When writing takes a back seat

 May 21, 2022

It's difficult to imagine I've been retired for a year! I'm actually between two anniversaries - the day I walked out the door for the last time on May 19, 2022, and the day of my retirement reception on May 22, 2022. It's been quite a year. Time has, as they say, flown by.

One of the major pillars of my retirement plan involved my writing career. I planned to set aside a block of time each day for writerly pursuits. It hasn't happened. I've been too busy. 

Now don't scoff. Take a hop over to http://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com and catch up. 

We have three beautiful acres to tend. My partner is in a wheelchair so "if it is to be, it is up to me." The responsibility for ninety-five percent of the home and garden chores is on my shoulders. I don't mind. I enjoy mowing, splitting wood, and other outdoorsy pursuits, but they do keep me from writing and blogging. I've been busy getting my little container garden planted, fertilized, and watered this time of year. 

The spousal unit has "suggested" that I need to cease the attempt to complete every chore in just one day. He may be correct, but there is a lot to do and I prefer to do it before the heat of summer forces me inside. I know better than to do yardwork when the temperature gets above eighty degrees Fahrenheit. His heart may be in the right place, but I doubt it. He wants me to spend my days waiting on being with him and doing his projects. 

I find myself doubting I have the discipline needed to get back to writing every day. Can I really set a cut-off time on my chores and come to the computer and write? Will I be able to concentrate on a story when there are chores left undone, or worse, only half done? 

This retirement thing isn't quite what I thought it would be. Only half of my vision is in focus and I'm floundering. How do I bring clarity to the part of the plan that is writing? 

I knew the first year of "retirement" would be transitional. I just didn't know it would be so hard on something I love so much.

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

 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, a writer's life, contemporary romance, LGBT gay romance, m/m romance, writing, blogging, country lifestyle, rural living, romance books for Kindle, handicapped spouse, retirement woes

What do readers really want?

 

May 13, 2023

What do readers really want in a story? It's one of those "magic bullet" questions to which, if we knew the answer, we could deliver the perfect story. I've been writing for over twenty years and I still don't have a proper response. 

It's raining today. I spent half a cup of coffee gazing out the window into the woods watching a single deer move silently through the trees, carefully choosing each delicate hoof fall on its journey to a place it knows may be dryer. The woods are so very green this season, and the fawn-brown deer stood out against the foliage. The rain is more of a mist, and it blurs the vision, softening the appearance of everything in sight. Do readers want to know this? 

The heat pump sits just outside one of the sunroom windows. The fan came on and the water droplets on the top grillwork came to life, dancing and swirling before flying away to seek the wet ground. Do readers want to know this? 

It's begun to rain harder now, bringing myriad sounds to intrude into the clicking of my keyboard. There is the steady beat on the roof and an equally steady drip as water runs into the gutter and downspout. Do readers want to know this? 

Or as one of my colleagues has suggested, do readers only want to visualize naked bodies straining toward a joint peak and use the writer's imagination as to the sounds of their lovemaking? 

Writing to please only other readers, and I say 'other readers' because I am the first reader of my story, or writing to a particular market as it can be called, can be a recipe for disaster. The writer attempts to become a psychic, a mind reader, to please what they hope will be a huge readership and reap those rewards. 

I've never been very successful at mind-reading. It's not part of my skill set. I plod along in the dark, never knowing if a story will turn out the way someone else will like. Did Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell expect their stories would become literary classics? 

Probably not when they first sat down to write those stories. Whether they started with a mere kernel of an idea or the entire story came to them as dawn broke, there was no way for them to anticipate the impact of their words. They simply told their story the way it should be told. 

It has occurred to me that's the way it's supposed to be and I would do better to emulate them. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, writers on writing, gay romance novels, LGBTQ romance, m/m romance, a writer's life, rainy days, bestselling authors, Kindle romance novels

Life happens but never at a steady speed

 May 5, 2023

Life happens, you know? I've been rolling along rather well in 2023. There have been a few ups and
a few downs, but all in all forward progress has been achieved. Back in February, Devilishly Delicious Dane was published, and the current work-in-progress is moving along at the pace I anticipated. That is to say, I'm at least working on it along with everything else in life. 

I've been concentrating on some things that feed my spirit the way writing used to do. There have been so many changes in the industry that left me feeling adrift. I've been successful with my indie releases, but I do miss the camaraderie of other authors that was found at Amber Quill. Social media outlets don't provide the same level of privacy and communication. 

The 2023 gardening season is upon us. I created a plan and almost stuck to it. I have green things already growing in buckets and grow bags which makes me very happy. It feeds my soul to walk through my small garden space in the morning and look for newly sprouted seeds. Being outside in the morning light, as the sunshine filters through the trees, is magical. 

It shouldn't be a surprise to learn the current WIP features a garden. Our main characters need to have something to work on that keeps them in each other's orbit and eventually unites them in a common direction. Helping an old man with his garden is it in this story.  

Today is one of those days I want to write, but real life has its tentacles in me today. After six days of nasty rainy, cool weather, the sun is shining. I have bedding plants to get into pots, grass to mow, weedwhacking to do, and I need to restring the lights where I park my car. The lights are a bit of a priority as I'm out after dark with the dog and it's now snake season on the mountain. If I have any energy left after those chores, I need to hop on the John Deere 1023 with the Brush Crusher and go move a downed tree to the firewood processing area. I hope my partner can help, but with his health, I can't depend on it. 

Later tonight, again if I have the energy, will be the time to sit at the computer and work on the WIP. There's no point in railing against the delay in doing what I really want to do. It's counterproductive and I've lived long enough to know life happens. I need to embrace every day as it comes and search for those nuances that lead me in the proper direction, whichever way that may be.

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, a writer's life, contemporary gay romance, LGBTQ, m/m gay, erotic romance, romance novels, rural living, indie publishing, ebooks, snakes, gardening, time management, life decisions

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

Twelve years is a bit late to censor a post

April 20, 2023

Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea was first released in May 2011 at the now-defunct Amber Quill/Amber Allure publishing house. It was the third best-seller at the pub that month (brag, brag!). As one would expect, I promoted the hell out of it, posting it on every blog I had posting privileges. That was in 2011. Suddenly, in April 2023, I got a few notices from Google that the post didn't meet their "guidelines" and was under review. 

Wow. Twelve years later.

I went back and took a look at the excerpt I used for promotion and decided Google had a problem with a couple "slang" words, namely that used to describe a bit of male anatomy and a common usage word to describe giving pleasure to that part of the anatomy by mouth. I made a few changes, clicked for a second review, and the posts were once again approved. 

Wow. Twelve years. I wonder how many people saw all those posts? And I wonder what snowflake saw a post and complained. I mean, twelve years later. 

I've written about censorship before. Censorship is a danger, a threat to all of us. If a powerful company is willing to censor my poor little romance novel, what else is it willing to censor? I fully expect THIS post to go up for review.

It may sound like a good thing to keep "adult" posts behind a content warning, but it's not. It's not my responsibility to parent YOUR children. The Internet/Interweb is a marvelous place, but it's also very adult in nature. YOU need to guide your children inside it, not me or any author. 

Censorship blocks the sharing of free thinking. Free thinking is dangerous. Free thinking might have us planting a garden and growing some of our produce. Free thinking might have people reasoning out that when the nearest grocery store is an hour away, a short-range electric vehicle isn't practical. Free thinking might have some of us believe our daughter is really a biological female who will eventually choose to procreate, or not. Free thinking might have some of us believe that it's okay to accumulate enough wealth to support ourselves in retirement instead of having the State support us. Free thinking might have some of us believe that we have the right to defend ourselves under the Second Amendment.

Now, I realize that censoring my silly little post is nothing in the overall larger scheme of things, but that's the insidious nature of censorship. It starts small and chips away, chips away, chips away at all the little things until suddenly what has been lost is a big thing. 

We need to be on guard. We need to stay diligent. We need to be able to recognize how censorship attempts to shepherd us into having only one choice, and one voice. As an author, as an America, I believe in the First Amendment and the guarantee of free speech, of which writing is a form. 

Opposing views and free speech are necessary to a free people. It's a lot more important issue than slang words in a romance novel, but I recognize it as just the beginning. 

If they have eyes, let them see. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, censorship is dangerous, First Amendment rights, parental responsibilities, free-thinking, author voice, country lifestyle, rural living, romance novels, LGBTQ romance, m/m romance

All things end: Saturday Evening Romance

April 11, 2023

In September 2008, I opened a promo blog called Saturday Evening Romance. I envisioned it as a place where authors could post excerpts to promote their books. It worked, after a fashion, but it turned me into a Marshall. I posted a simple rule - don't spam the blog with more than one post a day. It's fucking amazing how many authors cannot read. 

Like everything in life, SER has run its course. Those authors with posting privileges no longer use it as a promotion tool. My friend, the late Christianne France, has quite a few posts still up but her books are no longer available. A lot of the posts are from authors who were also with Amber Quill Press, now defunct. 

Sadly, the time has come to delete the Saturday Evening Romance blog. I've pushed the button on it and it's gone.

