K.C. Kendricks's Blog, page 35

A new cover for Kentucky 98 Proof

March 7, 2019

It's a human commonality. We all say it and there is no point in denying it. "I'll get around to it one day." 

Today I "got around" to something I've wanted to do for a long day. Blame it on a slow day at the day job. It's difficult to get a lot done when you're 1)waiting on other people, and 2)a guy is operating a ram-hoe and breaking up the sidewalk outside your office window. The noise and vibrations were too intense to work with numbers, so I amused myself and made a new cover for Kentucky 98 Proof. It turned out great if I do say so myself. 

Having made the cover, I went on to make a Twitter promo card. I even updated the cover on old blog entries here at Between the Keys. 

After that, I uploaded the new cover to 
Amazon and other vendors. Talk about being on a roll! Once I made it home, I updated my website and now I'm spreading the word in a new blog post. 

Yep. I nailed it today! 

KC
www.kckendricks.com/Kentucky98Proof.html

Intrinsic value

March 3, 2019

Say that something has "intrinsic value" and you may get two different reactions. Some people will smile and nod, and some will give you a blank stare. Intrinsic is quite subjective. Something I think has intrinsic value will have no value of any sort to someone else. Of course, the Internet tells me this little Scottie dog is worth at least $24 on Etsy. 

I very much doubt my great-grandparents paid even a penny for this. Carnival glass, or "Iridill," was created by the Fenton company sometime around 1910. Tiffany had a similar process and so the Fenton glass didn't sell for top dollar. That being the case, Fenton discontinued Iridill. The older women in my family possessed a great liking for Fenton and many, many pieces have come to me. 

These days Fenton glass, while collectible, isn't a consistent high-dollar value. The odd piece may fetch hundreds, but the research into the pieces I own shows an average value of $20. 

So I'm down to the intrinsic value of each. How do you put a monetary value on something that your great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother all touched? I can't. I don't even want to try. 

The little Scottie dog is a link to my childhood and to a small, stoop-shoulder woman with long white hair that she tucked up into a traditional Brethren prayer covering (a little white bonnet). She died when I was eleven but I do have strong memories of her. 

Today the Scottie sits on the same desk it rested upon in her home. Desk and dog are in my writing office, along with other family items. To the south, through the trees, I can still see the old homeplace, so the Scottie hasn't traveled too far. To me, the connections are comforting. 

Intrinsic value. 


KC Kendricks
www.kckendrics.com

When the ducks turn stubborn

February 24, 2019


For the official record, I am sick to death of rain. I live on the side of a mountain and yet my yard looks like a swamp. It's not difficult to figure out - all the water above drains through here on its way to the creeks below. The joke is on me. Come summer, I need to round up the cousins and add an extra swale in the back yard. Provided, of course, it dries up enough to get the John Deere in the back yard without it sinking up to the axles. 

You'd think all the rain would be conducive to productive writing. Again, and I repeat, the joke is on me. I've spent these few early days of 2019 managing the health care of husband and stepfather. That endeavor has left little time for my own pleasurable pursuits. I finally broke down and made arrangements to pay (out of pocket) for someone to transport my stepfather to all his doctor visits. I've missed far too much work to be comfortable about it. More importantly, the simple act of asking for help has already lifted some weight from my shoulders. 


The Grammarly project has been moving along. I took a sanity break this past week and did some "fluff" reading. I call it that because I'd read the books before - The Chanur series by C.J. Cherryh. It was a revisitation to old friends from the 1980s. I understand why the author stopped at five books, but I'd love to read how things worked thirty years later for all involved. 


I decided it was time to set aside my dislike of Facebook and start some promo there. I got a spam email from some company offering to "promote your book on over 100 Facebook groups." And then it actually listed the groups. Yep. I copied the list and set myself the task of checking out each one and joining if appropriate. Thanks for the tip and not sorry you won't get any money from me. 

I continue to enjoy messing around with Photoshop. Some samples of the promo cards I've made are posted here. 

