Z is for Zen

April 30, 2015

Day 26

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

We’ve reached the conclusion of the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge. Yep, it’s the last day and the letter Z. I want to thank each of you who stopped by either once or twice, or even every day. Between the Keys is my journal, of sorts. It’s a mix of promo and a conscious sharing of my life. It’s both a simple and faceted view of this writer’s world.  So on to ZEN.

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Z if for Zen

The Buddhists have a word for the search for insight into self and the expression of those insights in daily life, especially to the benefit of those around us – Zen. The word conjures up images of peaceful gardens with fragrant flowers and gently flowing brooks.

Zen is a concept lately come to the western world. Travel to the Far East contributed to its spread as did its acceptance by a few of the peace, pot and Woodstock poets. Zen has a tenet that says we are all originally enlightened.

Anyone who has peered with love into the eyes of a child can believe that. There is a point in life where a child is the embodiment of Zen. They are only truly aware of who they are. They don’t have the words for it, but you can see it in their eyes. They are beings of internal peace. It’s developing an awareness of the world that makes them forget that, but that’s a blog for another time. 

So if as Zen states we all start out in life originally enlightened, does that mean it’s possible to reclaim the enlightenment? Can we, through hard work and steadfast belief, once again become a creature of Zen and peace?

When I was a girl, I had this written on my vanity mirror:

“You are yourself and no one else, and within you is a stillness and a sanctuary where you can be yourself.”

That may be as close to Zen as I can get. 

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Thank you, each and every one, for traveling the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge with me. I hope you'll come back from time-to-time and see what's happening in my world. 

Now when the heck are they going to give us the 2015 Survivor Badge?????

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com 

Y is for Years Passing

April 29, 2015

Day 25

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

Y is for Years Passing

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As we reach Day 25 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge I can’t help but realize the reflective nature of some of my posts. It’s only natural as I’m a reflective person. Reflection is a constant in my life because I don’t want to get ahead of myself. 

I’ve a birthday coming up. It’s not one of the “milestone” birthdays, but it is significant. On my birthday last year I realized I was inside my five-year window for early retirement. The pension plan I’m in allows for pensions to begin at fifty-nine and a half. So mathematically you understand this birthday will put me into the four-year window of my target date.

For the first time in my life I’m aware of the years of my life passing. I see the changes in the people around me and realize those some of those same changes are happening to me.

I’m not saying I think the changes are a bad thing. They simply are. The years passing have brought me to this point. I’ve worked hard toward a goal, that of full time writer, and only the passing of years can bring that to fruition.

So what if I’ve got a few years under my belt? I can still dance naked in the moonlight on a summer’s night if I so choose. The years haven’t taken that from me. But what they’ve given me is the knowledge to put on mosquito repellant first.

I think it’s an equitable trade.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

_*_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

Y is for Your Whisper in the Dark.

Kenzie Zahn is starting over as a single man. Left with few immediate options, he accepts a friend’s invitation to visit and house sit. It’s the perfect opportunity for Kenzie to put a little space between the past and present while figuring out the best path for his future. 

Mason Hall enjoys the carefree single life. He works hard, plays a little harder, and doesn’t think much about settling down. The right man will come along – or not – and he’s content to wait. A night out to enjoy a little dancing leads to a hook-up with Kenzie, the kind of man Mason has only ever fantasized about. Mason can’t let him get away.

Kenzie’s smitten. Mason is irresistible, but home is a thousand miles away and a long-distance romance isn’t workable. A strange twist of identity brings a linked past to light. Kenzie and Mason are brought to the realization that even when Fate arranges a man’s destiny, he still has to take a leap of faith, or lose out on love.

Your Whisper in the Dark is now available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers.

Book four of the Men of Marionville series. 

 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

X is for Xanthippe (or the Ill-tempered Woman)

April 28, 2015

Day 24

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

X is for Xanthippe (or the Ill-tempered Woman)

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And so we’ve reached Day 24 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge and the letter X.

This is a joke, right? X? We have to do X?  Hell’s bells but X turns me into a Xanthippe. A what? An ill-tempered woman.

With two days to go, the most difficult, most maligned letter shows up. Of course this is annoying. I wonder how many people get to here and give up?

The truth is I work hard not to be a Xanthippe. Being ill-tempered and shrewish is too accepted these days, especially in the writing world. It’s a way of getting attention and upping the number of hits on a blog. But it’s a trap.

