Re-issue: Lightning Shifts

 October 3, 2020

I've re-released Chain Lightning under the title, Lightning Shifts. There are several reasons why an author or publisher re-issues a book. The main one is that the cover just doesn't resonate with readers. My feedback from other authors indicated this was the case in this instance. They loved the one guy on the cover, but not the other. It happens. 

Deciding to re-issue the book gave me the opportunity to go through it and add a few things I wished I'd thought of the first time. Stories are like that. Some of them never stop growing and maturing. I don't think I have a book on my list I couldn't find something to add. When writing the story, sometimes the author has to say "finished" and stick to it else the book would never get published. I'm having that problem with The Quest. Too many ideas crowding into my thinking. 

I liked the story Chain Lightning, now Lightning Shifts. It's about a shapeshifter - a true shapeshifter, one that can take on any form. That means he's not a werewolf or a werecat. He's not a "were" anything. He's something different but at the beginning of his story, he's lost his memory and he doesn't know what he is. All he knows is he's different and he needs to hide. 

Here's a little bit about Lightning Shifts.

Enjoy!

_*_*_*_*_

LIGHTNING SHIFTS

There is something a little peculiar about Eli Tate. He appears normal on the surface, but he’s spent years trying to remember what happened to him - and why he doesn’t age. Then there’s the way he can shift shape and take on any form he desires. He doesn’t know what kind of being he really is or if there are any others like him. What he does know he’s been in the same town for thirty years and he must move on before his secret is discovered. 

Returning to the Big Apple, Eli takes up residence in his old apartment. An evening walk turns deadly when he's attacked by a being reeking of pure evil. He barely escapes with his life - thanks to a stranger named Rio who is just like him – able to shift shape. 

Rio says he knows Eli, that he’s been searching for him for many years, that they were once lovers, and the creature stalking them once held them both captives to experiment on them. Eli has no memory of such a time, but he’s out of options. To remember his past, and destroy the creature pursuing them, Eli has no choice but to trust Rio, even if that trust fails him. 

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
LIGHTNING SHIFTS
Paranormal gay romance (shapeshifter)
Available at:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KQ7M9RJ
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08KQ7M9RJ
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08KQ7M9RJ

 iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1529536267

 Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lightning-shifts-kc-kendricks/1137553106

 Rakuten kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lightning-shifts

 Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/3y7xZV

 Chain Lightning webpage at: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/lightning-shifts-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

The Back Stairs for this week's Midweek Tease

December 5, 2018

**Updated 4/2/21 - the MidWeek Tease blog hop has been discontinued.**

Welcome to this week's MidWeek Tease! Be sure to check out all the participating blogs by using the linky list located at midweektease.blogspot.com. 

I've been walking a jagged path lately but that's life (or so I tell myself). Today seemed like the day to wave at everyone and let y'all know I'm still lurking about, writing when I can and grousing about it when I can't. Just ask the spousal unit. He'll say I don't "grouse" about not having the opportunity to write, I flat out bitch about it. He should know. He's the individual I bitch at because he's the one sucking away my time. Please keep him in your prayers that his surgery on December 14 is completely successful. But I digress...

Today for the MidWeek Tease I have an excerpt from The Back Stairs that has never been shared anywhere. Fallon has been suspicious of Sundown even as they've become lovers. In this moment he realizes just how different Sundown really is. 

Enjoy! 
_*_*_*_


First thing in the morning, I planned to have a long talk with my partner, then with the captain. I needed a break. Maybe I could wrangle a week off to rest and regroup, and get my head screwed back on. I was going to fuck up this investigation because I was too tired to focus. But for right now, I had to look alive and keep Juny from seeing something was wrong. I took a deep breath. A strong hand squeezed my shoulder.

“Do you need help getting up?”

I raised my head at the familiar voice, and the hand swam into focus in front of my face. I accepted his offer and he hauled me to my feet. Sundown was strong for such a slender man.

“What the hell are you doing here, Sundown? I told you to stay put.” I searched his face for some clue of why he’d followed me. The urgency in him was palpable as he gripped my wrist.

“I can help, but you must trust me.”

“How can you help? You weren’t here. You couldn’t have witnessed anything.” My heart dropped to my feet. “Do you know this victim, too?”

