The Kendricks 1300

January 4, 2026

It seems this new year has already brought a milestone. Thirteen hundred posts here at Between the Keys. Never did I imagine, way back in January 2008, that I'd still be blogging on this platform. I wasn't at all sure I would like writing blogs, but here we are at thirteen hundred. 

It's been a while since I posted number twelve hundred in September 2023. So much has happened since then. My beloved Ron passed from this life, and I've settled into retirement on my little manor. Both have been life-altering. My retirement days are much as I envisioned, but losing Ron was like living in a black hole. Enough time has passed and I'm almost back to my "old" self. 

I posted the 2025 Retrospective just two days ago, so I won't repeat everything today. I invite you to go back and check out that post about a look back at the past year. 

This post is a simple one - let's mark the milestone! As I write this post, tomorrow will be Sunday, January 4, 2026, and the last day of the New Year's holiday. This post will go up in the wee hours. I'll enjoy Sunday, because Monday is the big back-to-work day, even for writers. I'll be posting promos for January After Dark on Monday, something I postponed due to the Christmas/New Year's holidays. Along with that, I will resume work on the next story (or two). 

Will there be a Kendricks 1400? I hope so, but if I've learned anything recently, it's that the universe does not respect plans made too far in advance. Knowing that gives me the proper tools to work with going forward. I wonder where I'll actually end up? 

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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/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: https://www.youtube.com/KCKendricks

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, milestone, future writings, m/m romance, LGBT gay romance, loss of spouse, planning ahead, rural living, retrospectives, Kindle romances, blogging

Now we begin again

February 17, 2025

Having put the finishing touches on The First of February and uploaded the manuscript to the various online vendors, being Amazon and beyond, I now wait for the book to "populate" or publish on those sites. It truly is a waiting game everywhere except Amazon. I will admit Big A gets a book up in a hurry. 

Today is a Monday, and I'm faced with beginning more than a new week. I've finished a story, now what? What's next? Am I ready to tackle the next project? 

In past years I'd have the answers, but having had one of those Life Changing Events, I'm even more introspective than before. Being on my own means looking at choices differently without the support of my late husband. He was a good sounding board. 

As I was writing The First of February, I decided I'd follow through on a semi-frivolous notion of writing a collection of books with a month in the title. I've got six months covered, so today my question is do I make the next book one of that collection? I also have a few completed manuscripts that need some work. Do I work on those to bring the up to snuff? Why can't I do everything at once? Oh, yeah - only twenty-four hours in a day and I have a "manor" to manage. 

I'm going to spend my day looking at those options and seeing what can be completed in the least amount of time. (Time being relative to all things.) It feels like an author-ish thing to do in the middle of February when this author won't work outside in the cold and wind. This current wind event is doing a prune job on small twigs and limbs and there is an abundance of them to pick up out in the yard.  

It's time to fix a cup of tea and get to it. Wherever I end up will be where I'm supposed to be, and I'm fine with that. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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: https://www.youtube.com/@KCKendricks

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, The First of February, By the Month, m/m romance, LGBTQ gay romance, Kindle romances, a writer's life, contemporary gay romance, gay fiction, male on male romance

Thin Ice and a warming trend

January 25, 2025

A few days ago, January 20th to be exact, marked a year since I knew Ron wasn't going to recover. I don't know how I knew, but I did. Every other time over thirty years when he had a health crisis, I was calm and I knew it would be okay. Last January, it was simply different. Passing this anniversary has affected me more than I care to admit. I've been stalled these past few days. 

I know how important it is to allow yourself to grieve. And I know grief doesn't travel a linear path. It twists and turns and doubles back on itself leaving a person exhausted. 

We've been in the middle of a very cold January. Our creek has frozen over, but not strongly enough I'd test the ice. Today, the temperature has risen above freezing - hallelujah! I went out to start the Charger a little bit ago, fully expecting to find a dead battery, but she fired right up! There is still snow on the house roof, a testament to how well my humble abode is insulated. I'm delighted to see on the weather app that we're beginning a warming trend. 

The current WIP is at the point where I'll wind it up. This is going to be a long book! I've been considering several options, thinking each one through, but I won't know which is the winner until I begin the next chapter. That's a bit of a metaphor for my life. I see several paths before me and I never know which one I'm going to take until I move my feet. 

It's time I move my feet. The passing of time can be gut-wrenching, but it will happen whether we're happy, sad, content, or angry. The first year without Ron is swiftly coming to a close. March 30 will be here in the blink of an eye. I can't change time, but I can change me. I did not expect to still be a work-in-progress at this time in my life. I thought I'd have it figured out by now, but now I suspect I never will. 

Life is sort of like the water in my creek. It might run swiftly, but sometimes it will freeze over and no one can see what lies beneath. When it thaws, we carry on to whatever new revelation it has brought us. And that's enough philosophy for today.  

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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/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KCKendricks

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, LGBT gay romance, m/m romance, contemporary gay, rural living, a writer's life, Men of Marionville, Centerville Muscle, Kindle romances, grief, winter