Renewals

December 28, 2019

And so we come to the last few days of The Year of Our Lord Two-thousand Nineteen. I'm grateful for another five-day stretch at home. It's getting more and more difficult to remain in the workforce. I am so very blessed to be able to contemplate retiring well before sixty-five. 

To me, retirement represents a time of renewal. Being forced into the role of caregiver, my writing stalled. I'm not afraid to admit I resent that happened. Don't judge lest it happen to you. Anyway, time and space are realigning and I'm able to write. Writing is a major part of my retirement plan. 

I've also had the opportunity to reconnect with the spousal unit. His health is not robust, but he's pretty self-sufficient at the moment. It was just bad luck that both he and my stepfather needed care at the same time. After my stepfather's death, RC was able to provide a lot of support while I settled affairs. He can sort stacks of invoices, product manuals, old receipts, and old photos with the best of them. And he'll work on that crap for hours at a time, having excellent focus for that sort of work. I feel like we weathered a huge storm and have arrived at the other side intact. Spending quality time with the man, the dog, and the cat is a major part of my retirement plan. 

Losing contact and closeness with old friends seems to be pandemic these days. Everyone bemoans this shared experience. Many simply accept it as part of aging. I don't think I want to do that. Reconnecting with those I hold dear is a major part of my retirement plan. 

So there's a few of my thoughts as this old year comes to a close. It was certainly not my best year ever, but maybe not the absolute worst. I think 1983, when Dad died, holds that distinction. It grieves me a bit he never lived to be able to contemplate "retirement." He was only fifty-four and I know his early death is the main reason I so badly wish to leave the workforce now. People should have a long "retirement" the way my grandfather did. He had thirty years to live as he pleased, enjoying his garden and flower beds, his dogs, and all of nature surrounding him. 

Now it's time to work on the 2019 retrospective. It won't be full of the writing life, that's for sure. But as always, those ancient words from Ecclesiastes 3 ring true. This year now ending was the season, and the time, it was supposed to be for me. I accept. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.


KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

The real July Heat surfaces

December 15, 2019

A few blog posts ago I mentioned I'd changed the title of the then-current WIP from July Heat to Memphis. (Memphis is out now.) It's not that July Heat isn't a good title - it is. I just couldn't reconcile it with the story of Memphis. Now I know why.

The "ideas" folder has yielded yet another tidbit, this time about the real July Heat. It all makes sense now. I do have a July Heat, a rich man/poor man idea seed. 

Isn't the subconscious mind amazing? 

I suppose with the year I've had, I can understand overlooking and/or not remembering a few things. It's a scary thing to me, forgetting anything. My mother has Alzheimer's Disease, and forgetting something - anything - sends me into a heart-jarring panic. I remind myself we all forget *stuff* but it's not alway reassuring. 

It's obvious I have a lot of work to do. The current WIP has been titled The Quest. Now with the real July Heat also on the board, I need to get busy. I've got two books to write and two covers to create. I invite you to hang around and see how well I fare with four things on the board. 

On another note, Yahoo Groups are, for all intents and purposes, gone. If you haven't done so already, why not sign up to follow Between the Keys via email? On a desktop computer, look to the left for the box. On a phone... beats me how to do it. I can't find the box on my phone. Maybe you'll have better luck. The point being, here at the blog is where news of upcoming and new releases have always been posted first. It will continue to be my practice. 

And now I'd better get to work. Books don't write themselves.

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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

The first week success, Kentucky 98 Proof, and Hot August Comes

July 20, 2019

This past Monday marked the beginning of my sojourn into "retirement." Having a three-day weekend every week should be helpful to me on many levels. I won't be as bored at the day job and I'll have more time to tend to things at home. It's win-win except for the reduction in income, but it's an imperfect world. I've never spent up to my income so the only impact is going to be on the amount I put into savings. It's fine. Money can be replaced, but time can't. 