We're almost to the end of February and I've not produced a Jan/Feb newsletter. It's like entries for the Between the Keys blog. What do I have to crow about if I've done...not much?? The behind the scenes work is pretty boring although fellow authors and informed readers will understand completely. Sometimes those damn ducks will not form a neat row!

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

Bookish Moods and AI

February 9, 2019

A lot has been going on in my corner of the world. The spousal unit continues to improve following neck surgery. How long this will last I can't guess. The occupational therapist has him taking things out of MY cupboards and putting them back - the Medicare dollar at work. The first time he breaks something, I'm taking a day off work to break her. 

My stepfather is whining about not being able to drive. Does he really think I'm enjoying doing his grocery shopping and hauling his arse to doctor appointments? Nooooooo. This morning my duties include taking his trash to the landfill. Fun? Nooooo. 

At the day job, the boiler failed. Half the building has no heat. All of the interior of the building is
covered in a layer of fine soot. Luckily, my area is heated/cooled by a heat pump. My office was far enough away from the furnace to be barely impacted. I dusted, changed the air filter, and got back to work. Instead, I should have milked it into working at home for a week. 

On the writing front, the Grammarly project has hit about twenty percent completed. The 

Amethyst Cove books are finished, as are A Friendly Neighbor, A Perfect Hire, Chain Lightning, Desert Snow, Doors of Time, Eye of the Beholder (I must get that uploaded today), The Ghost at the B andB, Hey Joe, and Passion's Victory. I don't know if it's vitally important to my readers that I'm doing this exercise, but it matters to me. It's feeding all those author-ish masochistic tendencies about how foolish it was to pay for "professional" editing. I know I learned a lot from working with editors but you know how we all gripe about those things we view through hindsight. 

Not that the Grammarly system is perfect - far from it. It can take off with you in the middle of a correction and drop you pages away. Very annoying. That little glitch might be adding problems if the system fails to go back and pick up that spot. The major plus is I feel better about the books because I'm at least attempting to improve them. 

I'm sure the Grammarly folks will continue to improve their product. After all, we should all write in one voice, shouldn't we? Therein lies a rub. We should not. We should all sound like ourself. A comma here or a comma there is not as important as individual voice. I see that in the number of "suggestions" I decline to accept, especially in dialogue. People should sound like people, not echoes of the robotic. 

Cautiously embracing artificial intelligence makes me feel like a sell-out. It goes against one of my core value that says individuals are more important than the tools they use. On the other hand, this tool may have earned its place in the writer's arsenal.  I suppose like any other tool, it's all in how you use it. 

But enough finger chatter (that's my current slang for typing). Daylight has arrived and my coffee cup is empty. I need to upload the updated Eye of the Beholder manuscript and maybe even get Bored, Stroked, and Blueprinted back out before the demands of the day crash down on my head. 

Because once I've fulfilled my responsibilities to dog, cat, spouse, and stepparent, I'm going to close the door and hide in my office. I may even get some new writing done. Or should that word be accomplished? Where's the AI when you need it? 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

Learn, live, learn more

January 20, 2019


The new year is off to a...

The new year has officially begun. Yippe-ki-ay. I've yet to have any fun in 2019, and I'm not very happy about that. Between work and doing the caregiver act, I've not had time. To top it off, I settled down to do some reading one chilly night, and finding nothing new that struck my fancy, I reread one of my own works. Big mistake. Huge. 

Apparently, I'm a lot pickier now than I used to be. Or maybe it's that I've learned a lot. I suppose it doesn't matter. After finding a glaring mistake, I knew I had to rework the manuscript and upload a corrected version. It looks like 2019 will be the year of Grammarly.  

I've used the free version for some time. An email came offering a substantially reduced rate for one year, and I took the Pro version. The first manuscript I ran through was Double Deuce. I paid sixty percent of the sales to a publisher to have that book "professionally" edited. Grammarly Pro found one hundred fifty-six critical issues. That's 156 for those of you who love numerals. 

