I can still call myself a writer

 December 9, 2025

I typed THE END in one of the three manuscripts I have on the go. I cannot tell you how good that felt! I was relieved I finished one after months of struggling with a few inner demons. And no, I don't think I'm going to whine about them. If you've been following along, I think you know losing Ron changed everything for me. 

It felt good! There's still some work to do. I need to write the blurb, add the front and end material, set up a book page here on the blog, and get the book uploaded everywhere. At least the cover is made, and I'll share that in a day or two. I'm happy that getting it finished has invigorated me, and maybe inspired me, to buckle down and finish another of the stories I've had on the go. 

I've struggled with the question of whether or not I should hang up my keyboard, but at the moment, I know it's not yet time. I've been worried about what I'm going to do this winter when I can't get outside and writing is the answer. I knew that but wondered if I could actually do it. I'm cautiously optimistic that I can. 

You wouldn't think that after twenty three years I'd still question the muse. She was asleep for a long time and I can't guarantee she won't fall back into a coma. 

Now it's time to move on and get busy with those aforementioned finishing touches. It doesn't pay to bask in a small success for too long. Building on it is a lot better.

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

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

facebook.com/kckendricks

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/KCKendricks

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, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, rural living, fiction writer, GLBT romance, Kindle romance, Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, books

Shared journeys

October 13, 2023

Wisdom and sage words are often found in unexpected places. I don't generally think of X (formerly known as Twitter) as a fount of knowledge. All the shiny American muscle cars in my feed are just for fun, as are the funny memes. Along the way I've identified a few folks as being kindred spirits, and likely there for many of the same reasons as me. We're there for the interactions, not the evening news quotes, although I have found a few worthy quotes. I found one just the other day. 

"We're all walking each other home." 

I saw this on Ron Perry's feed and I hope he won't mind me using it for blog fodder. It struck a deep chord with me. The nuances in that statement are endless. 

Much has been written about the joy being in the journey. We're told we all share the path. Much has been said about the brotherhood of man. We're all in this together! But somehow, the idea that we're all walking each other home is more profound. 

Home is, or should be, our sanctuary, our safe place. Home is where we are at our most vulnerable in sleep. Home is where we nurture our spouse and our children. And at the end of our days, Home is where we will go. 

Yes, it was the picture of those around me walking me to a home in heaven that made me stop and consider our walk. How am I treating those people who are walking me home? Am I a burden to them? They aren't a burden to me as I share their walk. 

We're all walking each other home. We should do it with kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. If we can do that, the walk will be easier to bear. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

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_3.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, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, Kindle romance, X, Twitter, quotes, journeys, a writer's life, kindness, together

I hope you win

July 25, 2023

Elon Musk and all that nonsense aside, I'm enjoying spending time reading my TWITTER feed. These days, it's full of shiny AMERICAN MUSCLE CARS that are truly eye candy to someone who grew up in and still travels in circles of car culture.  I'm not sure how I managed to get all that on my feed, but I'm willing to go with the flow.

My TWITTER (I don't care for the X idea) feed also pops up the occasional meme that actually contains a pearl of wisdom. 

"I hope you win the war 

you tell no one about."

Wow. That gave me pause. I stared at that for a few moments and let it speak to me, and speak to me it did. 

"I hope you win the war you tell no one about."

Who among us hasn't fought a private war? Maybe you, like me, are waging a private war right now. Mine is not a battle for health, thank God. It's more a battle of reconciliation with self. 

It's not the first battle of my life, and I doubt it will be the last. It's disturbing to have reached this point in my life and still be waging war with myself, though. 

I'm not sure I won every battle. My first marriage was a disaster. My current partner is increasingly difficult to live with. What do I need to do for my own sanity? 

That's a glimpse into one of my wars. There are many. None of us are so singular that we don't have battles to fight on many fronts. Many people have fights larger than mine, and I do wish them victory, especially with physical and mental health.

Being able to persevere is a blessing. We second-guess ourselves into exhaustion. We hide behind meeting the needs of others instead of ourselves. No matter what, we can't outrun the battle. We must address it as the enemy it is. And we must persevere at all costs.  