And while one item on the master to-do list was accomplished last Monday, it convinced me I need a better format for the aforementioned list. Having Cousin Dave cut down a dead tree was fine, but it wasn't a priority for a hot July day. He just happened to be out and about and willing, and I'd have been stupid to turn down free help. 

Having "extra" time led back to the Grammarly project. So

far this week I've worked through Hot August Comes and Kentucky 98 Proof, and got both of the updated books uploaded. I think that's a pretty good achievement for week one. 

Working through Highway Nights, Hot August Comes, and Kentucky 98 Proof has given me an itch to really dig in and get back to work. I also went to Amazon and reduced the price on all three to $.99. This will only be for a limited time, so watch for the price change to go live and get your copies before the price goes back to the regular $1.99. That's only at Amazon and only for a couple of weeks. 

I also loaded the restored cover for Hot August Comes. Sometimes playing with Photoshop gets me into trouble, and this cover has always been a struggle to get right. Second-guessing myself didn't help. 

All-in-all, good progress for the first week of my new schedule. 

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

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

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

Author and friend Christiane France

June 21, 2019

"Buying men sounds a bit kinky, but sure. If that works for you, I'll buy the men and you do the rest." - Chris Grover,  April 25, 2016

My friend and fellow author, Chris Grover, died on June 19, 2019. She'd been ill since the fall of 2018, housebound for most of the winter. She kept saying once warm weather returned, she'd perk up. It wasn't to be. Diagnosed with lung cancer, she developed pneumonia and in the end, succumbed to it. 

Chris grew up in post World War II England and later immigrated to Canada. She liked her adopted home in Hamilton, and she and Roy enjoyed many years there. After Roy passed, she stayed in her apartment with her "boys," Toby and Dom. Chris was definitely a cat person. 

Chris was a gourmet cook. While Ron and I are happy to slap a few burgers on the grill, Chris made her meals an event. Well-traveled, she brought home recipes from every country she visited. Those locales, and food, often made their way into her stories. 

I first met Chris in the spring of 2008. Back in those days, Amber Quill only took in new authors once a year through a sort of lottery they called a contest. They accepted manuscripts for a month, sorted out the chaff, and then accepted only a few. I was one of only eight out of over two hundred authors offered a contract in 2008. Of course, once you were in, you had a permanent publishing home. Chris sent me an email to welcome me to AQP and we started to correspond. Until this past winter, rarely a day went by that we didn't chat. Fighting respiratory issues sapped her energy and she began to miss a day or two at a time. Then I got the call from her close friend in Hamilton that she was gone. 

During the days of our friendship, we co-wrote two series - The Escort and The Ghost at the B and B. Our writing styles were similar, and often we'd ask "did you write that section or did I?" When AQP closed its doors, we each took a series to indie publish. 

We also hatched an idea to write a story set in the same town from the perspective of two business partners. That became the Amethyst Cove books. She wrote the Greg Stewartson stories, and I wrote the Ian Coulter stories. We wondered how to get Greg and Ian into the same conversation but we never quite got around to doing it. 

After Amber Quill closed, we both tried a few of the remaining e-publishers, but it wasn't the same. AQP spoiled us for anywhere else. We went indie although Chris was never as comfortable with it as I am. Making my own covers was creative fun, so I offered to do hers, too, which elicited the above quote. She wanted to pay me but I told her to donate a few bucks to her local animal shelter. That was a good payment in my book.  

I'm going to miss Chris. Even though we came from very different backgrounds, we held similar views on right and wrong, good and evil. I will miss her emails and her recipes. 

Chris shared her vast knowledge of writing and publishing with me and I'm grateful to her for that. The writing community has lost a guiding light and a quiet leader. Her voice has been stilled, but never her influence on those who knew her. Rest well, my friend. 

KC Kendricks

So Blogger taught me a lesson

April 7, 2018

Every now and again I think it might be nice to change the appearance of the background here at Between the Keys.  Next time I get those thoughts, I'm turning the computer off and going for a walk to clear my head.

