K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 22

How very annoying

 November 19, 2021

Nothing is ... almost nothing is more annoying than discovering a link one has been copying didn't copy correctly from the original. And of course, I did more than a little promo with that bad link. 

Now I do embark on some updating. Not what I planned for a Friday afternoon.  

Yes, I need some downtime. 

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 KC Kendricks

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

Manuscript and book updates are inevitable

 November 7, 2021

The decision is made or rather was made for me. The downturn in the economy has a lot of us concerned, and when I say "us," in this instance, I mean the book-buying public of which I'm a member. I've purchased a lot of books over the years in a wide range of genres. I was a reader long before I was a published writer. However, I've done something I'm avoided for years. I've signed up for Kindle Unlimited. 

This isn't my first choice of action. I'd rather support the author and have a permanent copy in my library. But then again, I won't have to return a really crappy book for a refund now. I can simply delete it. And I can still purchase a book I fall in love with. 

Acknowledging that book buying has changed has also led to the decision to list my books on Kindle Unlimited. The number of people utilizing KU is growing exponentially which means they are not buying individual books. I would have never given up the iTunes income in years past, but that number has decreased, a clear indicator readers are changing habits. 

Going to KU is going to be a lot of work for this author. While it does give me the opportunity to update the Books By, About the Author, and Dear Reader pages, it also means adding links that Amazon allows. So be it. It will take time but if there's one thing I've learned, there's no point in rushing. 

Updating older manuscripts is something we should all do from time to time, especially when we have a couple of newer titles that didn't make the Books By page. That I didn't keep up on doing that is on me - and thank you to some smart programmer for copy and paste! 

The fall time change took place last night so my day is shorter. It's time to set this aside and go outside to enjoy this brisk autumn day. I'll have a long, dark evening to work on the task of updating. It may be the only pay-off is me knowing it's done, but satisfaction matters. 

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

Centerville Muscle series now on Kindle Unlimited

 November 1, 2021

Centerville Muscle
Book 1  - Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted
Book 2 - Memphis
Book 3 - July Heat
The Centerville Muscle series is now on Kindle Unlimited. 
Please visit the book pages for more information, beginning with Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. Links to the sequels are on the pages.
Yes, the author has of this writing failed to get the series overview page posted. Oh, for a thirty-hour day!

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

Centerville Muscle series now on KDP

 November 1, 2021

Centerville Muscle
Book 1  - Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted
Book 2 - Memphis
Book 3 - July Heat
The Centerville Muscle series is now on Kindle Unlimited. 
Please visit the book pages for more information, beginning with Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted. Links to the sequels are on the pages.
Yes, the author has of this writing failed to get the series overview page posted. Oh, for a thirty-hour day!

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

"D" does not automatically mean dick

 October 29, 2021

ENOUGH ALREADY!

It seems people at Disneyworld/Disneyland are upset over this t-shirt. SERIOUSLY? 

When you see the Disney D, what do you think? Apparently many, many, many, many people think DICK. As in, you know, penis. 

There must be something wrong with me. I saw it and immediately thought DISNEY. Silly me, and me a writer of romance. 

She wanted to go to Disney, so he took her to Disney. 

And as for what you tell children who ask, you say DISNEY.

Grow the fuck up, people. 'Nuff said.

KC Kendricks

NaNoWriMo - is it for me?

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as its known, encourages authors to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. That's one thousand six hundred sixty-seven words a day that won't get edited away. 

Write a book in a month. It can be done. I've done it. I never officially joined in the annual November event, but I've worked within the concept a few times. 

Writing is sometimes a mystical thing, at least for me. We're told by "those who know all" that to be a writer we must put our butt in the chair and write something every day. NaNoWriMo buys into that with the goal of fifty thousand words in a month. Goals are generally a good thing to have, but sometimes pulling those words out of the air and getting them on the page can be frustrating. It doesn't always work, or perhaps more correctly, it doesn't always produce quality reading. 

I wonder how many people have given up when they don't reach the goal. I worry sometimes us "older" authors have perpetuated some very unkind "rules" to those just starting out. Back in my neophyte days, I was subject to those rules and I bought into them hook, line, and sinker. I definitely took the bait and set the hook, and I think I'm paying for that now. 