There are those who think it’s great fun to be the topic of conversation regardless of what’s being said. It’s my opinion that it’s better to rise above it. Play at being a Xanthippe for too long and you may become one for real.

It’s not a chance I want to take. Xanthippe is not what I want for my legacy or on my tombstone.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

X is for ….I guess you don’t get a promo today. 

W is for Working

April 27, 2015

Day 23

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

W is for Working

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Work is a four-letter word. I’ve been working for someone else since I was sixteen and while I find it’s not all that difficult to get out of bed and go to work, it’s not always fun. My idea of fun is writing full time. That day is coming but until then I work.

Working outside the home is a good thing on many levels. It gets me out of the house and that is something I’ll have to plan for once I become a full time writer. It keeps me in the middle of people, something else I’ll have to plan in the future. Working in general keeps the mind engaged and sharp whereas as being idle allows everything to atrophy.

I’m enjoying the idea of working for myself. Whether or not it’s actually as sweet as I imagine is yet to be proven. But for now I can envision myself working in the garden in the morning when it’s cooler and working on a story inside on hot afternoons. I'm sure I'll figure it out. 

What I can’t imagine is not working at all.

Strange, isn’t it?

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

Bonus blog bit: In a world that preaches tolerance, imagine my surprise at the backlash from people not accepting the choice of the character of Dylan to remain in the closet most of his life. To me this proved a lack of tolerance for individual choice from the very people espousing to those politics. What we really have is conform…or be cast out.

W is for What You Don’t Confess

Bright and beautiful, Cassidy Barlow is one of Marionville’s new breed of movers and shakers. Outspoken on political and social issues, Cass draws a lot of media attention, and knows how to us it. Out and proud, Cass makes no apologies for who he is, or who he wants – and he wants Dylan Donaghy. The only thing is, from where Cass stands, Dylan seems to be involved with two different men.

Coming out. The most difficult phrase in Dylan Donaghy's vocabulary. Handsome, successful, wealthy, he’s made it this far in life with only his closest friends knowing he’s gay. Dylan has a good

reason for that to change – his deepening attraction to Cassidy Barlow. It doesn’t come easy, but Dylan takes a few first steps out of the closet. It’s his only choice if he wants to be with Cass, even though he knows Cass has some secrets of his own.

Every man has a private past, and an unwritten future. What he won’t confess stands between the two. 

What You Don’t Confess is available at online booksellers. 

A Conversation Between Writers - To bike and to garden

April 26, 2015

We were going biking this morning. Then it was cloudy and we thought we'd better not. Then the sun came out so we said okay let's go. Got the bikes loaded and the sun went away. So we thought maybe we'd better go to the C&O tow path since it's closer. So we got in the pickup and headed down the road. Got about four miles, and raindrops hit the windshield. We turned around and came home. Now the sky is blue and sun is shining but we're not trying it again today. 

With any luck I'll get the second chapter of the story finished. Did 500 already so it could actually happen :)

~  KC Kendricks

~~~~~

How energetic of you. I haven’t ridden a bike in a long time. I dealt with a garden today. Got a love/hate going with mine. All the work should have a good pay off, but sometimes is it worth it. The amount of time it sucks up makes me wish I could just lounge on the sidelines and watch someone else pick the weeds. 

~ Brenda Williamson

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com/KCKendricks_bookshelf.html

V is for Variety

April 25, 2015

Day 22

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

V is for Variety

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Someone once said, and has now been quoted endlessly, that “variety is the spice of life.” That may be true, but sometimes one can have a bit too much spice in the dish and muddle the flavors. Variety, to the writer, can be a double-edged sword.

Most writers excel at a particular type of story but that doesn’t mean they don’t yearn to expand into other genres. As KC Kendricks, I write primarily contemporary gay romance. Yes, I touch the fringes of the paranormal with Sundown and Fallon, but my little bratty shapeshifter lives in modern times. I’ve been very successful in contemporary gay romance, but I’d like a little variety from time-to-time. I’d like to build a world with a honking big, badass spaceship and go fly around the galaxy every now and again. The double-edged sword part of that is would my readers come with me? You know, those readers who only read contemporary gay romance. How would they feel about a little variety?

So that’s a question I ponder. How much variety is just enough? How much variety is too much? One of the accepted rules of writing is if you want to write in a variety of genres, you need more than one pen name. I certainly agree with this if you want to write traditional heterosexual romance, gay romance, and something like inspirational stories.

But what if my romantic leads are two adventurous males roaming the area out around Orion’s belt and firing photon torpedoes at the bad aliens to save the good aliens? It’s still romantic gay fiction, isn’t it? 

Variety. Just like readers who enjoy a diverse assortment of stories, perhaps it’s time for the writer to expand her range. It might be a good thing to offer a more varied body of work to readers. I’ll have to think on that.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

U is for Undeniable Magic

April 24, 2015

Day 21

**updated 4/14/21**

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

U is for Undeniable Magic

*_*_*_*_*

One of my earliest memories is of my mother reading to me. Those stories were Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, and the Lad and Lassie dog stories. The image of her sitting on the edge of my bed reading is very vivid in my mind.

I don’t know how old I was when I suddenly made the connection between the printed words and the stories she told me. All I know for sure is the undeniable fact that, for me, books became magic and have remained so until this day. They will always be magic to me.

The Internet has put the world at our fingertips, but books brought the world to us first. It’s undeniable that Johannes Gutenberg changed the world with his movable type printing press. It’s undeniable the mass produced printed word was a catalyst for societal revolution.  It’s also undeniable that the digital book has created new paradigms.

Whether the book is printed on paper, read on a screen, or listened to via a set of earbuds, the undeniable magic of the story is there.

Undeniable magic. I like that.   

_*_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

U is for …Undeniable 

With a summer storm threatening to ruin his Friday afternoon, Asa Burton packs his briefcase and bolts for home before the driving gets dangerous. On the interstate, stuck behind an accident, he regrets his decision until he sees Ford Weston standing along the side of the road talking to a police officer.

Ford Weston can’t believe his luck, bad and good. First his car gets clipped on the tail end of an accident, and than none other then Asa Burton pulls over and offers him a ride home. Coming face-to-face with the biggest regret of his life leaves Ford off-balance. He’d screwed up with Asa all those years ago. It was his fault the relationship ended.

Asa can’t believe he’s found Ford again, so why is he angry with himself? Could it be because Ford walked out on him without a word seventeen years ago and he did nothing to stop him? Asa’s sure of only one thing – Fate just handed him the opportunity to win Ford back – and get some answers. 

UNDENIABLE

Available at:

Amazon US: www.amazon.com/Undeniable-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01N32NQK3

 iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/book/undeniable/id1191121896?mt=11

 Barnes & Noble/NOOK: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undeniable-kc-kendricks/1122195739?ean=2940154197066

 Rakuten/Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/undeniable-45

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

 Undeniable webpage with excerpt: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/undeniable-contemporary-gay-romance.html

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 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

T is for Today (and Tango in the Night by KC Kendricks)

April 23, 2015

Day 20

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

T is for Today

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Today is a special day. Yes, today is the first day of the rest of my life, but that gentle reminder is only a part of it. Today is the day to shutter regrets and take a step toward a brighter future today, also known as tomorrow.

Today is a Thursday. The day job starts at eight and, if all goes well, will end at four. I suppose I have the same thoughts as everyone else when it comes to wondering what the day job will bring to my desk. Annoyance? Aggravation? Challenge? Opportunity? Excellence? It’s best to remain open to what today will bring and not worry about tomorrow’s special set of circumstances.

Today is Day 20 in the A to Z Blogging Challenge and I’m keeping up fine. This is the fifth year I’ve participated so today I’m pleased with myself.

Today I can use the talent I’ve nurtured and I can fill the screen with words. I decide which words are worthy of today.

Today is a spring day and the world around me is changing before my eyes. Everywhere I look I see more green. Today I celebrate this annual re-coloring.

Today brings the chance to tell someone near and dear to me I appreciate them. It’s up to the universe who walks into my world, but it’s up to ME to seek out a special person and remind them of what we mean to each other.

Today is my day and how I use the minutes given me IS my free choice.

Today.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right? Today that book is a personal favorite of the author.

T is for Tango in the Night

Jubal Graham is back on the job after a shooter took the life of his long-time partner, and sent him into a coma followed by months of rehab. Determined to have justice, Jubal is focused on finding a killer, not a new romantic entanglement. Ellis Banks, with his smoldering blue eyes and denim-clad swagger is a distraction Jubal can’t afford – or ignore.

Ellis Banks came to Philadelphia to bust a drug operation; one that connects to the same case agency legend Kentuckian Jubal Graham is working. Ellis finds himself drawn to Jubal, but Jubal holds him off. Sure that Jubal is interested, even though he wears his slain lover’s ring, Ellis mounts a determined siege.

