K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 16

It's all fiction, folks!

December 17, 2022

Last weekend we survived the annual Christmas gathering of my partner's family, and it was a survival. My husband is not in good shape and his decline was never more evident than at that party. I watched him shrink right before my eyes. The noise and confusion of small children and young adults we didn't know, coupled with the fact SOMEONE (it was his sister!) invited his ex-wife (of over thirty years) to participate, sent him spiraling. Just because he added her on Facebook ten years ago doesn't mean he wants to be in the same room with her. Yes, I let her (and his sister) live. I think we've been to our last gathering at the sister's house. He physically can't take it, and his anger didn't do him any good, either. 

Writers often get asked if we include real-life scenarios in our stories. I confess little snippets have drifted into mine. Snippets. It has now occurred to me I have chapter upon chapter worth of drama to feed from should I decide to write party scenes into stories. 

My family's Christmas gathering is today. Thanks to last weekend's debacle, he's not attending even though I suspect it will be a quieter affair, and I can assure the entire population of the known galaxy my ex-spouse will not be in attendance. My family will splinter into special interest groups. Those of us in Gen 3 will congregate at the dining room table to catch up with each other and to remember Gen 1 and Gen 2. Those in Gen 4 will eat and then hustle off downstairs to the bar - the cousin (Gen 4) hosting us brews small batches of beer in his basement and the sampling will commence. The younger of Gen 5 and Gen 6 will rush to the family room to stream the Disney channel while the older of that generation hide in a bedroom playing video games. Only gaming shouting will be heard, and the occasional applause from the bar. 

So I think I have my scene. I can see it, I can plot it, I can write it. The family gathers to eat, then the generational divisions happen. Enter an ex-partner/spouse/lover. Mayhem ensues. Yeah, that will work. 

And I will deny, and never confirm, that I include family members or events in my stories. It's all fiction, folks. 

You've got to watch us writers. We view things through the lens of story. 

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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 KeysLife through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce:  deucesday.blogspot.com My country life at Holly Tree Manor:  hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, Christmas, family, fiction writers, fictional romance, generations, contemporary gay romance, country living, rural lifestyle, time, 

Getting a handle on it

December 9, 2022

Becoming a full-time writer has not been as easy as I anticipated. Distractions abound and some of them are important and need to be addressed. When Deuce comes and rests his head on my knee, I know it's time to step outside with him. Ignoring his request isn't fair to the dog. The man needs fed from time to time, and I have chores to complete. I don't know why I imagined I could simply step into my office and be productive. 

Yes, that's a whine.

The problem is I want to be more productive than I am, and starting this new phase of life at the beginning of summer, well, there was just too much other *stuff* to do. Now winter is almost upon us and I realize I don't want to be confined to my office. I still want to be outside, even if it is cold. Country girls have to country. 

The good news is that I'm getting a handle on it! I finished After the Sea Sprite Ball, started a new story, set up a vendor account at Barnes and Noble, and I'm getting some promotion done. Promotion doesn't come easy to me. I'm not comfortable standing up and shouting, "look at me, look at what I've done!"

To me, promoting in Facebook groups is an exercise in frustration. I have an extensive spreadsheet with a lot of notes, and every promotional day I discover fewer groups I'm willing to spend my time on. The big groups are full of spam and the little groups, well, some folks live for rules. Some folks like the power of putting a post into review and leaving it there, too. My spreadsheet shows all that. 

I spent some time tweaking the spreadsheet today. I'm in a bunch of groups that have "buy and sell" as their main tab. If you post on the "discussion" tab, it doesn't show on the main page. Those groups now have a worksheet all their own. There's also a separate M/M group worksheet and a sci-fi paranormal worksheet. 

It's all about time and how much I'm willing to spend on promotion. Maybe breaking the groups down into categories will help. I need to keep writing the next story as my primary focus when I'm at the computer. 

We shall see how it goes. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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 KeysLife through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce:  deucesday.blogspot.com My country life at Holly Tree Manor:  hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, Facebook, contemporary gay romance, romance ebooks, ebooks for Kindle, M/M romance, LGBTQ romance, a writer's life, country living, rural lifestyle, black Labrador Retriever, gardening, retirement, full-time writer

Smashwords - oh, holy...!

 

December 8, 2022

"Do you want your books listed on Smashwords?"

That's a very innocuous question. In today's vernacular, it's a no-brainer. Of course, I'd like my entire catalog to be available at Smashwords. And to accomplish this, it's a simple click, and somewhere out there in cyberspace, AI takes care of it? Hell, yeah! Do it! 

So I did. 

So I did not think this through. 

