Scraps of Life- IWSG

May 4, 2016

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

I’ve been published since 2003 and if there is still one thing I struggle with, it’s sticking to my officially scheduled writing time. I have a pretty good idea of everything I need to cram into a single day. Work, family, friends, home & hearth, puppy Deuce, writing.

Did you notice how writing is at the tail end of that list? So it is in real life.

So many times I get to my office and I’m simply too brain-numb to make the words come out. Is it lack of discipline that I allow myself to give up for the evening before I’m even started? I think it’s safe to attribute a small degree of “blame” to that. It’s difficult to be disciplined when you fall asleep over the keyboard.

There was a day I didn’t have this problem. Now I feel that the day job gets the best of what I have to give and everything else in my life gets the scraps. Without a doubt, I’m tired. I console myself by looking at my countdown clock several times a day, but it doesn't really help. 

It’s time to do something differently. Perhaps I need to get up earlier and do some writing before the day job. Give the writing the best of me and let the day job have the scraps. Who knows for sure?

What I do know for sure is the way it’s going isn’t going to get it done. It’s up to me to make the change, make it stick, and make the writing happen. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Z is for Zig-Zag

Day 26

April 30, 2016

And so we come to the last day of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. I’ve zig-zagged all over time this year, sometimes making sense and sometimes not. In the end, I’m glad I did the challenge again. Will I hop onboard for 2017? I don’t know. Life changes and not always for the better or easier.

I sometimes wish my path through life traveled more of a straight line, but it’s the zig-zags that keep it interesting. From being a writer to raising a new puppy to caring for family members, I zig-zag through my days. And at the end of the day, my feet are rarely planted where I thought they would be at the beginning of the day.

Much of my blogging is done for myself. It’s a way for me to mull things over and see how I really feel about an issue. It’s a sort of thinking out loud. After the intense blogging in April, for the challenge, I generally fall silent for a while. I don’t have the luxury this year.

With the closing of Amber Quill Press, I’m busy getting my books back out as independent publications. Same stories, new covers. I’ll have to blog and promo more since AQPs mailing list died with the company. What a shame. So it might be time for you to sign up on my mailing list. (see the little button in the left sidebar) It’s a zig-zag in my well-ordered plans, I assure you.

Embracing the zig-zags of life isn’t a talent I came by naturally. It’s been hard work, but it has paid a few dividends. Each and every one of you who have come by Between the Keys, some multiple times, some only once, have done something to enrich my life even if it’s just a tick on the counter. That tens of thousands of people have been here is amazing.

My thanks to all of you. Stop back. I’ll still be here, zig-zagging through life, dreaming with my fingers, and exploring visions of life and love in the spaces down between the keys.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Y is for Your Time

Day 25

April 29, 2016

Welcome to the final days of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge - and yes, I will complete it on time. Which is a good thing since I’ve been writing about time. Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as part of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

*_*_*_*_*

I’ve been blathering about my time for the entire challenge month and if I’ve learned one thing it’s that while I do respect time, I also waste a fair amount of it. Coming down to the next to the last day of the challenge I think some of the blogs were a waste of time this year. Maybe I didn’t spend enough time thinking about setting time as my theme. Maybe if I do the challenge again next year I’ll say to heck with a theme. A theme can really be tiresome.

If it’s true we only have 960 waking minutes a day, then how much time does each writer need to take for himself or herself each day? Writing is a time-intensive pursuit. Too often I forget to step back and take time to relax. It needs to be scheduled and prioritized as part of an uncluttered calendar to be guilt free, but it’s some of the most important time I have.

In January of this year, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Yeah, we saw it coming but I still hated like hell to hear that word applied to her. Spending more time with her takes time away from other pursuits, such as writing.

So what is my time worth? What is your time worth? Life is certainly a balancing act. One day the job comes first. Another day family. I’m not sure I’ll be up to the task each and every day. But there’s one thing I will remember and that’s to take time for myself when I need it even though I doubt the people around me will like it much.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

X is for X=Time

Day 24

April 28, 2016

Welcome to the final days of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge - and yes, I will complete it on time. Which is a good thing since I’ve been writing about time. Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as part of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

*_*_*_*_*

X=time.   

I’m not a math whiz, and I never aspired to be one. It’s a good thing, too, because when you start to look at the mathematics of time, it gets scary.

