery run between Owensville and Mt. Franklin. The solitude of being on the road clears his head and enables him to chart a better future for himself. When a foggy night sends him to the safety of The Downshift Diner and its owner, Oliver Sanderson, that future takes an unforeseen turn.

Oliver Sanderson enjoys a quiet life along the lonely stretch of highway that’s home to his diner. The road brings all manner of interesting souls to his door. When Garrett Webb steps out of the fog seeking shelter, his openness and honestly draws Oliver’s interest. He’s ready to take the next step, but needs to be cautious. Trouble is coming to the diner, and Oliver wants Garrett clear of it.

Good intentions can’t hold out against their budding attraction. Garrett makes the diner a regular stop during his nightly run, and the men get better acquainted. But Garrett’s past isn’t done with him. In a single heart-stopping moment, Garrett is forced to a decision that risks Oliver’s life—one that could end forever their highway nights.

HIGHWAY NIGHTS

Available at:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F4F7GX4

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01F4F7GX4

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01F4F7GX4

iTunes/Apple: itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1107349490

Barnes and Noble/NOOK:  www.barnesandnoble.com/w/highway-nights-kc-kendricks/1109557517?ean=2940153170350

Rakuten/KOBO: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/highway-nights-1

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/4NYRNm

Highway Nights webpage: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/highway-nights-by-kc-kendricks.html

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

My country life at Holly Tree Manor

Shiny!

November 27, 2014

Yeah, the Christmas tree lights are this cat's CRACK. 
This is ten seconds away from disaster. 

First snow of the season - it's cold in a lot of new places

November 26, 2014

The day before Thanksgiving is not a day my corner of the world gets snow. Yet this year, we've been gifted with the white stuff. Being the day before the holiday, I'd planned to close the office at noon to avoid any problems on the road due to traffic. With the snow falling, I sent everyone home at eleven o'clock and quickly followed them out the door. 

Now, I can admit here at Between the Keys I had some ulterior motives in leaving even earlier than planned. The edits came in for Ace, Deuce, Trey and the editor was a little passive-aggressive in spots. By that I mean she wanted the edit back as quickly as possible then did her level best to send me off on several irrelevant tangents. 

Does the reader really want a technical explanation of the workings of our private investigators's sidearm? Talk about impeding the flow of the story. It's sufficient to know our PI knows how to safely handle all his weapons. Pun intended.

Does the reader really want a dissertation on how a home security system works? Seriously? What value would it add to the story? Go Google if you require paragraph after paragraph of information. That's what a jewel thief would do. What romance reader really enjoys is when the action is pulled off the primary character(s)? 

On a happier note, my beloved decided that a snow day was a good day for chili. He loaded the Crock-Pot with burger, chipolte tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, and some seasonings I wasn't made privy to before they were added. I think he's been reading recipe websites again. 

My contribution to the meal will be opening a box of cornbread mix and getting the prepared batter in the oven. 

I think chili and cornbread will be a perfect supper for a snowy day. 

KC

http://www.kckendricks.com

The Calm Before the Storm

November 22, 2014

As I begin this entry, it's 6:08 AM and quiet. Well, if you can ignore my old dog's dreaming, that is. His feet are making little rustling noises on the rug as he runs fast and free, something he can no longer do when awake. 

Come Thursday, which is Thanksgiving here in the States, the mad rush to 2015 begins. Come Thursday, the world seems to shift on its axis as people descend into seasonal madness. I'll add my fair share of lunatic energy into the universe, have no fear. But first I want to enjoy the blissful calm before the storm. 

For many, many years I worked with the most hateful, spiteful, jealous little man you can imagine. Part of his problem was that he wasn't actually my boss and he bitterly resented my successes within the company. He had to do his job before I could do mine. He gave me information and I compiled and reported it in various ways. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It should have been. Do the work on Monday and Tuesday and coast for the rest of the week. It IS simple enough but the man lacked proper focus so I spent years scrambling to complete reports, etc. What he really focused on was being an ass. THAT he was good at.

Praise God and a good pension plan he's gone from my work week.  

These days I'm dealing with a young blood. As a Baby Boomer I'm reading all I can about Millennials. This guy never puts his laptop down. He's connected. But let's put aside the fact he turns white if the wi-fi goes down....

This youngster knows how to work. With the days relentlessly marching toward Thanksgiving, I mentioned we could actually double down on a few things and coast through the short week and he seized upon the idea. He stormed his job like Grant took Richmond and the due conclusion of this part of the story is that next week will be a breeze. The work is done. I'm closing the office at noon on Wednesday.