“I’ve seen him around. He was a runaway, like Michael, only this boy was troubled. I think he did not care for his life and probably welcomed death.”

My stomach churned. “Not like this he wouldn’t, Sundown. No one would.”

“No, you’re right. Time is precious.” He tugged on my sleeve. “Fallon, will you trust me?”

I frowned at him. He kept asking me to trust him, and I didn’t know how to do it yet. “What are you going to do?”

Sundown looked worried. “You’ve got to pay attention to the dog. He’s got something to show you.”
What the fuck? “The dog has to show me something? Why the dog?”

“He has to show you because no one can question him.” His scent and heat washed over me as he stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I beg you, Fallon. Do this.”

Sundown released my wrist and backed into the shadows before I could draw a breath to argue. Behind me, Juny yelled for me, calling me to come see something he’d found. I rolled my shoulders and tried to get my mind back on my work, but my brain refused. I yelled at Juny to take a chill pill. He shouted a few obscenities at me, but I didn’t hear all of it. The dog was back, his green eyes glowing at me.

No way. No fucking way.

The strangest notion I ever had in my life teased the fringes of my sanity.

Think, asshole. When have you ever seen a dog with green eyes?

No, I hadn’t, ever. Dogs don’t have green eyes.

Sundown does.

The world took a nasty dip in front of me, tilting me sideways before it suddenly righted itself. The dog whined. I hunkered down, but my shaking thighs betrayed me and I ended up with my knees on the ground to maintain my balance. I held out my hand to him and whispered what should have been complete and utter nonsense.

“Sundown?”

The dog rushed me. I grabbed at him to keep from falling over. His tail wagged furiously as he licked my face while I held on to his wiggling body in a vain attempt to get him to calm down. My vision hazed around the edges, and for a split second I feared I was about to black out. What had Sundown done to me at his apartment? He spoke of burning herbs. Had it been something with properties similar to marijuana? Was I fucking high?

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and turned my focus inward. I experienced no dizziness, no urge for sleep. My heart pounded abnormally fast—and hard—but that was all. No strange aftertaste when I blew my breath out. No munchies, either. I was much too sober to believe what I did. I opened my eyes and stared at the dog. With great care, he grasped my wrist with a mouth full of very sharp teeth and tugged.

Heaven help me.

“Okay. Let go of me, and I’ll follow you.”

He released me and raced away. I stared into the blackness, unable to fully comprehend what I knew was true.

How could I possibly believe Sundown could change… I needed help. Too many crime scenes. Too many mutilated bodies. Years of being on the front line and seeing the carnage that mankind inflicted upon itself had won. I’d snapped. No vacation could fix me now.

_*_*_*_

ABOUT THE BACK STAIRS:

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

THE BACK STAIRS is available at:

iTunes/Apple

itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098336257

Amazon

www.amazon.com/Back-Stairs-Sundown-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B01F1J1X46

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-back-stairs-k-c-kendricks/1027224556?ean=2940152768510

KOBO

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-back-stairs

KC Kendricks

Website: www.kckendricks.com

Blog: kckendricks.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

Beneath Dark Stars by KC Kendricks for the MidWeek Tease

February 7, 2018

**Updated 4/2/21 - the MidWeek blog hop has been discontinued.**

Welcome to the MidWeek Tease blog hop! This week I've got an excerpt from Beneath Dark Stars. Our heroes are a detective and his shapeshifter lover. And he's not your garden variety shapeshifter, either. He's a true shapeshifter, able to take on many forms. 

Be sure to check out all the MidWeek Tease blogs using the list at the end of the post. I hope you enjoy the excerpt! 

_*_*_*_*_

Beneath Dark Stars

Book 2 of the Sundown Saga

Gay romance with a paranormal shift

Have you met a shapeshifter? How would you know?

Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown.

Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is.

Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction?

EXCERPT

With a groan, I collapsed onto him. He let out a loud umpf and, with his surprising strength, flipped me over onto my back. I was too limp to protest even had I wanted to. A satisfied purr vibrated out of him as he snuggled tight against my side. I found his hand, laced my fingers through his, and asked him a question he’d so far avoided answering.

“When are you going to tell me what it’s like for you, Sundown?”