One day is 24 hours, or 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. I thought there would be more. Only 1440 minutes in a day? That doesn’t sound like much at all.

I knew my grandfather for 17,520 days and it wasn’t nearly enough time. I only knew my father for 9,640 days. No wonder I still miss him. My step-dad has been in my life for 8,395 days. It’s sobering when you look at it in those terms.

Measuring time sucks, but if I don’t measure it, time will get the best of me. And time doesn’t play fair. It will never be a level playing field. All I can do is be diligent and make time work for me whenever I can.

X=time. I’ve got approximately 960 waking minutes a day to make my own. I don't want to waste any of them. 

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

X is for …. Another promo free day! 

W is for Write the Right Story Now

Day 23

April 27, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Do I really have enough time to write a story I don’t want to write? 

No. I learned early on that if the words aren’t coming, shut it down and move on to something else. While this has netted me a file full of half-thought about ideas, it has also given me a treasure chest of characters to choose from.

Having more experience, I can go back to those earlier idea sheets and mix and match to find the perfect pair. Maybe I’ll find the perfect match to the character I just wrote a new bio for. The possibilities are endless.

I think you see the point. Don’t struggle with something that isn’t flowing organically onto the page. It’s a waste of time - in that moment. Save it, and save future time by using it somewhere down the road.

Then settle down and write the story you want to write now. You'll be a lot happier with the end result.  

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

W is for What You Don’t Confess

What You Don't Confess is available now at 
Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online book sellers.

Bright and beautiful, Cassidy Barlow is one of Marionville’s new breed of movers and shakers. Outspoken on political and social issues, Cass draws a lot of media attention and knows how to use it. Out and proud, Cass makes no apologies for who he is, or who he wants – and he wants Dylan Donaghy. The only thing is, from where Cass stands, Dylan seems to be involved with two different men.

Coming out. The most difficult phrase in Dylan Donaghy's vocabulary. Handsome, successful, wealthy, he’s made it this far in life with only his closest friends knowing he’s gay. Dylan has a good reason for that to change – his deepening attraction to Cassidy Barlow. It doesn’t come easy, but Dylan takes a few first steps out of the closet. It’s his only choice if he wants to be with Cass, even though he knows Cass has some secrets of his own.

Every man has a private past, and an unwritten future. What he won’t confess stands between the two.  

V is for Vacation

Day 22

April 26, 2016
2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as part of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

*_*_*_*_*

Since time waits for no woman, it’s up to the woman to seize time - time for a vacation!

As strange as it may seem, I’ve been counting the number of vacations I’ll get before I retire. My annual big week off is the week of Memorial Day. If all goes according to plan, I will only have four more May vacation weeks. I need to use them wisely.

Well, three actually, since the last one will be my exit. The plan is to have the last half of May be paid vacation and my official retirement date to be June 1. In a perfect world. 

Past years have seen my vacation time spent on home & garden projects. No more. I now have a handyman to save me time. He’s semi-retired. I’m in that age bracket where everyone I know is either planning to retire, semi-retired or finally retired. It’s a hazard of life. Anyway, by the time my vacation week rolls around, the handyman should have my spring projects finished. Provided he has the time. He’s good so he's in demand.

I’d like to spend my vacation time on my patio playing with the new pup. He’ll be almost four months old by the end of May - a great age for fun. It’ll be time to get him walking calmly on a leash and show him all about our woods.

Yep. A vacation with a young puppy. What could be better?

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

U is for Un-clutter

Day 21
April 25, 2016

**updated 4/14/21**

Un-clutter. Usually one hears the word “de-clutter” but I needed a U word for today so it’s unclutter.

Is it time to unclutter my time? Like a lot of people, I sometimes cram an awful lot into one day, and something always suffers. I shortchange the people I love and/or the story I’m working on to do more. Why? No one pressures me to expend my time in large chunks that haven’t been scheduled or prioritized. Some days I talk the talk but forget to walk the walk.

The day always rolls around when I know it’s time to look at my calendar and unclutter my time. Sometimes all it takes is a concerted effort to actually finish some to-do list items. Other times I might push back a girl’s night out for a week. I might even take a Friday night off from the bowling league to finish projects.

But I know if I don’t allow the clutter to accumulate in the first place, I won’t need to take the time to scramble and unclutter.