The decision was not made lightly but it was the right thing to do. No one likes to click a link and find it no longer works. 

I'm grateful for those authors who did post there in past years and I wish those who are still writing and publishing continued success. 

Now we move on. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, a writer's life, LGBTQ romance, m/m romance, Kindle romance, blog ending, romance novels, Men of Marionville, Centerville Muscle, Sundown saga, Southern Cross, Amethyst Cove 

 

Easter 2023

April 9, 2023

To the Christian follower, today is celebrated as the day Jesus rose from the tomb signifying his triumph over death. It's a promise given but perhaps not fully understood by mere mortals. Until you get there, you can only guess. 

Easter is to me a sign of renewal. The seasons have turned and spring has established itself. My grandparent's generation, at least those I grew up knowing here in our mountain enclave, called the daffodil the "Easter flowers." This year, the daffs have been blooming for about a month already, and the late variety I have, the beautiful white Mount Hood, is showing off. Seedlings are thriving in the greenhouse and I've had the mower out to level the grass but not actually cut it to summer length. 

People denigrate churchgoers not realizing that "church" today is as much about community as it is faith.  Yes, faith is spoken and discussed but in many churches, that faith is a call to community action. Easter reminds us we can triumph over those things that seem insurmountable. 

In quiet and unassuming ways, we can respond to the modern call to "give back," knowing what some fail to acknowledge - the call to give back is ancient. We get more accomplished if we simply go about our business without stopping to thump our chests and cry out to the masses 'look at me!'. 

Easter is here, and it's a day to renew promises, especially to oneself. What those promises may be to each of us is personal, but no less important than the next person's. Easter is also a day to reflect upon and accept there are mysteries in this world bigger than we are and as simple as a bulb in the earth shooting up a beautiful white flower. Easter is here, and our hopes are renewed. 

KC/Rayne

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, Easter, mysteries, hope, renewal

Was this a call for help?

 March 30, 2023

There is an overwhelming preponderance of evidence on social media that writers are fueled by coffee. I can attest this is at least partially true. My morning routine does not vary.

I get up and let my slippered feet take me to the coffee pot, where I pop a pod in the brewer and press start. Then I shuffle to the door and step outside with Deuce so he can do his outside activities. We come back inside and my coffee is ready for a splash of creamer. Then, and only then, I turn on the computer. 

Having a morning routine is a wonderful thing for me. I like a bit of structure to start the day. It gives me a chance to settle into being awake. And yes, first thing in the morning, coffee is the "nectar of the gods."

So, why is there herbal tea in my cup? 

Every once in a while I realize I've over-caffeinated myself. It comes on with a few achy joints and tender spots. I notice my heartbeat gets a little jumpy. My bladder goes into overdrive (which is inconvenient as hell!). At that point, I will do two things: 1) stop at ONE cup of coffee or 2) switch off to tea for a day, then decaf for a day. That seems to clear the caffeine back to the level where it doesn't bother me. 

So, what's the picture about?

This morning I fixed a cup of tea and set it down on the coaster. Then I had a good laugh at myself because it looks like I'm about ready to call for help because I have tea! 

If you can't laugh at yourself, you shouldn't laugh at anyone else.

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, gay romance, LGBTQ, m/m romance, Between the Keys, coffee vs. tea, rural lifestyle, a writer's life, Amethyst Cove, Men of Marionville, morning routines, black Labrador Retriever, Deuce's Day

Creativity is essential

March 16, 2023

It might be arguable that there is more to life than writing. If we don't pay attention to life, we don't have things to write about. It's circular. 

While I've been busy writing this winter, I've become aware I need something else to do for those times when my hands have caught up to my brain and the brain has to process ideas and get ahead again. 

Read about my plan for next winter, Flying Geese, and a bit about my life over at Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway.) This is the blog where I share personal things outside of writing.  

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, Rayne Forrest, romance fiction, LGBTQ gay, a writer's life, m/m romance, Kindle, ebook romance, arts and crafts

I can, so why not?

 March 10, 2023

Did you ever have one of those days when what you should be doing is simply of no interest to you? It happens. But the thing is, there are always myriad things I need to do. I should be working on the WIP, but a few other things intruded. Things like transplanting cabbage and Brussels sprout seedlings and planting tomato seeds. That's one of the things with gardening. The plants and the weather dictate to you. 

I should have jumped on the WIP with my few gardening chores accomplished. And I did. I opened the document ... and I closed the document. It's Friday and I've been good all week. I wanted to work on something to do with the writing, so I did a little promo and reworked a couple of promo cards. 