He sighed. “It’s what I wish it to be, Fallon.”

I’d heard that before. He was uncomfortable with my curiosity about what was normal for his kind. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust me, but more I needed to be patient with him for a little longer. I turned my head and kissed his temple.

“I’ll do a little better by you this afternoon, babe. I promise.”

“Now you’re trying to bribe me, are you not? Very well, Fallon. The more pleasure receptors I align for sexual enjoyment, the more intense the experience.”

I had asked, so I confirmed one of my suspicions. “So sometimes you ‘align’ a lot of them, like this morning?”

“Yes. And sometimes, I wish for something different. This afternoon may be one of those times.” His green eyes gleamed warmly above his smile. “You’ll need to spend a lot of time touching me to find them all.”

“Not a problem, babe. Is coffee a problem? I mean, since I’m awake now and all that. And I did stimulate your pleasure receptors for you.”

Without a word, Sundown rolled from the bed and padded off to the bathroom, his footsteps silent on the carpet. The skin he wore for me was quite attractive. Tall and slender, he moved with a controlled grace, each step measured, no effort wasted. His shiny dark hair, green eyes, and full, berry-colored lips were perfect—too perfect if someone looked closely at my shapeshifter lover. I closed my eyes and listened to him move around the apartment, finally reopening them to admire his form as he returned carrying two cups of coffee.

I accepted both mugs until he rejoined me under the sheet, then handed one back to him. I loved these lazy mornings when we the most strenuous thing we had to do was nothing at all. Sundown rubbed his thigh against mine.

“Tell me more about this girl whose killer you seek.”

If I didn’t tell him, he’d chatter at me until I did. It was better to give him the short version and get it over with, even though I knew it would upset his tender heart.

“Maria DeLong’s parents reported her missing ten years ago. She turned up dead four years ago. Someone beat her to death and tossed her body out along Route 17. They carved the letter W into her cheek.”

Sundown grew still and silent. Not for the first time I wondered if his kind had racial memory and could remember those things done to their brethren in the Chal ancient past he refused to discuss with me. His people had been enslaved when they arrived on this world, and that’s all the Chal history I’d gotten out of him.

He drew in a quick, short breath and then blew it out.

“The Chal can help. We are able to go into places where you can not.”

For once, his people would be on my side. “The Elders will sanction that? Right. Tell me another story.”

“I was with the Elders yesterday, apologizing for my actions regarding Sergeant Mack. I have promised them—again—that I will cease to play Sasquatch tricks on him.”

“But did you promise not to play any tricks on him, period, or just the Bigfoot ones?”

He blinked at me, dismay written all over his face. Uh-huh. I had him now. “Chupacabra, perhaps?”

His mouth dropped open. His eyes widened. “That is not me! I’ve never been to Texas!”

Beneath Dark Stars

Gay romance with a paranormal shift available at:

Amazon

www.amazon.com/Beneath-Dark-Stars-Sundown-Saga-ebook/dp/B01F5NGX02

iTunes

itunes.apple.com/us/book/beneath-dark-stars/id1098576315?mt=11

Barnes and Noble/Nook

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beneath-dark-stars-kc-kendricks/1109557461?ean=2940153237589

Kobo

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beneath-dark-stars-1

KC Kendricks

website at: http://www.kckendricks.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com

The Back Stairs by KC Kendricks for the MidWeek Tease

November 15, 2017

**Updated 4/2/21 - the MidWeek Tease blog hop is closed.**

 Welcome to the world of a true shapeshifter - Sundown's world. His kind can take on any form they choose - which gets pretty interesting for Sundown's lover, Fallon. 

This week for the MidWeek Tease, I have a couple of excerpts from The Back Stairs and the beginning of Fallon and Sundown's story. Be sure to check out all the MidWeek Tease offering using the list at the end of this post. Enjoy!

_*_*_*_*_


He smiled, and I melted inside, but I kept my best officer of the law face sternly in place.

“I heard it on the grapevine, Lieutenant. The fire marshal made us stop using smoke signals because it sent the boys in the station house into a tizzy.”

I knew the man he spoke of, and my cop composure cracked as I grinned at him.

