Showing posts with label writing career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing career. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Maybe it's only tongue-in-cheek

June 20, 2023

Yesterday I did something I rarely do. We were checking out at a store and the cashier asked me, based on the T-shirt I wore, if I was a writer. I told her yes, we chatted, and I gave her a business card. It seems that since I retired, I'm a lot bolder about letting that fact be known.

I've never hidden the fact I'm a published author from family and friends, but I do confess their reactions have been mixed. Total strangers seem to be a lot more interested. Family and friends never ask me about it now, after over twenty years. Maybe they follow along online but I'll never know. 

I left the house wearing the T-shirt. Never gave it a second thought. The T-shirt is old and a bit ratty, and I generally only wear it around the house. If I clean the house or mow in it, it doesn't need to be seen in public. But the trip yesterday was just a quick in and out, so we just hopped in his van and took off. We didn't even take Deuce, which I'm sure caused a bit of howling. 

Perhaps I should upgrade the T-shirt to a new model and wear the new one more. I enjoyed chatting with someone, even a stranger, who seemed genuinely interested in finding a new author to read. 

I no longer have to worry about my employer finding out and all the drama that revelation would have involved. Yes, I'm still under contract with them as a consultant, but it's not the same as being a public representative of the organization. 

I'm not ashamed of being a writer, but I prefer a more low-key life. I have no desire to walk down the street in my hometown and be followed. Nor do I want my picture plastered everywhere. I simply want to write a story I would enjoy reading. 

But times change. Now really is the time to be careful. You really might end up if not in my novel, in my blog! 

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Social media links:
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, GLBTQ, m/m romance, meeting the public, writing career, writing options, retirement, T-shirt

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

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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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
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

Monday, May 23, 2022

"And so, it begins"


May 23, 2022

"And so, it begins." - Kosh, resident Vorlon at Babylon 5

At the risk of pushing a few of you over the edge with my retirement obsession - I'M RETIRED!!!

Yes, the day finally arrived. My employer, or should I say ex-employer, held a reception for me yesterday afternoon and it was quite nice. Lots of people, past and present, showed up to give me a send-off into what we call retirement. I came home and "crashed" like an old woman and had a nice nap in the recliner. 

That is not going to be my life. 

I blogged a bit about this over at Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway), but that was about life in general. Here at Between the Keys, which is supposed to be more about my writing, I have different things to say. 

My writing has been on a bit of a hiatus. The last several years brought big changes to my life. My stepfather died and my mother had to be placed in a total care facility. My friend and writing partner died. My husband had several major surgeries. Covid-19 hit and I needed to be more present at the day job by working from home. The effect on my life was a perfect storm. 

But you know what? I've made it through. I don't expect that picking up the threads of my writing career and weaving them back together is going to be easy. I have to develop a structure for my days that includes taking care of the spousal unit, home chores, writing time, and time to nurture myself. I've thought about it a lot, but now I need to see if the plan works and what changes the plan may need. 

Twenty years ago, I was writing The Skies of Mahdis. That story has been out of print for some time, but the absolute joy I found in the creation of that story has never wavered. Will I be able to once again work in that atmosphere of joy? Will I be able to embrace each new story in the spirit of joy and hope that we all get our happy ending? 

All those years ago the group of writers I was involved in (where did they all go?) had a saying: BICAW. That's "butt in chair and write." That is indeed what has to happen. I need to tune out all the chatter of life here in The Hideaway and write. It has to be a priority, or it won't work. 

It all boils down to how willing am I to work hard to regain momentum. Am I really going to be able to do it? I guess I'm about to find out.

Yes, I'm now retired. Let the real work begin!


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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
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys



KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, Holly Tree Manor, retirement, writing career, contemporary gay romance, M/M fiction, Babylon 5 quote, a writer's life, life changes, setting priorities


Friday, April 12, 2013

K is for Kendricks



April 12, 2013
Day 11
2013 A to Z Blogging Challenge

It's All About the Books

For day eleven of the 2013 A-Z Blogging Challenge we’re taking a short departure from talking about the books to talk about who’s behind the books.

Arguably, the author is the most vital ingredient of any novel. Without his/her passion, imagination, creativity, knowledge and skill, there wouldn't be anything for the world to read except text books and political manifestos. We’d lack the vast scope of shared experiences expressed and documented by the writer. We writers can create worlds, and we can change the world. Writers have changed the world. I don't think the growing acceptance of the LGBT community would have developed so rapidly without the support of writers showing it's not about sex, it's about people. We in the romance genre add a little sex because people are people and they like to see the relationship between two people develop that special romantic bond.

But there are also times the writer has to change themselves. There are no hard and fast rules, no guidelines to reinvent oneself as a writer. It’s a gut thing. Something instinctual. You just know. It’s not an easy thing as it follows a period of self-examination, and personal growth is not always without pain.

I began writing under another name just to see if I could actually write a novel. Apparently the answer is “yes, I can.” That other persona made all the newbie mistakes and learned valuable lessons. When it was time to move on, to reinvent myself, I didn’t hesitate for long. I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, and so it has been.

I’m addicted to the flow of words and the freedom of self-expression and creativity of pulling pure thought from the air and setting it on the page. Once written, the words take on a life of their own. We use the words to create our stories, like children, and then we send them out into the world.

There is not one thing in my writing career or my writing life I would do differently even if I had the chance. The things I’ve learned about the craft, and myself, truly have helped form me into who I am today. Why would I want to change that?

The heading of this blog invites the reader to come with me into a world where visions, my visions, live. But it’s also an invitation to get to know the writer behind the name KC Kendricks. Because here at my blog is where you will find me - the real me - and where you will get to know me, down in the spaces between the keys.



KC Kendricks

website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kckendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks