Jim Morrison was correct

 January 30, 2024

Strange days have found us
Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys

There are times when it's impossible to write. A week ago yesterday, I called for an ambulance to transport the spousal unit to the hospital. It's been downhill since then. 

I've always been annoyed when I read posts from other authors about the trials and tribulations in their lives. Oh, woe is me! This last week has me thinking about whether or not we need to overshare. I think we do not. 

No one's life is free of strife. It comes to all of us, albeit in different guises. Right now, my strife is being the type of caregiver that is in complete opposition to my personality. I lack the compassion for such activity. 

These are strange days for me. There is time to write, little capsules of time when I can escape into the world of my creation. Those moments don't last long enough. Reality intrudes, calling for me to bring a bottle of water, or a cup of coffee. And it's just enough to kill the joy of writing. 

Will these days pass? I pray they do, but I see no end in sight. Should I give up writing to care for someone who refuses to agree with me on even the smallest point? I was sick last night but even that didn't generate a respite. I went to bed early but kept being disturbed by demands. And I repeat - I was sick. Should I happily care for someone who cares so little for me? 

Perhaps my writing should take a different turn. Maybe I should reach out to everyone who finds themselves in a like circumstance and tell them it's okay to be angry and frustrated that strange days have tracked us down. It could be that my words will help another whose days are stranger than mine. 

One way or another, my strange days will pass. I'll get through them and be better equipped for the next bit of strangeness that comes my way. Experience tells me this. 

My days of having the spousal unit at home with me are numbered. Sooner or later he will need to go into a care facility and, whether he likes it or not, it will be before I'm worn out from caring for him. That's the real danger in being a caregiver. You can give too much of yourself away and then you need care. I've seen it happen and I recognize it as a pitfall to avoid. I will avoid it because love includes self-love, and sometimes that has to come first. 

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

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

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, self-love, caregivers, contemporary gay romance, LGBT gay fiction, romance fiction for Kindle, rural living, a writer's life, 

What have you missed?

January 25, 2024

"We are like books. Most people only see our cover, the minority read only the introduction, many people believe the critics. Few will ever know our content." - found on X 

The Accidental Writer Podcast

January 15, 2024

One of the things on my mind at the end of 2023 was whether or not to start making more videos and maybe even a podcast. You know the old saying of nothing ventured, nothing gained? I decided it applied to this and I made a podcast video. Or is it a video podcast? It's a start, that's what it is. 

Is it a good start? I can't say.

Was it worth doing? I can't say.

Will anyone view it? I can't say.

Did I, at the very least, learn something? Yep. 

My computer came with a basic movie maker program. It didn't take much to pull out some photos and string them together with a few new .jpgs that I made into a presentable video. The voice-over was more difficult. I had to order a microphone and a headset. No problem. Big A delivered them to my door. But getting the timing to work out? Problem. I missed the ending by about five seconds, but I don't think it matters much on the last screen. 

I called this first video podcast The Accidental Writer, and it's an introduction of sorts to KC Kendricks. It's basic information that if you've been a regular reader here at the blog, you know. But while blogging is not a thing of the past, more and more people would rather watch a video or listen to a podcast. I do think that fifty years from now, reading will be a thing of the past except for the educated few. 

If you'd like to watch my first endeavor into the world of the podcast, it can be viewed below. It's free, and my YouTube channel isn't monetized so there aren't any ads (I don't think). 

If you would, please subscribe to the channel. I'd like to grow it to the point where I can monetize it. I need to keep my dog in kibble. 

What podcast may come next? I have a list of things I can talk about, but I think the next one will focus on a book. Or maybe one of the series. I haven't decided which way to go on that one. More personal ramblings comparable to The Accidental Writer will happen but they'll be spaced out. 

Thanks for stopping by the blog, and I hope you enjoy The Accidental Writer.  

 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

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

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, LGBT gay romance, Kindle romance, YouTube, podcasts, m/m romance, Between the Keys, new ventures, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, social media, book promotion

So that's what it's called: Bullet journal

January 8, 2024

Of course, I'm going to do it my way.

Last night, I learned that my style of keeping a daily calendar/to-do list/activity log is called bullet journaling. Who knew? I've been doing it for years and I called it...Heck. I didn't call it anything. It's just my daily calendar. 

I don't buy a notebook full of blank pages to customize. I purchase a [very expensive] Day Planner. It has monthly dividers with the month at a glance, a page for monthly notes, and it has a page for every day of the year. The day pages are divided into sections: hourly, to-do, top three important things of the day,  notes, and reflections/gratitude. There is a section in the front that could easily be used as an index, which I didn't think to do, but I may incorporate it. 

Being retired, I don't have a lot of pre-scheduled appointments. The hourly section is my record of what I did that day, time approximate. I staple appointment cards to the page, and screen caps of the ten day forecast get added from time to time. I do record the temperature every morning when I first sit at my desk. I'm always curious to see what the weather was a year ago, or even several years ago. 

After watching Sandi Brock (Sheepishly Me on YouTube) talk about her bullet journal, I looked up what it was. There are a lot of pages devoted to it and the creativity is impressive, but I'm not going to reinvent the wheel since I found a pre-printed day planner that works for me. 

I find it interesting when I discover I'm doing something that falls in place with the rest of the world and I didn't know the rest of the world had a name for it. There is so much going on outside my four walls and having made my choice to write, I don't have time to discover even a fraction of it! 

Am I missing out? Maybe a little. 

Chapter 9 is waiting. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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:

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

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT gay, Kindle books, bullet journal, a writer's life, rural living, learning,

The 2023 Retrospective

 January 2, 2024

Another year has passed. My grandmother used to say that the older you get, the faster time goes. I didn't understand it as a girl, but I sure get it now.

