"And so, it begins"

May 23, 2022

"And so, it begins." - Kosh, resident Vorlon at Babylon 5

At the risk of pushing a few of you over the edge with my retirement obsession - I'M RETIRED!!!

Yes, the day finally arrived. My employer, or should I say ex-employer, held a reception for me yesterday afternoon and it was quite nice. Lots of people, past and present, showed up to give me a send-off into what we call retirement. I came home and "crashed" like an old woman and had a nice nap in the recliner. 

That is not going to be my life. 

I blogged a bit about this over at Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway), but that was about life in general. Here at Between the Keys, which is supposed to be more about my writing, I have different things to say. 

My writing has been on a bit of a hiatus. The last several years brought big changes to my life. My stepfather died and my mother had to be placed in a total care facility. My friend and writing partner died. My husband had several major surgeries. Covid-19 hit and I needed to be more present at the day job by working from home. The effect on my life was a perfect storm. 

But you know what? I've made it through. I don't expect that picking up the threads of my writing career and weaving them back together is going to be easy. I have to develop a structure for my days that includes taking care of the spousal unit, home chores, writing time, and time to nurture myself. I've thought about it a lot, but now I need to see if the plan works and what changes the plan may need. 

Twenty years ago, I was writing The Skies of Mahdis. That story has been out of print for some time, but the absolute joy I found in the creation of that story has never wavered. Will I be able to once again work in that atmosphere of joy? Will I be able to embrace each new story in the spirit of joy and hope that we all get our happy ending? 

All those years ago the group of writers I was involved in (where did they all go?) had a saying: BICAW. That's "butt in chair and write." That is indeed what has to happen. I need to tune out all the chatter of life here in The Hideaway and write. It has to be a priority, or it won't work. 

It all boils down to how willing am I to work hard to regain momentum. Am I really going to be able to do it? I guess I'm about to find out.

Yes, I'm now retired. Let the real work begin!

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, Holly Tree Manor, retirement, writing career, contemporary gay romance, M/M fiction, Babylon 5 quote, a writer's life, life changes, setting priorities

Bittersweet hours

My home office and my "staff" 
already lying down on the job

May 19, 2022

Bittersweet. One word to encompass the last twenty-two years of my working life. 

Today, I walked out of my day job office for the last time. It's no longer "my" office, but belongs to a capable young woman named Allyson. I've left it in good hands. 

The plan was for tomorrow to be my last day, but the CEO won't be in tomorrow and so we had our last conversation. I wasn't sure about this woman in the beginning, but I watched her acclimate and grow in the position. Now I think she's probably the best "boss" I've had at this facility. I find that I will miss the morning chats that we called staff meetings. 

And so today became the day I've worked toward and waited on for so long. Today I'm retired.

I'm no longer sure what that means. 

What if I don't feel like doing some of the things I thought I'd want to do? Hmmm. That's a thought, isn't it? 

I'm going to go easy on myself for the next few weeks. I expect to be full of conflicting emotions and ideas. It's going to take some time to adjust to my perpetual vacation. 

I think a spreadsheet may be in order to help me organize the various projects I want to undertake. Just think of all the colorful blocks when I complete something and instead of crossing it off or deleting it, I fill the cell with bright colors! Now that sounds like a plan to plan the plan!

Leaving the day job is bittersweet, but working until I drop dead was never an option for me. The next few weeks will sort themselves out and all will be well. I'll get my project list underway and figure out who I will be in my time of retirement. 

And that's the most daunting task of all. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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

I need to buy a guy

May 8, 2022

This past weekend was a washout. Yes, it rained for three days straight. That gave me the opportunity to catch up on a few things, such as making a cover for the as-yet-untitled work in progress. I didn't get too far because the background took hours. I hope it doesn't look like it, but I need five different photos to finally come up with something I liked. The sad part is that when I finally go and buy a cover guy, he's going to cover a good portion of it. 

This story is a sequel to Ride Your Luck, so I knew I wanted a hint of the same sky that's on the RYL cover. But I didn't want it to be the same color palette. Yes, I'm picky sometimes. 

I love sunset and autumnal colors so I had a few sunset photos in the files. The story takes place on a ranch so I wanted a barn. Let's not forget the mounted cowboy but not the same one as on the Ride Your Luck cover. 

Layering the photos together was good practice. It's been a while since I made a cover and it's a good skill to have and keep sharp. 

Now I need to go shopping for a man...er... a cover model. I do wonder how badly inflation has hit the stock photos sites. Everyone is jumping on the raise-the-price bandwagon these days.