Earlier this morning I thought I might look at the Blogger themes. Just look. (Just fucking LOOK, Blogger!) I toddled over to look at current themes and got caught in a Blogger loop. Scared me silly. I didn't like what was on the screen and I couldn't get back to the regular look. I hadn't changed anything. I hadn't clicked 'save' on anything. 

After frantically trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do, I bowed to the inevitable and clicked on save. This was a bad start to the day.

But by some miracle of a power greater than Blogger, my beloved ethereal fuzzy hexes returned. All my backdoor pages, my hidden little world, returned. 

Is my background dated? Probably. But it's better than the option I almost got stuck with this morning. 

Dated, smated. I'm going to leave it the hell alone.

KC

The headless author

October 27, 2017

Having accomplished a bit of writing last evening, I set it aside in favor of organizing photos of my favorite subject - Deuce. I came across this gem from September 2016. Deuce was about nine months old at the time.

I have absolutely no idea why I took this photo. I don't know why I even saved it except I vowed to take a lot of pictures of Deuce. He's probably the last dog I'll have since I want a bit more freedom to travel in my retirement. 

I had my finger on the delete key and then I looked closer. 

Forget the splotchy wet concrete and the dog's dorky ear flipped inside out. 

Reflected in the glass is half of the photographer. I might even say she's got good legs if not for one little problem. 

What the hell happened to her head???

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

The 2017 April A to Z Blogging Challenge

March 31, 2017

For the past six years, I've taken part in the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge. I decided to opt out this year - and it feels a bit strange. It feels like giving up. 

Probably because it is. 

I had a good run with the challenge. I completed each year. That's one hundred and eighty blog entries posted on time and on topic. Plus the odd into and promo. It was a lot of blogging, and even though I like to blog, it was, well, a lot. 

Life brings changes and not all of them are positive. With my mother in a care facility for Alzheimer's patients, my time is spent between work, my home, the facility, and my step-father's home. Keeping up the writing schedule of year's past is no longer possible and that tears at me. I don't have time to do the one thing I enjoy at my very core. But I'm not whining. This is the normal for now. It won't be the normal forever. 

I hope the A to Z Challenge continues because one day I'll be back to it. And when I do get back to it, I'll add another badge. Until then, I might go back and re-post a few of my favorite letters as we walk through April. It depends on the constraints on my time. 

Now I must get back to work. The afternoon is winding down toward the weekend, and no one wants to miss the sound of the starting gun on that! 

KC
www.kckendricks.com

PS. I'd give you the link to the list of A to Z participants, but they're no longer doing a list. I'm not sure how you can find participants this year. 

Stat check time

October 16, 2016

The internet puts the world at our fingertips. It also gives us information overload. Anything we want to know is out there. Well, some version of it is out there. In the cloud. Floating. Drifting. Doing whatever the hell it does until we search for it and reel it in. 

There are a lot of author groups and I belong to a bunch of them. I rarely post information although I do read. It's not that I'm anti-social, it's that I'm not doing anything vastly different from the other participants. Why take up air time just to say, "Hey, I do that, too!" There's enough posts to get through without that. 

In one of these groups, a recent discussion focused on websites so I paid attention. I do my own with some very simple software, but I'm always looking for ways to improve it. I'm not an ace by any stretch of the imagination. I'm simply too frugal to pay hundreds of dollars a month from something incredibly fancy and frilly when I'm not a fancy and frilly sort of girl. 

When the discussion turned to the number of people using cell phones to traverse the wide plains of the Internet, I paid attention. And then I zipped over to Blogger to check some stats. Why Blogger and not my website? 1)The log-in for my web info is a huge pain in the ass and 2) I knew I'd be writing a blog post, ergo, just make one Internet stop. I'm frugal with my time, too. 

So looking at my stats, it appears that only 17 people viewed my blog via cell phone, and I know one of those Android viewers was me on my Kindle. I showed a girl at the bowling alley the page about our trip to New River Gorge. 