Sometimes my tunnel is very dark. I think of all that's happened in my life - I was kidnapped at age seventeen, my home burned to the ground, my ex-husband got another woman pregnant while married to me, I buried my father, and I lost the last years of my mother's life to Alzheimer's Disease. I was unable to have children. I lost good jobs when companies failed. I've had friends betray my confidence. I've lost two old lovers, one to cancer and one to Covid.  

I look back at all this and I know I will win this war, just like I have the others before it. I know this because I learned the lesson of perseverance. 

Keep going. If you feel too tired to continue - keep going. If you feel too alone to continue - keep going. You will win your war if you don't give in or give up.  

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
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_3.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, Between the Keys, perseverance, personal struggles, mental health, internal wars, Twitter, American Muscle Cars, a writer's life, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, 

Some thoughts on writing in the first person style

 

June 9, 2023

There was a great thread on Twitter recently that caught my interest. The writer generating the thread asked how to hide the "I" when writing in the first person. As about ninety percent of my writing is in the first person, I was naturally curious. It had never occurred to me I needed to hide the "I."

Most of the responses spoke to the need to be aware of the usage and to restructure sentences when the usage of "I" gets too frequent or heavy. I certainly concur in most instances. Instead of saying, "I watched the rain overflow the gutters and splatter on the concrete," say "The rain overflowed the gutters and splattered on the concrete with a staccato beat." You're writing in the first person so it's all happening from that character's point of view. Using the second sentence engages his/her senses and therefore the senses of the reader who may have a memory of such a sound. 

One thing to be cautious of is falling into a pattern of passive voice when your character is not being introspective. If he/she is in a reflective mood, saying, "I watched the rain fall..." is an appropriate tool to bring the reader into the emotions of the moment. 

Writing in the first person gets tricky, for sure. I prefer it for writing M/M because when writing M/M in the third person, you end up with a lot of "he," "him," and "his," and if you're not careful, the reader can lose track of just which character HE is. The alternative is using a character's name repeatedly, and that can become annoying to a reader. I know. I am a reader, too. 

But, to me, writing in the first person is a more personal way to tell that character's story. You have to step inside that character and go deep. There is no head hopping back and forth between points of view. You're in that POV and you stay there. 

Writing in the first person isn't a better or worse way of writing a story. It's equal to the third person and the more narrative style of writing. It's a writer's preference and when done well, the reader hardly notices. I think I've done okay in most instances, with the Amethyst Cove and Sundown series being exceptional examples. 

I'm of the opinion that the writer who generated the thread on Twitter is on the right track. She didn't imply that one style is better than another, which is a frequent topic of many who I suspect can't write first person. She asked for a few tips to improve her first person writing and that is always appropriate. I was also impressed at how civil, for Twitter, responses were. 

For me, the bottom line is that you should write your story your way and that a writer should never stop in the quest to improve. And now I should take my own advice and finish the current WIP.

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

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_3.html

Social media links:

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

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, writing styles, first person, LGBTQ gay romance, writers on writing, M/M romance, narratives, Twitter, Amethyst Cove, sentence structure

How did I do that?

 

April 24, 2023

In the twenty-plus years I've been writing I've never heard another writer say they love to do promotion. N-E-V-E-R. I've never said it either, and promotion used to be a lot easier. These days a writer can experience death by social media, and that's not a joke. Trying to keep up on every platform out there is stressful enough to cause a stroke or heart attack. I don't do it. I prefer to have a real life. My promotional activities are carried out here at Between the Keys, in the Facebook groups, on Twitter, and kind of/sort of on YouTube. 

A few days ago, I fixed a cup of tea and sat at the computer to do a little promo while a load of laundry was in the washing machine. Last year I set a goal to promo the entire Men of Marionville series on Facebook so I scrolled the spreadsheet and saw where it was time to post the info for Your Whisper in the Dark in a few groups. Imagine my surprise when a group admin responded that the links on my promo sheet were incorrect. 

I may be a novice gardener, but I'm not a novice computer user. I generally know what I'm doing when I begin clicking away. Nonetheless, she was correct. The Amazon links in the promo were fucked up crap. 

I fixed my promo sheet, and thanks to my spreadsheet, the posts containing the bad links, but now I need to figure out just what screwy thing I did when I copied and pasted the info the first time. Was it me or was it Microsoft? I'm sure it was me not keeping a close enough eye on Microsoft. 