But just how bad a thing is it if you don't reach a goal that was set by someone else? Just how difficult is it to work under the pressure to create? Can you handle it? You have to answer that for yourself, but my answers are 1) generally doesn't bother me, 2) the older I get the worse it is, and 3) nope. 

I truly admire those writers who can consistently churn out a book a month. It takes a lot of discipline to do it. It also takes a lot of time dedicated to the craft. It takes a lot of organization and planning. Google NaNoWriMo and you can find a lot of resources on how to do the prep, etc. 

Set the daily/monthly word count aside and that's when I think the real value of NaNoWriMo can be found. If you need to get disciplined or like me re-disciplined, then NaNoWriMo can provide encouragement. There are online resources, communities, and social media that can help. 

I can only speak for myself, of course, but discipline is what I lack these days. I have the tools necessary to write a book in a month. I've had them for quite some time. I'm just not putting them into practice. I've let distractions in and they've taken over. I KNOW how to organize, schedule, and execute a workable plan but I'm not doing it. 

We all need time to rest - the value of sabbaticals is well documented, but they should at some point end. Even an "old-timer" like me, with seventy books under my belt, can need that little extra push to get motivated.

Will I go on social media and toss my hat into the NaNoWriMo ring? Nope. But I have examined my November calendar and blocked out time for writing and only writing. I have a current work in progress that will benefit greatly from a little discipline on the part of this writer. 

Now is the time.

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

Battling distractions - and losing

 

September 27, 2021

I've become a distracted writer. I've pulled the blinds and put a relaxing screen saver on the TV to be white noise but it's to no avail. My mind whirls with all these things I should be doing, or would like to be doing, and I don't accomplish much. 

Today's distraction, after taking the man of the house to have blood drawn, fixing breakfast, and starting a load of laundry, is strawberries. I'm hosting the Cousin's Lunch this coming Saturday, and I want to make a cheesecake for dessert. What better way to infuse flavor than by adding a bit of strawberry powder to the batter? Not having any strawberry powder, I pulled a bag of sliced strawberries out of the freezer and loaded the contents into my dehydrator. 

And down the rabbit hole she went...

Setting up the dehydrator reminded me I needed to water the strawberry plants. I didn't expect much out of the plants this year, but I purchased from Burpee and I expected more of the plants to live! Thankfully, I'm already getting sets from the nine out of twenty-four that did survive. And this was from Burpee! 

I was also reminded that I wanted to order some silicone mats for the dehydrator. I'm tired of cutting parchment paper to fit the trays. Off to Amazon I clicked and...wait... The 2022 Old Farmer's Almanac popped up. So I purchased a copy after I ordered the mats. 

I opened the sunroom door and a yellow jacket flew inside the house. There was no way it was going to get out alive - and it did not. 

So, strawberries. I could take a picture and blog about dehydrating them, right? Not really, but confessing my distraction might be of help to others. Maybe. Who knows? 

I'm a distracted writer but my house smells wonderfully of ripe strawberries and will for the next two days. It's not all bad, is it? 

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

 

Time was

 September 13, 2021

And I thought it would be easy. I was wrong. 

There was a time, back in the good old days, when beginning the journey of a new book was easy. The words flowed onto the page without ceasing and the end came far too soon. 

I don't think I appreciated that enough. 

My idea for the sequel to Ride Your Luck is sound. It's even timely, although I didn't realize that until I sat down to write this blog. That's what good coffee does to me. It somehow opens my mind and allows me to think, generally thoughts I don't want to have, but sometimes apropos. 

I think I'm too concerned with getting this story "right" to work on it quickly. That has rarely been a concern. I write the story and it is what it is and if readers like it, okay. If some don't, I'm philosophical enough to know you can't please everyone and move on. 

So why is this one so different? Being introspective by nature, I continually question my motivations and actions. That's not a bad thing. It's good to know yourself and to examine what you do so you stay true to yourself and to your vision. 

Sometimes the vision shifts and leaves a person second-guessing. That's where I am with this story. Is the beginning too "heavy?" Is the beginning a trigger point? It strikes a match on an experience I had when I was seventeen, but that didn't stop me from writing it. 

Here in the predawn hour, I question if the attitudes of the current culture are affecting me. 

Time was I didn't entertain such thoughts. I wrote. 