What I actually find more interesting is that Chrome has the largest share of browsers used and Windows is the big operating system. The little rebel in my soul is snickering at me for being so mainstream.  

More to the point is I just don't see a new trend developing. I'm not going to revamp kckendricks.com to be more cellphone friendly at this juncture. (Sorry, all you hip boomers.) 

And now, curiosity satisfied, I'm going back to my writing. 

KC

Finally - autumn

October 9, 2016

I love the changing seasons. I love the rhythms of nature and studying how they echo within me. I can't imagine stepping onto my patio to the same weather every day. I would find that completely depressing, even boring. We are all wonderfully diverse in what we love, aren't we? 

In my world, winter comes sneaking on tiny cat paws. You sense the stealthy approach, day by day, until by Christmas you know winter has settled in for a stay. Spring arrives in a steady progression of green. Summer makes an abrupt arrival, like a plane touching down and dropping off a cargo hold full of mosquitoes. But autumn? Autumn is the guest whose presence you long for and who can't get here fast enough. 

The big poplar tree out back is my autumn herald. It's the first to have leaves turn yellow and drop by ones and twos until by October, it's looking a bit bare. Things are moving a bit slower this year. It still shows green which makes me wonder if everything will be later this season. 

Deuce and I went walking earlier today. It was a bit breezy and I needed a sweatshirt, but it was far from chilly. Deuce wore his orange safety vest because, state park or not, and even though it's not yet the season, there are already hunters in the woods. 

Brown leaves are down, and the sky has turned to that perfect autumnal blue, but the maples have not yet begun to change color, baring the odd leaf here and there. It was a great day to be outside enjoying one of country life's most enduring pleasures - a simple walk in the woods. 

Sweet seasons. Autumn's rhythms. I can't imagine a life without them. 

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

Pulling the tail of justice

October 4, 2016

The writing world is a small, yet global, community. Author groups abound, and we join and get to know, if not the person, their name and online presence. Memories are long in the writing community.

You may have heard the buzz-buzz over the course of today. Ellora's Cave is closing, so they say. Authors have the option of getting a reversion of rights effective December 31, 2016, or... Choices do remain although I'd imagine there has been a lot of work behind the scenes to prevent those moves well before the announcement was issued. 

Closing, they wrote. Not filing bankruptcy. Bankruptcy would open the financial records to the courts. Making that a moot point is one of the moves, I'd think. 

I have two KC titles caught in this. While I'll be glad to get the rights back, republishing those two stories isn't high on my priority list. They feel tainted, and I need to wait until that feeling passes before I even click on the file folder and look at the original manuscript. 

I could detail what went wrong, but I think most people in the writing world know by now it was two things: greed and the failure to treat people correctly.

Karma: destiny or fate following as effect from cause.

"Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." - Luke 6:28

While this is a sort of closure to many people, it's a beginning to others. I for one have no plans to sue for those monies owed me. I doubt that it's all that much, and I simply can't be bothered to drag out my association with that company. Is it cut and run? Sure.

Rarely do I actually talk about my faith, but I do believe there is a higher power at work in this world. I think it's a good power. At least it feels benevolent in its dealings with me.

I'd love to see some sort of justice done for those authors who are owed large sums of money. I truly would. Contracts were signed in good faith. If money was made on their product, they deserve to be paid accordingly. It's the RIGHT thing to happen.

There's another sort of justice I doubt any of us will be privy to. It's the justice meted out by some greater power, the universe, karma - whatever you choose to call it. And whatever you call it, it's a fan of justice. 

And sensible folk don't pull its tail, especially repeatedly.

Looking out the window

August 28, 2016

August brings the anniversary of a personal milestone that generally goes unremarked. I've now lived in this same spot for thirty-five years - definitely more than half my life. It's almost two-thirds of my life, but I shall drop that thought and move on. 

Back in 1980, when my grandparents gifted me with three acres of land, it was completely wooded. I worked alongside grandfather, father, and then husband to clear an acre to drill a well, install a septic system, and build a house. It was hard, physical work and I regret none of it. 

Two-story dog trot log cabin.

I had a vision of a log cabin in the woods, but those people in my life at that time overruled me. That I do regret. I wanted - I still want - a log cabin. Specifically, I want a dog trot styled log cabin, or house, with its central breezeway, but I must be realistic. It's not something I'm likely to acquire at this point in my life. 

It's not that my little house in the woods isn't sufficient. It is. In many ways, it has shaped my lifestyle and I have few complaints about that. I have all that I truly need here. The house is easy to heat, cool and clean. The mechanical systems have been well maintained. My property is secluded and private, which makes it rather safe against some of the things that can happen in the world. If you're not visible, you're not a target. I think my grandparents knew that, which is why their only granddaughter got this particular piece of ground. My male cousins are subject to every manner of annoyances living beside a road. 

Which finally brings me to the unchanging view from my office window. 

My home office is my favorite room in the house. It's me. There was no compromise on wall color, flooring, rug, furniture and its placements, lighting, curtains and artwork. I spin stories in this room, travel via the wonders of the Internet, and I read and learn in this room. I share my innermost thoughts from this room. And yet I gaze out at the lush green of my backyard (so very green for the end of August!) and for the first time question is this all there is to see for the next thirty years? 

They say identifying a problem is the first step in solving the problem. My father and grandparents are gone, and soon so shall be my mother. My retirement income will follow me wherever I live. My husband of over twenty years would welcome a place that is his in ways this property never has been, its history being that of my family. There's nothing to hold me here if I choose to let go of roots and begin a new adventure elsewhere. 

Except, that is, the view through my window. 

KC 
www.kckendricks.com

_*_*_

Coming soon: Where There's Smoke by KC Kendricks
Part of the Men of Marionville collection

Beset by lists, I'm into the cloud

June 18, 2016

I've been a bit slow to embrace the world of Google docs. For my personal stuff, that is. It's been very handy at the day job job where there are several of us exchanging information on a frequent basis. What really convinced me I needed something other than my handy dandy jump drive is the amount of lists I use. I'm beset by lists. 

At the day job, I frequently joke, in a semi-serious way, that my brain is like a full glass of water. Every time someone insists on pouring some other piece of information into my brain, something runs out the other side and I never know what until I go looking for it. 

So I make lists. When I'm ready to upload a book to the various vendors, I consult a list. When it's time to do a My Sexy Saturday post, or write an article for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, I consult a list. You get the idea. To save myself a lot of time, time being the most precious commodity we have, I utilize lists. By finally putting some of those into the cloud, my life becomes simpler. 

Because if one forgets to take one's jump drive to the day job, one is without one's lists. 

(It wasn't pretty.)

Will I ever get bold enough to put a work-in-progress into the cloud? Some do, but I don't yet know if I'll be one of them. It's tempting, but it's not a step I'm ready to take. For now, let's see how having my lists in the cloud and at my fingertips works out. 

My co-workers are going to be relieved. I just hope they pray the Internet never goes down. 

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

New cover reveal - Eye of the Beholder

June 6, 2016

Eye of the Beholder is one of those stories that defies the definition of "category." It's romance, but is it voyeurism? A bit.

Is it hanky-panky in public places? Weeeeell. So the neighbors forgot to close the curtains. 

Is it serious? Irreverent? Humorous?

Perhaps it all of the above. 

Do you know how hard it was to find a cover model with just the right about of humor mixed with seriousness mixed with sex appeal? And with blue eyes? 

I think he's perfect. 

Eye of the Beholder will be available sometime this month. Check back here at Between the Keys, or visit my website. 

