You might think...many things

March 4, 2024

March 4, 1975

It's been an interesting life, so far. The clue that those who rode with me were in for a bit of a ride came on March 4, 1975. I left school and drove my 1969 Camaro to a local department store, where a man opened the car door and shoved a gun to my head. 

I was a schoolgirl. If someone did that today, the surprise might be on them. I'm armed now. You might think I would be vehemently opposed to guns, but no. I embrace my Second Amendment rights. 

And so began a string of unfortunate events. My first marriage ended, my first home burned to the ground, my father died. I could go on but I won't. 

You might think these things have made me bitter. They have not. As pictured, I ended up with a restored (and better) car. I ended up with a new (and better) home. I still miss my father, but I had the gift of his time. He spent time with me. We bonded over cars. My first marriage collapsed but that led me to the Lord of the Manor and a step up. 

There is an old saying that every cloud has a silver lining. The first one was waiting for me forty-nine years ago today. I know my life will have more challenges, and I know that each one will bring me to an even better place. You might think I'm an idiot for thinking that, but I have faith. 

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

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
Visit my bookshelf at: 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

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

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

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

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, 1969 Camaro, faith, LGBT gay romance, gay romance for Kindle, m/m romance, life, rural living, life experiences, stolen vehicles

It's 4.5 stars for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted

May 24, 2016

My thanks to Kris at JoyfullyJay for reviewing Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted! Why, yes I was surprised I got a review. That's why I'm posting about it!

The entire review can be found at:
http://joyfullyjay.com/2016/05/review-bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-by-k-c-kendricks/

Here's a few lines from the review that made me smile.

I shall begin my review with a confession: When I read to the word Camaro in the blurb, I took the book instantly.... I loved Mick. There’s no other way to say it...When he spotted Logan, talked to him, and their chemistry burst onto the page, I wanted nothing more for them to live happily ever after...Logan has his demons, and the shadows of the past still haunt him. The things that have happened to him have shaped him into being a wary man, and it was so well done... I really enjoyed this book... This one is definitely recommended...

Thanks, again, for the great review!

About Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted:

As a boy, Mick Ambrose fell in love with cars. Now he owns and operates an auto restoration shop specializing in all things American Muscle. When the black 1969 Camaro Z/28 he years ago dubbed Onyx pulls into his garage, Mick forgets his first love in favor of her driver, Logan Gregg. Mick’s interested and cruises Logan at a speed worthy of the car he drives.

Logan Gregg’s plan to avoid entanglements in his life drives away when he stops at American Muscle to ask a few questions about restoring the Z/28 he inherited from his uncle. The owner of the shop is smooth as a well-tuned V-8 engine and twice as hot. Logan is quick to shift gears and take a closer look at Mick Ambrose and the road ahead. When Mick wants to get too close, too fast, Logan backs off. His past holds painful memories he can’t escape and the tattoos on his arms aren’t just for decoration.

Working on the Z/28 brings the men closer, but Mick makes a mistake when he confesses his knowledge of the past Logan wants to keep buried. Mick knows a man has to settle his past to step into his future, but Logan’s unconvinced. To slay his personal demon, he’ll first have to look it in the eye. 

_*_*_*_

For more info, and to read an excerpt, please visit my website at:

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-by-kc.html

Purchase links are on that page.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks 

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - celebrating American muscle

July 4, 2015

** Up dated 4/2/21 - My Sexy Saturday was a weekly blog by a group of writing joining together for promotion. It ended in 2017.***

Happy Independence Day! July 4th means different things to folks but most Americans do stop and remember the significance of the day. I've been known to have a thing or two to say about it here. 

Being Saturday, it's also time to celebrate all things romance with the My Sexy Saturday blog hop. This is MSS #99 - quite an accomplishment. Kudos to organizer Lynn Crain for her dedication to all of us who participate. 

Few things speak to me the way the American Muscle Car does. Yes, I put that in caps. It's a breed all it's own. So for Independence Day I'm throwing in a classic American - a 1969 Camaro - along with two sexy guys. Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. 

= = = = = = 

Logan leaned toward me as his right hand slid behind me to rasp the back of my neck. Surprise snapped through me followed by a jolt of electricity as his soft lips touched mine in the sweetest kiss I’d ever been given. Logan didn’t press or seek to arouse me. It was so much more. That careful kiss was a greeting and a question wrapped up in a quiet, unassuming intention to get closer to me. I fought against the rush of blood into my groin, pulled away and looked into his dark gaze. I didn’t want to turn into a horny fool and scare him off.