I didn't love it at all. I gave up several thousand dollars to the humans, and artificial intelligence outdid them all. It doesn't make me happy to thinks about that.

What does make me happy is the chance to go through the old stories and update them. I'm not sure it matters to anyone else, but it matters to me. It'll be especially nice to have the current WIP be neat and tidy from the start. 

That's the thing about writing. It's a constant learning experience. It's a profession where the writer continually strives for improvement. My motto, if I have one, is "learn something new every day."

In the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen, it may be "improve something every day." I can live with that. 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
twitter.com/kckendricks  

A Friendly Neighbor for the Midweek Tease

January 16, 2019

Welcome to another MidWeek Tease blog hop! Does it feel like 2019 is off to a slow start? It does for me. My goal is to pick up some steam and get a wee bit of momentum going. The spousal unit's recovery following neck surgery is progressing ahead of schedule, so I might actually get some words on the page within the next few days. 

Be sure to check out all the participating MidWeek Tease blogs at midweektease.blogspot.com,

This week, I've got an excerpt from an older story that has languished on the hard drive. It has been made a pretty thanks to a nifty little program (and a few dollars), and it's ready to go back out into the world. 

Soooooo - coming soon - A Friendly Neighbor. 

Enjoy!
*>*>*>*>*

“Thanks for asking me over, Jackson. I’ve, um, noticed you before.”

Jackson met his gaze. “I’m happy to provide good service to my neighbors whenever I can.”

Kyle’s cheeks grew pink. “I’m done with spying on the neighbors.”

“Shucks. I mean, why, since you obviously enjoyed watching me?”

“That wasn’t the real me. I’m a more ‘hands-on’ sort of guy.”

Jackson’s skin prickled. To be honest, he’d hoped the conversation would take a personal turn, but how fast should he cruise Kyle? If he listened to his dick, he was already going too slow, but he’d never let his penis rule him again. Besides, he’d yet to confirm Kyle was gay. Ninety-percent sure still left room for error.

“Yeah, I noticed that about you. I shouldn’t tease you like that. You could have company some night, and they might not like it.”

Kyle snorted. “They’d like you, Jackson.” He lifted his glass and downed the contents. 
“Thanks for asking me over, but I need to get to bed. Tomorrow’s a work day.”

“For me too.” He had to bite the bullet and ask Kyle or risk not getting the chance again. 
“Would you like to come for dinner some night? Maybe this Saturday?”

“Sure. What can I bring?”

Jackson stammered. He’d not expected Kyle to say yes to dinner without even thinking about it. “W-whatever you like to drink if you don’t like rum.”

“Ah, you’re a rummy. I’ll bring a rum cake too.”

“Excuse me. I need a moment. You bake?”

Kyle laughed as he got to his feet. “No. I’ll go to the bakery around the corner and order one.”

Before Jackson had time to respond, Kyle leaned over and kissed him. Jackson sucked in a deep breath, and the man’s spicy scent exploded in his brain. Those full lips moved over his with skill and promise. Jackson opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, to get a better taste, and Kyle pulled away.

“I’d better go. Goodnight Jackson. I’ll let myself out.”

He wanted to leave? Jackson grabbed Kyle’s hand.

“Whoa. You can’t kiss me like that and then walk out the door.”

“Rushing into bed isn’t the smartest thing two people who just met can do, Jackson.” 
Kyle squeezed his hand. “I’m really sorry about that because I got a bad case of stupid happening.”

Jackson stood and backed Kyle against the side of the balcony. He wanted to show Kyle just how easy it would be to get stupid together. He pressed against Kyle, thigh-to-thigh and belly-to-belly, making sure Kyle felt how hard he was. Kyle wrapped his arms around him.

“Maybe I need to reconsider saying goodnight.”

“Damn right you do.” Jackson didn’t wait for a reply as he slanted his lips over Kyle’s. This time Kyle opened and let him in, meeting him boldly. It was Jackson who pulled away.

“I gotta catch my breath.”

“I bet you’ll breathe better in your bedroom.”