There were EIGHTY emails in my writer's inbox this morning. That's 8 followed by a 0, or 80. Yep. My first thought was what the hell, someone spammed me. Nope. Only two were spam. A handful were legit from mailing lists, etc., but seventy of them advised me that a book is now available at Smashwords. 

Yea? Hooray?

I now have seventy book pages to update here at Between the Keys. Oh, holy shit crap. 

This is going to take a while.

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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 KeysLife through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce:  deucesday.blogspot.com My country life at Holly Tree Manor:  hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, a writer's life, Smashwords, contemporary gay romance, romance books for ereaders, m/m romance

After the Sea Sprite Ball is now available!

December 4, 2022

Did you know that Rayne Forrest is the alter ego of KC Kendricks? I first wrote under the pen name of Rayne and then became KC when I wanted to write m/m romance. Both Rayne and KC share KC’s website and blog, so don’t be confused when you see KC in the links or see that KC posted Rayne Forrest’s material. 

It's been a long time since I published a Rayne Forrest book, but it's one of those things I want to get back to doing now that I'm "retired" and can call myself a full-time writer.

I hope you enjoy After the Sea Sprite Ball, a romance set in the very near future, because who wouldn't like to visit an undersea resort and watch a Kraken float outside your window? 

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A romance set in the very near future.

Eve Archer checks in for her dream vacation at the new undersea resort, The City of Amphitrite. Unfortunately, her luggage went to the Catskills. To make amends, the concierge upgrades her package to a suite in the Tower of Triton, the poshest accommodations at the resort. As a Triton guest, Eve receives an invitation to attend the nightly costume ball in the Palace of Poseidon. And since the resort transportation lost her luggage, she is offered her choice of gowns, free of charge. It will make her job a lot easier.

Actor and supermodel Alex Gerard needs a break, and the Triton package offered by the City of Amphitrite resort is just the thing for him to get a little privacy and rest. He’s been working non-stop for three years, and while he doesn’t mind suffering for his craft, enough is enough. For the next two weeks, his meals, massages, and the company of other celebrity guests can all be brought to his suite.

Alex can’t believe the woman who literally ran into him in the hall has no idea who he is – and he doesn’t enlighten her. It’s refreshing to have a woman not care about the opportunities being on his arm will provide. Intrigued, he follows her and discovers she’s been sent to spy on the resort, an activity that could get them both detained. It’s obvious, at least to him, that the best way to keep her out of mischief is to get her into his room – and his bed. 

EXCERPT

Eve. Nice name. He had to admit she was a pretty little thing. Not beautiful, no, or even what might be called cute. She was pretty. Curly black hair swept her shoulders. Wispy bangs obscured her arched eyebrows, but he’d seen them. They were as black as her hair, and she didn’t wax them down to where she had to paint them back on. He liked that natural look, and her womanly curves. He’d had his fill of pencil-thin model-types. Eve’s round bottom would fit right into a man’s hands.

He shouldn’t think about that. She seemed to be the kind who would pummel him to a pulp if she even suspected him of looking her over like this. Alex ducked behind a potted tree.

Damn! She’d seen him. Was she telepathic or something?

Whew. He was safe. Eve had glanced this way, but she obviously hadn’t noticed him. Well, he could skulk in the plantings, or he could act like a man. He stepped from behind the foliage and joined the flow of walkers, angling his way over to her. Alex stopped in the doorway.

“Red looks really good on you.”

Eve turned, then jumped, her eyes narrowing. “What do you want? You are stalking me! I’m calling security.”

Alex grinned. “I’m shopping for something special. Can I help it you’re here?”

“You’re insufferable.”

She had brown eyes, so dark they looked black, and long, blond-tipped eyelashes. Alex grabbed the hanger and held up the red dress.

“You should get this. It really is your color. Trust me, ‘cause I know about what looks good on a woman.”

“You egotistical ass!” Eve yanked the hanger out of his hand and stomped towards the back of the store, yelling over her shoulder at him. “Go away!”

Alex hastened to follow her. “Have dinner with me, Eve.”

She whirled around, her gaze angry above her pursed lips. “How did you find out my name?”

He stopped a safe distance from her. “Well, I suppose I did the obvious, babe. I asked.”

Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “Babe? Babe?”

Alex backed up a step. “You don’t like ‘babe’? Okay. How’s ‘honey’ work?”

Eve let out an angry growl. Her head lowered as she took a menacing step in his direction. “First, you’re totally rude to me in the hallway, even when I tried to apologize. Then you follow me here – and don’t try to deny it. I know you did. Then I find out you’ve asked about me. Just who do you think you are?”