“Wow, Logan.” I swallowed, desperate to ease my dry throat. “I mean, that was…a surprise. I liked it.”

“Me, too.” He licked his lips. “What’s the first thing we need to do to the car?”

“Um, a detailed evaluation. I, um, have a form I use.” I straightened and frowned at him.

“What?”

“You’re sort of, um, stammering. It’s interesting.” Logan leaned toward me again, and my brain lost some higher functions. I leaned in and kissed him.

His response was swift. He cupped the back of my neck again and thrust his tongue past my lips. My cock filled in a throbbing, wonderful rush as the pulse beat in my ears deafened me. I sucked in a quick breath laden with the scent of his skin.

= = = = = 
BORED, STROKED AND BLUEPRINTED


About Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted: 

As a boy, Mick Ambrose fell in love with cars. Now he owns and operates an auto restoration shop specializing in all things American Muscle. When the black 1969 Camaro Z/28 he years ago dubbed Onyx pulls into his garage, Mick forgets his first love in favor of her driver, Logan Gregg. Mick’s interested and cruises Logan at a speed worthy of the car he drives.

Logan Gregg’s plan to avoid entanglements in his life drives away when he stops at American Muscle to ask a few questions about restoring the Z/28 he inherited from his uncle. The owner of the shop is smooth as a well-tuned V-8 engine and twice as hot. Logan is quick to shift gears and take a closer look at Mick Ambrose and the road ahead. When Mick wants to get too close, too fast, Logan backs off. His past holds painful memories he can’t escape and the tattoos on his arms aren’t just for decoration.

Working on the Z/28 brings the men closer, but Mick makes a mistake when he confesses his knowledge of the past Logan wants to keep buried. Mick knows a man has to settle his past to step into his future, but Logan’s unconvinced. To slay his personal demon, he’ll first have to look it in the eye. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

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. 

C is for Camaro (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

April 3, 2015

Day 3

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

C is for CAMARO

* * *

I’m a motor head. I love cars. I won’t apologize for it. As a girl, I was my Daddy’s Little Princess. I won’t apologize for that, either.

My late father liked cars. His favorite Saturday morning hang-out was at the (relatively) local Sinclair station. Upon occasion, and more frequently as I grew, I was allowed to accompany him instead of grocery shopping with my mother and grandmother.

Dad had a few cars he held in fond regard. The first was a 1955 Pontiac Chieftain and the second a 1959 Chevy Impala. In fact, my parents had a grand total of six Impalas over the years. Dad also (really, really, really!) liked my first car, a 1969 Camaro. If he hadn’t have liked it, no way would I have gotten it no matter how much money I’d managed to squirrel away from doing odd jobs. I was sixteen and in those days his signature was required.

My father taught me how to change the oil, check the belts and hoses, check the antifreeze, replace fuses and lamps, change a tire, check the brakes and rotors. I’m grateful for the time he gave me because those lessons have saved me a lot – A LOT – of money over the years. The add-on computers cars have today might require a technician, but the shop foreman can’t fool me about the mechanical workings of my car and sell me work my car doesn’t need just so he can improve his bottom line. 

The 1969 Camaro isn’t something you see on the road much these days. The last forty-five years have decreased the numbers to a precious few, but they do exist. My ’69 Camaro is still on the road, lovingly tended by a fellow who drives it to classic car rallies and such. He stops by every now and again to say hello and I enjoy seeing the pictures of the trophies the car has won. My care, and my father’s, figure into its success.

In my opinion the 1969 was the best Camaro every made. It took Chevrolet forty years to make another Camaro worthy of the name. My current school of thought says drive my Charger for another few years, get a new Camaro, retire, and take that long cross-country drive to see the national parks.

Who says my glory days are behind me?

_*_*_*_

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?

C is for Colby Denton of 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 beachside parties. When a sexy sea god swims out of the ocean in front of him, Colby has a brand new plan – netting Neptune.

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

B is for Believe you will

April 2, 2015
Day 2

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

  

B is for BELIEVE You Will

* * *

To achieve your dreams you need to believe that you will.

That’s a rather simplistic statement on the surface. Believe that you can. It can be difficult - but it’s not impossible.

After my father died in November of 1983, my mother coped with her frequent insomnia by devouring the romance novels of the day which were mostly Harlequin. Her co-workers kept her supplied and she’d always pass the books along to me. Every once in a while she’d ask if I enjoyed a particular story and I’d always joke, “I could write one like that.”

Being a supportive mom, she always agreed and she challenged me to sit still long enough to do it.

Deep down inside I never doubted I could write a book. I don’t know where that belief came from. Truly. I have no clue. It was simply there.

It was late in 1995 when I first tested that belief. I think I was a bit worried but we’d gotten our first desktop, an HP that we quickly outgrew. I sat down and officially wrote a short story.  What the experience taught me was I would always do well if I remember to believe that I can.

BELIEVE that you can and you will.

_*_*_*_

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?

B is for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. (If you’re a car buff you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, go look it up.)

As a boy, Mick Ambrose fell in love with cars. Now he owns and operates an auto restoration shop specializing in all things American Muscle. When the black 1969 Camaro Z/28 he years ago dubbed Onyx pulls into his garage, Mick forgets his first love in favor of her driver, Logan Gregg. Mick’s interested and cruises Logan at a speed worthy of the car he drives.

Logan Gregg’s plan to avoid entanglements in his life drives away when he stops at American

Muscle to ask a few questions about restoring the Z/28 he inherited from his uncle. The owner of the shop is smooth as a well-tuned V-8 engine and twice as hot. Logan is quick to shift gears and take a closer look at Mick Ambrose and the road ahead. When Mick wants to get too close, too fast, Logan backs off. His past holds painful memories he can’t escape and the tattoos on his arms aren’t just for decoration.

Working on the Z/28 brings the men closer, but Mick makes a mistake when he confesses his knowledge of the past Logan wants to keep buried. Mick knows a man has to settle his past to step into his future, but Logan’s unconvinced. To slay his personal demon, he’ll first have to look it in the eye. 

BORED, STROKED AND BLUEPRINTED
is available at:
 
Amazon
www.amazon.com/Bored-Stroked-Blueprinted-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B07NKGWJWG
 
iTunes/Apple
itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1452108841
 
Barnes and Noble
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1119495829
 
Rakuten/Kobo
www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-1

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

Such a quandry

July 20, 2014

When faced with life's little problems, the writer in me turns to blogging. Blogging is like talking to myself or talking out loud. I can hear myself and then see the printed words. You'll never know how many times I've written a blog and then deleted it because just the act of putting the words on the screen in front of me clarified how I felt or focused my decision making in the proper direction. 

So here it is: I've got seven stories promised between now and the end of 2015. That's not a typo. This morning I opened my email and there's one from the head guru at Amber Quill with an idea for a themed collection which is not a PAX at this time. Okay, but I've already written a book titled very loosely on this theme. Yes, it did very well but do I want to get stuck in that particular rut? 

I don't think I do. Using the names of popular drinks as book titles isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. I don't want to be lumped in that group. I thought long and hard about using Kentucky 98 Proof for a title. It's not a drink but it is based on a distillery fact. Anything ninety-eight proof is very potent. 

Then there's my editor who has always given me a very difficult time when my characters have a drink and drive home. Back in my day the term "politically correct" hadn't even been coined. EVERYTHING I did as a teenager and young women is now considered "politically incorrect" or "unsafe." Yet here I am. Healthy and gainfully employed. Go figure. It looks like cruising the streets of my hometown in my 1969 Camaro with the steering wheel in one hand and a ginger ale spiked with Jim Beam in the other didn't do too much damage to my prospects. Or anyone else's in our group for that matter. It was simply what kids in this town did in those days. The past is the past and I won't judge any of them today.

So do I want to add to the writing stack? I think seven new stories on the plot board to be finished between now and the end of 2015 is plenty. It's more than enough! So as much as I'd like to join the ranks of JA Konrath with a Whiskey Sour, a Bloody Mary, a Rusty Nail, a Dirty Martini, a Fuzzy Navel, a Cherry Bomb, Shaken, Stirred, Last Call....  It goes on forever! I think I'll pass. 

*_*_*

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

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - A Couple of Reviews

May 25, 2014

I'm generally remiss about posting reviews. I admit this with a clear conscience. The nastiness which permeates many so-called reviews and review sites really turned me off to the whole process which I know isn't fair to the truly professional reviewer. I do hope the tide has turned since the end of last year and we're entering into a renaissance of the legitimate reviewer.

Many thanks to Lisa at MM Good Book Reviews for giving Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted 4 Hearts. From the review: I really liked this story and definitely will be checking out the other books that this author offers. I would definitely be recommending this story. Read the entire review at MM Good Book Reviews here. 

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted also garnered 4 Stars from Caroline at Prism Book Alliance. Caroline was pretty cagey and didn't give a "sound bite" I can use to promo her review, but her rating is definitely noteworthy so I'll give the link back since she did give it a 4 out of 5. 

And the absolute best of the bunch from a guy who really matters, a reader, who gave Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted 5 Stars. Check it out on here at Amazon. I'd love to reprint what he said but without his permission, that's a no-no. 