**Update**

Eye of the Beholder is now available at
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes/Apple, Kobo
and other online booksellers

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

Pondering? Nope - I'm brooding and it's ugly

April 24, 2016

pon·der
ˈpändər/verb

think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.
"I pondered the question of what clothes to wear for the occasion"
synonyms: think about, contemplate, consider, review, reflect on, mull over, meditate on, muse on, deliberate about, cogitate on, dwell on, brood on, ruminate on, chew over, puzzle over, turn over in one's mind, overthink
"she had time to ponder over the incident"

 ======================================================

So I've been pondering. 

For the last two years, I've been a party in many conversations about the state of the publishing industry. Book sales seemed to be tanking. Royalty checks were shrinking, and I mean shrinking. 

I hate to air dirty laundry, but I've been pondering. 

Writing, being a writer, is what I was meant to do. I think I knew it when I was quite young but it wasn't an option for me before the desktop computer changed everyone's world. I got a [good-paying] job and I've worked it for a long time. And yes, it provides benefits writing doesn't like an old-fashioned secure pension plan, primo health insurance, and enduring friendships with past co-workers. 

Writing is the hardest work I've ever done, so I've been pondering.

When the last publisher I was with decided to close its doors, I was shocked. Everyone was shocked. It appeared very sudden on the surface, but I've been pondering. In retrospect, I think it was planned out well in advance, if not collectively by the primaries, at least individually. 

Not to tell my secrets, but the indie publishing is going well. In three weeks, my totals have reached four-digits - without a decimal point in there. 

So I've been, okay, I admit it - BROODING. 

What, exactly, IS the state of the publishing business? Why are the same books I had with a publisher suddenly moving copies indie at a rate that out-strips what they did in the last two years? 

Yes, I'm brooding. 

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

The Waiting Game

March 30, 2016

After what seems like an eternity, we've arrived at the last days of March. I feel like I've been living in the perfect storm.

• Amber Quill announced its closing leaving me with forty books to self-pub
• My mother had surgery 
• We had a blizzard with thirty inches of snow
• My mother ended up in the hospital again, then rehab
• I got a puppy
• My best friend in the whole world is moving away
• I prepped for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, which begins April 1
• I subbed a story to Loose Id as KC and it was accepted (my alter ego was one of the first authors they published back in 2004)

I've not written much new prose. This worries me but I've been a bit busy. On top of everything, I do work a full-time job and I do have the spousal unit. Both need a certain amount of attention. 

But for some reason, I got up this morning ready to kick ass first and take the names of anyone left standing later. Maybe it's because my mother is finally back home. Or perhaps it's because Deuce is pretty much house-trained. 

More likely it's because the waiting game is almost over. I can finally DO something. Amber Quill closes tomorrow. My books are already off All Romance eBooks and Amazon. Tonight I'll do as much pre-order loading as I can to make what books I have covers made for available on April 1. 

I've already made preliminary updates to my website. I'll have to go back and add the buy links when they're available. Same for here at Between the Keys. 

Finally, finally, finally, I feel like I can get moving again.

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

PS. Don't forget to check back on April 1 for the opening of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

It's coming...soon... The 2016 A to Z Challenge!

February 16, 2016

Just up! The A to Z Challenge badges are posted so I went and snagged them all - letters A to Z and the main badge. I'm getting ready. Are you?

KC

www.kckendricks.com

www.twitter.com/kckendricks

www.facebook.com/kckendricks

A new little boy

February 6, 2016

I think I have a line on a puppy. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm beyond thrilled! He's about three weeks old and I can't even meet him in person until he's six weeks. We can't bring him home until March. 

March is good. We got Jett in March and it worked out perfectly for us. March gives me time to get puppy supplies and toys.

The thing is, I may not last that long! Look at those paws! That little scrunchy face! 

This is like computer dating. I'm in love and he hasn't even licked me yet! 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com

PS. You know he's going to end up the hero in a book, don't you? 

It's been an interesting week

January 30, 2016

First off, we've already chopped through a month in 2016. I don't feel like I accomplished much.

