K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 17

September Morning - new cover and promo card

November 14, 2022

For some unknown reason, I woke at three a.m. and could not go back to sleep. Perhaps I fell asleep too early last night, or maybe Deuce decided to flop down back to back with me and turn up his furry furnace. It could have been a strange noise outside. Someone was spotlighting deer on the State Park side of our road last Friday night. That didn't turn out too well for them...

Once I was awake I was too restless to go back to sleep so I got up and turned on my computer. My thought was to simply play cards or Mahjong until I got sleepy again, but decided to check the blog. That's how I ended up making a new cover for September Morning.  

I like my guys, and their "attitudes," so I kept them and added a beach bungalow and campfire. I then made a new promo card, but I'm less pleased with it. I think the description font being larger than the cover font is not to my liking. Sometimes I have to look at a project for a few days (or just a few hours) to know what I want to change. I can fix the font, easy-peasy. 

Once upon a time, I thought about writing a story for each month, but that hasn't come to pass. Yet.  So far I have September Morning, December Promise, July Heat, and Hot August Comes. Those titles just worked out the way they worked out. If I try to put a month with a story - nope. Won't work.

So here's a bit about September Morning. Follow the link here if you want to read the excerpt.
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Jagger Davis, JD to his friends, takes a summer sabbatical at picturesque Sandbridge Beach in Virginia to enjoy some sun, surf, sleep, and solitude. Arriving at a rented cottage, JD finds sun and surf, but the cottage next-door houses six fun-loving guys determined to include him in their summer activities. It’s quickly evident JD won’t have time to feel lonely.

Nate Fischer is one of a group of friends who spend every summer at Sandbridge. An IT specialist, Nate’s taking a few weeks off before his next assignment sends him out to sea for months. He introduces himself to the new neighbor and invites JD to the first bonfire of the season.

JD fends off advances from Nate’s roommates as the two men grow close. JD harbors a secret in his past, one he worries Nate won’t accept. When Nate’s job abruptly calls him away, JD realizes his mistake in not giving his summer lover a fair chance. He must convince Nate he’ll be waiting when Nate returns - if Nate still wants him. 

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 KC Kendricks
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

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT gay, Kindle romance books, book covers, a writer's life, writers on writing, September Morning, July Heat, December Promise, Hot August Comes

My writing familiar, Loki

 

November 12, 2022

Someone I don't talk about much is my writing familiar, Loki. In many ways, he's like having a second dog. He goes outside with me and follows me around the yard. He'll come promptly when called which is a big plus since we allow him to go off the screened patio when we're in the yard. He sleeps in my reading chair when I'm working in my office, or sometimes under my desk with Deuce. It's good to have quiet writing support. 

It's been a busy week here on the manor. There was firewood work and some prepping for the 2023 gardening season. We made two trips to town, a drop-off at the landfill, and rain from Hurricane Nicole turned yesterday into a washout. One of our trips to town was in anticipation of the approaching rain. I got chicken quarters and cooked them off to have the meat in the freezer. Later today I'll process all the broth in the pressure canner. Loki and Deuce will get a small amount over their dinner today for a treat. 

While all this necessary work was going on, my thoughts moved along plot lines. The new WIP is started and, if I say so myself, so far so good. I'm still annoyed with myself that it doesn't have a good title, but it'll come. 

That's the way it works when a new story is percolating. My hands are busy doing those things that must be done while my brain spins out character, dialogue, and plot. When I do land at the computer to write, it goes much faster because I've already "written" it in my head. 

It's the middle of November which means that here in the Mid-Atlantic region, we are at any given moment mere hours away from a big temperature drop. In some ways, I'm looking forward to it. My days will be spent mostly inside and inside means writing, and writing hard. If this past summer was any sort of indication, spending beautiful summer days inside at the computer won't happen. 

Maybe by next summer, the novelty of being home will have worn off, but I doubt it. I've given a lot of thought to a plan to structure my time, but just like the book without a title, it's a work in progress. 

Isn't everything, even life? 

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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, contemporary gay romance, LGBT romance, gay fiction, m/m romance, m/m fiction, Rayne Forrest, Loki, country living, a writer's life, writers on writing, pets, rural lifestyle, time management

Seducing Light cover updated -again!

November 4, 2022

Having recently made the decision to create my own vendor accounts at a few places, I've set myself to the task of slowly making those changes to my backlist. And I do mean slowly. I've chosen ten works as test cases, one of which is Seducing Light. 

