Ryshia Kennie's Blog, page 26

Spam - Welcome To The Party

So it finally happened.  I finally got annoyed with the spam comments that were slipping through Blogger's spam filter.  I was so annoyed yesterday that I got a little carried away and apparently there is a point of no return.  The no return on the deletion button that is... sigh.  What what you mark before you hit delete!  So it's not like my blog has no recent comments - it did once but for the last few months well, we have to pretend there was silence.  I managed to delete right back to November.  So the comments are gone except...  Yes there was one bright spot.  Not for the Lost In The Jungle contest entries - that is a different matter, fortunately I've recorded any of those. 





January 15, 2013

In the meantime I have a backup plan on that delete button.  But enough of that, today I'm over at The Romance Studio who is celebrating their ten year anniversary.  Check it out, there are all sorts of prizes including a signed copy of my first book From the Dust and a whole lot more.  I'll be blogging there all week with a bevy of other authors.  So come on over and join the fun.



And don't forget the release day for Fatal Intent.  It's tomorrow when Fatal Intent will be available at the majority of online bookstores.



Til then - see you at the TRS party.



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.comhttp://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

What Do You Mean No? I'm The Author!

For those of you who have hung around for a while, I apologize - you may have read this post some two years ago.  But it made me chuckle even today as I remembered my frustration.  And with my romantic suspense, Fatal Intent's publication just around the corner - well let's just say I'm taking the day off.  And yes, comments here count for an entry in my latest contest, Lost In The Jungle.



So
I loaded a draft of one of my stories onto the Kindle.  Way back when
I'd been given the great advise of reading your finished book out loud
to find those last glitches.  And the Kindle has a "read to me"
feature.  By default, a man's voice - I call him little man.

Why is everything way easier until you begin implementation?



First off the book wouldn't open once I loaded it onto the Kindle. 
Apparently, I forgot to delete headers, that it called imbedded
objects.  Of course it never stated what said objects might be.  So
first hurdle - identify imbedded objects aka headers.  Finally a
readable version of the book is loaded.



I pressed start for little man to begin reading to me.



Nothing.



I hit start.... start...  start...



I read the instructions again.  I hit start again.



Frustrated?  Determined?  About to trash the Kindle?



Nah - not me.



Then I discovered the problem.  Apparently the rights holder has not
allowed this action.  Excuse me?  I am the rights holder!  I am the
author.  I wrote it and I haven't submitted it anywhere, not yet.  That book is mine, darn it.  And I authorize you to speak -
speak now!



Silence.



We're at a stand off.  It might be my story but I suspect without a
legal copyright and whatever other rights authorization it needs by
virtue of publication, little man is just going to remain mute. I
suspect too that little man might once have been part of a government
entity, being as everything must be so cut and dried.  I mean really,
shouldn't there be an option where I just check the box that says
author?  Okay, so maybe not but this does seem rather close-minded on
his part. 





I
suspect that little man doesn't really care that I am the author.  I
suspect that I might be the only one who cares.  I also suspect that I'm
stepping a little close to the edge with my new relationship with the
Kindle's little man.  But I am the author and logical or not it's darned
annoying that I can't authorize this thing to work.  Ironic even as at
this stage of the game I am the sole proprietor of said story.  It's
that brief little lull before I send it out and throw everything wide
open to the opinion of any and all.   For now it's a bunker - me and the
story.



He did try to make it all better by reading a book by another author -
published material of course - copyrighted and all, but somehow after
his first rejection - his little electronic voice became oddly annoying.





Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com





January 15, 2013

 





http://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

Lost In The Jungle

The last few weeks don't bode well for a quiet 2013.  Some of the flurry was expected and some of it wasn't.  Some of it good, some of it bad.  But it all combined into having the days fly one into another.  




Part of the busyness is that I have a new book about to be released - January 15, 2013! 







When a scientific expedition into the Borneo jungle goes horribly wrong, Garrett turns to the one man who may help them and in the jungle's torrid heat they find unexpected solace in each others arms.  But faced with death and betrayal, in a battle of wits that puts lives on the edge, can anyone be trusted?



 To celebrate the imment release of FATAL INTENT - a story of love and
romance in the heart of the Borneo jungle, I'm holding the Lost In the Jungle contest. 