So here I am early on the Saturday before Turkey Day. No headache. No pain in my stomach or ulcers in my mouth from stomach acid. No weight sitting on my chest making it difficult to breathe. It's the weekend before the start of the holiday season and I'm actually looking forward to enjoying the days off. 

Maybe I've finally reached the place in my life when it's not the calm BEFORE the storm. Maybe this time in my life will prove to be the calm AFTER the storm. That would be nice. 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

11-17-70

November 17, 2014

It happened forty-four years ago today. 

11-17-70. 

Recorded live at A&R Recording Studios, New York, NY, on November 17, 1970 for a live radio broadcast on WABC-FM.

Bootlegged at least a million times. 

No one has laid down the soundtrack to my life the way Elton has. I don't have one of those bootlegs but I do have the album on vinyl. And you know what? It still sounds great. 

My favorite track? 

"Take Me To The Pilot"

If you feel that it's real I'm on trial

And I'm here in your prison

Like a coin in your mint

I am dented and I'm spent with high treason

Through a glass eye your throne

Is the one danger zone

Take me to the pilot for control

Take me to the pilot of your soul

Take me to the pilot

Lead me through the chamber

Take me to the pilot

I am but a stranger

Take me to the pilot

Lead me through the chamber

Take me to the pilot

I am but a stranger

Well I know he's not old

And I'm told he's a virgin

For he may be she

But what I'm told is never for certain

Desert Snow - KC Kendricks -

November 15, 2014

**Updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop had been discontinued.**

Welcome to Saturday and the My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop! With the weather here on the east coast turning the corner towards winter, I'm thinking about warmer climes. 

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Desert Snow for today's My Sexy Saturday. Was I really thinking about snow? Nope. I was thinking the white party and all the guys dressed in white, each unique as snowflakes. (It made really good sense a the time!) Enjoy!

= = = = = = =
Annoyance surged through me and crystallized how I felt about having some fun with Haydn. I gave him a nudge to move him sideways so we could bypass the line. 

“Sorry, big fella. This one is all mine tonight.” 

Haydn froze and shot me a surprised look. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Really. C’mon. Start walking.” I slipped my arm around his waist to propel him forward. He balked. 

“Wait a sec.” He fished around in his pocket and pulled out the wad of slips with names and numbers on it. With the mangled mess came a crumpled dollar bill. Haydn handed the entire fistful of paper to the guy in line. “You can have these. Keep the change.” 

There was general laughter from those paying attention to our conversation as the guy grabbed Haydn and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. I grinned and clapped with everyone else, but I’d just as soon yanked Haydn out of the guy’s clutches, then smacked the dude for trying to jump my claim. 

Fun. It was all in fun. Every man here was at the White Party—heavy on the party.

= = = = = = =

Desert Snow
For more information and to read an excerpt, please visit 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/desert-snow-by-kc-kendricks.html

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

 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

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Cover reveal time for Ace, Deuce, Trey by KC Kendricks

November 13, 2014

Coming in December 2014 - Ace, Deuce, Trey. 
The third installment in Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove series. 

Love, love, love the colors! 

More info at my website at http://www.kckendricks.com/AceDeuceTrey.html .

Ian Coulter is juggling his relationship with his lover Rick, a new assistant, a movie star client, and a drag queen with a mission, but when a con man messes with a friend, Ian's on the case. 

Legacy

November 8, 2014

This date marks the anniversary of my father's death. I've written about this day before. If you've lost a beloved parent you recognize your life is suddenly divided in two - the before and the after. I've lived longer in the after than the before and, for me, the time before is marked by halcyon days. 

I don't remember who took this old snapshot of us at the wedding of one of my cousins. I was a bridesmaid, which pleased me greatly. My mother made all the bridesmaid dresses, too. Dad wasn't big on having his picture taken but he did it for me. How could we know in a few short years he'd be gone? 

Had he survived the cancer, Dad would be 85 this year. I can't begin to picture what he might look like. For me he is forever young, frozen in the few precious snapshots I have of him. He left me a legacy of love and lessons of what makes a real man, all freely given. He helped shape the person I am today and I'm proud to be part of his legacy.  

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Autumn breaks

November 1, 2014

It's hard to image it being the first of November already. I find the wisdom of my elders to be painfully true. The older I get the faster the days go by. It seems like only a blink of the eye since the biting cold of last January. But it is November and lovely autumn's days have reached the breaking point. It's a quick slide into winter from here. 