“That would do it. Listen, whatever your name is, someone’s son is dead, and I need to find out who killed him, and why. If you don’t have any pertinent information, I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

He regarded me coolly, his green gaze strangely familiar. I’d seen him somewhere before, and it would bug the hell out of me until I remembered where. 

Why had Muffin told me to come here? My cop instincts, which were pretty good, said this fellow had told me the truth when he said he didn’t know Carlton. Those same instincts whispered the man was hiding something, though. But who didn’t have secrets?

“Come in and have a seat, Fallon. I happen to have some very good Kona coffee beans. I’ll grind up a few and put on a pot to brew.”

The hair on my arms prickled with unease. “How do you know my name? I didn’t give it to you.” 

My business card simply said, ‘F. Roxbury’. I didn’t give my name to Muffin, either. As for the coffee, Kona was difficult for me to turn down. 

“Word travels around here.” He took a step backward and motioned for me to take a seat at his table. 

I took a breath to tell him I was leaving, and caught the aroma of fresh-brewed java beneath the scents of sandalwood and patchouli. I was tired of getting jerked around, even by a man so incredibly sexy. Put it on to brew, my ass. 

“You’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you? I don’t need pseudo-intimate conversation any more than I need to flirt.” 

He shook his head. “You didn’t listen very well, Fallon.”

“Listen to what? I’ve a mind to haul your scrawny carcass down to the precinct house and let someone else pick your brain for answers, but I don’t have a legitimate reason to have you interrogated. Yet.”

“Tough talk, but you don’t mean any of it. Please, Fallon. Come. Sit at my table, and think of nothing but my very good coffee.”

Would it be so bad to spend half an hour talking with this attractive young man? Heaven help me, he drew me, a tired moth to his steady flame. And he had my favorite coffee, already hot.

Words echoed in my memory. I tried to pull them in so I could hear them again. What had Muffin said? More importantly, it was what she hadn’t said. She didn’t actually say anyone here knew Michael Carlton. 

“I’ll sit at your table on one condition.”

He tilted his head, a smile teasing his full lips. “Oh? What is that?”

“You tell me your name.”

Was it victory I saw in his green eyes, or desire? I needed to know if they were the same. His chin lifted as his gaze locked to mine.

“You can call me Sundown.”

_*_*_*_

And later...


Sundown shook his head. “She didn’t see Michael Carlton, dead or alive, or anyone else go in or out of the alley until your people showed up.”

I clamped down on my anger. “That’s good to know, but I need to hear it from her.”

“Do you?” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re out of luck, Fallon. She is gone from here, and it is beyond my ability to bring her back.”

“Why’d she send me here, then?”

His green eyes flashed with his inner fire, anchoring me where I stood. “So I could give you want you needed, Fallon. What you need me to give you again.”

“Don’t be so damn sure of yourself. I don’t need you.” I lied, and he knew it, the knowledge reflected back at me in his level gaze.

“Come inside and tell me you do not need what I offer you.”

I didn’t think I could. My resolve to bully him into giving up Muffin’s whereabouts waned with every pheromone-laden breath I took. I stood inside the ring of warmth and scent that surrounded him. My erection relentlessly swelled toward completion, and I couldn’t stop it.

“I can’t compromise my investigation further, Sundown. Carlton’s parents are flying in to claim the body. I need to have answers for them.”

His fingers grazed mine, the gentle touch heating my blood.

“I knew you were a good man. I trust you, Fallon. Will you trust me?”

“I trust you to be nothing but trouble.”

_*_*_*_

ABOUT THE BACK STAIRS:

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

The Back Stairs (Book #1 of the Sundown saga) is available at:

itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098336257

www.amazon.com/Back-Stairs-Sundown-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B01F1J1X46

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-back-stairs-k-c-kendricks/1027224556?ean=2940152768510

www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-back-stairs

KC Kendricks

Website: www.kckendricks.com

Blog: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

The Sundown Saga mega-book

June 1, 2017 - UPDATE
****This title is currently unavailable. The individual books remain on sale. ****

March 7, 2017

Available for a limited time - The Sundown Saga mega-book.

All five Sundown stories in one volume. 