It was a lesson learned, and now I'll check the links on all my promo sheets before I post them. That will be annoying to do, but necessary. It may be enough to start me on the path to day drinking. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

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_3.html

Social media links:

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

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance novels, LGBTQ novels, a writer's life, Your Whisper in the Dark, Men of Marionville, promoting books, ebooks, m/m romance, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, authors, learning, social media

Pause and give thought

August 18, 2022

I enjoy social media in very small doses. Facebook serves my writing alter ego for promotional purposes, and I have a more personal page for family. Twitter informs my writing alter ego of people's opinions and connects me to a lot of other writers to share a few laughs. I don't like the Instagram platform - anything I can do only on my phone doesn't do a thing for me - but I post the occasional picture just because I can. Is YouTube social media or has it become its own thing? The spousal unit and I like to watch a variety of YouTube channels from homestead gardening to off-road recoveries to metal detecting to classic car restorations. And of course, I enjoy blogging. Blogging is writing and that's my thing. 

This morning I was reading through my Twitter feed while slurping down those first sips of coffee and trying to wake up when I came across this photo, captioned, "Have you had your pills this morning?"

Whoa. Whoa, baby. 

I don't know what some of those represent. I don't think I want to know. I get the message, loud and clear, though. Has social media become our drug(s) of choice? 

My daily routine has not wavered for several years. Once I get to my computer every morning, I check my personal email and then I zip off to check Twitter and Facebook. 

Damn. That's exactly like taking a pill every morning. So does my social media pill benefit my brain the way a vitamin benefits my body? 

My short answer to that is that it depends on what you're feeding your brain. Are your opinions just a parroted response based on something you saw on social media? Are you challenged to consider a wider view? Perhaps it focuses your view to laser sharpness. 

Do you simply "take the pill" and allow it to take over your life? Is social media equivalent to "drinking the kool-aid?" (Does November 18, 1978 ring any bells in your memory?) Do you turn everything you read into a chance to shout your opinions and beliefs as if those with opposing views are ignorant and out of step with (your) reality?

Or do you carefully filter out the negative and look for the positive? Are you self-aware enough to read someone else's opinion, know you don't agree, and simply move on without confrontation? Perhaps you look for learning opportunities or for the opportunity to praise others for a good idea, a shared photo, or a challenge overcome. Maybe you like funny memes and like to share the laughter. 

The photo of social media pills is a sobering reminder that we should stop and carefully consider what we take into ourselves. We need to be responsible to ourselves, every day. Social media has the potential to turn us all into blind followers that are led to graze in fields of someone else's choosing.  

I can speak only for myself, but I don't want to be part of the social media herd. I won't dismiss the value of social media but I will exercise caution. My opinions won't easily be swayed by celebrities and "influencers." I will check the facts for myself. I won't hop on any bandwagon that has the potential to harm me. In other words, I'll use the good common sense God gave me each morning when I down my social media pill. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
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_3.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

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

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

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

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT, social media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, opinions, influencers, common sense

Authentic voice - a question on Twitter

February 26, 2022

I confess - I like Twitter. All sort of folk are on Twitter and they say the weirdest things and pose the strangest questions. Earlier today, there was a question put forth about authentic voice. How/when, as a writer, did you find your authentic voice? Something like that. 

I replied I didn't know my voice was ever not authentic, and that's true. I didn't do that to be a smartass. 

But the question struck a chord with me. Suddenly, I realized why I don't read some very well-known authors. They're writing to an audience - not that I think that's a bad thing. I think it's fine. It just doesn't strike a chord with me. I'm not their audience. 

Having an authentic voice must be the reason why I've enjoyed some newer authors so much. I do try to find books that Amazon has buried because the real gems exist there. 

Now comes the question: After all these years, is my voice still authentic? 

This author has some self-examination to do, eh? Do I still have the "unique writing style" reviewers gave me praise for having? And, EGADS! Do I "sound" as tired as I am? 

Yes, I like Twitter. Twitter is full of revelations.