There's an old song by Al Stewart with a line that sticks in my mind about "in a country where they turn back time." Tonight most of us in the States set our clocks back an hour. Do we really gain anything? Of course not. The length of each day is unchanged. 

Now it will be dark when I leave home in the morning and dark when I arrive back home. I do not see this as advantageous when it will trap me inside except for an all too brief lunch break. Retirement, anyone? 

My countdown clock now sits at 1,580 days. Aren't those little phone apps fun?! Will the date ever move forward? I hope so. I'm diligently saving my pennies in anticipation of becoming a full-time writer and the lady of my "manor."  At the same time I'm leaving myself open to all possibilities. Maybe just being able to leave the workforce when I choose is what I'm really looking forward to. That day will be a game changer in so many ways.  But I digress...

This morning we (the spousal unit and myself) hopped in the pickup and took an accumulated load of scrap metal to the scrapper. I'm happy to have the "crap" removed from the darkest corner of the shed and I'm sure those family members who took advantage of the opportunity to toss a few things in on the load were happy not to have to deal with it themselves. We decided to take the scenic route to our destination and it's obvious that in just a few days the trees will be bare. I used to mourn the passing of autumn but I've learned even bleak winter holds beauty. 

And so enough musing for today. I have a few chores to finish, a chapter to finish writing, and a bottle of wine chilling. Long about dark we're taking our glasses to the den and spending an hour or so enjoying the warmth of a fire in the wood stove. We'll call it practice for the colder evenings ahead. They will surely come.

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

Bad kitty!

October 27, 2014

I do like cats. They're fascinating creatures. A cat sleeping in a sunny window is somehow pleasing to the eye and spirit. But there's another side to felis catus we need to remember. 

It says sooooooo much.

KC

Deuce of Diamonds (An Amethyst Cove novel) #MSS65

October 25, 2014

This is NOT any recipe I'm going try!

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

Welcome to the My Sexy Saturday before All Hallow's Eve. I enjoyed Halloween when I was younger. It was fun to dress up and run amok in the neighborhood. Here I am, all grown up, and while I appreciate the creativity of my neighbor's displays, I feel no urge to join them in decorating. 

This week My Sexy Saturday is all about things that go bump in the night. Hmmmm. My favorite bump in the night is when two hot bodies go bump and the resulting screams are orgasmic. So special for My Sexy Saturday and that bump in the night, here's seven sexy paragraphs from Deuce of Diamonds, book two in the Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove series.  Enjoy!

= = = = = = =

“Show me now.” He fisted his hands at my waist, yanked my shirt over my head, and tossed it aside. I shucked the robe off his shoulders and a moment later, his stiff dick filled my hand. I dropped to my knees and took it in my mouth before I even stroked its velvety skin. I remembered his scent, his taste, and it was like coming home.

Rick thrust his hips forward as his fingers fisted in my hair when I swiped my tongue around the rim of his cock. I caressed the back of his pelted thighs and cupped his ass to keep him still so I could work, not stopping until his body gave up the first salty drop. I released him and got to my feet, pushing him backward to the bed. His knees collided with the edge of the mattress and he tumbled to his back. I stripped my jeans off and kicked them aside.

I straddled his hips as the last rays of the sun lit his green eyes and made them glow from within. His roaming hands sent goosebumps skittering over my ass as they skimmed the inside of my thighs. I must have had an odd look on my face because he questioned me.

“What now, Ian?”

I wanted to tell him so many things, but after we made love would be better. I’d have more blood in my brain then, and so would he. I trailed the tip of my index finger along his beautiful, rosy red, eight-inch rod and watched it move slightly under my light touch.

“When we met, my first thought was how I’d like to give your pretty eyes a long look at my bedroom ceiling, and hey, here we are.”

He laughed as he rose up and grabbed me. We rolled to the center of the bed, safe from an unexpected encounter with the floor. Chests pressed, legs entwined, we held each other for a restless moment. I was eager to sink into him, to finally claim him as mine. 

= = = = = = =

DEUCE OF DIAMONDS
available now at 

Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

About Deuce of Diamonds:

Private investigator Ian Coulter has a knack for finding trouble even when he’s minding his own business. Ian’s in the midst of a routine weekly job for movie star client Saylor Blackwood when the man confides he thinks he has a fan turned stalker. Ian stays close to Saylor to observe the people around him and gets an unwelcome shock when FBI agent Rick Mohr contacts him.

Rick Mohr has a problem. Ian’s name just popped up on an FBI watch list. Rick knows it’s guilt by association where Ian is concerned, but what about Blackwood? Rick won’t allow Ian to get dragged into the mix when he’s not involved. For Ian he’ll break whatever confidentiality rule necessary. 