• The Back Stairs
• Beneath Dark Stars
• River Walk
• Moon Dances
• Fly By Night

The Sundown Saga is available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

To learn more about The Sundown Saga, please visit the website at:
http://kckendricks.com/SundownSaga.html

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

Beneath Dark Stars by KC Kendricks

September 17, 2016

Welcome to my part of the My Sexy Saturday blog hop! This week is about sexy magic, so I have seven sexy paragraphs from Beneath Dark Stars. What's more magical than a shapeshifter able to take on whatever form he chooses? That's Sundown. He's not limited to one shape only, and he keeps his lover on his toes. Of course, sometimes Fallon knows just what to say...

*_*_*

He drew in a quick, short breath, and then blew it out.

“The Chal can help. We are able to go into places where you can not.”

For once, his people would be on my side. “The Elders will sanction that. Right. Tell me another story.” 

“I was with the Elders yesterday, apologizing for my actions regarding Sergeant Mack. I have promised them – again – that I will cease to play Sasquatch tricks on him.”

“But did you promise not to play any tricks on him, period, or just the Bigfoot ones?”

He blinked at me, dismay written all over his face. Uh-huh. I had him now. “Chupacabra, perhaps?”

His mouth dropped open. His eyes widened. “That is not me! I have never been to Texas!”

_*_*_*_

About BENEATH DARK STARS

Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown.

Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is.

Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction?

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

Be sure to use the linky below to check out all the MSS blogs to read some great Saturday excerpts. 

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

The Back Stairs for MSS 142

May 21, 2016

The theme this week for My Sexy Saturday is, "My Sexy Spaceship." Well, I don't have a spaceship but I do have a friendly alien shapeshifter. I think that's close enough!

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from The Back Stairs. Enjoy!

_*_*_*_

It took me three attempts to clear my throat enough to speak. “Why should I allow you to ‘ease me’?
Will you tell me the truth if I do?”

“I have told you the truth.”

There was the truth we tell the world, and then there was the truth we hide from ourselves. That hidden truth seized me in a relentless, sharp-edged vise. I was as big a whore as he was; only my coin was information. But I wanted his mouth on me more than I wanted to find out what else he knew.

“So far, you may have told me the truth. There’s more, and I’ll do whatever it takes to learn it.”

Sundown blinked up at me. “Will you, Fallon? Veritas. Truth. Do you know your limits?”

I shook my head, my gaze transfixed on his hands. I watched as he unsnapped my pants and slowly eased down the zipper and lay open the edges of the fabric to reveal my white cotton briefs. My cock lifted as he drew his middle finger along the hard ridge, barely touching my underwear, from the tip to the base. Sweat broke out in my armpits and over my back. His fingers hooked over my waistband and tugged at my garments. I lifted my butt, and he shucked everything down around my ankles. I looked down at my cock, full to bursting, and rosy red against my paler abdomen. Panic slammed my system.

What the hell was I doing? What if he were Internal Affairs working an undercover sting? Juny and I were not department favorites. We were more concerned with catching the bad guys than playing office politics. Sundown’s spooky green eyes sparkled with desire—and amusement.

_*_*_*_

About The Back Stairs:

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

THE BACK STAIRS
Available now at All Romance eBooks, Amazon, and other online book sellers. 

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

S is for Schedule

Day 19
April 22, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

I schedule as much as I can, as far ahead as I can. Back in the day, I had a bulky day-planner I carried around in a large pocketbook, but now, thank you God, all I need is my cell phone. And a much smaller handbag.

It was necessary for me to go online and actually count the Google calendars I have. The total surprised me - TEN. I have ten separate, yet shared, calendars. My personal calendar, my honey’s personal calendar, the birthday/anniversary, and the “what’s for dinner” calendar are shared between us. Then I have the day job calendar, a promotions calendar, NASCAR, full moon, holidays, and yes, my own A to Z Blogging Challenge calendar. I suppose it's also time to create a calendar to keep track of my mother and stepfather. 

Is it visually bulky to have all those schedules in front of me? Nope. A few clicks and all but the one I want to see will disappear. I do use the day view on my phone and the monthly view on my desktop computer. Only occasionally does any single day get overcrowded with items I need to prioritize to accomplish. It's easy to look at any particular date and know whether or not I can schedule something else for that day. 

Keeping my time scheduled keeps me on track, and out of trouble, and that works for me. 

