The dilemma of artificial intelligence (AI)

 June 4, 2023

The current WIP stands at about thirteen thousand words and our heroes are about to get friendly, at least sort of friendly. I haven't decided just how friendly they're ready to be, but something will happen. Will it bring them closer or shake them up? That's the point I'm pondering. 

I'm "pondering" many things these days. "Ponder" is a word I grew up with, and I don't often hear it used now. People today say they're going to "think about it," but ponder, to country folk, has a deeper meaning. To ponder is to focus on a problem, issue, or question until you understand it from several angles. Pondering takes time and often prayer, prayer being a sort of meditation. 

AI, or artificial intelligence, is in the news. The pros and cons of AI is being widely discussed on social media. Hell, Congress is even having discussions about it for all the fucking good that will do. Twitter is lit up with authors discussing and questioning the validity of adding it to their body of work. 

If you use Artificial Intelligence to create a short story, poem, novella, or novel, can you claim to have written that piece of work? 

If you use AI to create a work of fiction and don't disclose the fact, is that dishonest? 

If you use AI to create a work of fiction, who actually owns the copyright? Do you own it or do the creators of the application used own it? 

If you use AI to create a work of fiction and then you market the book without owning the copyright, are you in violation of plagiarism laws? 

If you use AI to create a work of fiction and it's determined both you and the creators of the application share the copyright, do you then have to share the royalties? 

My poor little questions are the tip of the iceberg. 

Using AI to create a work of fiction, a love story for example, may not have much impact on society, but what if AI is used to generate works that are marketed as TRUTH? I read the works of Clive Cussler and David Wood, action-adventure stories that contain a smattering of facts to make the story more believable. They market those books as fiction, of course, but what if someone else begins to write in that genre and markets it as a true adventure, one that really happened? What if people believe it really happened and the lie becomes the truth? 

Call me a Luddite if you want to, but I'm not at all convinced AI is a good thing. Avarice will taint this thing. I fear the desire some hold to be famous and rich will warp all common sense, casting many into a pit of their own making. The need to be part of the "in crowd" and on the cutting edge has been the downfall of many. Folks, don't hop on any bandwagon until you know for sure where it's headed.  

It will be years until the AI fallout is fully recognized. It may not be in my lifetime. But I see one thing as certain. I will be on guard and I will be vigilant about it.

And for now, I'll be adding a note to my copyright notice in every new book that it was NOT created using any AI beyond the inescapable spellchecker. 

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 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

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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, m/m romance, AI, artificial intelligence, copyright, gay romance, LGBTQ, spellchecker, Congress debate, social media

Life happens but never at a steady speed

 May 5, 2023

Life happens, you know? I've been rolling along rather well in 2023. There have been a few ups and
a few downs, but all in all forward progress has been achieved. Back in February, Devilishly Delicious Dane   (***Update October 10, 2023 ******This title is no longer available***) was published, and the current work-in-progress is moving along at the pace I anticipated. That is to say, I'm at least working on it along with everything else in life. 

I've been concentrating on some things that feed my spirit the way writing used to do. There have been so many changes in the industry that left me feeling adrift. I've been successful with my indie releases, but I do miss the camaraderie of other authors that was found at Amber Quill. Social media outlets don't provide the same level of privacy and communication. 

The 2023 gardening season is upon us. I created a plan and almost stuck to it. I have green things already growing in buckets and grow bags which makes me very happy. It feeds my soul to walk through my small garden space in the morning and look for newly sprouted seeds. Being outside in the morning light, as the sunshine filters through the trees, is magical. 

It shouldn't be a surprise to learn the current WIP features a garden. Our main characters need to have something to work on that keeps them in each other's orbit and eventually unites them in a common direction. Helping an old man with his garden is it in this story.  

Today is one of those days I want to write, but real life has its tentacles in me today. After six days of nasty rainy, cool weather, the sun is shining. I have bedding plants to get into pots, grass to mow, weedwhacking to do, and I need to restring the lights where I park my car. The lights are a bit of a priority as I'm out after dark with the dog and it's now snake season on the mountain. If I have any energy left after those chores, I need to hop on the John Deere 1023 with the Brush Crusher and go move a downed tree to the firewood processing area. I hope my partner can help, but with his health, I can't depend on it. 

Later tonight, again if I have the energy, will be the time to sit at the computer and work on the WIP. There's no point in railing against the delay in doing what I really want to do. It's counterproductive and I've lived long enough to know life happens. I need to embrace every day as it comes and search for those nuances that lead me in the proper direction, whichever way that may be.