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 KC Kendricks

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.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

The deadly lack of ambition

August 28, 2021

Lack of ambition to do anything. It happens to all of us. The stars align or misalign, whichever you prefer. We wake up feeling grumpy and lazy and ambition to do anything beyond fix a hit of caffeine has flown. What's worse is we're not sure we care too much. Maybe we don't even care that we don't care. It's a problem we don't have the ambition to fix. 

Some people will hop right on that as "depression." They'd rather blame lack of ambition on a medical condition than admit they could get off their ass and do something - they just don't want to. I'm not cursed with that sort of avoidance. I can admit I'm feeling grumpy and lazy and not have a lick of guilt over it. 

As I get older I see value in different things. So what if the backside of my house doesn't get pressure-washed this summer? Given the choice between pressure-washing and quiet time on the patio with the spousal unit, I'll take the quiet time. If there is one thing we all should have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic it's that people are precious. Choose people, always. 

The sequel to Ride Your Luck is underway, but here at the end of summer, I lack the ambition to work steadily on it. Every day I'm more and more aware I won't pass this way again. I'll never watch Loki stalk across the backyard exactly the way he did this morning. Deuce will never interact with me just the way he did this morning. The songbirds will never call out the same songs, and the little screech owl may never come so close to the house again. These small things I would have missed had I not taken a step back from busy to look for them. 

Maybe this lack of ambition I feel this morning isn't all about being grumpy and lazy. I still want to spend some time today working on the story. I used to want to hop out of bed on a Saturday morning and start pounding out the word count. This played directly from some old writing advice that said to get your writing done early in the day and it worked for me for many years. Today I know it will be too hot to be outside this afternoon so that will be my writing time. I'll walk with Deuce and tend my garden first, while it's cool. 

No, I don't lack ambition. I've simply tempered my expectations of what I can actually accomplish and finally accepted it won't all happen in one day. I think I've finally become a mature person and no amount of ambition to change THAT will work.  

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 KC Kendricks

twitter.com/kckendricks pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards instagram.com/kc_kendricks facebook.com/kckendricks
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.html
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce:  deucesday.blogspot.com My country life at The Hideaway:  hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Genre names and first clicks

 

August 4, 2021

It seems I have a new strategy for surviving any given Friday the 13th - can something! Our hankering for fresh peaches led us to a local orchard and the purchase of a half-bushel. Instead of spending yesterday happily pecking away at the keyboard, I canned peaches. If you want to know more about that, zip on over to The Hideaway, which is the new name for Holly Tree Manor. 

Peaches aside, all was not lost on the writing front this past week. The search for character names went well. Writing about modern cowboys meant settling on names that reflected the west while not being too old-fashioned or over-used. The first part of that is easy. The over-used part? With everyone and their brother writing books these days, it's impossible to pick a name that doesn't fall into that category. I settled on Zane and Walker. 

Zane is classic western thanks to author Zane Grey. I was delighted to discover many of his stories to be available on Kindle. I think my grandfather had every one of his paperbacks. The name Walker has a more recent reference. Yes, I watched Walker, Texas Ranger cut a wide swath through the bad guys. Yes, I've seen [more than] a few Chuck Norris movies. NO my character does NOT look like even a young Chuck and he does NOT have ninja moves. Or maybe he should have ninja-like moves with a rope. Now there's a thought...

The new story is underway. The first clicks, so-called because my old keyboard is nice and clicky, was an intro I wrote as an authoring tool to fix in my mind when the tale begins. It's a bit from Regan Oakley's point of view and takes place as he and Wythe are waking up from a little overnight delight out on the range. Ride Your Luck ends as the couple are setting out for a little one-on-one time and their tryst seemed like a starting point. Halfway through the first chapter, I decided to clean it up and make it the prologue, something I rarely include in my books. It's good to change it up every once in a while. 

It feels good to have a new story hitting the page. Every time I finish a book I wonder if I should go on. I'm sure that one day the answer to that question will be 'no'. But for now, I still enjoy spinning tales to amuse myself, to live in a community I created and control - as far as the characters allow! 

Daylight approaches and there is much to do. Deuce needs his walk to start his day off right, and after that there are several dozen peaches spread out on my dining room table that I need to process and other chores to finish. It'll be afternoon before I can return to the manuscript and continue to become acquainted with the characters. I'm looking forward to all of it. 

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 KC Kendricks

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.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