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U is also for Undeniable

Certified an All Romance eBook Best Seller!

With a summer storm threatening to ruin his Friday afternoon, Asa Burton packs his briefcase and bolts for home before the driving gets dangerous. On the interstate, stuck behind an accident, he regrets his decision until he sees Ford Weston standing along the side of the road talking to a police officer.

Ford Weston can’t believe his luck, bad and good. First his car gets clipped on the tail end of an accident, and than none other than Asa Burton pulls over and offers him a ride home. Coming face-to-face with the biggest regret of his life leaves Ford off-balance. He’d screwed up with Asa all those years ago. It was his fault the relationship ended.

Asa can’t believe he’s found Ford again, so why is he angry with himself? Could it be because Ford walked out on him without a word seventeen years ago and he did nothing to stop him? Asa’s sure of only one thing – Fate just handed him the opportunity to win Ford back – and get some answers.  

*_*_*_*_*_

UNDENIABLE
Available at:
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/Undeniable-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01N32NQK3
 iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/book/undeniable/id1191121896?mt=11
 Barnes & Noble/NOOK: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undeniable-kc-kendricks/1122195739?ean=2940154197066

 Rakuten/Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/undeniable-45

 Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/mBenoR
 Undeniable webpage with excerpt: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/undeniable-contemporary-gay-romance.html
 _*_*_*_*_*_*_
 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.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

twitter.com/kckendricks
pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards
instagram.com/kc_kendricks

T is for Time

Day 20

April 23, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It’s All About Time Squared

I wish I were a great brain and could really understand Einstein's theory on the space-time continuum. Einstein's theory of relativity states that time and space are not constant, and the only true constant is the speed of light. 

O-kaaay.

It seems like Star Trek did, on the one hand teach me something, and on the other hand leave my education seriously lacking. I need something much simpler when it comes to time. I need more of it. 

As much as I’d like to say I never “waste” time, that would be a lie. I waste time every day, in one fashion or another, but I survive it because I have a positive relationship with it.

Time is a tool I use to live my life. Time doesn’t use me. I like it that way.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

S is for Schedule

Day 19
April 22, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

I schedule as much as I can, as far ahead as I can. Back in the day, I had a bulky day-planner I carried around in a large pocketbook, but now, thank you God, all I need is my cell phone. And a much smaller handbag.

It was necessary for me to go online and actually count the Google calendars I have. The total surprised me - TEN. I have ten separate, yet shared, calendars. My personal calendar, my honey’s personal calendar, the birthday/anniversary, and the “what’s for dinner” calendar are shared between us. Then I have the day job calendar, a promotions calendar, NASCAR, full moon, holidays, and yes, my own A to Z Blogging Challenge calendar. I suppose it's also time to create a calendar to keep track of my mother and stepfather. 

Is it visually bulky to have all those schedules in front of me? Nope. A few clicks and all but the one I want to see will disappear. I do use the day view on my phone and the monthly view on my desktop computer. Only occasionally does any single day get overcrowded with items I need to prioritize to accomplish. It's easy to look at any particular date and know whether or not I can schedule something else for that day. 

Keeping my time scheduled keeps me on track, and out of trouble, and that works for me. 

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

S is for Sundown

THE BACK STAIRS (Book 1 of the Sundown Saga)

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit.

Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift.

Shapeshifters, that is.

R is for Rewind

Day 18
April 21, 2016

Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as part of the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

*_*_*_*_*

I believe it was Jim Croce who wrote in song lyrics we never have enough time to do the things we want to do once we find them. I think that’s true. I was forty before I completely acknowledged I was at my core a writer and that’s what I wanted to do.

Oh, maybe I suspected it, or actually knew it on some level, but I didn’t actively pursue it. I’m not angry that I waited so long. I think everything happens when it’s supposed to. But do I sometimes wish to go back and rewind? Sure.

Maybe it’s knowing I can’t do a rewind in time that keeps me better focused on moving forward. I think of the time I spent on idle pursuits and I wonder why I did them. My only excuse is I was younger then.     

If I could rewind my writing career, would I be as happy with the outcome as I am today? What direction would I have taken?

Would I have made the same wonderful friends? I wouldn’t want to lose any of them. 

Would I have learned the same things on different paths? 