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 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

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, a writer's life, contemporary gay romance, LGBTQ, m/m gay, erotic romance, romance novels, rural living, indie publishing, ebooks, snakes, gardening, time management, life decisions

Was this a call for help?

 March 30, 2023

There is an overwhelming preponderance of evidence on social media that writers are fueled by coffee. I can attest this is at least partially true. My morning routine does not vary.

I get up and let my slippered feet take me to the coffee pot, where I pop a pod in the brewer and press start. Then I shuffle to the door and step outside with Deuce so he can do his outside activities. We come back inside and my coffee is ready for a splash of creamer. Then, and only then, I turn on the computer. 

Having a morning routine is a wonderful thing for me. I like a bit of structure to start the day. It gives me a chance to settle into being awake. And yes, first thing in the morning, coffee is the "nectar of the gods."

So, why is there herbal tea in my cup? 

Every once in a while I realize I've over-caffeinated myself. It comes on with a few achy joints and tender spots. I notice my heartbeat gets a little jumpy. My bladder goes into overdrive (which is inconvenient as hell!). At that point, I will do two things: 1) stop at ONE cup of coffee or 2) switch off to tea for a day, then decaf for a day. That seems to clear the caffeine back to the level where it doesn't bother me. 

So, what's the picture about?

This morning I fixed a cup of tea and set it down on the coaster. Then I had a good laugh at myself because it looks like I'm about ready to call for help because I have tea! 

If you can't laugh at yourself, you shouldn't laugh at anyone else.

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 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

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, gay romance, LGBTQ, m/m romance, Between the Keys, coffee vs. tea, rural lifestyle, a writer's life, Amethyst Cove, Men of Marionville, morning routines, black Labrador Retriever, Deuce's Day

Promoting the Men of Marionville - a test of my resolve

September 6, 2022

Earlier this year I set a goal to promo the entire Men of Marionville collection on Facebook groups. I knew this would not be a small, or easy, undertaking as there at twelve books set in the fictional town of Marionville. Couple that with the number of groups I've joined for the purpose of doing promos and you've got in the neighborhood of three hundred sixty total promos. And let us not forget that doing any sort of deliberate promotion is not really my thing. Yes, it's been challenging but I'm actually succeeding! As of this date, I have the last two books in the collection remaining - Bourbon and Blues and Twice Removed from Yesterday. 

I've found some of the Facebook groups to be problematic. Many of the smaller ones are great, though. The admins go through and approve each post and I'm appreciative of their efforts. That's a lot of work if the group is active. 

Some of the groups leave random posts in limbo waiting to be approved. Then when I repost the same promo, it goes through immediately. What's the rhyme and reason for that? I've had a promo declined only to repost the same thing and it goes through. There are group owners who suddenly decide to close the group to promotions and have deleted all old posts. That's a lot of effort and I wonder why the owner would bother with it.

I've given up trying to figure it out. I keep a spreadsheet that shows me what book I'm doing next in whichever group I'm looking at. There's also a worksheet with info on groups that have seemingly disappeared. I'd be lost without the spreadsheet and I wonder if I need to add a worksheet for Twitter. 

Picking up the threads of my writing career is something I've looked forward to for the last couple of years. I woke up this morning with the opening of a new story. Maybe it will turn out to be one that has lingered on the plot board or maybe it's one straight out of left field. Either way, it's good to have ideas start to pop into my head again. 

September should see me complete my goal of promoting the entire Men of Marionville collection. I'm looking forward to that, and to begin to do the Centerville Muscle series. Centerville Muscle is only three books and that'll be comparatively easy after the Men of Marionville. 

And now I'd best get to it. Up next: Bourbon and Blues.

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 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

Between the Keys, KC Kendricks, contemporary gay romance, LGBTQ, romance series, a writer's life, Men of Marionville, Centerville muscle, writing career, romance authors, promotions, Facebook, m/m romance

Summer musings - baby, it's hot outside!

July 28, 2020

The stretch of days between the first of July and the middle of August used to be called the "dog days of summer." I suspect the younger crowd has forgotten all about that just as they've conveniently forgotten so many other things that don't fit their climate change narrative. 

The dog days of summer also mark the rising of the dog star, Sirius, in Hellenistic astrology. Hellenistic being what historians usually classify the era from about the first or second century BC to the sixth or seventh century AD. It helps to read books. 