One of the books I rarely do any promo on is Hot August Comes. I don't really know why because the book was on the Amber Quill bestseller list, the ARe bestseller list, and it got good reviews. I've always thought it was a good story, if I must say so myself. I decided now was the time to make an improvement where HAC is concerned. So I did. I think the card turned out really well. 

The other thing I want to do is a series promo for the Amethyst Cove series like I've been doing for the Men of Marionville series. Last year I set myself the task of posting a promo on every book in the MOM series, and I did that. It's snowballed on me in that I keep finding new Facebook groups to run those promos. Thank goodness I thought to create a spreadsheet! Anyway, I updated the promo card for Double Deuce. It's not a big change but a small improvement. 

There is always something to do when I put on the writer's hat. So even if I'm not physically working on the WIP, I'm letting my subconscious brain work on it. Later tonight, or maybe not until tomorrow morning, my subconscious will toss the next chapter at me and I'll get it down. I've learned to relax a bit about doing other things. It pays off in the long run. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBTQ gay, romance novels, a writer's life, promotion items, work-in-progress, Hot August Comes, Double Deuce, series romance, gardening, Between the Keys

The things that matter

 

March 4, 2023

This meme popped up in my Twitter feed and I read it and moved on. Then I went back for it. I guess the morning coffee hadn't kicked in the first time. 

Twitter is one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, most days there is a lot of crap to hop over, but little jewels like this one do exist. 

To phrase it another way, stop doing the things that don't matter (first) so you have time to do the things that do matter. 

In order to stop focusing on the things that don't matter, we must first identify them. Why are we taking out the trash instead of writing? It could be the trash truck is a mere three houses away and we'd better hurry. It could be the trash truck won't pick up until tomorrow. Prioritizing isn't easy. Overcoming our (possibly) brainwashed way of doing things isn't easy. 

As I prepared for retirement, I got a letter-sized desk calendar. It's a Day Designer that has a page for every day. The days have sections for Schedule, Today's Top Three, To-Do, and Notes, plus an inspirational saying. There are two small sections at the bottom for Tonight and for Gratitude. It's been a big help to me to be able to look at what I've done during the day and see areas I want to improve. I'm not strict enough with my time. 

I've embraced "retirement" and enjoy time spent with the Lord of the Manor doing not much of anything. He spent a lot of time alone in the last thirty years while I was at work. Setting aside what I'm working on to spend time with him when he is taking a break is something that matters to me even though it doesn't show on my desk calendar as productivity. Do I need to be a productive writer every free moment of the day?

Perhaps not, but I need to be cognizant of my use of time. It's time to use that desk calendar a little more proactively. That "Today's Top Three" block needs to be used to identify the things that matter, like time with loved ones.  

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, romance fiction, time management, organization. loved ones, a writer's life, rural living, country lifestyle, ebooks

Now available! Devilishly Delicious Dane

February 25, 2023

Devilishly Delicious Dane is going live! The book is uploaded and in the process of releasing on the various online booksellers/vendors I use. It's already up at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  The webpage is live at https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/devilishly-delicious-dane-by-kc.html. 

This is a light, almost angst-free story with a happy ending (HEA). I knew at the offset it would be a happy little story. How can a story have a guy who has a donut truck be sad? I'm happy to have it finished and out the door because for the first time in several years, I have a raft of story ideas to develop. Retirement has reenergized my zest for writing! 

Here's a bit about Devilishly Delicious Dane.

Enjoy!

KC

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

Devilishly Delicious Dane by KC Kendricks
Contemporary romance (LGBT gay)
 
Landon Martin spots a guy standing in the street, handing out donuts with a big smile on his face. Intrigued, he stalks the fellow back to his donut truck. Lucky for him, the man with the big smile and the sun-created halo had spotted him, too.

Dane Dawson is new in town but he’s making a name for himself with Devilishly Delicious Donuts. While handing out samples at the Oakton spring street fair, it’s his good luck that the sexy man he spotted follows him back to the food truck.

Donuts lead to dinner, and more, but when Landon overhears a bit of gossip, he has to step back and discover if devilishly delicious Dane deserves his halo. 

 Devilishly Delicious Dane is a light, almost angst-free read with a happy ending. 

DEVILISHLY DELICIOUS DANE is available at:

Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWSG6PYL

Amazon UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BWSG6PYL

Amazon CA:  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BWSG6PYL

Amazon AU:  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BWSG6PYL

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143110760

iTunes/Apple:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445866530

Rakuten/Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/devilishly-delicious-dane

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1352154

Universal link to additional online vendors/booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/31Q1ar

To read an excerpt, click here. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, Delicious Dane, donuts, LGBTQ gay romance relationships, Between the Keys romance

Fun with Facebook

February 19, 2023

Fun with Facebook. That's not what I've been having.