Jubal’s surprise at having a suitor develops into a growing affection for Ellis, one clouded with old fears. Fate ripped one lover from his arms, and now Ellis is in the line of fire. Jubal’s courage can protect Ellis, but is it powerful enough to love him?

Tango in the Night is available at online booksellers. 

 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

S is for Sundry Things (and Seducing Light by KC Kendricks)

April 22, 2015

Day 19

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

S is for Sundry Things

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Sundry (adjective) – Of various kinds; several

Sundry (noun) – various items not important to be mentioned individually

Most people’s lives are filled with many sundry things, most of them truly mundane in their similarities. We sleep, be it deeply or restlessly, and we rise to face the morning. We work, or not, go to school, or not, and generally do what we do to fill the hours until we sleep again. My own life’s pattern includes family, friends, writing, a day job and many sundry things.

The word “sundry” when used as a noun implies those various things in life are unimportant. I got to thinking about that one day and I’m not sure I can agree. Fifteen minutes sitting on the patio with my spouse may on the surface appear to be a sundry thing but sometimes it can be the highpoint of the day. The same can apply to the minutes spent grooming the old dog. Is his obvious joy at being brushed a small, unimportant thing?

Perhaps anything that brings us joy, no matter how small and inconsequential it may be in the course of our day, is worthy of note.

Perhaps that’s why we bloggers never shut up about seemingly sundry things.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

S if for Seducing Light

Asher Myles struggled to put his life back together after an identity thief striped him of everything but his talent for capturing light and shadow with a camera lens. With a new job and a new start, Asher’s on his way to Montana – and a meeting with the man he’s fantasized about since he first saw him on the silver screen. 

Nick Light, actor, director, and Hollywood royalty, doesn’t like paparazzi. When he agrees to have his Montana ranch photographed for a style magazine, the unexpected happens – he falls for the man with the camera. Nick’s secret comes out when he realizes Asher is also gay. 

If there’s one thing Nick can’t resist, it’s a man with a talent for seducing light.

* * *

Seducing Light is available at Amazon and other fine online booksellers.

R is for Retirement (2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

April 21, 2015

Day 18

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

R is for Retirement

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I’m obsessed with retirement. Everything bit of forward planning I do is with retirement in mind.

The word “retirement” is actually a misnomer for many people including myself. I have no intention to “retire” and sit by the side of the road. The goal is a lifestyle change beginning the day I’m eligible to start drawing retirement funds. For me, being blessed with a traditional pension fund through my employer, that’s fifty-nine and a half. I fully intend to live my dream and become a full-time writer and Lady of the Manor. Until then, it’s one day at a time.

In May of 2014, my beloved took off for five days with his siblings while I stayed home to mind the wee beasties who reside with us. Our beloved old dog had health issues that prevented me from allowing him to stay with my parents. Those five days on my own were a slice of heaven on earth. I wrote over twelve thousand words in five days – plus walked, gardened, took care of the house, and visited my parents every day. Those days were a capsule of what I want my “retirement” to be.

May it be so.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

R is for River Walk.

Detective Fallon Roxbury has a big problem. A twenty-year old cold case turned hot threatens to expose his secret - shapeshifters exist and they’re living in Montgomery Circle under his protection. Between a new witness and a group of fanatical alien watchers, Fallon’s scrambling to uphold the law and keep his promises intact. He already knows no power on earth can keep his shapeshifter lover from stepping into the mix.  

Sundown has come into his own with his human lover by his side. Fallon is his compass, and shield, as he seeks to keep his Clan united and teach them most humans can be trusted. A catalyst, Sundown is rare among his kind, a descendant of heroes. The status of his Clan rests on him and he’s determined to see his people prosper on this world owned by humans - without the humans knowing shapeshifters walk among them.

Secrets have a way of being exposed. Fallon’s not the only one who knows about Sundown’s kind. A cop used to right and wrong being black and white, Fallon struggles to learn shades of gray. Their relationship is tested as Fallon and Sundown race against the clock to find a kidnapped shapeshifter before the Clan takes matters into their own hands.  Because if they fail, Fallon knows his lover will be forced to stand with his people and act against him. 

River Walk is available at 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/River-Walk-Sundown-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B01F7LMN8S

iTunes

itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098576743

Barnes and Noble/Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/river-walk-kc-kendricks/1113758621?ean=2940153172361

Kobo

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/river-walk-1

Q is for Questing for the Perfect Name (2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

April 20, 2015
Day 17

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge
Many Sundry Things

Q is for Questing for the Perfect Name

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Writers are on a never ending Quest for the perfect name. We might like Quentin, or Quinn, or even Quincy, but we may never use them. We’re looking for the name that resonates with the reader. 

Heck, yeah, it’s a crap shoot! 

Say I close my eyes, flip the phone book open, and put my finger on the name Michael. Now, how can I use Michael again? I can’t. So I do it again and land on Peter. Um…. Maybe not since I write GAY romance. Third time’s the charm, right? Nope. Landed on Tony and that give everyone an NCIS moment. This is hard!

Okay. I’ve settled on the name Tyler. I’ve written the story. And then I see twenty-four new releases and every one has a Tyler. And it’s too late to change it because the contract is signed. 

Yes, we writers are ALWAYS on a quest for the perfect name. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com 


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Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right? 

Q is for …. I got nothing for Q. You get a promo free day. 

A Conversation Between Writers - Gimme a cookie and do it now!

April 19, 2015

I'm in a baking mood. Diet is by the wayside. Yesterday I made oodles of cookies. (Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chunk & Snickerdoodles) This morning at 4:30 am I started on Sugar cookies and Gingerbread Men. I'm also making Nutty Sweet Potato Biscuits and Pigs in a Blanket. Stocking up freezer. Maybe some ready-made nibbles will make me more incline to stay at the computer and write. 
~ Brenda Williamson