Maybe the universe is right to keep the rewind button inactive.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

R is for Ride Your Luck

RIDE YOUR LUCK

(Modern cowboy)
More info at https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/ride-your-luck-by-kc-kendricks.html

Regan Oakley’s luck ran out. After a stint in rehab, he’s putting his life back together without the booze. What he thinks is an old friend’s charity is really a plea for help. There’s trouble at the Bar RC Ranch and the friend’s son is in the middle of it. Regan takes one look at Wythe Carver and knows that young man isn’t the only one with his world turned upside down.

Wythe Carver’s life took a strange turn. Suspected of murdering the ranch foreman, he’s hanging on, one day at a time. The person who could alibi him has disappeared and Wythe can’t find him. To make matters worse, his prize stallion is loose on the range. Complicating his life even more, his father called an old friend to come help out at the ranch. One look at Regan Oakley is all Wythe needs to know it’s going to get hot at night. 

Regan sets out to find the truth of what happened that night at the Bar RC. He’s sure Wythe is innocent, and he’s just as sure he has no business getting involved with the boss’s son. With no solid proof to clear Wythe, Regan needs to ride his luck to get to the truth and keep Wythe by his side. 

RIDE YOUR LUCK

Contemporary gay cowboy

Amazon US: www.amazon.com/Ride-Your-Luck-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Apple/iTunes:  itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098678927

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ride-your-luck-kc-kendricks/1122717097?ean=2940153211367

Rakuten/Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ride-your-luck-1

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/4XGyvm

Ride Your Luck webpage with more information and excerpt: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/ride-your-luck-by-kc-kendricks.html

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

 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.html

Social media links:

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

Q is for Quality over Quantity

Day 17
April 20, 2016

There’s few who would argue we live in a world that values quantity over quality. That’s okay if your fetish is socks or golf balls. 

Okay. I guess pocketbooks should also be on the list of things of which you can never have too many. Color me guilty there. But I think it’s time some of us took a step back and looked at quality over quantity. Take the aforementioned pocketbooks for example.

A few years ago a girlfriend and I bought into the Miche bag craze. It was fun. We bought the shells and traded them back and forth. The downside was the shells didn’t hold up. Neither did the liners. We ended up with a quantity of Miche we no longer could use. I found an Ellen Tracy bag that cost what two of the Miche shells cost and I’ve carried it for four years now. People still ask me if the bag is new. Quality shows itself.

I think writing is better if approached from the “quality before quantity” viewpoint. To my way of thinking, I don’t help my career if I churn out quickie story after quickie story with no real substance. Whatever time it takes to accomplish the writing - that’s what it takes. I want to end up with a book I can feel good about having written, especially since I’m in this for the long haul.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

P is for Prioritize

Day 16
April 19, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

I can’t think of anything more important to managing my time effectively than prioritizing. 

And that’s prioritizing everything, not just writing projects. Every day I take the time to figure out what needs done and then prioritize what needs done today. It’s part of that mountain climbing thing I talked about a few days ago.

What I thought was vitally important yesterday may be less so today. Needs do change. Decisions made by others have a ripple effect. So it’s important to examine what I need to do to maximize my time.

Unfortunately for me, or maybe it’s fortunately because I do like getting a paycheck, my day job is a priority Monday through Friday. Everything has to fall in around the day job and that includes family, friends and writing career. Everything. I don't like it much, but that's the financial reality of it.  

If I keep the main things in my life a priority, those little things that slip away maybe weren’t so important. It’s up to me to decide.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

O is for Opportunity Missed

Day 15
April 18, 2016

Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as we kick-off the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

*_*_*_*_*

The missed opportunity. Oh, how we think it’s the end of the world! We moan and groan and decry our stupidity. We start whining with the very unproductive, “if only I had…”

Have you ever stopped to think that as you sit bemoaning your bad luck, you’re missing yet another opportunity?

Let’s step back from the edge of the cliff.

Most missed opportunities do not signal the end of life as we know it. One of my early failings was to realize every opportunity I heard about was not right for me. I wasted a lot of time feeling paralyzed because I’d missed a promo op, or a deadline to get in on a special publisher promotional. It was definitely counter-productive.

It's simply impossible to take advantage of every opportunity out there. Even with the most splendid of time management skills there is no way to hit everything. It's probably a lot more important to maximize what opportunities you can, especially on the Internet. Building lasting opportunities on the web is definitely doable from a wiki to a blog. Those things are static - always available. 