Jackson held out his hand as he backed away. “Follow me and we’ll see.”

Kyle grinned and took a step. “So you’re going to lead me astray.”

Jackson put his index finger up to his lips. “Shhh. We don’t say s-t-r-a-y in front of the c-a-t.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future.” Kyle closed the balcony door behind them as Max darted inside. Jackson let go of his hand and pointed toward the dark hall.

“Stay right here until I turn the lights on.” Jackson reached inside the first doorway, and a dim light came on. “Bathroom.”

Kyle took a step closer. Jackson backed up another step and flipped another light switch to turn on a small bedside lamp. “And bedroom.”

“Your place has all the amenities. Booze, mood lighting, a big bed and you.”

*>*>*>*>*>
ABOUT A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR

Kyle isn’t a voyeur, but when his sexy neighbor forgets to close his curtains, he finds it difficult to look away. And why should he? It’s just a little harmless fun, and maybe an erotic bit of self-pleasure to balance out the long hours he’s put in on the job lately. Next time, he’ll exercise some self-control and turn away from the too-hot for words spectacle, but just this once he’s determined to let himself enjoy the show.

Jackson might have been offended by his neighbor’s voyeuristic evening had he not taken advantage of the delicious show he unwittingly inspired. Unwilling to let the opportunity to turn a smoldering fantasy into a scorching hot sex life, Jackson invites Kyle over for a drink and is pleasantly surprised to find Kyle is smart, sexy, and someone Jackson wants to get to know—in bed and out.

*>*>*>*>*>

A Friendly Neighbor is an enjoyable, light-hearted read that is both humorous and sexy. I would love another glimpse into the world of these two and see how they’re fairing in the future. – Long and Short Reviews
Look for A Friendly Neighbor to be available within the next few days!

KC KendricksWebsite: http://www.kckendricks.comBetween the Keys blog: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/kckendricks

Midweek Tease - Tango in the Night

January 2, 2019

Welcome to 2019! A new year. A new cycle of seasons. It's a bit bemusing to see both sides of that "new year" coin. Has it become boring after so many years, or is a new adventure beginning? Stick around and we can find out together. 

I wasn't sure where to begin 2019 in the MidWeek Tease Blog Hop. Then the batteries in my mouse quit (as they are wont to do). The cursor was on Tango in the Night. It's kismet! 

Be sure to check out other Midweek Tease blogs here. Keep in mind, we just made it through the holidays. Not everyone is up to speed yet. 

Here's an excerpt from Tango in the Night. Enjoy!
_*_*_*_

Ellis sat behind his desk, chin anchored in his left palm while his right index finger idly tapped the page in front of him. Lucky for me, a member of the janitorial staff busily washed the windows in my new office and I had an excuse not to go in there yet. 

I had two choices. I could hide my interest in him, be the gruff senior agent, or I could let him know how strongly he had things stirring inside me. If I chose the latter, we needed to hash a few things out, namely how not to allow a mutual sexual curiosity affect the job. 

Standing in the doorway, looking at him, I didn’t know which would win today. Ellis glanced up and saw me. He straightened, his chest expanding as he drew in a deep breath. I nodded and stepped into the squad room. 

“Ellis. Are you on call, or just catching up?”

“I’m puzzled, mostly.”

I snorted and let the southern drawl creep into my speech. “Ain’t we all, most days?”

He almost smiled, the corner of his mouth twitching, and mimicked my accent. “I heard you hailed from Ken-tuck.”

“Yep. With a name like ‘Jubal’, where the hell did you think I was from?” I snagged the nearest chair and rolled it a bit closer to him. “What are you puzzled about?”

His gaze drilled into mine, his warm blue eyes eloquently saying he meant me. I smiled to let him know I appreciated his interest but was careful not to show encouragement. He must have gotten the message. He flipped a folder at me. “There’s a few missing pieces here.”

I opened the folder and kept my surprise out of my voice. “This is an old case. I worked it for a while, but it went cold.”