~~~~~

Cookies! I love cookies! But cookies are evil. All that butter. All that glorious brown sugar.

I DON'T CARE!! I baked two batches of sugar cookies last Sunday. One batch was plain but the other got some lemon zest and some finely chopped rosemary. (Very finely chopped, too.) Even Himself likes those. I want to make some oatmeal raisin but I want to soak the raisins in bourbon first. I know. I'm a lush. It's strange but two homemade cookies satisfies me better than six store bought cookies. Ergo, homemade is best.

 ~ KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com/KCKendricks_bookshelf.html

P is for Poseidon's Pleasure

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge
Many Sundry Things

Day 16
April 18, 2015

P is for Poseidon’s Pleasure

Welcome to day sixteen of the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge. As today is a Saturday, it's a straight promo day and I'm keeping it short and quick. 

Today I have a short excerpt from Poseidon’s Pleasure . Our heroes meet after years apart and Brett recalls the very first time he saw Mark. It's a bittersweet moment.  

Enjoy! 

* * *
His hand lifted, stretched toward me, then fell to his side. “You look good, Brett. Really good. Like life is treating you right.” 

“Thanks. It is, for the most part.” I held my right hand out in that time-honored way of men everywhere. He licked his lips, and I was suddenly twenty-nine and awkward again, wondering why any man would look at me and want to take me to bed. My memory flashed back to a distant, muggy night, the air filled with ozone from approaching lightning. 

The first time I saw Mark Matthews he was pinned to a chain link fence by a pack of straight bullies with more than mischief and mayhem on their agenda. The streetlight was bright enough for me to see the terror on his young, bruised face.  

I laid on the horn and drove my car right into the fence beside them, not caring in that moment if I hit some of them or not. The mob scattered, and a bloodied and battered boy leaped into my car. He sobbed into his hands the entire drive to my best friend’s apartment. I took him inside and cleaned him up. He was seventeen, and I knew better than to touch him, even to administer some first aid, but I did.

After twenty years, the night he turned eighteen remained burned into my memory.

I stood there, arm extended, praying he’d shake my hand. Just one little touch to make him real for me again, and prove to me I’d existed as a younger man with life and energy. And dreams.

He stared at my hand for the longest time, then he pressed his palm to mine, and quickly let go.

* * *

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com 


_*_*_*_

More about Poseidon’s Pleasure
(Book 3 in the Southern Cross series) 

Brett Houston triumphed over his life. Raised by an abusive father, Brett sacrificed his personal happiness to keep the ones he loved safe. Ready to make big changes in his life, Brett treats himself to a Caribbean vacation. To his surprise, he ends up at a seaside ball, wearing a G-string and presiding over the festivities as Poseidon, the God of the Sea.   