Seducing Light is one of my earlier works, but I think it's one of my better ones. I opened the file this morning and studied the old cover for quite a while before concluding it had to be replaced. It must have been meant to be because the new cover fell into place in under an hour. 

I looked in my folder of gigolos.....er... purchased stock photos... yes, we indie authors buy men. Moving on... I found a stock photo in the file which had not been used, and the old Rayne Forrest website photos produced a background shot. Heaven only knows how old that background is! 

The cover came together nicely, and all the updating on the blog pages and booksellers was quickly accomplished. 

Writing is not a linear endeavor. Making a new cover was not part of my plan for the day - not even close. But it's done and it looks good, so I'm glad I went with the flow. 

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 KC Kendricks
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

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, Seducing Light, contemporary gay romance, LGBT fiction, m/m romance, book covers, a writer's life, 

Confused much?

November 3, 2022

Most everyone gets confused from time to time. It shouldn't be a big deal. The spousal unit hasn't worked a job away from home in twenty years, and for almost that long he's been asking me what day of the week it is. Having recently retired, I understand it better. The first thing I look at every morning is my calendar. That's just so I have an answer for HIM, you know. It's not because I need to know what day of the week it is. 

Often times our little confusions are because we've not been paying attention when someone is telling us something. We've forgotten how to listen and so days later we embarrass ourselves when we have to call a friend and ask what it was they told about [fill in the blank]. 

We're all subject to those little annoying lapses. It takes on a new light when you have a parent with Alzheimer's Disease. Trust me. I know.

When I forget something important, I panic. My heart races and I stop dead in my tracks until I can get clarity. I'm not trying to be a drama queen but it's frightening. I wonder if IT is happening to me. I went back to keeping a written desk calendar/diary this year. It's a good record to have and maybe it will entertain my younger cousins when they have to settle my estate and clean out my office. The scary part of all that is that my mother had notebook after notebook with list upon list detailing her attempts to stay in control of her life. 

We humans frequently allow our imaginations to seize control. A tiny pain is surely cancer. Eating any white food will give us diabetes. Aging eyesight must be macular degeneration. Forgetting we bought shampoo and then buying another bottle the next week is surely a warning sign of dementia. 

I'm trying my best to not be an alarmist. My imagination is best used for writing love stories, not scaring myself stupid. 

I think that retiring from the workforce brings a new way of thinking to a person's life. There's an adjustment period as stress levels drop and what is so frequently referred to as the new normal takes hold. Being the Lady of the Manor and a full-time writer is a dream I've long held dear. I'm finally there but here has pitfalls I'd not imagined. 

What day of the week is it? Thursday
Where did I leave my phone? In the garden shed.
Did we feed the dog last night? We both did - he's going to get fat.

I hate to say it, but that is not dementia. Dementia would give me an excuse and I have none because I damn sure am not getting old!

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 KC Kendricks/Rayne Forrest
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 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, aging, romance novels, new normal, retirement, Between the Keys blog, social media, cellphone, calendars, questioning

That fickle darn muse

November 4, 2022

I've been putting the finishing touches on After the Sea Sprite Ball, which is a Rayne Forrest novel. Some of you may know Rayne is my alter ego, writing more traditional het romance. Or whatever they call it these days. It used to be that you needed an author brand for every genre you wrote in, but I don't know if that still applies. I've not paid proper attention to such things. My bad.

I also have a brand spanking new KC book that is as yet untitled. Now that annoys me. I just can't think of a title. Experience tells me that I'll be typing along and a phrase will hit the page and BAM! That's the title. I just hate to wait for that to happen. 

Another item I'm making a conscious effort to improve on is promotion. I'm currently concentrating on Facebook groups. It's going well and I've been able to post, on average, once a week in those groups I've joined. 
Something I want to do, mostly for myself, is put the Deuce's Day blog into book form. It's a lot of copy and paste to accomplish that, but I think readers may appreciate reading about a dog's life from a dog's point of view. I've been playing with that off and on for a while now, but I'm in the mood to finish up old projects so it may actually get done. I'll put it out there on Kindle Unlimited with a $.99 price tag if someone wants to purchase a copy to keep.

And then The Muse exacted her due. She whispered to me about an old Rayne Forrest book that has languished in the files. Read it, she said. Make a cover for it, she said. 

Naturally, I obeyed. I grumbled at first because I have enough going on, but why fight it? It'll only get worse if I do. 

When I'm writing, I know the value of taking breaks. When I'm making good progress, I've learned that I can switch off and work on a different project and it's just the sort of break I need. I'm still about the business of writing. Experience has also taught me it all comes together in the end. 

