As I compose this blog entry, it’s a rainy Saturday morning
(September 21, 2013). The rain is no surprise since the autumnal equinox
happens tomorrow at 4:44 PM - the official start of autumn. On an equinox,
night and day are of equal length on both Northern and Southern
hemispheres. Here in western Maryland,
you can also count on rain. It’s a bit of weather wisdom my grandparents on
both sides imparted to me and it has proven to be correct. So what does one do
on a rainy day? Many things!
Last weekend I had a private mini writing retreat on my
patio with those folders. I created character bios and rough plots. One or two
even got the first draft of the cover blurb. I haven’t been able to keep my
hands off the folders. They’ve been fondled and caressed more than my partner
this week, just don’t tell him that!
Those seven folders represent the next year or so of my
writing life. Maybe even longer. If I’m working on a story and it slows for me,
I switch off to another. Sometimes a new, hot idea won’t be denied and it lands
on top of the pile. However it happens, the stories get written. I’m happy to
have a direction in which to write and options on getting there.
But like always, I don’t look forward without remembering
where I’ve been. It’s good to keep in mind what works really well, and a story
that does is Highway Nights. It seems appropriate to highlight this story as
autumn gives us more night hours. Enjoy!
KC
HIGHWAY NIGHTS by KC Kendricks
ISBN: 978-1-61124-169-3
Buy link: http://www.amberallure.com/HighwayNights.html
Garrett Webb has a five-point plan for starting his own
business. To keep it on track, he takes a second job and settles into the
evening delivery run between Owensville and Mt. Franklin. The solitude of being
on the road clears his head and enables him to chart a better future for
himself. When a foggy night sends him to the safety of The Downshift Diner and
its owner, Oliver Sanderson, that future takes an unforeseen turn.
Oliver Sanderson enjoys a quiet life along the lonely
stretch of highway that’s home to his diner. The road brings all manner of
interesting souls to his door. When Garrett Webb steps out of the fog seeking
shelter, his openness and honestly draws Oliver’s interest. He’s ready to take the
next step, but needs to be cautious. Trouble is coming to the diner, and Oliver
wants Garrett clear of it.
Good intentions can’t hold out against their budding
attraction. Garrett makes the diner a regular stop during his nightly run, and
the men get better acquainted. But Garrett’s past isn’t done with him. In a
single heart-stopping moment, Garrett is forced to a decision that risks
Oliver’s life – one that could forever end their highway nights.
An excerpt from Highway Nights:
Oliver grinned and stopped in front
of him.
“Happy to see me?”
Garrett glanced down. “As happy as
you appear to be. Can a guy get a soda to go in this joint?”
Oliver shook his head. “I’ve better
at the house. Let me tell Shirl and Billy not to call me unless it’s an emergency.”
He disappeared into the kitchen, and sauntered back out in less than thirty
seconds. Oliver motioned at the front entrance. “Let’s go.”
Garrett turned and held the door
open for Oliver. “What constitutes an emergency?”
“Someone is bleeding, choking, or
keels over all the way to the floor.” He placed his hand on the small of
Garrett’s back and guided him around the corner of the building.
Garrett leaned closer to the warmth
of Oliver’s body. “Not fire?”
“That’s what the firemen are for.
Call ‘em. Besides, I like fireman. Don’t you?”
“Sure. Big, burly men turn me on.”
Garrett stroked Oliver’s well-formed bicep. Oliver laughed softly and backed
Garrett against the rear wall of the diner, out of sight from the clientele and
staff.
“To each, their own.”
Garrett grasped Oliver’s hips and
yanked him against him. He held him there and soaked up the heat from Oliver’s
body. The corner of his mouth quirked in a small smile.
“So, am I going to have to beg you
to kiss me again?”
Oliver ran his thumb over Garrett’s
lower lip. He swallowed, the muscles in his throat moving. “Garrett. Be sure
you want this. Don’t lead me on then tell me to stop.”
“I came for this, Oliver.”
Something dark and unsettled
sparked in Oliver’s eyes. “Don’t get too attached to me, either, boy.”
“I’m horny. I want to fuck you, not
marry you.”
Oliver leaned in, his breath warm
on Garrett’s moist lips. In the back of his mind, Garrett registered surprise
at Oliver’s reticence but he’d ponder it later. He shifted forward and touched
his lips to Oliver’s.
Need burst through him, a siren
song in his blood that built as Oliver’s tongue licked into his in a bold
stroke. The larger man pressed his body to the sun-warmed bricks, pinning him,
his pelvis grinding against Garrett’s in a mock taking. Garrett thrust his
tongue into the heat of Oliver’s mouth. Back and forth they tested, well
matched, as the world spun behind his closed eyes. Suddenly breathless, Garrett
tore his lips from Oliver’s. Oliver rested his forehead to his, breathing hard.
“You should go home, Garrett.”
Blog http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
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