K.C. Kendricks's Blog

I've given AI a lot of thought in recent weeks. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Who knows for sure? 

Is it fodder for a YouTube video? You bet! So I made one. 

KC

A year ago I knew I needed to step away from the computer for awhile. My husband had died in March of 2024, and I can assure you that the death of a spouse puts a person in a strange state. I, who am a logical person, was certainly there. And yet, what I did to fill in the writing gap was not a logical step. I started to make videos. 

What was I thinking? The truth is I have no clue. 

Where did I want to go with it? The truth is I had no clue. Still don't. 

It did get my mind working again. Now I find I really enjoy sharing a bit of my real life, especially with women in my age group. I'm astonished at two of the women in my dinner clique. One is widowed, like me, and one is caring for a seriously ill spouse, like the former me. They depend on their children to do for them. I don't think it would take much for them to emotionally exhaust their offspring. Those women could do more for themselves, but they don't want to. I'm trying to show, through my videos, that taking care of yourself is not that difficult. 

Anyway...

Time marches on. It gets easier to navigate life alone. I've learned to relax and not worry about those things I don't get done TODAY. I prioritize the most important item on my list and make sure that's accomplished first. After that, the day is a breeze. The things undone will eventually be done. 

More and more, writing is once again a part of my day. I'm thinking about this or that story. I'm writing prose. If you're on Facebook, it may look as though I'm posting annoying promo after annoying promo, but when I come to a spot in a story where I need to evaluate the next bit, I pause and do something else. On a scorching hot summer day, that's zipping off a few promos. 

Looking back at the last year and a half is like looking into a time capsule. I'll never live through another time like that. But through it all I never doubted I'd come out the other side and be okay. I doubted if I'd write again, or if I wanted to stay in the house I shared with Ron, but I never once didn't believe that at my core I was fine. 

It's a very cool August day, with a light mist falling. A perfect day to write and to be about the business of writing. I think I'll get to it. 

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I planted five Roma tomato plants this year. I did not expect such a wonderful result, and the harvest has just begun. It looks like I'm going to can a batch of stewed tomatoes because the peppers are doing great, too. 

I wonder if the pot ash I added to the soil has helped? Hmm. 

I didn't expect to have this task, but I'm not complaining. I'm hoping for nine pints. That's one canner load, and it's enough for me. Being on my own has changed how much I keep in the pantry. 

Beyond the garden and the yard work, I am snatching an hour here and there to write. I'm trying to get back to writing the story I want to write and to hell heck with what someone else may think about it. I started writing that way and it served me well. Then I learned more about the business end of publishing and that knowledge intruded on the muse. The stories need to be for me before they can be for anyone else. I'm like the stories. I'm a work in progress.

Last night, I was cheerfully typing away when I heard thunder. That's not odd for this time of the year. The skies darkened and the wind blew - and the power was off for almost four hours. Luckily, I have a generator which I quickly switched on. I did turn the computer off, though. It has its own backup battery, but I'd rather be safe. And today I ordered a Jackery power bank. It turned out that I didn't need the generator for the sump pump. It would have been okay to power just a fan and a lamp, hence the power bank. It comes with a solar panel, too. That should be fun.

The current WIP is at "that" point. My guys are about to take the next step in their relationship, and they're both hesitant. They want, but they don't want to screw things up. Trust me - they will get there. Maybe not this evening because I've been at the computer most of the day and I'm tired. Today was one of those days when I wrote a bit and then took short breaks to relax, clear my head, and post annoying promos on Facebook until I felt ready to write a bit more. It works for me. 

Tomorrow is my late husband's family reunion. I have been ordered to attend, and I'm glad his sisters include me. I doubt I'll get any writing done tomorrow, but considering the event, it's okay. And who knows? I may see some family drama I can slip into the story. It's happened before. 

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Yes, the writer has actually typed words onto the page! 

Beyond getting a bit of writing done, life has been busy. That's not a complaint at all. Busy is a good thing, in my opinion. I'm happy, relieved, delighted, and joyous that I have more to do than a) watch television all day, b) sit at the computer all day, and c) mindlessly shop with friends all day. Yes, this girl has a wide streak of cynicism in her. But it's true that I come from a long line of "doers" and not "loafers." 

Summertime is a busy time when you live way out in the country. I've been gardening, mowing, tree trimming, canning, and making a few videos. Why did I add videos into my already busy schedule? I want women in my age group to see that it is possible to manage on your own. I'm not bragging about it. I'm simply showing it's possible. https://youtube.com/@kckendricks. 

And writing. Yes, writing! I'd like to say I've pounded out thousands and thousands of words a day, but those days may be in the past. Life is different now, and so am I. I get written what I get written and I'm okay with that. I'm also okay that I will get a book or two out in this calendar year. 

I'm learning to be more content when I can't get it all done in one day. That's content- not complacent. There is a difference. I'm learning that even mowing the lawn can be a satisfying experience. If anyone had told me I'd have this level of contentment living alone, without Ron, I wouldn't have believed it. 

So allow me to enjoy this busy summer. I've been through changes and I'm a new me. Happily, though, the writer has survived. She's still here, and her muse still speaks. 

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KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, writing, m/m romance, LGBTQ gay romance, summertime, rural living, gardening, authors, new books, life changes, 

Has the author been writing? No.