It doesn’t take long for Ian and Rick to join forces to clear Ian’s name and get to the bottom of out what’s going on in Amethyst Cove. On or off the case, together is how they work best.

DEUCE OF DIAMONDS
available now at 

Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

 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

Social media links:

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

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

Big sale. BIG. SALE.

October 21, 2014

Big sale. October 21-28, 2014.

I just got an email from the head guru at Amber Allure that my number has come up in the weekly sales events Amber Quill Press is currently running. It works for me!

Now is your chance to get my entire ebook backlist at a total of 50% off if you purchase at the Amber Allure website. And that's ONLY at the Amber Allure site. 

This sale is only on digital downloads. That's a total discount of 50% off each KC Kendricks book. 

Go have fun!

You can check out the entire list at http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/174-KC-Kendricks.aspx or at http://www.kckendricks.com/KCKendricks_bookshelf.html .

Two caveats - this sale does NOT include my new book co-authored with Christiane France. Gotta be fair to Chris, you know. This sales does NOT include any of the paperbacks.

Now seriously. You only have between October 21 and 28, 2014 to get an overall 50% discount on my Amber Allure backlist. Go have fun loading your reader! 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Stat curious

October 19, 2014

Being up early this morning you'd think I'd be writing, but not today. I'm avoiding the process and contemplating going back to bed. Sleep would be more productive than looking at my blog stats which tell me...what? 

Aside from the fact that people actually do read my blog - THANK YOU!!! - the stats don't mean a lot to me. I simply find it curious that most of the people hitting my blog use Firefox and Windows. I figure it's a pretty good slice of what the majority of Internet users like. 

Of course, it does nothing to convince me to get my lazy butt in gear and settle down with the work-in-progress and write. 

KC Kendricks
http://www,kckendricks.com

Double Deuce for MSS Thrillers

October 18, 2014

** Updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop has been discontinued.**

A little indulgence if you please, before we get to today's My Sexy Saturday. This date marks eight years being cancer-free for my beloved. I think we'll "celebrate" by doing nothing out of the ordinary. To share a normal day together is the real blessing of being a survivor. And now on to My Sexy Saturday! 

Here's seven sexy paragraphs from Double Deuce, the first book in the Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove series. Look for the latest installment of Ian's story in December. Check out the other half of the Amethyst Cove universe at Christiane France's blog. 

= = = = =

I bucked him off, then pinned him beneath me. We froze, and I suddenly understood what it meant to fall into someone’s eyes. He licked his lips.

“I know you don’t trust me, Ian, but I’m not out to cause you any harm.”

“That’s an odd statement for a man who’s flat on his back.” I took his mouth, hard, thrusting my tongue into his heat. His knees rose to grip my ribs as he moaned deep in his throat.

It wasn’t an act. No one was that good. I rocked against him, the ridge of my hard cock riding his in a mock fuck. He found the tail of my shirt and pulled it free of my jeans. His big hands moved across my skin, trailing goose bumps over my back. I kissed his neck, finding the soft skin behind his ear.

“This is going to get out of hand.”

His legs dropped from my sides. His voice was hoarse in my ear. “I don’t care. I need this, Ian. I need this so bad.”

The note of pleading in his voice shot though the last of my reservations. The morning would be soon enough to pursue the riddle of Rick Mohr. Tonight, I would ease the man, calm those restless, begging hands and push back whatever demon had hold of him. I rolled off him.

= = = = = 

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

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

 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

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

It's 4.5 Hearts for The Ghost Wore Denim from MM Good Book Reviews

October 12, 2014

Many thanks to reviewer Portia de Moncur for her 4.5 Heart review of The Ghost Wore Denim. I didn't expect to have the book reviewed so quickly, so it was quite a surprise. 

I don't get many reviews these days. I think I've been writing for so long now that I'm known to those reviewers who've been around as long. They've already given me high marks and so move on to authors they don't know. My partner in The Ghost Wore Denim, Christiane France, has noticed the same thing in her career.  

Here's a snippet from the review:
This story was amazing…I love a good romance and when you add in a bit of paranormal…I would recommend reading this story especially if you love two sexy men, a man in uniform, ghost, excitement, adventure and a bit of a mystery. I cannot wait to read more by these two amazing authors. – Portia de Moncur

Read the entire MM Good Book Review here.
A little more about The Ghost Wore Denim, available at Amber Allure here.