So seize every opportunity carefully. Sometimes it's better to pass and get some writing done. If I take the time to look at the missed opportunity from different angles, I often discover it’s still an opportunity for me to learn something about myself. And that’s a miss I’ll accept every time.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

M is for Mountain Climbing

April 15, 2016

Day 13

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

When you stand at the foot of the mountain and look up, how long do you estimate it will take to climb to the top? Do you think about how many steps it might take? It’s a daunting task, climbing a mountain.

I have a good friend who sees everything in life as a mountain to climb. She has an “all or nothing” personality. After many years, she’s learned to look at the mountain and then scale it in achievable steps. She still won’t tell herself she’s doing good until she reaches the top, but she’s at least making progress.

While it may sound simplistic to break a large task into smaller steps, it’s one of the ways I keep my sanity. I know a fifty thousand-word book will not be written in a day. I can’t even do it in a month. I know I have to break the work into pieces of maybe one thousand words a day. The only way for me to reach the summit of the mountain is to accomplish the climb a little bit at a time. And I actually think I enjoy reaching the top more that way.

Each step up the mountain is intentional. It can be examined, savored. It gives me time to look at alternate paths. The mountain may be high, but in the end, I'll own it. 

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

*_*_*_*

M is also for the Men of Marionville

http://www.kckendricks.com/MarionvilleSeries.html

I didn't set out to write a series. I set out to write a story that included a main character who had a long history with his friends. It was a short step from the original concept to series. Each story stands alone -none are sequels in the strictest usage of the word.

As I write this I can't say how many more stories will be set in Marionville. I do know there will be more. If you like reading a series in order, it’s A HardHabit to Break, Open Roads, What You Don’t Confess, Your Whisper in the Dark, ACat Named Hercules, Leather Jackets, Station to Station and Dreams to Sell. 

Check it out on my website using the Marionville series link just above. 

L is for Limiting Behaviors

Day 12
April 14, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It’s All About Time

Welcome! We’re almost to the halfway mark in the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. That’s amazing. This is the sixth year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun.

*_*_*_*_*

One of the truest things about human behavior is that we can be our own worst enemy. Trust me - I don’t exclude myself from this. In fact, I’m very good at it. Knowing this gives me an edge for keeping it in check.

What are some limiting behaviors? They’re worse than spending an hour a day on Pinterest.  In no particular order, I define my big four limiting behaviors as negativity, giving in to frustration, being jealous of others, and not believing in myself one hundred percent.

Writers, by the very nature of what we do, spend a lot of time alone. It’s easy to fall into one of these limiting behaviors and not be aware of it. It’s easy to become frustrated with a story, proclaim we’ve written crap, and acknowledge our writing “goddess” would never type such tripe.

Wow. Hit all four points in one fell swoop.

I learned early in my writing career that being compared to any other writer is a head game. It happened, and it didn’t take long for me to realize this person was toying with me. Why? You’d have to ask them. All I know is instead of being flattered, I became insecure. And then I realized that may have been the intention.

Take a moment to define your limiting behaviors. You might have to think about it for awhile (I did), but it’s worth doing. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know what the problem is.

Do it for yourself.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

K is for Keep a Log (and Kentucky 98 Proof)

Day 11

April 13, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It’s All About Time

Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys in the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. We’re up to the letter K and Keep a Log.

This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge, and this year I’m focusing on how I manage my time.

*_*_*_*_*

I keep an activity log. It’s a simple spreadsheet, but I it’s a vital tool for this writer.

My spreadsheet has a workbook for each year, but you may prefer separate spreadsheets. There's no right or wrong. It's about what works for you.

On mine, the book titles go across the top in row 1, and dates go down the side in column A. Whenever there’s something to record - first clicks, updated work count, book submitted, contract, edits, cover, release date, review - it gets added in the column for that book. (That doesn’t mean I have 365 rows on each workbook. I only record word count every few days if that’s all I have to track.)

This way, I don’t need to waste time searching through file folders to find dates for anything. I've kept a log and it’s all on the spreadsheet.

And it feels pretty darn good to view my writing history, too.

*_*_*_*

K is for Kentucky 98 Proof
Available now at Amazon
www.amazon.com/Kentucky-98-Proof-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01E7JEXJ8

(I confess. This is one of my favorite stories.)

KENTUCKY 98 PROOF

Victor Carter knows his grandfather only from a handful of black and white photographs, so his surprise when the man’s will is read is genuine. What’s he going to do with seventy acres on the side of a Kentucky mountain? More importantly, how’s he going to survive living there for a year to satisfy the conditions of the will so he can sell the property? Even worse, it’s not like the hills of Kentucky are teeming with gay companionship.

Boone Mosely is Kentucky born and bred with a proud family heritage he can trace back to his home state’s founding. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Boone’s in his second term as sheriff of Four Points. He takes the job seriously and doesn’t suffer fools - or crime - in his town.

When city slicker Victor Carter arrives on Shepherd Mountain, Boone knows he’s got a whole new brand of trouble to deal with. And this time, the badge isn’t going to help him at all.

For an excerpt and buy links for Kentucky 98 Proof, please the webpage listed below. 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/kentucky-98-proof-by-kc-kendricks.html

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.html

Social media links:

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

J is for Juggling Projects (2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Day 10

April 12, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It’s All About Time

Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! I set my 2016 theme as “time” and ways to manage it more productively in regards to my writing. Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys as I share what works for me when it comes to managing my time. 

*_*_*_*_*

I tend to juggle multiple projects. I’m not going to say it’s something you should do, especially if you’re a novice, but it’s the way I roll.

When I first started to write, that is actually put words on a page, I was singular in my thinking. The very first story I wrote took months to complete. I didn’t work on anything else. That was okay because I was caught up in the rush of writing my first book. Fast forward to about the fifth book and I knew I had to do something differently.

Sitting and staring at a computer screen when the words won’t come is a waste of my time. I’ve learned (the hard way) that when that happens, something is wrong in my thinking. It’s time to regroup. And to regroup I’ve got to think about something else other than the story I’ve been working on.

I only have a few short hours a day in which to write. If one project isn’t moving, I switch to another. That may mean blogging, doing promo snippets on twitter, or writing a character bio for the next story.

By juggling several projects I stay productive, and productivity is vital in the publishing industry.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news.

Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I is for I'm the Only One

Day 9

April 11, 2016

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It’s All About Time 

Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! Thanks for stopping by Between the Keys today for Day 9.  

*_*_*_*_*

I’m the only one who can write this story.

Does that read like an egotistical edict from an author who thinks she/he is hot stuff? If it does, read it again, this time with a touch of desperation.

Writing isn’t easy. Pulling pure thought from the air and translating it into print form is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It can be exhausting and exhilarating, frustrating and fulfilling. And it takes an inordinate amount of time.

If a person can type sixty words a minute, they should be able to write thirty-six hundred words an hour, don’t you think? It doesn’t work that way.

Each author is the only person who can tell the story they are meant to tell. It’s a gift given to us. Managing our time to get the story told is simply a way to honor the gift.

You are the only one who can tell your story.

 KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the news.

Send an email to: betweenthekeys-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

*_*_*_*

I is for Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove series.

Double Deuce

Deuce of Diamonds

Ace, Deuce, Trey

Circle of Steel

Free spirited Ian Coulter works hard and plays harder. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Ian enjoys meeting new men and making new friends. A night out ends up with one man on the floor at his feet, and another asking for his help. Big trouble’s brewing in little Amethyst Cove, and Ian’s a step behind. He’s quick to see Rick Mohr is the man holding the flare at the end a long, dark tunnel.

Undercover agent Rick Mohr walks a fine line, serving two masters. Insider trading, counterfeit printing plates, and a blown-up yacht have Rick stuck between two Federal agencies, one of which has been compromised. Rick has to discover the mole before it’s too late. When Ian Coulter walks into his life, Rick grabs the chance to salvage his assignment with both hands.

It doesn’t take Ian and Rick long to discover joining forces, and sharing resources, has definite perks, ones not found in any departmental manual.

For more information about Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove, please visit my website at http://www.kckendricks.com/DoubleDeuce.html

 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.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

H is for Help & for Hey, Joe (2016 A to Z Challenge and MSS)

Day 8

April 9, 2016

I'm doing double duty here at Between the Keys today. It's both a 2016 A to Z Challenge and a My Sexy Saturday blog hop day, so it's a little tricky.