I hear the "news" reporters crying about how it's never been this hot. Really? Temperatures in the low to mid-nineties in July is new? I don't think so, kids. It's the dog days of summer, remember. It's supposed to be hot. And, in case you don't know, locally our hottest day in July happened in 1954 where the mercury reached 105F. 

What? You don't get the mercury reference? Again, read a book. 

This is the time of year when the garden harvest begins. We've been eating a lot of cucumbers this year. I've made a couple of batches of refrigerator pickles and next year plan to can bread and butter pickles. "Old-fashioned" food without chemical preservatives appeals to me. 
I've room for a good-sized garden here on the manor, but there are precautions to be made. We have a lot of deer, rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, and birds around. They can decimate a garden so one must prepare and then be constantly on watch. My solution will be an electrified fence. 

I'm looking forward to growing more of my own veggies. The notion takes me back to my girlhood days and my grandfather's garden. It will keep me connected to him, and that is a good thing. 

I want to keep honeybees, too, but the spousal unit has dug his heels in about that. The battle is not yet truly begun. 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

When the writer needs a talkin' to

July 15, 2020

I'm not sure who uttered the phrase, "the hurrier I go, the behinder I get," but I certainly understand the sentiment. It's what happens when one has "too many irons in the fire."

But enough with old cliches. Writing, being a writer, is filled with time-sucking minutia. Many writers bang out the first draft without ever going back to do any editing or continuity checks. I'm not one of that school. If the story takes a turn on me, I have to go back to the beginning and re-read and double-check everything. To me, it's a good thing. I know the characters and their relationship better, and so can flesh out their encounters. It takes time. 

It also takes time when you suddenly realize the ending you'd envisioned just doesn't work. When that happens, you have to develop a new ending which means another pass or two through the manuscript for continuity. Time, time, time.  Recently I've been thinking back to those years when I could write six books a year. It was easy to do when didn't have to do covers, editing, and promo. Life marches on and change is inevitable. 

I'm impatient. I want to finish The Quest but reworking parts to fit a better ending is a time drain. I only work four days a week now and yet I have less writing time. How is that possible? Oh, yeah... I had an idea for another series of promo cards. I had some outside work to do. I snagged a book and then had to read the entire series. 

What the hell happened to the discipline I used to possess?? It's like the Bad Co. song. It's gone, gone, gone...  

I'm very, very annoyed with myself. I'm not sure how some writers slap themselves back into line, but I need to find something that works on me - fast! 

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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.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

Ace, Deuce, Trey - who has the bigger....

November 12, 2016

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday, the weekly blog hop that brings you excerpts from the varied worlds of the romance genre. Check out the list at the bottom of this post to visit participating blogs. 

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Ace, Deuce, Trey. Enjoy! 

*_*_*_*

“What the fuck are you doing, Rick?”

He swaggered into my office. His hot green gaze slammed into mine. “Making sure the blinds are closed.”

I leaned back and put my feet up on my desk. “I have a gun, bucko. What are your intentions?”

“Mine’s bigger than yours.” Rick reached behind his back, pulled out his Glock .9mm and laid it beside my pistol. He leaned over and kissed me before he grasped my ankles and lifted them off my desk. I set my feet on the floor and he went to his knees in front of me. I spread my knees and he slid his big, warm hands up the inside of my thighs to my balls. 

He yanked my pants down and all but dragged me out of the chair to the floor. “I’m going to do you in your office, Ian darling. It’ll be a fantasy come true.”

“I’ll scream.” I wiggled my ass to aid him in getting my jeans down and out of the way. 

“Yes, you will before I’m done with you.”

_*_*_*_

ACE, DEUCE, TREY

the sequel to Deuce of Diamonds

Available now at

Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/AceDeuceTrey

Ian Coulter has his hands full with a sexy office assistant, a favorite movie star client and a drag queen determined to save the world one lost runaway at a time. He can juggle all of it because he and his lover, FBI agent Rick Mohr, are finally together.

Rick’s transfer to Amethyst Cove puts him in charge of multiple operations. When one of Ian’s clients is targeted, it doesn’t take long for Ian to suspect the con artist is on an FBI watch list. With their cases overlapping, Ian and Rick are short on time. Together they set a trap and spring it before their suspect escapes.

Doing the job is easy but figuring out the relationship is tougher. Fitting their lives together isn’t without obstacles, but one thing is certain. On or off the case, Ian and Rick always get their man.