*_*_*_*_*_

 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_3.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

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

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

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

Writers on Twitter

April 4, 2020

We've become a society that has come to accept identity theft. And why not? We freely give people wide-open access to our lives via social media. And yet, people still wonder why writers use a nom de plume. Huh.

Twitter is now our main source of information. I don't know about you, but I haven't viewed a news broadcast or read a news article in the last year that didn't quote opinions from Twitter. It's all clickbait. You have to be discerning in what you respond to on Twitter.

There are a lot of writers on Twitter and I follow a bunch of them. Personal opinions aside, we have a lot of commonalities in that we write. It gives us an understanding of each other based on our understanding of our craft. We are as alike as we are different in how we approach our writing. 

These days, my fellow writers are putting forth a lot of polls and posing some very good questions on Twitter. I approve, not that anyone needs my approval. A few brave souls are even responding to the toughest, most politically sensitive ones. 

Writers have always been willing to tackle the difficult, tough, questions. We used to only do it in our stories. We still do. Our characters put our opinions out there for the world to view. Even then, it's still a tightrope walk.

I just read a book in which the characters posed no questions. Their opinions were carved in granite. If someone didn't agree, the author used it as a tool to prove the opinion correct, and the character was quickly written out of the story. There were a lot of missed opportunities to show character growth that were never capitalized upon. I had a hard time finishing the story but I wanted to see where the author ended up. A forced HEA is never a good thing. 

People come in shades of gray. I believe the United States should have a balanced budget. So does that make me a conservative? I also believe every woman should have quick and easy access to an abortion. So does that make me a liberal? Those two opinions don't make me any of the labels because believing those two things are not mutually exclusive. 

As a writer, my job is to allow my characters, the voices of my opinions, to espouse to be understanding of what makes us alike - and different. I need my writing to give examples of tolerance and acceptance, not just of how we as humans express our love, but in how we strive to live a good life. 

We are all flawed, and we are all on the same journey. Let's try to remember that, especially in these challenging times. There is power in the written word in every genre. It's a writer's superpower. Let's use it for good. 

Twitter on a Saturday night might be a good place to start. 

 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

A touch of frost

November 3, 2019

Yesterday was a fine fall day. It started off chilly - it is November, after all. As I walked outside with Deuce before daybreak, I noted frost had kissed my car. It glistened in the light cast by the floods. I wondered if the frost had reached the ground and as the sun came up, I got the answer. The meadow was white. 

It's not uncommon for the meadow to show frost when our yard does not. Having so many trees makes the difference. It's never enough to save the annuals in the pots. The flowers froze and now I need to make time to pull them and store the pots for winter. 

The day also brought our Cousin's Lunch. We take time out once a quarter to get together for lunch at a restaurant. It's a nice time-out for me. I enjoy getting to talk with everyone when we're not also busy working on a project. 

"Spring forward, fall back" was the mantra. Here on the east coast, we moved the clocks back an hour. I wish they'd stop doing that. I've begun to think it's unhealthy to mess with people's internal rhythms. My brain woke me at what is now four a.m. and demanded caffeine. Is this a good thing? It's a long time until I see daylight. 

Daylight or not (not in this case) I've got a few things to do. The current work-in-progress, July Heat, is languishing. I'm not sure what is going on with me that I can't concentrate on it. I think my life has had a bit too much upheaval in the past two years and it's caught up to me. Whatever it is, I need to get over myself and get on with it. I don't want that touch of frost to linger inside me. 

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

Getting ready for the dark evenings of winter

October 20, 2019

Talk about being remiss... 

It's been three weeks since I had time to blog. It's both amazing and annoying that I allowed myself to get that distracted with work. The organization I work for, a.k.a. The Day Job, hosted a regional conference. This will be the last time I organize a big event like this one before I retire, and I took every advantage to "do it up right."

If you're a regular here at Between the Keys, you know this year has brought major transitions to my door. My husband's health and subsequent surgeries, the death of my stepfather, the death of my writing buddy Chris Grover, the resignation of a much-appreciated CEO, all of which precipitated my decision to drop back to a four-day workweek.  

That's all history. In the present, I find myself quite discontent with my lack of writing focus. 