“It ties into a new one, I just know it.”

A cold fist seized my heart. This case was potentially dangerous. I looked up at him. Ellis was running on instinct and that gut feeling that settled over you when you know what you can’t yet prove. His earnest expression begged me to believe him. I did, and I wished to heaven I could warn him off this one, but it would tip my hand.

“Keep digging, then. Trust your gut.”

“Should I trust what my gut says about you, Agent Graham?”

I closed the file and laid it back on his desk, my gaze flicking to the window washer. He was finished, putting all his supplies back in his cart. I waited until he exited to reply. 

“Ellis, you and I need to get a few things straight.”

He tapped the signet ring. “That’s not your initial. The guy you were with last night?”

“No. I was with a friend last night. You were on a date.”

“So, maybe I should take you out on a date.”

“Ellis…” I froze as his fingers closed around mine, a delighted little quiver pulsing through my penis. I was intensely curious about the man, but we were in too public a place for this to continue. I pulled away. “Don’t do that here.”

“Will you go out with me, Jubal?”

Persistence was a good thing for a drug enforcement agent to have, but I wasn’t sure I liked his directed at me. I wasn’t sure I didn’t like it, either. It was certainly different to be on this side of the pursuit. 

“Why did you come to my house last night?”

Ellis looked away as a flush crept up his neck. “I needed to know if your boyfriend lived with you.”

I clamped down on my temper. He was out of line, and his eyes said he knew how far. I counted to five before I responded. “He’s not my boyfriend. Don’t do it again. If he sees you dogging me, it’ll scare him.”

“Like I’m scaring you, Jubal?”

“You’re not scaring me.”

“Oh, the hell I’m not.” Ellis leaned back in his chair. “Okay. We’ll do it the old southern way. Even straights say a year is enough to mourn. You can play the reluctant widower for another two months. I’ll let you. Then you go out with me.”

“Boy, you don’t know anything about me.”

“Wrong. You were all anyone talked about when I transferred in. I took notes.”

“You’re an arrogant fucker, aren’t you?”

Ellis grinned as he stood and stretched, treating me to an eye level display of the full, rounded bump at the base of his zipper. He looked down at me, his expression pure insolence. 

“Takes one to know one, Agent Graham.”

_*_*_*_
About TANGO IN THE NIGHT:
Jubal Graham is back on the job after a shooter took the life of his long-time partner, and sent him into a coma followed by months of rehab. Determined to have justice, Jubal is focused on finding a killer, not a new romantic entanglement. Ellis Banks, with his smoldering blue eyes and denim-clad swagger, is a distraction Jubal can’t afford – or ignore.
Ellis Banks came to Philadelphia to bust a drug operation; one that connects to the same case agency legend Kentuckian Jubal Graham is working. Ellis finds himself drawn to Jubal, but Jubal holds him off. Sure that Jubal is interested, even though he wears his slain lover’s ring, Ellis mounts a determined siege. 
Jubal’s surprise at having a suitor develops into a growing affection for Ellis, one clouded with old fears. Fate ripped one lover from his arms, and now Ellis is in the line of fire. Jubal’s courage can protect Ellis, but is it powerful enough to love him?

Tango in the Night is available at:
Amazon www.amazon.com/Tango-Night-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01LY7JDDV
iTunes/Apple itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1155953485
Nook/Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tango-in-the-night-k-c-kendricks/1028731757?ean=2940153376813
KOBO store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/tango-in-the-night-1

2018 Retrospective - The Year It All Changed

December 31, 2018

We've notched another year under our belts. Seems like I just posted the 2017 retrospective. But then again, I did.

I've often said "live and learn" and "work smarter, not harder." To that end, I decided to try to be smarter this year and document the months as they pass. Does it seem to be a bit strange beginning a blog post that won't be out for eleven months? Yep.