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, Ride Your Luck, gay cowboys, m/m romance, book covers, book titles, LGBTQ gay romance, story sequels, skill sets

All I need to do is to remember to do it

May 4, 2022

With only ten more working days until "retirement," I've been thinking about better ways to connect to social media. "Retirement" doesn't mean idleness, at least to me. It's the time to refocus on filling my days with those things that bring fulfilment, and that means wearing my writer's hat. 

I write a lot of different things. Books or blogs, it's all writing. I just need to remember to share it! 

To that end, here's a reminder that I blog about our life at the "manor" on a regular basis. One of my goals is to share those links for those who are interested. 

A recent post at Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway) was about the arrival of warm weather and some small preparations that are underway.

 https://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com/2022/04/finally-warm-weather-means-outside-work.html

Another bit of writing I do is at the blog, Deuce's Day. Deuce is our black Lab, and his blog tells his story through his eyes. We think Deuce is special and we want to remember and share his life. 

So, that's it. Connect and share.  I hope you'll join with me as I step into "retirement."

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

 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

If it smells like censorship...

 

April 9, 2022

And a good spring morning to all! Deuce and I were up early this morning, awoken, I'm guessing, by the rain. Or more precisely, the sump pump starting to work because of all the rain. We can hear the pump if the house is quiet. I don't mind because it assures me the basement is staying dry. Managing the basement is one of the annoying things about country living, but there's nothing like owning your own house and property and being your own boss of it. 

But homeownership isn't what's on my mind this morning. Because my focus and energy is on getting all my ducks in a row to retire, writing prose has been put on the back burner. I decided that instead of worrying about that, I'd do some promo through social media, primarily the Facebook groups. 

Well..........   ...   ...

I've never made a concerted effort to promo an entire series before, but I'm working on the Men of Marionville. That's twelve stories. Yesterday, I was at my job office just hanging out while my replacement did all the work, so I opened my laptop and posted some promo. Facebook shut me down, locking me out of my account.

I was not pleased. 

Admittedly, it didn't take much to click my way through the unlock process and be up and running again. Did it annoy the fuck out of me? Yep. 

I understand the need for the various social media platforms to be on the watch for nefarious activities, but now I wonder if someone somewhere clicked a little button to try to censor my post about a book. And that's one of the things I just don't get about people. 

There's an old joke about how you can tell the difference between a Republican and a Democrat simply by watching television. Let's say there's a new TV show that is designed to be offensive. A Democrat will go to war to stop it from being aired believing no one should see it, but a Republican will allow First Amendment rights and so just change the channel. 

(Remember Tipper Gore and her crusade to ban some songs over their lyrics? Google it. I rest my case.)

The point of that is some people are willing to allow others to live and let live, and some are not. Some people are willing to allow your point of view to be heard. They'll just change the channel and listen to something else while others will do everything in their power to silence you. 

My books are hardly subversive. I write about people falling in love and embarking on a journey together. I don't voice my opinions anywhere but here at Between the Keys, and I keep my political leanings to a minimum. I'm not all "this way" or "that way" as I think each issue needs to be considered on its own. 

I'm disturbed by the new little downvote button Twitter has. If you don't like what a person is posting you can vote them down and eventually, the algorithm will bury their voice. Just remember they can do that to you. Why not just change the channel for a little while?

Censorship is not healthy. Twisting, and yes, masking the truth is dangerous. Lies are being told every day and only by being able to listen to multiple sources are we common folk able to ferret them out and learn what is true. Censorship is proof positive there is an agenda at work, and anyone or anything that embraces it is suspect. 

As a society of free people, and still free thinkers, we need to protect the right of everyone to voice an opinion, even if we do not agree. The rabble-rousers are winning in their efforts to set We The People at odds with each other. The less each and every one of us is allowed to hear all the voices of all sides, the more those censoring us win. 

Which, of course, means we're all losing. Think about where we could end up before you press that dislike or downvote button. Just change the channel instead. 

  _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Memories: The A to Z Blogging Challenge

April 4, 2022

It occurred to me this morning that it was April and I never checked out the A-Z Blogging Challenge page. I did the A-Z for six years, from 2011 to 2016, and it was fun - for the first five years, anyway. I don't remember what it was in 2016 that made me decide that was my last year, and it hardly matters now. 

The A-Z is currently underway, so given that I donated so much time to it in the past, I thought I'd jump on its bandwagon and post links back to the beginning of those previous years. It will be a nice stroll down memory lane for me this morning. 