Some days I feel like I'm in a holding pattern, or worse, traveling in circles. The changing of the seasons, the repeating calendar, and the mundane nature of daily living, while reassuring, are hardly exciting. And yet we continue on. 

The Year of our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Three didn't hold many surprises for me. I settled more deeply into the phase of existence we call retirement. It wasn't without its perils but none couldn't be overcome. In truth, they were minor.

January 2023

I decided to update the covers for the Southern Cross series. They were pretty good, but I wanted to add a banner to each cover and create a cover collage for the overview page. I took another look at Patreon and I don't think it's for me. An old Rayne Forrest book, Step Into Tomorrow, got a new cover and a new launch since it had been off the list for a few years.

February 2023

I created a promo card for Shine A Light. I don't know why I didn't do this before, but I have it now. I finished Devilishly Delicious Dane and pushed the button to publish it. Unfortunately, I unpublished it later in the year to work on it a bit more after I had a "why didn't I think of that before" moment. February 25 marked the 40th anniversary of my first home burning, a life-altering event to be sure.

March 2023

March was a "down" month on the writing front and a busy month on the home and garden front. Seeds were planted and sprouted, cookies were baked, and time was spent watching it rain. A writing project I long wanted to do was begun - Sumner's Garden.

April 2023

April brought the closing of Saturday Evening Romance. I started that blog over ten years ago as an open promo blog for writers but it never really took off. Too many authors abused it by "spam" posting day in and day out. Blogger censored a post about Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea, which made no sense at all. They restored it without any hassle. 

May 2023

The garden was planted in May and immediately began to thrive. Time to work on Sumner's Garden became limited as the outdoor chores took over. Tending several acres of trees is a never-ending task and the winter clean-up was massive this year. 

June 2023

I began to hear more and more about AI (artificial intelligence) and its impact on writing. It feels fake to me and I decided it wasn't for me. I don't care if it takes me several months to complete a manuscript. I want the words to be my own. I looked into resurrecting a newsletter but June was not the time. The Lord of the Manor put his rusty mechanic skills to good use by swapping out the old motor on the log splitter to one that starts with a key. I am grateful. The tomatoes produced blossoms.

July 2023

Work on Sumner's Garden went well. I got the cover made which boosted my determination to find time to get it finished. The debate about AI heated up over AI apparently mining data from every book online with or without the author's permission. Canada was inundated with wildfires and the smoke reached some of the US's southern states. We had weeks of hazy days and could smell the smoke. There were days we only went outside to see to Deuce's needs. 

August 2023

August is harvest time. I was pleased with my garden. I put together a limited edition of Shining Victory and No One But You, the story of Levi and Stacy. It was only available until December 31, 2023, and it will be a long time until the limited edition is available again, if ever. 

September 2023

Sometimes you make a choice you don't like and so it was in September. I pulled the plug on my .com website. It started out on Yahoo, which I liked, then transferred to a different company, got transferred again and again and again until Verizon ended up with it, and that I hated. The software became unworkable, so I let it go. I still own the domain, though. I also passed a milestone at Between the Keys with blog number 1200. The garden finished and I moved on to wood-cutting season.

October 2023

The tree trimmers came and took down a huge leaning maple leaving tree carnage in the west forty in their wake. The Lord of the Manor had doctor appointments which took precedence. I ended up going back to work for eight weeks while my protégée was on maternity leave - and then she got Covid. I'd only planned for a six-week stint, but it all worked out. She's fine. 

November 2023

Finally! After struggling with the cover blurb for Sumner's Garden, I got it worked out. I pushed the button on Sumner's Garden and it went live on the nineteenth. We enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal for two. It's amazing that after almost thirty years we still like each other. 

December 2023

A new story is in the works and I have an idea for the one after that. Maybe two. Time will tell. I surprised myself and got the cover finished, so that's one less thing to worry about down the road. The lack of a .com website still concerns me, and I may have to resort to hiring someone to set up a generic site and explaining it to me. It used to be so simple and I think it's been made more difficult so we do need to hire help. We'll have to see where that goes. 

_*_*_

There you have it - my 2023 retrospective. I didn't meet all my goals in 2023, and that doesn't bother me. The main thing is I stayed on a path that was true to myself. I don't think I can do much better than that. 

I have a list of things I'd like to see happen in 2024, and creating more videos about my rural living tops the list. Lack of focus is the enemy. I allow myself to waste time sitting in the garden and talking to the plants, or talking to the dog. Retirement should not equate to becoming lazy. Success will be structuring my time better, although I admit the pace I choose will give me time to simply smell the roses. 

Here's to 2024! May we all stay healthy and prosper!

KC/Rayne 

The 2022 Retrospective

The 2021 Retrospective

The 2020 Retrospective

The 2019 Retrospective

The 2018 Retrospective

The 2017 Retrospective

The 2016 Retrospective

The 2015 Retrospective

The 2014 Retrospective

The 2013 Retrospective

The 2012 Retrospective

New Year's, KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, look to the future, yearly retrospective, m/m romance, Kindle romance books, time management, writers on writing, rural living, LGBT author

January 1, 2024

 

I am thankful for this new year, and for the opportunities it will bring.

I am thankful for my good health, my home, my family, and those members of

the family of man who surround me and support me. 

I am thankful to have the spirit to move forward in this new year.

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Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

   Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come into his presence with singing.

 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he that made us, and we are his,

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise.

    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

 For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures for ever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations

Psalm 100

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, m/m romance, LGBT romance, romance fiction for Kindle, love one another, thankful,