We might not be Paul, Ringo, George or John, but we all need a little help from our friends. Case in point - today is Saturday so it’s another My Sexy Saturday.

My Sexy Saturday is a weekly blog hop for authors to showcase their work. The premise is to paste the list after your entry so people can hop to the next blog. Because the link stays up on those other blogs (and on this one) we’ve doubled, or even tripled, our promo time in one blog post.

Now I don’t personally know everyone who participates in the blog hop. Nor do they know me. But we set aside a few minutes almost every week to help each other out with some promo. It opens doors when we help each other. If one of those other writers would ask to promo a new release on my blog, I’d be more than happy to set them up at Saturday Evening Romance so they could work their back list as well as new releases. 

Look for ways to help others save time, and someone will look for ways to help you. And when you find a person willing to give mutual help and support, treat them well. The Fab Four had it right. We get by with a little help from our friends.

Now here are seven sexy paragraphs from Hey, Joe for My Sexy Saturday. Enjoy! 

*_*_*_*

“I can’t wait until you have your twenty years in for retirement and this crap is done and over forever. Anyway, I’m just glad you didn’t ask some gay guy here to fill in for me because, bucko, you’re not allowed to kiss anyone else, not even in the line of duty!”

Joe grinned, a wide smile that lit his entire face. His eyes sparkled with good-natured mischief.

“I don’t think I could kiss anyone else. You’ve ruined me for all other men.”

That was the man I fell in love with, the one before the job dragged him down and sucked so much of the joy out of him. And me.

But in a few short years it would be behind us. Joe could retire and pursue his dream of owning a pub. Maybe I could open a photo gallery right beside the pub. That would be fun, but that was for the future. I had a more immediate need.

I gripped his hand tighter as I stood and pulled him back to the bed. I had only one thought – be skin-to-skin with him. I let go of his hand only long enough for us to slip out of our robes and hop into bed. We stretched out on the sheets and jostled around until he pinned me down and kissed me.

I reveled in the feel of his thighs straining against mine and the easy flex of his hips as he rocked against me. It was the instinctive move of a male coaxing his lover to mate and I was never immune to it. His lips teased my ear.
_*_*_*_

Hey, Joe - A vignette of contemporary gay romance

New York City detective Joe Hamilton lives a double life as an undercover operative. When a case takes an unexpected turn, Joe finds himself separated from his partner. He scribbles a cryptic message in a birthday card and drops it in the mailbox.

Riley O’Shea kissed his partner goodbye at the beginning of a normal day only to have Joe disappear without a word. Riley’s worried but after a greeting card arrives with a date and flight number inside, Riley claims the ticket and boards a plane to Chicago. It’s the only way to get the answers he needs – and lots of reunion sex. 

HEY, JOE:

Available at:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V2TDF3M

iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hey-joe/id1073505551

Barnes and Noble/Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hey-joe-kc-kendricks/1123238308

Rakuten/Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hey-joe-7

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/47oJj4

 Hey, Joe webpage: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/hey-joe-by-kc-kendricks.html

 
KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
twitter.com/kckendricks
facebook.com/kckendricks
pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards
instagram.com/kc_kendricks
My country life at Holly Tree Manor

G is for Goals (2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Day 7
April 8, 2016

Welcome to the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge! This is the SIXTH year I’ve participated in the challenge. Yes, it may appear on the surface I’m a glutton (a good "G" word) for punishment, the truth is I think the A to Z is a lot of fun.

*_*_*_*_*

Setting a goal is making a commitment, and if you’re like me, you’re a bit commitment phobic. The problem, on my end, is I’m getting more commitment-phobic all the time. There’s even a word for it: Gamophobia. Seriously, it’s gamophobia.

Actually, the word is used for the fear of the commitment of marriage, but we writers use what works.

I’ve found the trick to setting, and achieving, a goal is to keep my expectations at a reasonable level. If I know I won’t be home on Saturday, I’m not going to set my goal for the day at writing a thousand words. It’s more likely I’ll set the goal as reading over what I’ve already written and fixing typos and such.

The good thing about reaching small goals is that it gives you the confidence to set another goal and reach for it. But never carve your goals in stone. Be flexible. Life is a changeable experience. Maybe a good goal to set is to enjoy it.

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Have you joined my mailing list? No chatter, just the important news when it happens.

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