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

S is for Sundown

THE BACK STAIRS (Book 1 of the Sundown Saga)

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

F is for Focus

 Day 6

April 7, 2016

Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun. Today's blog is about focus.  Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys! 

*_*_*_*_*

Attaining focus is not as easy as one would think. Distractions are everywhere and I’m a weak, imperfect writer. What should be easy is often elusive. So what is there to do?

The ability to focus is highly individualized. I can tell you what works for me, but you might need something radically different. I prefer quiet. You might like “white” background noise.

I think short meditation is helpful, but I don’t like to stare at a flame. I like to close my eyes and rest in the dark. You might like to burn a candle and focus on the fire.

Whatever method you employ, learning to focus is a helpful tool. I joked once that all my writing habits are bad ones so you don’t want to immolate me. It’s still true today. I schlep along working on a couple of projects at a time. I know they’ll all get finished. All I need is for one of the stories to strike a spark. When that happens, I get serious.

I shut down the Internet, close the door, turn off the rock and roll music, put the Kindle and the cell phone in the bedroom, and I focus on the story. Having been at this awhile, I can make a lot of headway if blot out the distractions.

None of us can focus for days and days on end. We’re humans. Variety keeps us healthy. But if you can focus, really focus, on the story for a space of time during every writing session, you’ll find it gets easier to do and the rewards reaped will be worth the effort.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

Being a writer and talking about time, it seems appropriate to use this blogging opportunity to do a short book promo. Here’s a bit about Fly By Night, book five in the Sundown Saga.  

F is for Fly By Night

 

Lieutenant Fallon Roxbury has a few secrets. His lover Sundown is a shapeshifter, and his entire Clan is under Fallon’s protection. He can usually handle the job but the universe has conspired to align a few unusual events. A body was found at the old rail yard where the shapeshifters once had a village, the clan’s nestlings are about to mature, and his lover and his police partner are suddenly behaving like best friends.

When the clan elders confirm the identity of the murderer, Fallon has more trouble. The suspect is one of the city commissioners and the evidence points to him killing more than once. It’s up to Fallon to find legally admissible evidence to connect his cold case to the more recent murder. He’ll need some specialized help for that, the kind only Sundown can provide.

Bit by bit Fallon gathers evidence, not only about the murders, but about the secrets Sundown has kept. It’s a sobering reminder that looks can be deceiving, and the shapeshifter he shares his life with isn’t human.  

FLY BY NIGHT
Available now at All Romance eBooks

B is for (the) Back Stairs

Day 2

April 2, 2016

Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as we kick-off the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year (yes - 6th!) I’ve participated in the challenge. It may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is the A to Z is a lot of fun.

Today is also Saturday, so that means it’s time for the MySexy Saturday Blog Hop. Luckily, I have a “B” title, so it works out pretty well. Be sure to check out the My Sexy Saturday blogs at the link at the end of this blog.

To explain a bit, the A to Z Blogging Challenge takes place in April. Bloggers follow the alphabet, A to Z, every day except Sundays. So it’s twenty-six blogs in twenty-six days. The My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop brings the reader seven sexy words, sentences, or paragraphs from one of the author’s books.

Now on to B is for The Back Stairs and seven sexy paragraphs. This is an exchange between the detective, Fallon, and the shapeshifter, Sundown. 

*_*_*_*

His fingers grazed mine, the gentle touch heating my blood.

“I knew you were a good man. I trust you, Fallon. Will you trust me?”

“I trust you to be nothing but trouble.”

A wide grin split his face. “You’ll see how right you are, but not today. Today is for you to climb the last steps and come inside.” The smile faded. “I have things to share with you, if you will trust me.”

I had to give it one last-ditch effort to move away from him. “That’s very cryptic. I don’t enjoy playing games, Sundown.”

“Nor do I. Perhaps my truth is best kept silent.”

Damn him. He played me perfectly, knowing my curiosity wouldn’t allow me to walk away. I went up a step and stood aside so he could get past me on the narrow metal stairs.

*_*_*_*

THE BACK STAIRS
Available now at All Romance eBooks and other online book sellers.

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

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

Moon Dances by KC Kendricks (MSS#90)

May 2, 2015

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

Having just completed the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge, you'd think I'd need a blogging break. Can't! It's Saturday and that means it's blog hop day. I can't let the My Sexy Saturday compatriots down. It's blog and tweet, babe. 

Today it's seven sexy paragraphs from Moon Dances, book IV in the Sundown Saga. Here's a bonus for you - the entire KC catalog is 50% off at Amber Allure through 5/5/15. So scoot on over and get all of the shapeshifter Sundown at half price before it's too late and the regular price comes back. 

Enjoy!
*_*_*_*

Because he expected it, I mumbled and grumbled while I shoved the covers to the foot of the bed. He hopped up and finished stripping. My shapeshifter wore a handsome skin for me and displayed a beautiful eight-inch cock to entice me to stimulate his pleasure receptors. Sundown landed beside me, bouncing on the firm mattress.

“You do tire of me. Your penis isn’t hard.”

I guided his hand to the organ in question. It swelled as soon as he touched it. “I’m only pacing myself, darling. Kiss me and see what happens.”

     His eyes gleamed with amusement and a moment later his mouth covered mine. I licked his lips and he opened to me. Our arms and legs entangled as I rolled him beneath me and deepened the kiss.

I never knew what course our lovemaking would take until we got there. Today he’d taken me at my word I wanted to feel his lips on me. Sundown trailed kisses down my neck and chest, pausing to suckle at my nips, giving each one just a few seconds and leaving me to hope he’d find his way back and do it again. I reached for my dick and he stopped me, his strong fingers wrapping around my shaft with the perfect amount of pressure to drive me crazy. He stroked me a few times to satisfy my urges before he ran his hands over my backside. With a lazy twist of his lean body, he positioned himself to suck me.

The warmth of his mouth surrounded my dick as his tongue teased around the rim. I soared as he licked the underneath of the head. When he slipped a hand between my thighs to caress my sac, I reached for him.

To touch him. How could I describe touching the flowing silkiness of his skin? I was addicted to the way my fingertips glided over his body and the way his hands flowed over mine. We sought new ways to touch as we moved against each other, saying little save a whisper or a sigh to let the other know we liked something. When he flipped onto his belly and lifted his ass, I rolled to my knees, grasped his hips, and thrust into him. He warmed around my invading dick. 

_*_*_*_

MOON DANCES is available at 
www.allromanceebooks.com/product-moondances-2004041-145.html

More about 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 to defeat their enemy, one with Sundown at its core. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

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

_*_*_*_

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

_*_*_*_

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

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

F is for Frost, Robert

April 7, 201

Day 6

The 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Many Sundry Things

F is for Frost, Robert

* * * * *

“Freedom lies in being bold.” – Robert Frost

I’m not sure the appreciation of poetry extends to the masses. A person either “gets” what the author is trying to say, or they don’t. And that’s not to imply those who don’t care for poetry are lacking in anything. We’re all wonderfully gifted with different interests.

Like many, my first encounter with Robert Frost was The Road Not Taken. I can go as far to say that bit of writing has had an influence on my life. Let the herd go where they may and I’ll take road less traveled to see what I may find. For the most part I’m quite happy with that decision.

But there’s another poem by Robert Frost I like entitled, The Freedom of the Moon. I’m certain those more scholarly than myself can attribute all sorts of metaphors to the prose, but I’m a country girl. I’ve walked home from a neighbor’s house by moonlight many times in my life and I take Frost’s words at face value – a man enjoying moonlight.

The Freedom of the Moon

I've tried the new moon tilted in the air

Above a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster

As you might try a jewel in your hair.

I've tried it fine with little breadth of luster,

Alone, or in one ornament combining

With one first-water start almost shining.

I put it shining anywhere I please.

By walking slowly on some evening later,

I've pulled it from a crate of crooked trees,

And brought it over glossy water, greater,

And dropped it in, and seen the image wallow,

The color run, all sorts of wonder follow.

-Robert Frost

America's Poet Laureate 

_*_*_*_

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?

F is also for Fallon Roxbury of the Sundown saga. Book I is The Back Stairs, in which Fallon meets the shapeshifter.

The Back Stairs

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

For more about The Back Stairs please visit
http://www.kckendricks.com/TheBackStairs.html

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com