I knew one of the things I'd have to get better at after I retired is promotion. It's a cold, hard fact that a writer's best PR person is them. No one cares about your work the way you do. No one. To that end, I steeled myself to go to Facebook and join a few groups. I don't have a clue how many I'm in, but I've found posting a promo in a group with PROMO in the name is not as straightforward as one would believe. 

Several months ago I admitted to keeping a spreadsheet that helps me to not post in the same group several days in a row. The spreadsheet also helps me to spread out the books. I really do want to show a little intelligence, and respect, as I go about promo posting. 

The spreadsheet has evolved over the past few weeks. It started out as one worksheet with everything on it in alphabetical order. Now it has six
worksheets: FB promo, MM only promo, Reviewed always, Paranormal/Sci-fi, a special sheet for those pesky Buy & Sell tabbed groups, and one for all the groups I've abandoned for reasons of spam. So why split them up like this?

Some groups always review my posts. I find that annoying so I only go there when the regular groups and the m/m groups have been visited. Some days I just don't have the time for making the notations I need to make because I record how long it takes the group admins to release my posts. I do this in case I determine a group needs to get transferred to the "abandoned" sheet and written off as far as I'm concerned. And then there is Facebook itself. Sometimes a post goes to "pending" for reasons that are unclear. Generally, if I delete the original post, and then re-post the same promo, it will go right to being published. This takes time. 

Then there are the groups that say they won't tolerate any spam and that's all that is posted. Those groups get moved to the "abandoned" worksheet rather quickly. It's a bit of a shame. These groups also waste a writer's time. 

I'll continue to allot time to do promotions but I'll also continue to tweak my process to use my time wisely. Wasting time makes me curse. No joke. It's pretty bad when I mention I'm going to go "have fun with Facebook" and the man of the house takes the dog and they go hide in the shed. 

Just saying. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, Facebook, promotions, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT GLBT, time management, a writer's life

The final read-thru: Devilishly Delicious Dane

February 18, 2023

This week is almost over! Yea! Seriously, it's been a week. We bought a new washer and dryer, the installation of which turned into a circus. The drain hose that came with the washer was too short to reach the standpipe. The installers refused to simply use the hose that had been on the old washer. We went to the home improvement store and purchased a hose. I put it on. It popped off. Rinse and repeat. Finally, the brother-in-law was summoned and he put it on. He and I tested it and it seems fine. I'll find out later today when I finally use the new washer. 

I can't speak for anyone else, but I can't focus on writing when there is some sort of upheaval in my life. Now that the washer is [hopefully] settled, I can get down to business and do the final read-thru of Devilishly Delicious Dane. 

Most of the finalizing is in place. The front and end material are added except for a bonus read at the end. I haven't made up my mind about what that should be. A good move would be to include the first chapter of the first book of one of the series I have - but which one? The Men of Marionville is always a good bet, but so are Amethyst Cove, Centerville Muscle, and Southern Cross. I could do the first chapter of The Back Stairs, but the Sundown saga is technically paranormal or urban legend, whichever you prefer to call a shapeshifter. It's a writer's dilemma, for sure. 

What I need to do today, hopefully while the washer is washing, is check for continuity. I just read a book where the characters suddenly switched body types. It started out that Man A was sort of fluffy, in chapter six, Man B was suddenly the fluffy one. It's not good to miss something like that. Dane has brown eyes and I want to keep it that way! 

But coffee first. Deuce had me up early this morning and a quick peek out the window told me why. Fifteen deer in the front yard. The poor dog didn't know which way to go when they saw him and split up. 

Yep. Time for coffee.

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, m/m gay romance, LGBT, GLBT, donuts, Devilishly Delicious Dane, food trucks, coffee, a writer's life, writing, editing, 

Coming soon! Devilishly Delicious Dane!

 

February 15, 2023

I typed THE END!! 

I'm very happy to say that the draft of Devilishly Delicious Dane is complete! Now comes the editing part, better known as the part where I second-guess myself over everything.

Devilishly Delicious Dane is a light read. It's two guys meeting and while our hero has a bit of self-doubt, they cannot help but be together. There is also some very adult sex in there. That's your warning. I'm not censoring any of it. Keep your own kids from reading it because that's your job. 

With any luck and a lot of editing, Devilishly Delicious Dane will be available on or near March 1, 2023. 

Now it's on to two projects I've been mulling over for a long time. More on those later, I promise! 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, m/m romance, LGBTQ+, romance novels, mature readers, ebooks, Kindle readers, donuts, HEA