January
Baby, it was cold outside! January 2018 brought frigid temps. My little sunroom office was chilly, even with an auxiliary heater. I wrapped up in a blanket and kept working - to a good end. Twice Removed From Yesterday, the twelfth book in the Men of Marionville collection was finished and subsequently released. I decided the three books I'd had out through a notorious now-defunct publisher could indeed be salvaged and re-released. What precipitated the decision? I saw a cover model sitting on the floor and knew he was perfect for one of the stories. Nothing like making more work for one's self.

February
The Snow Moon month arrived with snow. It's true! I settled down and worked on several projects including covers for three older Rayne Forrest titles. Getting The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles back out had been on the back burner for too long but I finally got there. I also decided it would be just fine to put both my pen names on the cover - Rayne Forrest and KC Kendricks. Why not? The covers turned out to be the best the trilogy ever had. That's what happens when you get to translate your own vision.

Also in February, I set to work going over one of the aforementioned titles from that "publisher that will not be named." After a lot of editing to the professional editor's work, A Perfect Hire was ready to go and I pushed the button. For more about A Perfect Hire, visit the page on my website.

March
After being on hiatus for many years, I made The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles available again. Kiana, Talyss, and Reza are older science fiction stories written under the pen name of Rayne Forrest. The middle story, Talyss, was an EPPIE finalist, something I'm quite proud of to this day. I decided to put both pseudonyms on the covers because of Amazon's unfair algorithms that punish books that don't sell x-number in a twenty-four hour period. These are for lovers of more traditional male/female romances. For lovers of GLBT and science fiction, I hear you. It may happen. Just remember it takes a long time to write a book.

I also learned to create an alien with light blue skin on the book cover is very challenging. Maybe I won't do that again.

March 20, the first day of spring, brought a snowstorm to my area. Ten inches of the white stuff fell. Spring? Really?  I don't think spring arrived "in real life" until March 28. That's when I heard the peeper frogs.

April
April started off with a whimper. Yes, I whined my way into April. I discovered that two years ago I forgot to format and load Loving Luke (Rayne Forrest title) at Amazon. As they say, "better late than never." Before much else got finished, Deuce fell sick. I don't need to tell anyone who loves their dog how distracting that can be. All is well now. The dog recovered faster than my wallet and my writing momentum. And while the WIP did advance, there was nothing much to do but move on to May.

May
Well, things got derailed a bit more in May. We put down new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom and it was a bitch of a job. Not enough of anything else got accomplished except getting the spousal unit in for an MRI on his back. I watched the royal wedding and surrounding hoopla and revamped the Hot August Comes cover, which I still don't like it. The story needs something more on the cover but I'm not sure of exactly what. The last week of the month is my annual spring vacation. You can read about that here.

June
What to say about June... I got a kitten and there I went. Off on a tangent. It's just he was so damn cute when I brought him home. The spousal unit and I took a major detour through Billy Bob Thornton's drama, "Goliath." I was unfamiliar with Billy Bob's body of work but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Goliath.

The spousal unit spent a couple of nights in the hospital and everything ground to a halt.

On the writing front, I took care of the business of writing but didn't get either work-in-progress completed. I had to be content with knowing I'm almost there. The level of writing output does correspond with this season of my life, that of caregiver to aging parents and an ailing partner. The end of this season will come all too soon as loved ones depart this world.

July I almost got to the finish of Please Use the Door. I would have if the spousal units brothers hadn't come to town. Missed it by about fifteen hundred words - but it's all good. Finished it the first full week of August. I got two covers done for Christianne France and published a July/August newsletter. As I said, it was all good. I attended the wedding of a young cousin without the spousal unit. Much fun was had. What happens in Waynesboro stays in Waynesboro...

August
August was great! I shoved Please Use the Door out the door on the 13th, finished the new cover for Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted (it finally looks the way I want - yes!), and worked on Steel Wheels. We attended two family reunions and the wedding of the spousal unit's third grandson.

I'd been wanting to redo the covers on my Amethyst Cove series and I made the attempt in August. It's been a struggle to get just the right look but they say the third time's the charm. This set is the best yet.