Yesterday afternoon, I finalized the cover for what will be the second edition of Step Into Tomorrow. When I'll feel ready to put the story back out in the world, I'm not sure. I know it feels good to bring it back to life.

Now I must insist that The Muse behave herself and let me finalize After the Sea Sprite Ball. The front and end materials are added and I need to do that last read-through. Then I need to work on the untitled KC story. The Muse needs to work with me, not try and pull a fast one. 

Aye. Right. We'll have to see how THAT goes.

   _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks / 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

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, romance novels, After the Sea Sprite Ball, Step Into Tomorrow, contemporary romance, futuristic romance, gay romance 

Halloween - let the countdown begin

October 31, 2022

It's Halloween, which used to be a Big Deal in my world. I used to really enjoy the costumes and silliness, especially when Halloween fell on bowling night. I guess I've gotten old and jaded, and I'm not alone in that. It seems except for a passing meme on Facebook, my contemporaries don't enjoy the day as much as in the past. It was bound to happen.

It's like any other day of celebration. When I was a girl, it was all about dressing up and sneaking well beyond the boundaries set by my parents. The times were different, too. My group of neighborhood kids, which included my cousins, could run around in the dark and our parents didn't fear for our safety beyond us tripping, falling, and scrapping our knees and elbows. Not so these days.

I strolled into Lowe's the other day and the first thing I saw was Christmas decorations. This was a week before Halloween. It was the same thing at our west-end Walmart. Now I must confess I did purchase two packs of Christmas cards because 1) I'll need them 2) I was there, and 3) they match the style of what I have left from the last two years. 

I've heard a few folks complaining about how early the Christmas displays are up. I used to join in, but not any longer. I'm past it. What will be, will be. And if we are celebrating Hallgivingmaseve, then we are. It's my cue to sit back and people-watch.  Be careful, my friends. You may end up in my next novel. 

There's no way to stop commerce or the media. Christmas movies are already playing on some television channels. There's no point bitching about it. The only thing a sane person can do is ignore it until such time as it makes sense to you to begin your preparations and celebrations. 

And let us all adopt a live and let live attitude about it. We'll all be a lot happier if we do. 

KC Kendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, Halloween, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT gay, a writer's life, holidays, celebrations, author blogs Christmas, Thanksgiving, patience

Lost: organization mojo

(stock photo; not my desk diary)
October 22, 2022

The last five years included a deliberate and determined march toward the day I could profess to be a full-time writer. That day finally happened on May 22, 2022. I formally retired.

The day was long anticipated and much imagined. I could visualize what I wanted this new phase of my life to look like, and for the most part, vision and imagination are in agreement. I'm happy to be home and to finally be The Lady of the Manor to enjoy the simple country pleasures. But I will confess one thing is lacking: proper organization of my writing life. 

I can check off a lot of the boxes for 2022. I retired and spent more time with the spousal unit. I had a little garden, I did a lot of home food preservation, I walked more, Himself and I had a few days out, the tree trimmer came and took down three problem trees, and we now have a large stockpile of firewood for 2023 and beyond. The chimney sweep comes next week to do the annual cleaning, and we're working on expanding the garden for 2023. And I managed to publish ONE book so far this year, and with some luck, there will also be a Rayne Forrest book going out. So, yeah. Busy. 

Knowing 2022 would be a year of transition for me, I'm trying not to beat myself up over how much time I had available for writing and how little I availed myself of the opportunities. 

Being a country girl, every morning this past summer was a new delight. I couldn't wait to get outside! I'd call the dog and we'd walk, and then I'd play in the garden. In the afternoons, on those days I didn't have any harvest to preserve, Himself used me like a pack mule to complete a few projects he had underway. The days passed quickly and here I am - five months in already. 

It's time for a deliberate reboot. It's time for me to set some real writing goals and get serious again. I've been whining about it for long enough. I have the intellectual and physical tools to get myself back on track and stay there, at least until the next gardening season. Even then, it's a matter of adjusting to accommodate those activities I enjoy so much. 

My vision of "retirement" includes a lot of different activities. I refuse to give up any of them in favor of another. It's time to focus on organization and prioritize within a set framework of those activities. That in itself is something I like to do. 

Serendipity has its place but I think there is a block of time every day when it has to refrain from visiting my writing desk. I can do this!