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

ACE, DEUCE, TREY is available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

Tango in the Night by KC Kendricks

September 24, 2016

**updated 4/2/21 - the My Sexy Saturday blog hop is not longer operational**

I'm very happy to finally have Tango in the Night available, and to share it for this My Sexy Saturday (MSS#160). I've had people ask if the title is a reference to the song. The answer is yes, and no. If you don't know right off hand what the tango in the night is, well..... think about it..... There ya go. It's what we all do with someone new. The give and take. The learning about them while not giving too much of our self away. Falling in love is a dance - a tango. Make sense now?

Here are seven sexy paragraphs from Tango in the Night. And be sure to check out all the My Sexy Saturday blogs. The list is at the bottom of this post. 

*_*_*_*_*

“Glad I could be of assistance. Meet me for coffee in the morning?”

I wavered, my resolve to keep our courtship slow and careful threatening to crack in an unexpected way. If I told him to come by the house for coffee in the morning, he’d end up spending the night tonight instead. Standing in his embrace, that didn’t seem like a bad idea at all. My body was tight, aroused, wanting him. I rubbed my bristly cheek against his bristly cheek.

“Let’s work on morning coffee next week.”

“You’re killing me, Jubal.” He nuzzled at my neck, behind my ear. “I’m gonna have to go home and beat off when I could be making love to you.”

I chuckled softly as I tilted my head so he had more room to nibble my neck. I shivered in waves as his lips teased, finding pulse points.

“What do you think I’ll be doing, Ellis?”

He jerked away and fixed me with a hot blue stare. “Okay. If you want a little courtship, I’m good with that, but now I’m gonna be nuts all night.”

_*_*_*_*_*_

About TANGO IN THE NIGHT

Jubal Graham is back on the job after a shooter took the life of his long-time partner, and sent him into a coma followed by months of rehab. Determined to have justice, Jubal is focused on finding a killer, not a new romantic entanglement. Ellis Banks, with his smoldering blue eyes and denim-clad swagger is a distraction Jubal can’t afford – or ignore.

Ellis Banks came to Philadelphia to bust a drug operation; one that connects to the same case agency legend Kentuckian Jubal Graham is working. Ellis finds himself drawn to Jubal, but Jubal holds him off. Sure that Jubal is interested, even though he wears his slain lover’s ring, Ellis mounts a determined siege.

Jubal’s surprise at having a suitor develops into a growing affection for Ellis, one clouded with old fears. Fate ripped one lover from his arms, and now Ellis is in the line of fire. Jubal has to decide if he’s brave enough to love again.

Tango in the Night is available at
Amazon, iTunes and other online booksellers. 

 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

September Morning for MSS 158

September 10, 2016

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday here at the blog! I've been on vacation this past week, enjoying a few day trips around the county as a way to say goodbye to summer.

This is the 158th week of My Sexy Saturday, and the theme is a sexy dilemma. A sexy dilemma? Which book to chose for that one? I think it's pretty simple for this month: September Morning.

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Nate’s hand was warm on my thigh. The heat snaked towards my balls, inducing the almost forgotten tingling. My cock swelled. I was speechless, amazed I could feel arousal again.

Part of me fought it, whispering that it was cheating on Michael. But it wasn’t. He was gone. Would he expect me to mourn him forever? I didn’t think he would, so why did I feel so guilty?

“Hey. JD. What gives?”

I shook my head. “It’s complicated. I wish it wasn’t.”

“The guy in the photo I noticed at your place the other morning? The one who looks like you? Was he your brother? He died, didn’t he?”

In many ways, he had been like a brother. That and so much more.

“Michael was my partner. I lost him last summer.”

_*_*_*_*_

About September Morning:

Following the death of his partner, Jagger Davis is on a sabbatical to finish healing and to get his life moving again. JD goes to Sandbridge, Virginia, for a restful summer of solitude and discovers the cottage next door is full of friendly neighbors. One in particular catches his interest.

Nate Fischer is part of a group of guys who spend every summer at Sandbridge. An IT specialist for a private contractor at the nearby Naval base, Nate’s taking some vacation time. When JD arrives, Nate invites him to a cookout on the beach. It isn’t long before Nate and JD are inseparable, but there are three men in the relationship.

JD’s memories are a constant companion. He won’t banish them to satisfy someone new. When Nate’s job abruptly calls him away, JD realizes he didn’t give his summer lover a fair chance. Now he has to convince Nate there’s room in his heart for both the past and the future. 

SEPTEMBER MORNING

KC Kendricks

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