So that's it for today's review roundup. My thanks to Lisa, Caroline and Bo for reading the book and especially for taking the time to post a review. 

I'm off to enjoy day four of my vacation. May you also enjoy your day. 

PS. Bored Stroked and Blueprinted is available now at

Amazon

www.amazon.com/Bored-Stroked-Blueprinted-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B07NKGWJWG

iTunes/Apple

itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1452108841

Barnes and Noble

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1119495829

Rakuten/Kobo

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-1

KC
website
twitter
facebook

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - new this weekend!

March 15, 2014

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

The My Sexy Saturday blog hop is doing double duty for me this weekend. Depending on what time you arrive here at Between the Keys, my latest book, Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted is about to go on sale or just did go on sale at Amber Allure. Yea!! 

My first car was a 1969 Camaro that we restored after it was stolen. When Amber Allure put out the call for a PAX based on the theme of our guys meeting in a garage, I tossed my wrench on top of the pile. And being a little motorhead from back in the day, what else could I title the story except Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted? 

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from my [about-to-be] new release. I hope you enjoy it. 
= = = = = =

He sighed. “I’m not a good risk, Mick. I might wake up tomorrow and decide Warren County is no longer my home.”

Who hadn’t thought of chucking it all and walking away? I had, many times. No one was immune to the lure of a fresh start free of the baggage of family, ex-lovers and mountains of mistakes. It was more difficult to stay put and re-invent oneself, and some people didn’t have the strength for it. Some had been beaten down too much by circumstances. I couldn’t say that to him for fear he’d realize I knew about him, and judged him, which I didn’t.

“So sell me the car today. I’ll pay cash.”

Very slowly, Logan turned his head and looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “Seriously? You really need to learn how to cruise a guy because, friend, you suck at it.”

“Who says I’m cruising you?”

“That hand sneaking up my thigh.”

I stopped and patted his leg. “I notice you didn’t tell me to quit.”

= = = = = =

To read an excerpt and find buy links, please visit https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-by-kc.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

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted - new cover up!

February 15, 2014

One of the things I always look forward to (with a touch of trepidation) is the cover for an upcoming release. Covers are the purview of the publisher. Yep. That's a period, end of the matter deal. They might give us lowly authors a form to fill out, but when it comes to the actual end product, it's take it or leave it. It's even a contractual item. 

I've been very lucky in my career. I'd say about ninety-percent of the covers I've received in my eleven years have been pretty darn good. The cover guru at Amber Quill does his level best to make "his" authors happy, which is in his best interest considering he's dealing with a bevy of females.  

I've waited a long time to splash a muscle car on the cover of one of my books. When Amber Allure put out the call for a PAX with a theme of our heroes meeting in a garage, I raised my cyber-hand. And what car should pull into the garage? That's a no-brainer. A 1969 Camaro Z28. 

Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted is a term mechanics use when restoring an engine. You bore (increase diameter) of the cylinders to install larger pistons then change out the camshaft for a longer stroke and you get more horsepower. To "blueprint" the engine is to rebuild it to very precise specs. Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted sounds sort of naughty but it's car talk. Of course, it's a KC book so there IS naughty inside. 

Drumroll please............

Here's the new cover for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted, coming March 23, 2013. It's rather simplistic, but I like it. You can read a story excerpt here. 

BORED, STROKED, AND BLUEPRINTED

is available at:

Amazon

www.amazon.com/Bored-Stroked-Blueprinted-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B07NKGWJWG

iTunes/Apple

itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1452108841

Barnes and Noble

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1119495829

Rakuten/Kobo

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bored-stroked-and-blueprinted-1

KC Kendricks
website
twitter
facebook

Yellow Cars

April 29, 2011
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Day 25 - Y


There’s something about a yellow car that grabs the attention. They’re like a burst of moving sunshine. I’ve never owned one, nor do I plan to, but I confess I like them.


I take it back. I certainly would own one like this.








Or this. I actually did own a 1969 Camaro, like this one, only in that weird shade of medium green Chevy had year.










Oh, heck. I fibbed again. Give me a Gibbs car!







Or a Nash Bridges ride!






And let’s not forget two-time Winston Cup champ Terry Labonte’s best ride. It was easy to keep an eye on the rooster, back in the day.






A buddy of mine had one of these. He was a little Starsky and Hutch crazy, but he got over it before he ruined this paint scheme.

And so goes the next to the last day of the A to Z 2011 Blogging Challenge. I hope you enjoyed the sunbursts.