K.C. Kendricks's Blog

Ten years ago I wrote what is still a rare poem for me. I've since published a short volume of poems that is available only on Kindle Unlimited, and it's been years since I've added anything to it. Writing poems is not my strong suite, but every once in a while, something comes to mind. 

This year I'm revisiting that early Thanksgiving poem.  My days are very different now. I'm on my own. But looking back, I was on my own even when my parents and grandparents lived. The fracturing of family began long ago but now the cousins and I are rebuilding our version of family. It doesn't look the same as when the two older generations were alive, but that's okay. Today, my family is more accepting, having learned those same lessons I was taught. We're kinder now.  

I wrote this poem after a solitary walk in the woods. I walked to steel myself for the day ahead, for the demands that would be made of me. It truly was "conform or be cast out" in those days. It did suck the air away from me. 

Today, the last verse has taken on a new meaning. The road does lead home to all that is mine, and with the passing of time, the path is truly mine. Having lived with unattainable demands, I now sit back and listen to the two younger generations and simply enjoy them for who they are. Our roots are entwined, but I put no pressure on them to bend in my direction. 

They are young trees. Let them grow where they will. Let their memories of Thanksgiving be full of air. 

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I had a little incident with a deer two weeks or so ago. 

I got lucky, not dead. The rut is on and a doe ran out of the woods and into my car. I saw her coming so I was almost stopped, but she suddenly came towards me instead of veering away. BOOM!

More of the story is posted over at Holly Tree Manor with pictures of my Charger. 

https://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com/2025/11/and-then-this-happened.html

I got lucky.

KC Kendricks

I gave myself permission to go MIA on the blogs. I was having a difficult time keeping up with everything and I finally just yelled STOP. Stop. 

So I stopped for a little while. Do you know how difficult that was to do? I'm the generation who listened to Helen Reddy proclaim, "I am woman, hear me roar!" The thing is, I wasn't roaring. I was spinning my wheels. So I stopped. 

It was time to do something different so I made some videos. Yea, me! Go check them out to see me gardening, riding around on the tractor, using a chainsaw, and other real-life country pursuits. I didn't do anything special, I just did my day. I'll probably do more videos so that some day in the distant future I can show the old codgers in the nursing home that I really did all these things. 

Giving myself permission to stop did come with a price. I have three manuscripts that remain unfinished. I reminded myself that in the beginning, I did not set out to be a published author. I set out to write a book, which I did. That was my goal - write a book. Somewhere along the line my priorities shifted and I tried to please my mother and my husband. But did I please myself? Yes, I did, at least for a while. Now I'm reflecting back on the years to see them in a clearer light. 

I think I need to give myself permission to once again be a writer. I think my years as a caregiver to my stepfather, to my mother, to my husband took a huge toll on my emotional health. Then I needed to go through the beginning stages of grief, and grieving doesn't end. It changes, but it's always there. 

So many seasons have passed in my life, and there are many more to come. I hope I'm ready because they will come whether they are welcome or not. 

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Well, here's an update I wasn't sure I'd ever make. I've added all my books to Audible. Yea!

Why wasn't I sure about doing it? I don't really like the automated voice, but the plain truth is I can't afford to hire a reader. So there ya go. 

I'm actually glad I've finally taken the plunge if for no other reason than to add the audio book to my private library. 

I listened to the beginning of a few of the books and I confess, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the AI did. I haven't tried the 'read and listen' feature yet, but I will. 

Remember, if you already own the book, you can get the Audible book for half price. That's not a bad deal. 

One of these days, I'm going to be an old. old woman in a home, and I'm going to turn up the volume when I get to certain parts of my own books. I bet I'll get in a lot of trouble for that! 

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KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Audible, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, sci-fi romance, LGBT, m/m romance, Kindle romance, shapeshifters, Amazon romance

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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