It fucking snowed. Thirty inches at my place. The problem with a snow day is you have to shovel snow instead of write prose. I'm soooo glad we invested in the John Deere. I'm also grateful the old Chevy Silverado is a beast in the snow. They don't make 'em like that anymore which is why we still have it. 

We had to call the paramedics to get my mother. THEY had to use the snowblower themselves to get her out her driveway to the ambulance. They were not pleased. I'm not pleased either because everyone I called to clear her driveway refused the job. I'm putting that word out on them. They all have facebook pages.  

Now I get to "hound" my mother every day to take her medications. Let the games begin. 

Next time they predict a big snow, she's coming here with me whether she likes it or not. And believe me it will be "not." Too bad.


When Amber Quill announced its closing, I subbed one of my favorite stories to Loose Id and they've accepted it. This is a good thing. I may even grind out a sequel for them. 

With Amber Quill closing, a lot of books are at a deep discount.  

Donut House Nutty Caramel coffee (K-cup) is really good! I need another box.

Yep. It's been an interesting week. With any luck, Next week will be smooth sailing. I think I've earned it. Now back to the work-in-progress! 

KC Kendricks
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My country life at Holly Tree Manor

Sounds like the plan

November 28, 2015

Writing is more than the creative muse. There are business aspects that are unwise to ignore. If the writing generates income, it needs to be handled in a way the IRS deems appropriate, at least for those of us in the United States. To claim business expenses, we need to prove we're actively involved in said business. I have a log of my time going back for years. I use a spreadsheet, creating one worksheet per year. I can't believe it's time to prepare a sheet for 2016. 

I can't believe it's time to get the Christmas cards ready, either, but that's another blog. And the Final Countdown app on my phone says only 26 days until Christmas. How the heck did that happen???

Being a holiday weekend, and Thanksgiving over for another year, I've been pondering what I can [realistically] accomplish between now and the new year. My spread sheet says I published eight stories this year. Two more are "in the pipeline" and a third is waiting for the second part of the story to gel so I can finish it. I should be content with all that but I find I'm not. 

Wanting to revisit the Marionville setting, I can easily bounce a story from each pair of guys. That's eight stories. I have another Ian Coulter story underway, and then there's the third Levi and Stacy story I've been wanting to do for years but the PAX program kept getting in the way. 

All this is why I can't wait to retire and be a full-time writer. I can't say I'll actually be able to write for the entire forty-five hours a week I'll gain, but I'll be able to utilize a chunk of it. 

I think between now and the new year my best use of time is in the planning of my time. Working out story details, character bios, and fleshing out ideas is as important as the writing of prose. It's the beginning of the process. 

There's something new to learn, too. The My Sexy Saturday group has added Triberr and I've no clue how that works. So even if I'm not writing, I'm going to be busy laying a firm foundation for 2016. Sounds like the plan. Stay tuned.


KC Kendricks
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Autumn Wonderful

October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween everyone! We had great weather for the kiddies last night. About a quarter of the folks on my bowling league we absent due to taking their kids to Trick or Treat. Surprisingly, none of the bowlers wore any sort of costume this year. I guess we are finally "growing up." 

Windows 10. I've come to the conclusion I'll never find, much less utilize, all the features on this operating system. One thing I do like is the weather tile. I dumped most of the preset tiles in favor of my own selections (which are few) but I kept the weather. What a lovely week ahead for the first days in November. So very different from a few short years ago when a late October snowstorm wrecked havoc. We were without power for 55 hours during that one. (But we had a lot of wood to burn the next year.)

I'm looking forward to this last few warmer days of autumn. November will bring a chill wind, one that stays until, finally, in April, a hint of spring can be felt. I wouldn't miss the changing of the seasons for love nor money. I love stepping out on my front porch and observing the changes in the trees. 

Where I'll end up by the close of this fall day, I don't know yet. Likely it will be right here at my keyboard. What I do know is the hours between will be autumn wonderful. 

KC
kckendricks.com
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