Mark Matthews left behind his hometown, and his first love, to put down roots in California. With vacation time to use, or lose, Mark books a holiday on the island of St. Lucia, unaware of the surprise reunion Fate has waiting for him. 

Brett cautiously examines the fractured bonds of the past, while questioning the possibility of a future with Mark. It’s simpler for Mark. He won’t settle for anything less than a future tending to Poseidon’s pleasure.

POSEIDON' PLEASURE is available at Amazon and other fine online booksellers.

www.amazon.com/Poseidons-Pleasure-Southern-Cross-Book-ebook/dp/B01FL599U0?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

O is for Onyx (and Open Roads by KC Kendricks)

April 17, 2015

Day 15

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

O is for ONYX

*_*_*_*_*

From Google:

METAPHYSICAL ONYX STONE -Onyx stone meaning for inner strength.

It raises one’s resistance and persistence, enabling one to carry even unmanageable tasks to completion. On a mental level, it increases one’s power to keep focus, making it possible for one to use well all that one has mastered. It quickly enhances the retention of memory and promotes attention to detail. These traits make Onyx an instructive instrument for pupils, teachers, business owners, accountants, lawyers, software and computer technicians, and all those whose work calls for high levels of focus, dedication and discipline.

My father had an onyx signet ring. The onyx was square and the family monogram, an “H,” was affixed in gold in one corner with a small diamond set in the opposite corner. Dad wore it on his ring finger with his wedding band. As a girl I would often ask to see the ring having some sort of fascination with its dark depths. After Dad died the ring came to me.

I’ve often thought I’d like an onyx signet ring of my own. Given the metaphysical properties of the stone, it might be of benefit to the writer. Anything that can increase focus and discipline can only be a good thing. 

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

_*_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

O is for Open Roads

Tyler Phillips enjoys his small town life. He’ll never get rich working the family business, but he knows there’s more to a man than the size of his bank account. Easing into mid-life, Tyler’s restless for something he can’t find in the little borough of Easton – male companionship.

Noel Springs got caught up in the economic downturn. His job gone, and retirement a lot of years in the future, Noel decides to take a long drive and see some of the country before dedicating himself to finding new employment. The open road is just what he needs right now. 

When his car overheats outside the little town of Easton, Noel discovers the local mechanic is hotter than his radiator, and just as eager to blow off some steam.

Open Roads is available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other online booksellers. 

N is for NASCAR (and Netting Neptune by KC Kendricks)

April 16, 2015

Day 14

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

N is for NASCAR

*_*_*_*

Do you turn left at 200 miles per hour?

Say the word NASCAR and the part of the USA you live in will determine the reaction you get. During the War Between the States, Maryland was a border state. So it is with NASCAR. I live in one of the three most western counties in Maryland and friends and family are conflicted. Do they admit they like NASCAR or hide it like a dirty family secret?

Me? I don't hide it. I’m out and proud. I love NASCAR.  Do I have a favorite driver and a favorite team? Yes – Stewart Haas and Tony Stewart. It’s been a few tough years for Team #14 but I look at it this way – Tony will come out of this time a stronger, better person with a more seasoned outlook. And Danica Patrick? I hope Danica will continue until she gets a win. 

I confess to enjoying American muscle cars in general. My fascination with fast machines is what led me to be a race fan, not the other way around. It may not be politically correct, but give me eight cylinders and a minimum of three hundred horses under the hood and we’ll just see who gets to Loch Lomond first.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

*_*_*_*

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

N is for Netting Neptune

Theron Bowman is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. At forty, he needs to make some serious decisions about his future. He splurges on a two-week vacation in the Caribbean, and like everything else in his life, things go horribly awry and he ends up working to pay for his room.

Forced by his father to break ties with his family, Colby Denton came to rest on St. Lucia, and opened an exclusive resort. To celebrate his tenth year on the island, and his birthday, Colby arranges for a series of festive beach side parties. When a sexy sea god swims out of the ocean in front of him, Colby has a brand new plan – netting Neptune.
***
Learn more at www.kckendricks.com/NettingNeptune.html

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

The Kendricks 600 - it's not NASCAR

April 15, 2015

The Kendricks 600. It might sound like NASCAR  but it's not. It's blog number 600 here at Between the Keys. 

When I was in the planning stages of doing the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge, I was pretty sure number six hundred would fall right in the middle of things and so it has. The question was do I mark the day or let it go? If you're reading this, you know the answer. 