He held his hand out to her. “I’m…”

Oh, hell. He almost blurted out his professional name, Gerry Alexander, from the force of habit when he was out in public. She’d get that look that all the women did, and start stammering and stuttering, and then blather on about how she loved his last movie or some photo in an ad, please God not the one where he was naked in the shower with just a ball cap to cover the goods.

Was it so wrong to want to be appreciated for himself, and not his looks or his star quality?

If he wanted to have a little vacation fling with her - and he suddenly did, if she was willing to walk away and not look back - shouldn’t he tell her his real name? Surely, he could make any necessary confessions later, couldn’t he? Would one little vacation deception be all that bad? He didn’t think so.

“I’m Alex. Alex Gerard. Pleased to meet you. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight, Eve?”

AFTER THE SEA SPRITE BALL is available at:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNP21SNKAmazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BNP21SNKAmazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BNP21SNKAmazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BNP21SNK
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6444841687
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-the-sea-sprite-ball-rayne-forrest/1142780628
Kobo/Rakuten:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/after-the-sea-sprite-ball
Universal link to other online booksellers:  https://books2read.com/u/3GWN1a




 KC Kendricks writing as Rayne Forrest
http://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: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
twitter.com/kckendricks pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards instagram.com/kc_kendricks facebook.com/kckendricks

Rayne Forrest, KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, After the Sea Sprite Ball, futuristic romance, mature readers, Kindle romance, romance fiction

I'm throwing in the towel on the .com

November 27, 2022

I give up. 

I spent six hours today trying to achieve any sort of progress at the .com, and all I managed to do was get a section to load that directed people to the book pages here to Between the Keys. 

The plan was to show the book covers but every time I uploaded a cover, it was set as the page background. Nooooo, that is not what I wanted. I'd really like to have each series have its own page but it's beyond me. 

My first website was up from 2004 through 2020, and I didn't have a bit of trouble with it. I had it through Yahoo and used their Sitebuilder software. It was so simple. I could create my own background, add photos and text boxes, and then move them around the page to arrange them as I liked. I can't do that now. There is one option for section placements which I think is so it'll look good on a cellphone. 

I don't live on my cellphone. I want a website that looks good to me since I'm the one paying for it! 

I've reached the place where I think I've known all along was coming. Do I want to have a .com? More precisely, do I want to pay for a .com that isn't giving me what I want? No. 

What's the best course of action? Maybe give up on the .com and spend the money on something I will enjoy.

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

I'm throwing in the towel

November 27, 2022

I give up. 

I spent six hours today trying to achieve any sort of progress at the .com, and all I managed to do was get a section to load that directed people to the book pages here to Between the Keys. 

The plan was to show the book covers but every time I uploaded a cover, it was set as the page background. Nooooo, that is not what I wanted. I'd really like to have each series have its own page but it's beyond me. 

My first website was up from 2004 through 2020, and I didn't have a bit of trouble with it. I had it through Yahoo and used their Sitebuilder software. It was so simple. I could create my own background, add photos and text boxes, and then move them around the page to arrange them as I liked. I can't do that now. There is one option for section placements which I think is so it'll look good on a cellphone. 

I don't live on my cellphone. I want a website that looks good to me since I'm the one paying for it! 

I've reached the place where I think I've known all along was coming. Do I want to have a .com? More precisely, do I want to pay for a .com that isn't giving me what I want? No. 

What's the best course of action? Maybe give up on the .com and spend the money on something I will enjoy.

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

It won't be long!

November 26, 2022

We've made it through another Thanksgiving. We're still eating leftovers, and that's okay. It's a yearly occurrence that makes me understand why Deuce turns his little black nose up if I don't change up the flavors of his chow.  

One Thanksgiving tradition we don't follow is Black Friday sales, but this year I slipped in a purchase at Burpee seeds. It was worth it. Twenty-five percent off my order, plus free shipping. Oh, yeah. I have plans for the 2023 growing season. 

I did a blog about it over at Holly Tree Manor. https://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com/2022/11/four-short-months.html. 

Yeah, big plans for 2023. I'm counting down the days until there are (hopefully) little green sprouts in my house! 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, Holly Tree Manor, gardening, Burpee, black Friday sales, Thanksgiving traditions

To be thankful - Time Was

 

November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving Day

Today kicks off the 'holiday season' here in the United States. We're all expected to have a feast today, give our thanks today, and tomorrow morph into world-class consumers, something not all of us aspire to be. 

Himself and I are blessed with many riches and we are indeed grateful. We will prepare a traditional meal for the two of us and then watch a couple of old, favorite movies. Or maybe we'll watch Fluffy on Netflix. It's undecided. Our life here on the manor is a good life.