LOST IN THE JUNGLE



The Prize?

Survivor Borneo – the first season

and

the vintage movie,
East of Borneo.  

Details at:  www.ryshiakennie.com

Ends February 14,
2013




Whats been keeping you hopping?

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.comhttp://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

I Missed The Curve In The Road

Write every day.  I remember reading that in any number of places, most notably Stephen King's "On Writing".  And it's sound advise but not always possible.  I used to think it was possible but I think even then I suspected that it really wasn't.





I'm going to admit a transgression here.  I'm back from a month-long writing hiatus.  It started innocently enough with a vacation where I did write every morning, for the first while.  Than a new book started tapping for some promo attention and stole chunks of writing time. 



As I sit in front of the keyboard with a blank screen in front of me, I realize that it's been a month since I've written anything.  This time it wasn't a matter of pulling up my socks - not when they got knocked right off.  Life events are like that...we're never really ready for them and we just have to muddle through one way or another.  



So with the new year well into week one, I'm back at it.  The blank page is a welcome sight, kind of a signal of a return to normalcy.  Life happens and I suppose we knew that when we signed on.



So let's toast.  To a new page and another year, and to my dad who loved to laugh.



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com












http://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

Winner - Gifting Books Giveaway

With 2012 slipping quickly away it's time to usher in 2013.  So starting the year out on a good note here's the winner of my giveaway as part of the Gifting Books Giveaway Hop:




The winner of an e-copy of From the Dust is

Jeanette

Congratulations!!!!













But as one contest ends, another is about to begin.  My Lost In The Jungle contest is up and running to celebrate the release of my latest book FATAL INTENT.  Check it out at my website:   www.ryshiakennie.com.




Here's to 2013!!!


Ryshiahttp://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

Gifting Books Giveaway Hop - Win an E-Book

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A Widow - A Stranger

A depression era farm - they both claim

A story of love and endurance - and a
romance to take your breath away.




It's the Christmas season and what better time to have something like the Gifting Books Giveaway Hop?  Ready to take a break from shopping and endless Christmas parties - thinking of maybe settling down with a good book?  Then here's a good place to start.  Just follow the trail of blogs to books, books and more books.  



In the theme of this hop -  the special book I was gifted, and there's been so many in m life that I'd like to mention but one stands out.  It goes back to childhood.  As a child I wanted Heidi in the worst way but Heidi was a few years away from making a repackaged come back.  In fact, the book at that point was pretty much out of print in Canada - hard to believe now, when a multitude of variations and translations are available.  My mother found the book in a local second hand store - red-cloth bound with that dusty delicate feel of a very old book, the pages yellow and worn and tinted with a smell of mildew and dust.  I treasured that book.




So to celebrate the season, I'm giving away another book that's special to me.  One I wrote, an e-copy of my first book  "From the Dust" to one commenter over the course of the hop.  


Drop by and leave a note and I'll enter you for a chance to win.  What book did you receive that was special?


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Folllow the links below to more books.

Let's Hop!!















http://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

Underground Culture - Inspiration in the Shadows

It's interesting how changing what appears when you open your back door lifts a floodgate that might be masking your imagination.  My imagination needed a jump start and my backpack needed dusting off.  So if you've been paying attention to my spotty blogging, I took a trip and met a whole new culture and another group of people.  And while much is the same, a lot is different.  The weather for one.  It's averaged mid twenties here.  While at home it's wavering between single digits over zero and -20 - bear in mind that's all Celsius and no I'm not converting it for you, I'm having enough problems of my own with that.





Like - "Why the heck are you driving so fast?"  I believe I asked...before considering conversion possibilities.  "The speed limit is 35."  35 miles an hour that is, not kilometers.  But of course I have my neck cricked at an odd angle looking for the local sheriff anyway.  I've read about him and all his tough guy patrolling of borders (hey, I'm just reporting it as I read it) hunting for smuggling of all kinds.



And then there are the other kinds of stories, those not quite so serious and in some instances, just plain entertaining.  Stories of aliens from another planet and even alien burrows, lost gold and forgotten mines, Elvis sightings and...  Yes, the stories go on, urban legends, fodder for tourists and in some instances, real mysteries. 