I've made several attempts to get back on my writing schedule. Where I went wrong on that was telling other people my plans. (Saboteur: one who practices sabotage.) I'm grateful I didn't have a publisher's deadline to meet. It would not have happened. But I can't blame anyone for the beautiful weather we enjoyed yesterday. It was my decision to go outside and "work" the afternoon away.

Two of my three acres are wooded so there is no lack of firewood to be found. Wood is a supplemental heat source. We simply burn those trees that die, fall over, or drop big limbs during windy weather. There's no need to harvest a healthy tree unless it grows to a size to threaten the house. Utilizing this resource allows us to cut our utility bills and to keep a park-like feel to the property. It works. 

Yes, it was my decision to forego writing yet again in favor of the great outdoors. Sometimes the allure of sunshine and the spicy cool air of autumn are too seductive to ignore. The long, dark evenings will be upon me in mere days and old habits can reassert themselves. 

I look forward to it. Writing really is a sort of addiction, but one that doesn't do much harm. A few missed television shows won't hurt me. The voices are waiting on me to tell the story, and telling the story feeds my soul. I won't let them, or myself, down. I've been quietly preparing even as my hands have been busy fulfilling other obligations. 

To every thing there is a season, even to the renewal of the writer. 


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

A point to ponder from Pinterest

March 17, 2019

Like what is apparently billions of other folks, I enjoy surfing Pinterest. There are so many pearls of wisdom to be found - it's truly incredible. I found this one the other day and I confess my sense of humor loved it, so much so I decided to share it here. 

Think about it...

And if you're in the mood, check out my Pinterest board called, "Every Picture Tells a Story."

KC

A new cover for Kentucky 98 Proof

March 7, 2019

It's a human commonality. We all say it and there is no point in denying it. "I'll get around to it one day." 

Today I "got around" to something I've wanted to do for a long day. Blame it on a slow day at the day job. It's difficult to get a lot done when you're 1)waiting on other people, and 2)a guy is operating a ram-hoe and breaking up the sidewalk outside your office window. The noise and vibrations were too intense to work with numbers, so I amused myself and made a new cover for Kentucky 98 Proof. It turned out great if I do say so myself. 

Having made the cover, I went on to make a Twitter promo card. I even updated the cover on old blog entries here at Between the Keys. 

After that, I uploaded the new cover to 
Amazon and other vendors. Talk about being on a roll! Once I made it home, I updated my website and now I'm spreading the word in a new blog post. 

Yep. I nailed it today! 

KC
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/kentucky-98-proof-by-kc-kendricks.html

I not a subversive individual, honest I'm not

December 29, 2017

Every once in a while, a person reaches the end of their endurance. That day came for me on Wednesday. I'd been trying without success to update my stepfather's method of payment on one of his insurance policies. The company, Cigna, refused. 

It didn't matter he's in the hospital.
It didn't matter I had all the information.
It didn't matter I have complete legal Power of Attorney. 

The people at Cigna said they couldn't update the payment information because of the HIPAA laws. 

HIPAA was enacted to protect a person's MEDICAL information. 

I didn't, nor do I, need his medical information. I'm willing to bet I know more about his health than Cigna does. All I needed to do was update his method of payment from a debit card to an auto-pay, which his bank said is more secure. 

At my wit's end, I tweeted a nasty little note to Cigna - and got a response. Problem now resolved. 

It should never have gone to that point. 

We didn't need to spend $400 on Power of Attorney papers. 

We simply needed the Power of the Tweet. For free.

KC Kendricks
www.kendricks.com


PS. The next contestant is in my crosshairs. 

Seducing Light - #MSS163

October 15, 2016

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday #163! Thanks for stopping in at Between the Keys. Today I have seven sexy paragraphs from Seducing Light. Enjoy!
*_*_*

Nick said he planned to cut back on his workload. Being a fan and following along in the trades, I knew he’d purchased the property in Montana three years ago, and the house had taken fifteen months to complete. It wasn’t much of a stretch to surmise he’d made a nest to feather with someone out of the public eye.

The shift to directing movies instead of acting in them wasn’t an unusual one. Lots of actors did it with great success. And, like a lot of other A-listers, if directing didn’t work out, he would not have lost a thing. He could step back into acting, if he chose to, no harm done.