_*_*_*_

2011 A-Z Blogging Challenge. I forgot I shared my A-Z calendars! I heard about the challenge at the eleventh hour and blundered forward with it. And it worked out fine!                             https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2011/03/gearing-up-for-a-z-blogging-challenge.html

2012 A-Z Blogging Challenge. Again, I shared my calendar to get it going. And I hadn't yet gotten on the fact that someone had made alphabet blocks for each day. That came later. 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2012/03/2012-to-z-blogging-challage-kick-off.html

2013 A-Z Blogging Challenge. My 2013 challenge had a theme: All About the Books. Once again, I did a calendar and A Hard Habit to Break was my "A." I'd finally discovered the alphabet blocks at this point. 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2013/03/welcome-to-2013-to-z-blogging-challenge.html

2014 A-Z Blogging Challenge. In 2014 the mere blocks were green and I used that color on my calendar. I don't know if I did that on purpose for a tie-in or if it was mere serendipity. My theme in 2014 was "A Rural Life," and I shared bits about living in far out in the country on the side of a mountain.
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2014/03/readysetgo-2014-z-blog-challenge-begins.html

2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge. My theme was "Many Sundry Things," and the blogs were all over the board. Someone at the challenge headquarters did a calendar, and while I had my own, I didn't post it. 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2015/03/ready-set-go-2015-to-z-blogging.html

2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge. My theme was, "It's All About Time." Apparently, time management was on my mind at that point in my life. Amber Quill had just closed and I needed to self-pub a lot of books, we'd had a blizzard, my mother had surgery, my best friend moved away, and I'd just gotten an eight-week-old puppy - Deuce! And to top it all off, I'd had the hair-brained idea that my alter-ego, Rayne Forrest, should also do the A-Z. 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-is-for-analyze-your-time-2016-to-z.html

https://twentysixkeys.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-is-for-always-be-true-to-yourself.html

2017 A-Z Blogging Challenge. My walk down memory lane has jogged my memory. Something in the format was changed in 2017 and I bowed out. 

So there it is. My history as part of April's A-Z Blogging Challenge. I hope you'll enjoy the old posts if you decide to go back and read them. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Men of Marionville promo goals

 

April 3, 2022

Setting goals is a good way to self-motivate, so I set one for myself. I will promo the entire Men of Marionville collection in the Facebook groups I belong to over the next few weeks. I've never done that but it feels like the time to be intentional about it. 

Promo has always been hit or miss for me. One takes the time to do it, but it's difficult to say if the results are immediately positive. Sales spikes do happen, but often it is a week or two after the promo is posted. It's a crazy business. 

I enjoyed writing the Men of Marionville, and I'd like to revisit it someday. Marionville is not that far from Centerville, and maybe I should take a trip back there, too. Hot guys and fast American-made muscle cars. What's not to like? 

Now I'm off to Facebook to execute my plan. I'll do that for a space of time, and switch off to work on other projects. I can only stand doing so much promo in one day before my brain shuts off. 

  _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Waiting, waiting, waiting

March 28, 2022

If parting is sweet sorrow, waiting is sweet torture. My "official" retirement date is now May 22, 2022. That's the day of my retirement "party," and you know I won't go back to my old work office after that. <deep breath>

The little counter on my phone tells me there are eight weeks, forty more weekdays. I don't work on Mondays, so that is thirty-two workdays. I swear it feels like forever. <deep breath>

I deliberately stepped back from writing so I could concentrate on the myriad details there are to beginning retirement, and there are many. Health insurance, pension plans, investment plans, and being March, filing taxes. Top all that off with training my "replacement" and I've been rather busy. I never suspected training someone would be so exhausting, and this young woman is a smart one. I can't imagine what it would be like if she weren't. 

My plan was to hold off writing until June, but that went out the window this morning. It may be the end of March, but it's cold outside. The things I wanted to do to start to prep for my veggie garden won't happen in the midst of snow squalls. Call me a wimp if you like. 

So what did I do? I banged out chapter eight of the work-in-progress and it felt SO GOOD!!!! I really need to get the cover worked out but I'm on sabbatical. Right? 

Maybe not. Things happen in their own sweet time. Who am I to fight it?

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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

Closer every day

 

March 6, 2022

Did you know that every day and everyday mean different things? Every day, with a space, is each day. Everyday is something we use every day. That is to say, a spoon is an everyday item. Everyday is an adjective - it describes an object. Every day is an adverbial phrase. And so goes today's lesson. 

I'm rapidly closing in on my retirement date of May 31, 2022. I've filled out forms, made phone calls, crunched numbers, and worried about training my "replacement." (She starts Tuesday.) As I proofed an article written by the current CEO, I came across her misuse of everyday - AGAIN. College and business school educated and her misuse of words is astounding. I won't miss that part of the job at all. 

And it's not that my grammar is perfect because it's not. It's simply that with all her higher education, she's not on my level. Is our education system at the core of the dumbing down of the United States? Could be.

With only a maximum of forty-two working days left in my career, I'm getting antsy. To make matters worse so is the spousal unit. I'm excited to be able to spend time writing, gardening, walking with Deuce, and maybe even spending time with the spouse. He's worried - like scared worried - that the new girl won't work out and they'll convince me to stay on. NOT HAPPENING. 

The urge to start writing again is niggling at me. I want to finish the WIP and jump straight to something else, but I know I need to wait. The next few weeks will be full of upheaval and I need to ride it out. Any writing I do would likely suffer. I'm not one-hundred perfect sure that would be the case but close enough that I'll force myself to concentrate on other projects. 

Forty-two days remain in my working career. It's a scary-wonderful thing. In effect, I'm starting over. My time will be my own. I began working on July 17, 1973. That's a long time to be employed. Will being retired match my vision of being retired? 

Being able to figure that out is getting closer every day. 

_*_*_*_*_

 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

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

Chapter 7 is in the can

 February 20, 2022

I remember back in the days of my writing youth when I could pound out a chapter a day. Honest. I could do that. I'm no less talented and/or capable now, so what the heck is my problem?

This past week, I've been chatting via email with my buddy Brenda Williamson. We've been friends since the Whiskey Creek days, back in the mid-nineties. It's always good to touch base with her, as she's my southern connection. She sent me a copy of her most recent work and I'm about to load it on the Kindle and give it a read. 

Chatting with Brenda has given me a bit of inspiration. I've finished chapter seven of the sequel to Ride Your Luck. It's time for the romance to launch! That's always a good spot in the writing of a story. 

If it were the old days, I could finish it before the end of February. IF it were the old days. Now I hate to even guess when it may be finished. 

But things are looking up! At the day job, my replacement has been hired and her start date is March 8. The chair of the board has informed me I'll be paid full salary and benefits through May 31, even if she doesn't need me to go to the office every day. That is beyond generous! I look at it as a reward for my twenty-two years of service. 

Just knowing that they think highly of me has boosted my morale. I'm going to miss my co-workers even as I'm eager to embrace being "retired." I questioned whether or not I should continue to write and I'm coming around to believing the answer is YES. 

I have stories still to tell. I'll get there. 

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

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

What fun! A writer's flowchart

February 5, 2022

I sat down to write this blog and immediately needed, yes needed, a cup of tea. It continues to be cold here in western Maryland. Deuce is suffering a bad case of canine boredom. I certainly feel his pain. 

Saturday mornings can be a bit slow when it's this cold. It's become our habit to stay in bed a bit longer and once up, slurp coffee in silence. It's a much different routine than in past years. But once I make it to my computer, the routine doesn't vary too much. Check email, scan the headlines (and mutter), check social media, and then get down to the business of writing. Warm weather will bring different routines but as I'm at long last on the verge of retirement, I'm not sure what they will be. 

Today, Twitter coughed up a Writer's Flowchart that I quickly snagged for a closer read. It's actually quite good and not the "funny" I first thought it might be. It asks good questions and leads the writer down some thought-provoking avenues. Is my character at fault? In the current WIP, neither of the MCs are at fault for the circumstances that brought them together. At least, not yet. This flowchart has me toying with an idea of altered circumstances that would make something Character A's fault, yet not his deliberate fault. 

As a writer, I'm never so experienced that I can't learn, or re-learn, some of the basics. It's easy to forget a few things given the preponderance of information and "how-to" articles one can find on the web. I think the amazing thing is how sometimes these little tidbits come to us at the exact moment we need them to. When that happens, we need to take them under advisement. 

Cold or not, I've got to take my poor dog for a short walk. I won't be able to settle down to the WIP until I do. The bracing air will do us both a lot of good and I'll certainly appreciate a quietly sleeping dog as I get on with my day. 

  _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

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Kindle rank manipulation?

January 30, 2022

Being a subscriber to various industry newsletters is not good for my blood pressure. This morning, there was a post from Creative Indie about Amazon going to war with indie authors. That's nothing new. Amazon opened the floodgates for indies but doesn't aid them. It's all about long-tail selling, which is to sell a little of a lot of everything to make money. Of course, Amazon is not opposed to the big sellers at all, hence the ranking manipulation in favor of big sellers, the theory being that they will sell more and more and more. 

I know Amazon buries some people. I'm one of them. I'm so far buried in Amazon's ranking system that I'm thinking of going exclusively to iTunes where most of my books are sold. I know that my upcoming release will go to iTunes first, then B&N, then Rakuten/KOBO, and then to other online vendors. It may not go to Amazon at all. Why bother? 

Several of the newsletters I receive suggest that it's the fault of the author when he/she doesn't outwit Amazon's ranking system. If I go to Amazon and run a search on "KC Kendricks," why do other authors turn up in my search results? There will be five or six of my books - out of about sixty - and then books from others. Have these other authors put my name in their keywords and that's why their books show on my "specific" search? I don't think so. This is all Amazon's doing. 

And yet, these newsletters always suggest it is the author's fault.  Is it discouraging? Of course, it is. 

I've tried any number of things to improve "my product," but the truth is none of these things that are constantly suggested in these newsletters can manipulate Amazon into giving "my product" fair representation. 

The option of pulling my books from Amazon is definitely food for thought. 

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 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

Battle fatigue and a singular moment

 January 22, 2022

As the Covid-19 pandemic wears on, it's difficult not to wonder what motivates people. The spousal unit and  I have gone against our belief that the vaccination wasn't tested enough and we took the shot. I've gotten the booster, but the weather has been such he's not able to leave home. Winter weather is not the friend of the handicapped.  

The county we live in, according to the 2020 Census, has a population of 154,705. According to the county's website this morning, of these residents, only 53% (80,833) are fully vaccinated with another 5% having at least one shot. The positivity rate of those being tested stood at 28.17% as of January 20, 2022. It's a lot of numbers to absorb and process, but what does it mean to a person's real life?

RC and I have battle fatigue. The only way to escape reading and hearing about the pandemic is to shut down the computers and the televisions and never leave home. Talk of the pandemic is in and of itself pandemic. 

I needed to zip into the grocery store for a carton of eggs on my way home last night. I was back into the Colorado and had the key in the ignition when I realized I'd not put on a mask. Damn it! I had a "normal" moment and didn't realize it as it was happening!

Will this set a new precedent for me? It's doubtful. Nothing can ease the pain of grocery shopping these days. 

Recently, I've heard a lot of grief being heaped on the concept of individualism. PULL BACK ON THE REINS! Individualism founded our great country. Yet in the face of a pandemic, millions of people, of individuals just like me, have set aside their individual beliefs and acted for the Greater Good. 

There's hate tossed at "red" states as though those "red" voters are solely responsible for the pandemic. Hey, thanks for hating me! I really needed that today! And for what? I've done my part for the greater good. Stop shaming me! 

Do you know what I'd really love to do today? I'd love to go shopping for a new handbag. How girly is that? 

Wait. What? With all those germy people exhaling into my air space? I guess there's always Amazon. 

And doesn't that send the mind careening down the threads of the greedy filthy rich and conspiracy theories? 

Perhaps I'll just go read a book.

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

 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:

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Cowboys and covers

January 18, 2022

Cowboys and covers. 

Cowboys don't sell, they said. Bugger off, I replied. Not out loud, of course. Give me a little credit for that smattering of couth I possess. It surfaces from time to time. 

Cowboys. I'm in the middle of writing the sequel to Ride Your Luck. So it's taken a few years to get moving on the project. So what? We all work at our own pace and I'm slower than I used to be. 

Cowboys. I found an inspiration pix for the cover and now I wonder if my Photoshop skills are up to the task. I think it will take at least five layers to get what I want providing I can find stock photos with the proper elements. The most important element being a cowboy that strikes my fancy so I can buy him. Yes, authors buy men all the time. We're just like that. (Note to self: check how many credits you have left at iStock.)

Cover trends change rapidly, and what I'm seeing these days are pictures without any recognizable background. In fact, half the covers don't show faces either. Old wisdom said if the guy on the cover was looking straight at the reader, sales were better. I guess that's out the window. I also see a lot of fonts that are almost impossible to read. Swirly swirls and colors that seem to vanish again the other elements. A clear definition is no longer necessary. 

A moderator for a Facebook group did "accuse" me of just slapping text on a stock photo and denied my post. How idiotic. I worked for hours to create a background to put my hero on! I left that group. I can't be arsed to deal with a mini despot. Not that Facebook is the be-all and end-all of what matters, you understand. 

I think this cover is going to take a while to figure out and that's okay. So is the finished book. But I am working on both. Slowly. 

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 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