Underground culture, the best feeding ground for a writer's imagination.  Don't get me wrong, every place has it, you're just more apt to look for it when you're new to a place.  That's one of the lures of travel - the newness of it all. 



So the notebook is out, the pen is out of ink and there's little time and more stories to be had. 



There's secrets in those shadows.



What makes your day?



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com


http://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

Work is Interfering with my Golf Game

Is it golf or work that's the problem?  I don't know but a working vacation is really kind of a misnomer.  It worked real well in the beginning - that is the beginning when we'd recently arrived and the days stretched ahead unmapped, uncharted and seemingly never-ending.  Then, in the beginning that is,  I'd get up first thing in the morning, have a couple of hours to myself before a swim in the pool and starting the day.



Now the days are closing in - vacation is slipping away and talk of home is on the horizon.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.   The conversation filtering from outside is a discussion with the pool boy who obviously is a native of the warmer south.  He wants to know if anyone works outside in the winter. 



Roll that question back - I'm not sure if anyone stops working outside in the winter.  That's what polar fleece was made for and other scientific technologies that swear your nether parts won't freeze off.  



Too hot - too cold.  There are bragging rights on how hot or how cold a place can get.  Haven't you noticed that?  People love to brag about their temperature extremes.  Me, I'd rather just have a nice consistent high 20's Celsius or even a tad warmer and that would be perfect.



Perfect, that's here, right now - except for the prickles and brambles but that's another story.  Hmmm - best get in my golf games, laps and that shortened work day while there's still time. 



But, you know,  I'm kind of looking forward to my schedule especially with two projects on the go and a release in the immediate future (more on that and all the fun coming up). 



In the meantime - here's a view of Christmas down south.



Any weather getaways or a working vacation on your horizon?



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.comhttp://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

How Far Are You Willing To Go?

You know what you want but how far are you willing to go to get it?



While in Mesa our lives brushed briefly with an artist. Painting a mural on a building in Mesa.  The mural was a mirage designed to look like a melting building - melting in the Arizona heat.  It took six months to complete it and he and his girlfriend lived in a, not very large trailer, in the parking lot until it was done.  A glance at the worn, sun-faded trailer sitting on the blacktop made me think of one thing, suffering for one's art. 







Don't know if I'm willing to go there but how far are most of us willing to go for whatever our dream might be.  Are we just paying lip service to a dream or are we out there hauling ass trying to make it happen.  I read a blog today that said the only one we can control is ourselves and that's true. 



In the meantime watch out for the brambles and thorns in life - I heard some of them can make you veer just a tad.



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com




http://ryshiakennie.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ryshiakennie

I'm So Alone...We All Are

Travel takes us out of our norm and into the norm of other people and places.  Usually, as tourists, we're looking through the telescope of distance and can only assume what another person's reality might be.  But some days we make contact.



Today, was one of those days.  While feeling our way around our new stomping grounds, we headed into Mesa.  And it was there where our lives knocked up against the life of an older woman on the precipice of change.  She'd just lost her husband and in the throes of fresh grief she was uprooting herself and selling her house and belongings.





The story came out in a few questions that were innocent enough - strangers getting to know each other.  But soon it was clear that we were entering shaky ground.  But grief is a strange beast.  Some of us curl up and shutdown and others of us just want to talk.  We listened as she spoke of a man we would never meet and recounted stories that began with we when it was clear there was now, only an I. 



Reality.  It was in the tears that were so close to the surface and that sad but resigned half-smile on her face.  It was as if the smile was a shadow of a personality in happier times and the house, a reminder of what she no longer had.




I don't know what I'm going to do.




Sometimes storms come out of no where.

Her fear echoed in that sad statement.



Real life - maybe that's why many of us love romances where we're guaranteed the happy ending.  We all know love comes with strings, long sticky, often sorrowful ones.  If you love you may some day grieve.  



It's those feelings that slap us around and knock us to the ground that in the end, and this isn't like it sounds but - are a writer's feeding ground.  I know I was close to tears myself.  It felt like I had been widowed by the death of a man I had never met.  But it is those emotions that I'll remember a year, two or even ten from now.  And while I probably will never forget her, it won't be that woman or her circumstance I'll write about, but the emotion I briefly touched, somehow - somewhere it will be there.

 



Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com


http://ryshiakennie.com
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