September
September came wheeling in fast. The words started to flow on Steel Wheels and I made fast progress. It helped that I always take a week's vacation after Labor Day and so I was home.

By the end of the month, Steel Wheels was finished and ready to publish, and I'd spruced up the bathroom with a new countertop, faucet, backsplash, and a fresh coat of paint. Good month.

October
The month got off to a great start - I pushed the button to make Steel Wheels live. That precipitated the need to complete the next newsletter. One task always leads to another in my world. Then things came to a screeching halt when my stepfather fell and broke a hip. Welcome to my world.

November
Working out the wrinkles in a "new normal" is very time-consuming. My stepfather was moved to an assisted living facility and he may be there permanently. The spousal unit had all the necessary pre-operative testing necessary for his December 14 surgery.

Did I make much progress on the writing front? No, I did not. Am I happy about that? No, I am not. Such is life. All we can do is keep plugging away in sorry little drips and drops.

December
"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December - a magical thing and sweet to remember." - Oliver Herford

With the spousal unit having surgery, everything else stopped, even the day job the management of which I'm grateful to say allowed me to dip into my sick leave to have enough time off to be with him. He had two surgeries on his neck, one on December 14 and the other on December 17. As I'm completing this blog it remains to be seen if the surgeries will improve his quality of life. I rather have my doubts since he now has a rod fused in his neck. 

And while this year ends on low notes, I think Robert Plant summed it up best. 
"The mirror tries to please me, the image wouldn't stay, the stranger is too perfect to take my breath away. The future rides beside me - tomorrow in her hand. The stranger turns to greet me, and takes me by the hand."

The future is a stranger,  a mirror image of a new and unknown me, ready to lead me down the path I choose. Yes, I do see the choices, and while many are limited by the needs of others, there are still directions I'm free to choose. 

The Year of our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen will be a balancing act to take care of myself in the face of the demands of others. I'm strong, healthy, smart, and determined. That has been a winning combination for all the years of my life and it won't change now. 

I hope you'll stick around to see how it all unfolds.  

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com

Christmas 2018

December 25, 2018
To you and yours, a very Merry Christmas.

Riding the whirlwind

December 23, 2018

It's difficult to wrap my head around the fact this year is rapidly coming to a close. It's not been quite the annus horribilis HM Queen Elizabeth spoke about a few years ago, but it's not been the best of times. 

My partner in life has had two surgeries on his neck, one on December 14 and one on December 17. He's now in a facility for rehab and he is NOT loving life. For my part, this facility is too close to home. I've been running the road, there and back, repeatedly. It's the same facility my mother is in although she's in the lockdown Alzheimer's unit. Even now I have a collection of items he wants me to deliver to him. And then there's my stepfather - he's in a different assisted living facility recovering from a broken hip.

A caregiver I am not. It's not in my nature. There are multiple staff personnel to see to his needs and yet it's difficult to put my foot down and demand time for myself.

I don't know myself these days. Somewhere along the line in 2018 I lost the plot on my entire life. I desperately want to get it back. I haven't written a word in at least a month. Having the time to write wrenched away from me has left me feeling crushed. Don't they know I can't continue to help them if I'm not given time to do something that feeds my own soul?

I'm not alone in this. People everywhere around the world face circumstances that force them into negative roles. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going, hoping and praying with every step the burden will ease. And it is a burden.

We aren't supposed to admit that those we love can be burdensome. I've rarely been afraid to express myself, though. It's a burden. 

My best friend moved to Florida several years ago. She calls and we talk but it's not the same. The distance has changed everything and it will never go back to what it was. To declare otherwise would be an untruth. 

Christmas will be a solitary affair for me. To say that makes me sad would be another untruth. Not having to put on a happy face is a relief. Not having to exchange gifts is a relief. 

There is one truth in all of this. Someday, soon I hope, I will get back to writing. And I hope the emotions I'm feeling will find their way onto the page. That is what writers do. We ride our own whirlwinds and spin them in the direction we want them to go, down into the spaces between the keys. 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com