He was at least forty-three and looked five or six years younger, a big plus in an industry that catered to youth. Was he having a mid-life crisis? For a gay man, youth and good looks were important. If your preferences ran to macho, you wanted to nail the most virile and attractive studs, or have them nail you. This I understood all too well.

I wasn’t egotistical enough to believe for one moment he’d spied my scrawny ass and lost his mind, no matter how it appeared on the surface.

Everyone needed touch. Was it as simple as he’d denied his true nature for too long? If I wanted to be a part of his life—and I wanted that more than I wanted air—I needed to figure out where his head was. Right now, what was best for Nick was best for us. That wasn’t going to be easy to reconcile with the excitement I had over my re-blooming career and my renewed passion for my craft.

Twilight brought a few flying insects to my vine-shrouded retreat. I poured the dregs of my tea into a flowerpot, amused that the huge coleus in that crock obviously liked caffeine. The hinges of the back gate creaked. Boot heels clicked on the concrete walk, then stopped just behind me. He stood so close I felt his body heat. I smiled, but didn’t turn around.

“What took you so long?”

_*_*_*_

Be sure to visit all the My Sexy Saturday blogs. The list is at the bottom of this post.
_*_*_*_

About SEDUCING LIGHT:

Asher Myles struggled to put his life back together after an identity thief stripped 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. Asher's not the man Nick expected to find behind the camera. Asher knows he'll have to convince Nick they belong together, but he has an edge.

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

SEDUCING LIGHT

Available at Amazon, iTunes and other fine online book sellers. 

KC Kendricks

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

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com (you are here)

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

Finally - autumn

October 9, 2016

I love the changing seasons. I love the rhythms of nature and studying how they echo within me. I can't imagine stepping onto my patio to the same weather every day. I would find that completely depressing, even boring. We are all wonderfully diverse in what we love, aren't we? 

In my world, winter comes sneaking on tiny cat paws. You sense the stealthy approach, day by day, until by Christmas you know winter has settled in for a stay. Spring arrives in a steady progression of green. Summer makes an abrupt arrival, like a plane touching down and dropping off a cargo hold full of mosquitoes. But autumn? Autumn is the guest whose presence you long for and who can't get here fast enough. 

The big poplar tree out back is my autumn herald. It's the first to have leaves turn yellow and drop by ones and twos until by October, it's looking a bit bare. Things are moving a bit slower this year. It still shows green which makes me wonder if everything will be later this season. 

Deuce and I went walking earlier today. It was a bit breezy and I needed a sweatshirt, but it was far from chilly. Deuce wore his orange safety vest because, state park or not, and even though it's not yet the season, there are already hunters in the woods. 

Brown leaves are down, and the sky has turned to that perfect autumnal blue, but the maples have not yet begun to change color, baring the odd leaf here and there. It was a great day to be outside enjoying one of country life's most enduring pleasures - a simple walk in the woods. 

Sweet seasons. Autumn's rhythms. I can't imagine a life without them. 

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

Deuce of Diamonds: a sexy reunion

August 20, 2016

**updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is no longer operational**

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday #155! My Sexy Saturday is a blog hop that brings the reader a sampling of different authors in the romance genre. I like to participate in MSS because 1) it's fun and 2) I get to build a relationship with other authors and 3) it's pretty clear from the bump-up in the number of visitors I get on MSS days that readers like it. Be sure to check out all the blogs using the Linky List below. 

This week is about the sexy reunion. Right away I thought about Ian and Rick. They thought they'd never see each other again, but Fate works its magic in strange ways. Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Deuce of Diamonds. 

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

“I need you, Ian.”

The last night he’d spent here, the one before his job in Amethyst Cove was wrapped up, we’d gone to bed and stared at the ceiling. Lying side by side in the dark, we’d not shared our thoughts. I’d regretted not making love one last time, even though I knew at the time he’d made the only decisions he could. Our last kiss had been bittersweet, full of regret and mourning for what would never be. Now it might be if we were both brave enough to reach for it. Was I? I turned my head and found his mouth.

His lips were fever hot, but soft and willing. He held me tighter as my mouth slid over his to taste longing mixed with hesitation. I licked his lips with a slow, deliberate swipe of my tongue, and he let me in. His tongue moved over mine—silky smooth—and the need to have him burst free in my groin. My balls tightened as my cock swelled. I pushed him against the counter and ground my pelvis to his.