Has the author been doing any promo at all? No.

Has the author been doing anything at all? Oh, yeah.

I'm tired. Like, really tired. The garden is doing great, I got the new greenhouse set up, the grass needs mowing every six days, and the Cousin has been topping maple trees. So what's that got to do with writing? 

Well, you can't write when you're preserving food from the garden. You can't write while riding a lawn mower. You can't write when you're an assistant lumber jack. It's exhausting! 

I'm really not complaining. It's been a very productive couple of weeks - except for writing. And the writing will come soon. I see light at the end of the tunnel. I have two covers made for the two works-in-progress, and that always helps to get me rolling along. 

The mess from topping the trees is almost cleared. The wax beans are canned. The mowing? Well, the weather dictates that and it's been happening every six days and that's not typical for my location.

And today, none of that happened. I went along with a girlfriend to hold her hand while she got a new phone. This girl was still using a flip phone. It was time for her to upgrade! 

Yes, it's been a busy few weeks and I'm glad of it.

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I joined in at the Smashwords July sale. With a few exceptions, all my books are 25% off, and those exceptions are 50% off.  

Go to Smashwords.com and search for "KC Kendricks". Be sure to use the quotation marks or you'll end up with a gazillion hits on KC. Were there that many KCs back in 2008? Nooooo. Think about that. There were no other Raynes when Rayne Forrest started in 2003, either. I searched it up on Amazon because if Amazon didn't pop with an author name, it wasn't in existence. I guess I'm flattered. 

But I digress...

Go to Smashwords and get a few deals for your Kindle! 

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I received an email from my long-time writing friend Brenda Williamson. We met years and years ago through a mutual publisher and have stayed in contact. Brenda is one of the very few faithful that way. 

Like me, she is slowly working on a few stories. Like me, life has tempered her joy in writing. Like me, she has one aging parent she needs to care for. Like me, she is a widow. 

And like me, writing used to be an all-consuming passion. I wish it would become one again for me, but living on my own, it might destroy me. 

We're having a rainy day. The top of the mountain is shrouded in fog. It's given me the opportunity to catch up on some indoor activities - a load of laundry, making a batch of yogurt, and yes, working on one of the WIPs. And I've had a Stevie Nicks playlist softly playing in the background. (I wonder what I did with my copy of The Other Side of the Mirror????)

Writing is fine on a rainy day. I can't garden, mow, work in the wood yard, or do any number of other outside chores than need done. And there it is. The thing that keeps me from writing - responsibilities. 

I can't shirk my responsibilities. I couldn't do it when I needed to care for my late husband and now, over a year later, I'm still not caught up. I'm getting there, but I'm not there yet. 

Perhaps part of my despair at not being able to write has a lot to do with being physically tired. I'm fixing "problems" that have existed for many years, issues that couldn't be addressed due to Ron's health and the need to care for him. 

Maybe I'm overthinking my life. It's possible. 

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KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBTQ romance, Kindle romance, rainy days, writers on writing, life decisions, Stevie Nicks

Well, that was... what? Putting the Rayne Forrest titles on Kindle Unlimited has been a bust. No traction. It's very disappointing to the author side of me. 

A third of my life has been dedicated to writing, and the question I've been grappling with is no closer to a resolution. If I continue to write, how does it fit into my life NOW? 

When I was a newbie, more established authors said to write the story you want to read because you may be the only person to read it. This is true. 

When I was a newbie, more established authors said don't quit your day job because most writers can't live on their royalties. This is true. I made some pocket change but no where near enough to live on. 

When I was a newbie, more established authors said don't look at readers to validate your work. This is true. 

When I was a newbie, I couldn't imagine a time when I'd consider no longer writing. Here I am. 

My late husband fought cancer for twenty-four years, and he fought the good fight. I miss him every day, but we talked. Really talked. What about? About life after he was gone. He gave me a rare gift with his words. 

To say I've "rebuilt" my life is not precisely accurate. I've continued on in the life we built, but I'm adding individual touches in places I'd not anticipated. This is a good thing for me. I love the life we built and shared, and I love what I've added to it. 

These days, writing feels like making a choice between an intellectual practice and living my life. Which one do I feel is more important? 

Is this the question that won't go away, or the question with the answer I don't want to accept? 

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June 10, 2025

I've been busy. Country living isn't all sipping bourbon on the porch. It's constant movement before it's time to sit on the porch (or patio in my case). The other day, I made a little video to show what's been going on lately and posted it. 

Making videos started years ago as a way to entertain my late husband. As he lost mobility, I videoed walks with the dogs and areas of the Manor he couldn't access with his power chair. He enjoyed it. And I videoed some of his antics on the tractor.  He requested a video of the professional tree trimmers taking down the leaning maple, so we shot that from the safety of the sunroom porch. 

These days making a video is more about a record for myself. Some future me is going to look back and remember that the woman of today did exist. Heck, I need these videos now to prove to my running buddies that THIS WOMAN can really operate a tractor and a chainsaw. 

So I made a little video. Go watch it. Subscribe to my channel and help me out. I'll never sneak into the YT algorithm if you don't. 

KC

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, YouTube video, LGBTQ gay romance, gardening, making videos, country lifestyle, rural living, Holly Tree Manor, romance author, life updates, new things, m/m romance, loss of spouse, rebuilding life