Michael Brooks had it all mapped out. The market was ripe for him to flip a few houses to supplement his income as an untenured professor at the local college. His plan took a detour when he found a two-story Colonial perfect for a Bed & Breakfast – with a ghost who wears denim.

Deputy Colin Jefferson is a hometown boy who made good. As a member of the local police force he serves the community he loves. He’s heard stories about the Taylor Mansion ghost all his life. Maybe he’s even seen it a time or two, if he believed in that sort of thing.

And Colin has to believe when the ghost pays a visit and Michael asks for his help.

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

How to Celebrate Anniversaries (or not)

October 12, 2014

Autumn is here. I took a stroll along familiar paths and it's easy to discern the signs that winter will be here early. Many of my neighbors must think so, too. The sound of chainsaws echo off every hillside as they lay in firewood. We overstocked last year so we aren't adding to the cacophony of buzzing sounds. 

Today marks a few passages in time for me and the family. It's just part of the progression of days to me but some folks get excited about it. I mark it on my calendar, but it's just another day. I think anniversaries meant much more when they were new(er). 

Give me the Hallmark card and let's get on with it. 

A different event in our day happens this afternoon. The youngest of my beloved's grandsons will receive an achievement award and we've been invited to attend the ceremony. This is nothing new being he's the fourth grandson to get this same award, but we will go and applaud his success. 

Personally, I think his real success has been surviving the "lessons" of his older brothers, but I digress...

Read more about our first attendance at one of these events in the "How it's not nice to prank your kids" blog entry. I still think about that day and laugh. 

***

On the writing front, I finally finished Ace, Deuce, Trey, the third installment in the Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove series. I spent most of the summer tinkering with the story and then decided the old writer's adage was applicable: I wrote the story for me. So it's a long story and the characters act like who I really want them to be. Look for Ace, Deuce, Trey in December 2014. That gives you time to read Double Deuce and then Deuce of Diamonds so you're all caught up on the action. 

I've got two new stand-alone stories underway. Those ideas interfered with completing Ace, Deuce, Trey in a more timely fashion, but that's the life of a writer. New "voices" can be very persistent when they pop up. One of the stories has a March 1, 2015, submission deadline at Amber Quill/Amber Allure so I can take my time, but it's best if I get it finished early. It will be part of a PAX next year. 

The other came about when I realized the title I'd given a blog was a perfect title/idea for a book. So I changed the blog title and banged out the first 3500 words of the story. It's waiting for me to get over this busy weekend and settle down to writing again. The dark winter evenings are good for writing provided one can overcome the urge to hibernate. 

And so it goes this brisk autumn morning. I think I'll go bake something. It seems like the thing to do to warm up the house. Pumpkin spice cookies, anyone?

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

The Ghost Wore Denim for this My Sexy Saturday

October 4, 2014

***UPDATE***  The Ghost Wore Denim is now available at Amber Allure. 
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2044-The-Ghost-Wore-Denim.aspx

Welcome to the first My Sexy Saturday of Spook Month! A happy October to all!

I love this time of year. Not so much for All Hallow's Eve and the accompanying commercialism but for creativity of the Halloween culture. Some of my neighbors decorate to the max and it's worth stopping to take a good look to discover all the nuances of their design. 

Last year all the decorating got me thinking about ghost stories. I wasn't alone in that. Fellow author Christiane France had the same thoughts so it was a short hop to stretching our wings and doing one together. 

So without further ado, here are seven paragraphs from The Ghost Wore Denim. Enjoy!

*-*-*-*-*

I went up a few more stairs, my gaze locked with his. “Or is this the pot calling the kettle black?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

I reached the second floor and made a dash for the bedroom. He followed hot on my heels. I stepped aside and closed the door behind him. “For a busy deputy, how much time is allotted for a lunch break?”

He unbuckled his gun belt and carefully laid his weapon aside. “About enough for a really good hand job.”

“Perfect!” I kicked off my sneakers and unzipped my jeans at the same time. He grabbed the bedspread and flipped it down. I knelt on the sheet then fell over to the pillows. Colin joined me there. I cupped the back of his head and kissed him.

Colin met me in the kiss even as his fingers wrapped around my cock. I flattened my palm against his belly, slid my hand down to his erection, and stroked, matching the movements of his hand.

I knew this motion well. What man doesn’t? But it was sweeter when done by a strange hand. He whispered to me to go faster.

THE GHOST WORE DENIM

Available October 5, 2014 at Amber Allure

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

http://www.twitter.com

Be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs listed below for some sexy reading!