Between the Keys: Spring 2021 Newsletter

Between the Keys Newsletter

Spring 2021 updates

Welcome to this issue of the Between the Keys newsletter. As with all things in life, especially my writing life, it’s a work in progress. The format changes as needs change, but I strive to present what’s current in my world.  Thanks for giving it a look!

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A Note from the Author

It’s a bad precedent to believe you have everything under control. The moment you do, you discover you really don’t. Take my website, or rather, don’t take my website. What a mess.

In 2004 I signed up for webhosting that had my domain name included. The software was simple and I rode that baby right up to March 31, 2021, when the company pulled support for the software.  Let the good times end. 

I want to keep my domain name and so I’ve settled on a compromise—for now. I’ve moved everything possible to my writing blog,  Between the Keys.  I learned of Yahoo’s plans too late in the game to do much of anything else. I set up a single page portal and that has to suffice for now, and the plan is to find another WebHost and start over. It was a valuable lesson, though.  A website on someone else’s service is always at risk, and be careful about putting links on promo graphics.

On other fronts, I’ve completed the Covid-19 vaccination process. It wasn’t pleasant. The first shot (I received the Moderna drug) raised a rash on my arm, and my entire left side hurt, even my breast. The same thing happened after the second shot with a brief fever and some fatigue added for good measure. If they come back and say we’ll need yearly boosters, I don’t think I’ll be in a huge hurry to get in line. 

This spring is much like last year’s. It’s been chilly and damp, very reminiscent of the way spring was when I was young. I’ve been eager to get my tomato seedlings planted, but they need a little warmth. The experiment with the small greenhouse was a success and I’m dreaming of going bigger. 

All in all, this year is off to a pretty good start. Setbacks happen and you need to hop over them and keep going. My retirement plans are firm and all I need to do is set the date. That seems to be the hardest part, but even in that, I know my own mind. It’s all about the cost of health insurance, something our Covid-19 pandemic proved vitally necessary, and the cost is still too high to pay it out of pocket. 

But soon, very soon, the dream of being a full-time writer will come to fruition.  I can’t wait!

KC Kendricks/Rayne Forrest


Works in Progress

The question of the day, at least for me, is usually, “What are you going to do next?” I know what should be next but those plans don’t always come together in the order I think they will. That’s life! 

Here’s what’s happening now.     

AFTER THE SEA SPRITE BALL - After the Sea Sprite Ball is closer and closer to completion. Set in the future in an upscale, exclusive undersea resort, a reporter goes undercover to write a review and ends up with more than she bargained for. The cover may be a bit retro-romantic, but I like it. I need to get the ending out of my head and onto the page. 

THE RAYNE FORREST BACKLIST - A few RF books still need to be re-issued. Can someone send me about five extra hours every day, please?  

CENTERVILLE  MUSCLE -  Centerville is a small town not far from Marionville. Two stories, Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted, and Memphis takes place in Centerville. The nexus of this series is Mick’s garage so you know it’ll have some cool muscle cars driving around the town. The story that jumped ahead of everything else is July Heat.  Memphis was originally titled July Heat but it took a different turn from the plot and became Memphis, which I think was right and proper. I’m good with that, but I didn’t want to give up on the July Heat title. So here we are. July Heat is about sixty percent finished and I’ve finally admitted Centerville Muscle is going to be an ongoing series just like the Men of Marionville. 

MEN OF MARIONVILLE - I have two more stories on the plot board based in the town of Marionville. Not all the previous characters will make cameo appearances, but you know Dylan and Cass will. Dylan is the nexus of the series. I’m pretty sure they’ll tie into the Centerville Muscle series, too. 

FOR THE WRITER - I’d like to write another modern western set on the Bar RC Ranch in Ride Your Luck. The Bar RC is the perfect backdrop for hard-luck cases and lonely cowboys looking for love.  

HOLLY TREE MANOR— Holly Tree Manor is a blog detailing the country lifestyle. It doesn’t have much to do with the books, but it will journal more of my day-to-day simple country pleasures. I voice a few opinions there, too. I’ve been adding content for a while so there will be something to read once it debuts.  You can take a sneak peek here.  (And I’ll be able to see how many people read this.)


Deuce’s Day
The life and times of a black Lab living in the country at 
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Deuce is certainly one of the biggest joys in my life. I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life, but this one is certainly special. I wish I could have had a blog for each of my dogs, but blogs were in their infancy when we had Jett. Before that, they didn’t exist. Creating a chronicle of Deuce’s life is truly a labor of love.

What’s my best boy been up to?

Eating grass and then complaining his tummy hurts. 

Celebrating the start of the 2021 walking season and getting out in the woods. 

Not liking a raccoon living nearby. No one likes this, Deuce! 

Waging a little protest. 
 
And lastly, I’m learning to make videos and Deuce is my favorite subject. 


Adventures in Photoshop  

So I lost the website I spent seventeen years building and maintaining when  Yahoo pulled the plug on their Site Builder software. No point crying over spilled milk. Ten years ago it would have been a major crisis, but the publishing world has gone to hell and now a personal website may not be a necessity. I don’t really know. What I do know is all the little promotional cards I made for Twitter and Facebook… oh hell. I made them for any place online I could upload them. And I very foolishly put a direct link to my webpage on most of them. So now they’re all WRONG. We live and we learn, and now we must recreate sooooo many of them. Lovely. Just lovely. 

Looking on the bright side, it will give me the opportunity to correct minor flaws. Realistically, it’s going to take the rest of my life to accomplish. (I get to be a  drama queen over this, yes I do!) Here are a few things I’ve learned in case you’re about to embark on a journey to make promotional items. 

1. Save a copy of every picture you find as you found it. 
2. Keep a .jpg of every step of the Photoshop process. My Photoshop Elements 13 is a bit buggy, that is to say UNSTABLE. By saving the .jpgs as I go, I don’t need to start over from scratch when the software acts up. 
3. Don’t put direct links on because you don’t have ultimate control over them.
4. Having the background .jpg gives you the option to quickly create a new card with new wording—a great time saver. 

So there you have just a few of the things I do when working with Photoshop that make it easier to change your mind or make updates. Hope it helps. 


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That's it for this newsletter except for one fun thing. I always like to include a bit of Pinterest wisdom in closing. 




Thanks for checking out this edition of the Between the Keys newsletter.


 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

Visit my bookshelf at: 

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






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