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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 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, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, modern gay cowboy, m/m romance, retirement, organization, home food preservation, simple country pleasures, a writer's life, country living, rural lifestyle

Our mouthy little fingers striking our keyboards

October 17, 2022

Every day, Facebook sends Group "suggestions" to my mailbox. I generally take a look at those emails to see if there are any new or at least new-to-me promo groups listed. I'm already in a lot of those groups, but getting the word out is pretty important, so I at least give "new" groups a trial run. One of those groups gave me pause this morning. 

Just how appropriate is it to publicly criticize the style and technical prowess, or lack thereof, of another writer?  

Why must we, as authors, find fault with another writer? I don't think we should. I think if we read one of their books and discover there is a major problem in the book, we should privately contact the author (if possible) and beyond that, we should keep our mouthy little fingers off our keyboards. 

There are a lot of books I could cite here that do have a lot of grammar and formatting issues. I've also read some truly bad stories that will forever go unmentioned here. We all were newbies once upon a time. We all had to learn and we'd all better still be learning and improving or else it's time to quit. 

I find it infuriating for someone in a Facebook group, a writer, to pick apart someone else's work. I've been writing for twenty years and I've never read or received a professional review that went so low as that post did. And it got "likes." 

Let's stop casting stones and lift each other up. Sound biblical? Perhaps it does, but it's also a kinder, better, and certainly more professional way to treat our fellow writers. 

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 KC Kendricks
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

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, writers on writing, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, book reviews, Facebook groups, promotion, marketing

The Roses of October

October 12, 2022

Having time to write is a fine thing. I'm grateful for it. Being able to work on a story for an entire morning, or afternoon is incredible after so many years of only writing in the evenings or weekends. But becoming a full-time writer is fraught with distractions beyond a day job. Some days there are roses. 

The roses of October are in full bloom and they are breathtaking! I took a quick walkabout the yard this morning and they stopped me in my tracks. 

I paused to enjoy them, take a few photos, and give thanks I'm home to see them. In years past, I'd come home from work and not give them a glance. Life is better now. 

The roses of October. How glorious! 

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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 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, Between the Keys, roses, October, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, work, day job, full-time job, retirement, country living, simple country pleasures, a writer's life

The perils of promotion

October 11, 2022

Earlier this year I set myself to the task of posting a promotion on Facebook for every book in the Men of Marionville collection. I must love abuse. 

All-in-all it's going well. In some of the groups I've achieved my goal and all twelve Marionville stories are posted. But along the way, I discovered many new and new-to-me groups so I got a later start on them, but I think that's okay. I don't mind different groups getting different promos on the same day. Why not spread the joy around? Of course, I won't make the goal in some of the new-to-me groups and I'm fine with that, too. The sky won't fall and I'll just keep on going until the Marionville stories are all posted in those groups.

I'm sure there is an easier way to post in all the groups. I was around back in the days of the Yahoo groups when each group had a mail-to addy. If you created a mailing list, you could send out to all the groups with just a few clicks. With Facebook, I like to visit each group and check the status of my content. That's how I locate groups I need to abandon for not approving my posts. 

I have a spreadsheet that I would be lost without. I list every promo group I'm in, its URL, how many members, and if it's public or private. Another column tracks the day and book I posted a promo for, plus any other pertinent notes such as if a post went into review. 

Yeah. Into review.  Most group moderators are right there. They approve a post within hours and I'm very appreciative of that. Then there are some other groups where the same post has been hanging in purgatory for several months with no indication of why.

Out of necessity, I added a new worksheet to the spreadsheet and I'm transferring those "unapproving" groups to that sheet. In all of them, I already have posts and maybe on some rainy day, I'll go back and see if my last post ever got approved. If so, I may post the next book in the series, but I will not put them back on the main page to be part of my rotation.  

Does this mean I'm cutting off avenues of promotion? Not at all. For every group I abandon, two new groups crop up. What I have to prioritize is my time. Time is a valuable commodity even for us old retirees who don't have to punch a time clock. Maybe even more so because I've fallen victim to one of the major perils of retirement - I have way, way, way too much I want to do in one day!  

I doubt very much I'm the only author who keeps track of promos and whose time is too valuable to waste. I'm just whining a bit. 

If you're a newer author, it pays to keep track of where you promote. If you're a more established author, it pays to keep track of where you promote. I have seventy published works and if I don't record the promotion, I could end up flagged because I've posted the same thing over and over and annoyed a group administrator. That would not be good.   

*_*_*_*_*_*_

 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 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, Between the Keys, Facebook promotions, group reviews, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, a writer's life, honesty, time management, country living, rural lifestyle