Rick’s big hands cupped my ass and held me tight to him, never breaking the kiss. He was equally hard, the firm ridge of his dick bumping and grinding against mine as we mock fucked. Rumbling sounds vibrated through his chest and into mine as the kiss deepened. I needed to breathe, but I’d sooner pass out from lack of oxygen than give up his lips.

There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but none of them mattered. I needed him as much as he did me. The things that we had to say, and they were many, would have to wait until we healed the distance of the last few months.

His lips burned a path down my neck and to my ear. "Ian. Dear God, I've dreamed of you. Been haunted by you."

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

DEUCE OF DIAMONDS

The sequel to Double Deuce

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

About Deuce of Diamonds:

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

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

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

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

G is for Goals (2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Day 7
April 8, 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 (a good "G" word) for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun.

*_*_*_*_*

Setting a goal is making a commitment, and if you’re like me, you’re a bit commitment phobic. The problem, on my end, is I’m getting more commitment-phobic all the time. There’s even a word for it: Gamophobia. Seriously, it’s gamophobia.

Actually, the word is used for the fear of the commitment of marriage, but we writers use what works.

I’ve found the trick to setting, and achieving, a goal is to keep my expectations at a reasonable level. If I know I won’t be home on Saturday, I’m not going to set my goal for the day at writing a thousand words. It’s more likely I’ll set the goal as reading over what I’ve already written and fixing typos and such.

The good thing about reaching small goals is that it gives you the confidence to set another goal and reach for it. But never carve your goals in stone. Be flexible. Life is a changeable experience. Maybe a good goal to set is to enjoy it.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

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IWSG - Seasonal Depression

February 3, 2016

Seasonal Depression

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Seasonal depression is nothing to scoff at. It’s February. It’s cold. It’s dark and damp, devoid of sunshine. They say the days are getting longer but how can one really tell with the grey cloud cover? And snow. Let’s not forget the northern residents who have the white shit to deal with. 

Having been about this business of writing for a while, every year I read posts from various authors dealing with seasonal depression. It consumes them. It’s all they can focus on and all they can talk about. It steals their talent and their time.

Those of us who experience only a mild desire to hibernate don’t fully understand just how debilitating this disorder can be. At least I won’t pretend I understand what a full-blown case of seasonal depression must be like. An extra hour of sleep a night is all I need to get through mid-January to mid-March and stay on track in my life.

It’s tough enough on a good day to hit whatever word count you’ve set for yourself. Exercise? Yeah, forcing myself to go out in the cold to walk takes some amount of willpower, but the fresh air is worth the chill.

It scares me to think of what would happen if one day I would simply give up and not step outside. Or only have the will to write in the sunshine. This fear is more real in 2016 as my mother was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I'm many things in this life but at the core I'm a writer. It's who I am. I never want to lose that. 

Need a quick read? Hey, Joe is available at online booksellers for a whopping big 99-cents. 

HEY, JOE:

Available at:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V2TDF3M

iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hey-joe/id1073505551

Barnes and Noble/Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hey-joe-kc-kendricks/1123238308

Rakuten/Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hey-joe-7

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/47oJj4

Hey, Joe webpage:  https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/hey-joe-by-kc-kendricks.html

 

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

Surrendered Victory

December 19, 2015

Merry Christmas! Everyone I know is saying how they can't believe Christmas is almost upon us, and I'm right there with them. The Year of our Lord 2015 virtually flew by at sonic speed. It was a good year for me and mine, though. We are truly blessed. 

I first joined the My Sexy Saturday blog hop on September 14, 2013. Recently, it's occurred to me I need to track what I'm doing. I've got a lot of books out and I'm sure I've missed a few. I need a spreadsheet. 

So with that in mind, I'm going back to the beginning and the first book I published for MSS122 - Surrendered Victory.

*_*_*_*

His hand brushing mine excited me beyond anything I’d ever known. Large, tanned and callused, I knew he earned a living with his hands. His long, strong fingers possessed a muscled elegance, much like the rest of him. Short, neat nails belied his trade, that of a carpenter. I shivered as his hand found mine, hidden from public view between our torsos and the bar. Dalton trailed those well-tended fingernails lightly across my palm, sending me his teasing invitation.

“What do you say? Come back to my place for a while?” His clear tenor held no hint of accent, yet he’d alluded he hailed from somewhere in the South. I’d not heard the story of how he’d made his way to the West Virginian outback, although doubtless he knew my tale.

Everyone in the company knew I’d been banished here by my loving family with little hope for redemption, following some sort of serious disagreement with my father, the supposed details of which continued to fuel the rumor mill. None of my fellow barflies would guess the truth. I didn’t wear it on the skin. It went much deeper, all the way to the soul.

Almost none of the assembled crowd would guess the truth, I corrected myself. Dalton suspected. Clearly, he recognized the indefinable aura that marked us as different, as outsiders. I could still shake my head, decline his invitation, and tender my apologies with no hard feelings. His invitation would remain ambiguous to anyone who’d overheard it.

My body thrummed with awareness of his nearness. I did my best to avoid breathing, since every time I inhaled, the clean, crisp scent of his aftershave sank red-hot talons into my brain. And underneath the Old Spice, undeniable, alluring, dangerous, and unmistakable on the gentle breeze from the ceiling fan overhead wafted a delicious, forbidden male musk.

“I was hoping to have another drink,” I said, matter-of-factly, painfully, acutely aware that all walls have ears. “It was a long day and I need to unwind for a bit.”

His sky blue eyes, so different from my blue-grey orbs, didn’t flicker, reminding me he had some experience at this dance. 

_*_*_*_

SURRENDERED VICTORY
2008 Amber Heat Wave Winner

More about Surrendered Victory: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/surrendered-victory-by-kc-kendricks.html

Dalton makes Reed tingle in all the right places. Now Reed’s ready to answer the question that’s haunted his every failed relationship. Is he really gay?

Reed walked into Dalton’s life and everything changed. This time, Dalton won’t hide the fact he’s gay from anyone, even his son.

Together they surrender all to each other and claim the ultimate victory – love.
- - -

Be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs for more great excerpts here!

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

River Walk by KC Kendricks (#mss120)

December 5, 2015

Welcome to another My Sexy Saturday blog hop! This week's theme is about sexy in another galaxy, but I'm switching that around a bit. What if someone from another galaxy came here? What if that someone is a shapeshifter and his entire Clan is here? Urban legends begin somewhere, don't they?

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from River Walk, the third installment in the Sundown saga. Enjoy!

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

I wet my lips and slid down over his cock again, working mouth and hand in tandem. His fingers twisted into my hair. After a few moments, his face took on a blissful, dreamy look. I knew he’d stay wrapped in his pleasure peak until motion fatigue forced me to stop, and I was determined not to falter for at least five minutes.

Sundown moaned softly. There was a subtle movement beneath my fingertips and I knew he was satisfied—for the moment. I released his rod and sprawled over him to find his willing mouth. His knees slid along my sides as his hands gripped my shoulders. The familiar hesitation washed through me, the moment where the ingrained habits of years of safe sex practices hovered.

No matter his outward appearance, my lover was Chal. The usual precautions didn’t come into play. I slipped my hand between us to guide my cock, and slid into his heat, shuddering in the wake of possessing him. He smiled up at me.

“You have such pretty blue eyes, Fallon. I have often thought of emulating them.”

I smacked his hip and flexed into him, the wiry dark hairs of my bush tight to his ass. “Nice try to distract me, lover.” I thrust into him again. “Now put your pleasure receptors where they’ll do you the most good and prepare to be fucked.”

His powerful thighs squeezed me as he laughed. I rocked into him, hard. His eyes widened, and I proceeded to show him I meant what I said, using my dick like a piston. Sundown loved it, and oh, God, so did I.

Not for the first time I wondered what it would be like to be Chal and experience what equaled five-, ten-, or even more-minute orgasms. Where before he’d enjoyed the blowjob, it was clear he’d now passed the gates of his personal Nirvana. I had one very happy shapeshifter impaled under me.

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

RIVER WALK
Book 3 of the Sundown Saga

Gay romance with paranormal shift

available now 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

About 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.  

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

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Send an email to:
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Be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs for more excerpts by using the list below.