What we won't do is hop on the Black Friday sales bandwagon. We have what we need and we know it. We don't purchase things we don't need.  We've worked hard for years to reach this point. I've held a job since my first part-time job when I was only sixteen years old until retiring this year. 

Our holiday celebrations are different now. Our parents are gone. His children and grandchildren are grown. We're on our own, and we must confess the stress and drama of the day is also gone. We'll eat when the turkey comes out of the roaster. Last-minute changes to the menu? He doesn't want carrots but would rather have beets. No problem and no explanations need to be tendered. 

We'll share memories of the Thanksgiving dinners of our youth. Mine seem to be happier than his, but I've lived rural all my life and my background is more complex than his. So much has passed away and yet it made us who we are today. I pray we always remain thankful.

Time Was
Time was it’s often spoken
Back in my day also is heard.
Listen close to what comes next
An honor on you may be conferred.
Someone may share something precious with you
A memory of a life that was over too soon.
Those called young will ignore the gift
Having no connection in the literal sense. 
We who are the bridge are saddened
Having learned what we hold is fragile. 
Eleven met at a long table, children at one end
Scattered now, filling new tables without age.
Now one sits alone, yet her table is filled
The ghosts of those long-ago days linger still. 
She has memories to share if youth would dare.
KC Kendricks2022

Frustration or annoyance?

November 20, 2022

Is it frustration or annoyance? I can't decide. What I do know is not being about to come up with at least a working title for the current work-in-progress is driving me around the bend!  

I'm into chapter four and by now I should have something. I think the Muse is laughing at me. I think she has a title but she's not sharing. The little bitch is like that. Fickle and vindictive! 

Yes, I know she's a part of my own psyche, but I stand by my words. She's bitchy at times. She holds out on me! Just remember you don't have to live with her and I do!! 

Somewhere on my computer is a list of possible titles. I started it eons ago and added to it religiously for several years. Now I can't find it. It's there - I never delete files - but where is it??

I would love to decide on a title. Once I do that, I can make a mock-up of a cover and have it open on the other monitor screen as I work on the story. I like to do that when I can. It's a visual aid and sometimes we need those. 

A title should reflect some facet of the story, but "Bend Over, Donut-Boy" will NOT work. "Baker's Dozen" sounds like a cookbook about donuts. There's a bit of suspense coming later in the story, so how about "To Kill a Donut-Boy?" No? I agree. That's not it. 

The struggle is real. I've been very fortunate in my career in that I've rarely had this much trouble settling on a title. Perhaps I'm overthinking it and Himself is correct. It's a cold and windy day and he's suggested we load up Deuce and take a drive to the Antietam Battlefield. Stepping away from the computer may help. Lord knows I'm not about to go outside and do battle with the wind. 

Maybe I'll get lucky and it will come after we take our little jaunt into history. I sure hope so because I need to stop dwelling on this and WRITE! 

KC Kendricks

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne_3.html

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, titles, a writer's life, Antietam Battlefield, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, Deuce

Got to figure it out

 

November 16, 2022

I miss not having a working .com website. For many years I used the Sitebuilder software and it was very reliable. I had the option of creating my own templates and layouts. Now all I have is a .com placeholder that directs everyone to Between the Keys. That works, but it's not the same as when I had a working website. 

In the early days, the do-it-yourselfer was warned that it was a bad idea to have everything on one platform. I agree. Right now, I'm very "heavy" on Blogger. If Blogger goes the way of Yahoo's Sitebuilder, my online presence is gone. It's not a good prospect. 

It's difficult to get answers these days. Customer Support for the website I do have should be called the Sales Department. There is no support. There is only the up-sell, and I'm not interested. I want a simple working website which is what I had five years ago. 

Google isn't much help, either. Oh, it can find you millions of "answers," but those answers don't necessarily apply to your question. It's very frustrating.

Amazon's author page is great for my presence on Amazon. It doesn't do a thing for me at other vendors such as iTunes/Apple, but it is a last-ditch fallback for information. 

It shouldn't be this difficult. I see this happening more and more. Something that worked perfectly is being replaced with myriad things that do not work perfectly. It's a mystery to me why companies continue to operate as though this is a good thing for the consumer.

I suppose I'm stuck with a placeholder .com for as long as I'm willing to pay the monthly fee. That might not be much longer. It's truly only pennies a day, but I'm not getting what I want for those pennies. Not at all.

 

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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 KeysLife through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce:  deucesday.blogspot.com My country life at Holly Tree Manor:  hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, websites, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, the upsell, LGBT fiction, writers on writing, do it yourself