I decided that instead of making #600 part of the A to Z, I'd do a separate entry to commemorate the occasion. 

So 600 blogs. Egads. One would think I had nothing else to do.

KC
Blog #1 from 1/1/2008

M is for Myriad (and Moon Dances by KC Kendricks)

April 15, 2015

Day 13

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

M is for Myriad

*_*_*

I love the word MYRIAD. Let’s go all dictionary for a moment.

Myr-i-ad [mirēƏd]

(noun)

1. a countless or extremely great number
2. a unit of ten thousand

(adjective)

1. countless or extremely great in number

In English, the word myriad is commonly used to denote a large but unspecified number. I like to tell people I have myriad duties at the day job. They may look at me strangely but I don’t much care.

A favorite quote comes from an episode of the old television show, Queer As Folk. Speaking about herself, one of the character says, “My house has many rooms. I inhabit but a few. The rest go unvisited.”

We all have many sides to our personalities, many rooms. We sense things we are both capable and incapable of doing. If we’re brave, we may visit both. So when we view these many rooms, how do we interpret them? As two-dimensional boxes? Are they flat squares on our life’s flowchart?

I like to think my house has myriad rooms, sort of like a prism. There are facets and reflections. My house with myriad rooms gleams like a crystal sparkling in the sunlight.

I peer into those unvisited rooms with wonder and it’s enough for me to know they exist. Perhaps the time will come when I step into one, or more, but it's not today. Today it's enough to simply keep those many doors open.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

_*_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

M is for Moon Dances 

 For Lieutenant Fallon Roxbury, Special Police Consultant, reality has taken on a strange shift. Shapeshifters exist and a clan of them live under his protection. One is his lover, Sundown. Protecting the Chal is a full-time job, a task which would be easier if they weren’t so secretive - and scheming. When Fallon’s police force partner suggests a vacation, Fallon jumps at the chance to take Sundown someplace private. A resort near where he grew up seems like the prefect place for a get-away. Ten days filled with sex, sleep and sun is just what they both need, but more than fun lurks in the woods.

The ancient nemesis of the Chal is still out there and could one day return to earth to enslave both Chal and human alike. Secrets of the Chal past come to light when Fallon’s suppressed memories of his early years resurface. The shapeshifters have always had a plan defeat their enemy, one with Sundown at its core. 

Moon Dances
More information at 
www.kckendricks.com/MoonDances.html

L is for Love (and Leather Jackets by KC Kendricks)

April 14, 2015 

Day 12

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

L is for Love

_*_*_*_

Love. Who doesn’t appreciate the concept of “love?” We feel and express love in many different ways, which can be confusing to some. The ancient Greeks came up with different definitions for a very complex emotion: Agape, Philia, Philautia, Pragma, Storge, and Eros.

As someone who writes in the romance genre, Eros love is what comes front and center in my stories. Eros is emotional love that creates sexual arousal and passion. If you’re old enough to be reading this blog, you know where that love leads consenting adults. The ancient Greeks often feared the loss of control that can accompany Eros love.

Storge love is what we generally share with family. It’s an unconditional love that accepts the craziness of others and drives you to forgive them when they do stupid things. Where Storge love differs from Philia love is it can sometimes deepen into a romantic relationship while maintaining the deep friendship that brought you together.

Pragma love is the mature love and deep understanding of couples who’ve been together a long time and honor their commitment to each other no matter what happens. Pragma. Pragmatic.

Philia love is platonic love among equals. Platonic love is what you feel towards your friends. It allows for affection without sexual feelings. There’s also Philautia love which is the healthy love of self, not to be confused with narcissism which is the unhealthy version.

Agape love. Agape love is a committed, chosen and unconditional love that accepts another even if you don’t like the person. It’s the love of the 1960’s where pop songs urged us to “smile on your brother.” I first heard the word “agape” as a young girl in church so the word is very connected to Christianity for me. It’s the love Jesus urged upon his disciples when he instructed them to love one another. I think this is an easy love in concept and a difficult love in practice, but well worth learning how to practice. 

So that’s the [very] brief primer on love.  

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

 _*_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

L is for Leather Jackets 

Bonus blog content: I confess to having a bit of fun with Leather Jackets. You see, the word “that” is a hot button for my editor at Amber Quill. She goes through and flags every instance of the word. By choosing Thatcher as a last name for a character, and having Wynn call him Thatcher from time-to-time, I put a kink in her automatic software. Problem solved to this day…

Now for the blurb –

Jude Thatcher needs a life fix. He walked away from a serious love affair, lost the job he worked years to get, and his severance pay is dwindling. A little dancing is in order to help clear his head, so Jude takes a stroll to the local nightclub and gets a surprise.

Wynn DeRocher’s talent and ambition catapulted his band to the top of the charts, but he paid a steep price to achieve success. He needs a flesh and blood man, one who understands the demands of his music. He needs the man he let get away - Jude Thatcher.

Wynn pitches a proposal - a lucrative job modeling the band’s new line of logo’d clothing. Jude accepts but both men know it’ll take more than fancy dinners and limo rides to convince Jude to risk his heart again.

To covet might be a sin, but Jude needs a gesture of good faith. And he wants Wynn’s leather jacket as much as he wants Wynn. Almost.

  

LEATHER JACKETS 
Book six of the Men of Marionville series
Contemporary gay romance available now 
Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers. 

 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

K is for K-cups (and Kentucky 98 Proof by KC Kendricks)

April 13, 2015

Day 11

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

*_*_*_*

K is for K-Cups

I remember the coffee from my youth, and I hated it. That’s right. The politically incorrect H-word. I hated coffee.

My parents were tea drinkers and I think I know why. It was better than the motor oil their parents drank. Think about it - back in the day the only way to make coffee was to put the grounds in top of the do-hickey and boil water through it on top of the stove.

AND THEN you let the coffee get cold and if you want another cup later in the day, you REHEATED it. OMG why are we not all dead???? Talk about something horrible!

Thank heavens the world has turned. Twenty or so years ago my partner moved into my place and he brought with him a Mr. Coffee coffee maker. I remember saying “whatever” to him and he pouted. He had this lovely little mental picture of us sitting at the table in the mornings drinking coffee.

Oops. Should have mentioned that before you moved in, hon.  

The world keeps turning and we occasionally share weekend mornings at the dining room table. And yes I do drink coffee now. The K-kup coffee brewer has changed my life. It makes one perfect cup at a time that is COFFEE, not 10W40 motor oil.

I can admit (since he won’t read this) that he was right. There is a sort of bonding that happens when we take the time to sit down by the dawn’s early light and enjoy a cup of coffee together. Sometimes we barely talk and that’s okay. After all these years together we communicate even in silence. Other mornings we chatter back and forth, sometimes with disharmony but that’s okay, too.

But most mornings we’re in agreement of what we’re going to do that day, or the next, or even far into the future. It no longer seems strange to me that such a small ritual can be so important to our day. I hope we’re able to continue well into the future.

Long live the K-cup.

_*_*_

Once again this year I have to do a little book promo along the way. You won’t know about my books if I don’t tell you about them, right?

K is also for Kentucky 98 Proof  - a #1 Bestseller

Victor Carter knows his grandfather only from a handful of black and white photographs, so his surprise when the man’s will is read is genuine. What’s he going to do with seventy acres on the side of a Kentucky mountain? More importantly, how’s he going to survive living there for a year to satisfy the conditions of the will so he can sell the property? Even worse, it’s not like the hills of Kentucky are teeming with gay companionship.

Boone Mosely is Kentucky born and bred with a proud family heritage he can trace back to his home state’s founding. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Boone’s in his second term as sheriff of Four Points. He takes the job seriously and doesn’t suffer fools - or crime - in his town.

When city slicker Victor Carter arrives on Shepherd Mountain, Boone knows he’s got a whole new brand of trouble to deal with. And this time, the badge isn’t going to help him at all.

Kentucky 98 Proof is available at Amazon
www.amazon.com/Kentucky-98-Proof-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01E7JEXJ8

**UPDATE January 7, 2017**  Although All Romance eBooks has closed its storefront that does not negate the fact Kentucky 98 Proof was a bestseller at that venue. 

*_*_*

Kentucky 98 Proof

Contemporary gay romance

Available at 

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E7JEXJ8

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01E7JEXJ8

Amazon CA:  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01E7JEXJ8

iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098677948

Barnes & Noble/Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kentucky-98-proof-kc-kendricks/1117193113?ean=2940153237954

Rakuten/Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/kentucky-98-proof-1

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/bp8BXb

Kentucky 98 Proof webpage: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/kentucky-98-proof-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:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

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

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