It's exhausting!

July 10, 2025

Has the author been writing? No.

Has the author been doing any promo at all? No.

Has the author been doing anything at all? Oh, yeah.

I'm tired. Like, really tired. The garden is doing great, I got the new greenhouse set up, the grass needs mowing every six days, and the Cousin has been topping maple trees. So what's that got to do with writing? 

Well, you can't write when you're preserving food from the garden. You can't write while riding a lawn mower. You can't write when you're an assistant lumber jack. It's exhausting! 

I'm really not complaining. It's been a very productive couple of weeks - except for writing. And the writing will come soon. I see light at the end of the tunnel. I have two covers made for the two works-in-progress, and that always helps to get me rolling along. 

The mess from topping the trees is almost cleared. The wax beans are canned. The mowing? Well, the weather dictates that and it's been happening every six days and that's not typical for my location.

And today, none of that happened. I went along with a girlfriend to hold her hand while she got a new phone. This girl was still using a flip phone. It was time for her to upgrade! 

Yes, it's been a busy few weeks and I'm glad of it.

     _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, gardening, writing, LGBTQ Kindle romance, country lifestyle, a writer's life, John Deere equipment, weather

An old fashioned winter

January 11, 2025

It's shaping up to be an old-fashioned winter. The cold settled in during December and is showing no signs of letting up. We've had Winter Storm Blair, which brought us four and a half inches of snow, and Winter Storm Cora, which gave us another inch and a half last night. I've had the woodstove burning since the early part of December when typically, I don't every day and night until January. It's a good thing I have a nice stockpile of firewood. 

With temps in the low twenties and teens, and snow on the ground, you'd think I'd be writing. And you'd be correct! I have been writing. I'm not setting the world on fire, but I've got the story I'd like to get out sometime in February at 29,000 words. At that word count, the end is about three chapters away. 

I've got the cover created (I think) but I'm not ready to share it. It could change. I'm pretty fickle with things I create using Photoshop. I've also got to write the book blurb and I hate writing those. I never seem to capture the story and I don't want to fake it just to add spice. I've purchased books with a great cover blurb only to discover it had no context to the story. I should have asked for my money back, but I don't do that to other authors. 

So here it is - Saturday morning and I'm looking at fresh snow. Do I write this morning and clear snow this afternoon, or vice versa? It's only 22F outside. Maybe that's the deciding factor. I'll brew a cup of tea and work on the manuscript, and hope the temperature rises to about thirty Fahrenheit before I go outside. 

Yep. That's the plan.

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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, LGBT gay romance, winter snow, writer's on writing, m/m romance, contemporary Kindle romance, weather, woodstove, firewood, old-fashioned winter

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
twitter.com/kckendricks

Spring? Really?

March 21, 2015

Yesterday we celebrated the arrival of spring with several inches of snow, which is still on ground here on the mountain. Today, the weather forecasters are calling for the high temp to be 60F. 

I don't know about you, but I'm afraid to complain too loudly for fear of what might happen in July.

Passing it on

October 30, 2012

Usually I enjoy the rare weekday I get to spend at home. Being home as the result of a hurricane doesn’t fall into that category.

We all knew Hurricane Sandy was brewing and building in the Atlantic Ocean. We listened to the pseudo-celebrities who forecast the weather wax dramatic. We saw the radar imagines. And we began to cringe.

The first big storm I remember well was Hurricane Agnes in 1972. I was young enough to be spared the worry, but old enough to help bail water. In 1977, an unnamed storm filled my grandparent’s basement with water - all the way to ground level. And then came Isabel in 2003 - very bad. We were without power for 45 hours.  In 2004, Ivan paid us a visit.  Ike, in 2008 made a swing up from Texas to wet us down. Then came Irene’s fury in 2011. Storms named with an “I” definitely get my attention now. October 29, 2011, we had the freak snow that knocked out our electric for 55 hours and left us with a bigger mess to clean up than Isabel.

Comparatively, for us, Hurricane Sandy was almost a non-event. Thank you, Lord. The rains came and we had some minor flooding, but the worst of the wind missed us. We’re just - just - far enough east to miss the snow blanketing the higher elevations of the Appalachians, although I would not be surprised to see the odd snowflake.

The power stayed on and we remain warm, dry, fed and comfortable. Not so for thousands of other people. Some have suffered the loss of loved ones. Many are in shelters. Many have lost valued belongings. How can I, in my warm house, begin to know their experience?

I can’t. I would not presume to even think I can. What I can do, and will do, is lend financial support to provide aid. In my case, it will probably be through my house of worship. Money is tight, a fact we’re all too aware of, but I can spare a few dollars to help. Many small gifts combine into larger ones to do good.

I’m not after thanks, or to have anyone think I want a pat on the back. It’s not that at all.  You see, many years ago complete strangers came to my aid when I had a need. I can never thank them, but I can multiply and pass on their gifts. At the end of the day, for me, it’s the right thing to do.  

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys