About

Hey, and howdy! I’m so glad you stopped in. Nice to meet you, friend; I’m Kaci.
I’m from a huge family. My mom’s parents had thirteen children in twenty years. The older children were married and having babies when number 13, my mom, was born. My grandparents ended up with 55 grandchildren. Yep, I’m number 55. When my grandma passed away in 1982, she had over 300 descendants. Whew! Did she ever get tired of writing birthday cards! My parents had five children. I’m the baby and only girl. Spoiled? Nope! “Come on, boys!” I came a-runnin’.

This is my silly, fun-loving husband, Kevin. A delight to all he meets. He’s a grammar geek and my spellcheck guy. Good thing I married him! I happen to be dyslexic, so he is quite handy. He’s a great cook, he helps around the house, and he even does laundry! I think I’ll keep him! I’ve been married to this wonderful gentleman for 38 years. I feel very blessed to have him in my life.

We have two beautiful and talented daughters. This photo was taken when they were still in school, but I love it. The girls loved to dress up for special occasions. Frankly, we all did. This was Easter 2005. They are both married now and live in opposite directions from us (one in Southern California and one in Southern Oregon.) We are the proud and blessed grandparents of six beautiful, cuddly grandchildren. Both of our girls enjoy singing and drawing. Our oldest also crotchets, knits, sews, draws, writes stories, and homeschools. Our youngest is an artist who paints in several mediums, as well as in graphic arts. She’s a poet and a singer/songwriter. She plays piano, guitar, and ukulele and is the manager of a beauty supply store.

Hobbies:  The photographs on my pages and posts are my own, except for the ones with me in them. My husband and I love to photograph gardens, waterfalls, rivers, cemeteries, mountains, and the list goes on. Photobooks paired with my poetry have been a nice addition to our coffee table. I love to draw and paint, though I haven’t had much time to do so lately. Sigh. I enjoy playing piano, recorder, guitar, and the Native American flute. Reading is a big hobby, some say too big as we have over 2,000 books. YES!!

Speaking of books, I’ve been a busy little bee since March  2020, shifting gears from musician to writer. (I haven’t given up the music, but due to the pandemic, I had to be creative in other ways.) Poetry has dominated my time, although I have been working on two novels, short stories, and lyrics. Here is my latest big project.
A Poetic Journey: Books 1-9. They’re fun, instructional books on how to write poetry. I’m adding content and editing the first nine books as I pen book ten. Looking for an agent and Christian publisher for these short but packed books. They are a great addition to homeschooling curriculum and for anyone looking to learn different poetic forms. Each book in this journey explains and gives examples of thirty different poetry forms. 

Self-Published Works:
A Love Trio: Chasing Love, Finding Love, and Losing Love
Psalm 139: A 10-day Devotional:  With a deep look into Psalm 139, we find how much God loves us. 
The Like That poetry e-books (based on a poem by the same name) are a series of thematic original pieces.
Christmas and Easter Like That 
Hope Like That: Poetry for the Hopeful Heart 
Haunting Like That: Poems for Halloween
Waiting Like That
Seasons Like That
The Faithful Like That

Two Novels Underway: the first I began penning 30 years ago, the second in November 2021.

With Raptured Kiss: a Historical Christian Romance based in 1557, England, during the reign of Bloody Mary. With heretics burning at the stake, Beth must hide her faith amidst Protestant persecution. Nefarious plans to sell her as wife to The Duke of Surrey and land her in his dungeon, where she falls for her guard, Nicholas. Can they escape the clutches of the evil Duke? Will her family survive the Queen’s edict? 

Poetry Companion With Raptured Kiss: songs and poems composed by my heroine.

Your Sweet Melody: A Contemporary Romance. Rosalind and Antonio, vocalists from different points on the globe, sing their first duet on New Year’s Eve in Venice. Their instant captivation with one another and their vocal connection propels them to find their way back to each other over and over. Will murder, obsession, and secrets keep them apart? Will their love survive from shore to shore?

My mom’s father and many of her siblings were poets, songwriters, singers, and played instruments. Our family reunions were alive with music – lots of singing, hugging, laughing, and, of course, eating.

Many of my dad’s family members were artists (mostly painters.) Thank God, He gave me both genes, and they were passed down to the girls! We have enjoyed a lifetime of art and music. My mom said that I was singing before I was talking. I haven’t stopped talking or singing since. Haha!

Choir, choir, choir! I started singing in the Tiny Tots choir at church when I was about two, having my first solo not long thereafter. I sang in the children’s choir and youth choir at church, as well as in choirs and ensembles in middle school and high school. All I ever wanted to do was sing! So I did. I went off to California Baptist College (now University) for a music degree in 1982, where I crammed four years into five. There, I sang in choir, ensembles at school, and choirs (paid or otherwise) at several churches. I have had the privilege of singing with some of the most amazing singers at church, with The Gary Bonner Singers (a Christian choir out of Southern California), and with the Eugene Opera Chorus in Oregon. I laughed with a friend not long ago about how many choirs I had been in and how they overlapped. I tallied up all the choirs I was a part of and said, “I have been in choir longer than I have been alive!”

As a voice and beginning piano teacher, I provided private lessons for 25 years. Giving concerts and teaching music for a private Christian school in Riverside, CA, are other highlights of my resume.

In 2000, while still in Riverside, I produced
“We Worship You/Bring Me to the Place,” a promotional CD of original worship songs.  This included songs for children, choirs, ensembles, and four solo tracks. Eight of these tracks may be found on iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, and other venues of music services. In 2004, Janis Walton and I recorded “Steppin’ Out,” a Broadway CD of some of our favorite show tunes. What a blast that was! (They are both available in my store.) From 1991 to 2007, I had the blessing of being a part of 17 additional CDs, including the 15th Air Force Band of the Golden West (1), Magnolia Baptist Church choir (4), America’s Tenor – Steve Amerson (2), and The Gary Bonner Singers (10).

We moved to Oregon in the summer of 2007 after a European tour with the Gary Bonner Singers to record with the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra. A lovely trip, even without our luggage. Lord, have mercy!
The Eugene Opera Chorus accepted me that fall, and I enjoyed two and a half seasons with them. Glorious!
My husband’s father passed away in March 2010, and we moved back to southern California to take care of his widow. While there, Kevin and I were called to be the worship leaders for a church in Moreno Valley. Two years later, my dad called and asked us to come to Antioch to take care of him.

After my dad’s passing in 2014, I spent four years as the lobby pianist for Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Antioch, where I enjoyed playing and singing for patients, visitors, and hospital staff. This is a photo of me at the baby grand piano on Halloween 2018.

Other opportunities had me performing at rehabilitation hospitals, senior assisted living communities, and civic events. I’ve met some beautiful people and played with stellar artists in the area.

Kevin and I moved to California’s Central Valley in June of 2022. I’m singing in the choir once more and with an orchestra. Yay!

Published work:
“Your Sweet Melody” published by Z Publishing in California’s Best Emerging Poets 2020.
Three poems, including my award-winning poem, “Cover Me,” published in The Dazed Starling Unbound, (CBU) California Baptist University’s magazine, 2022,   https://issuu.com/dazedstarling/docs/dazed_starling_unbound-nested_2022
and “Give Me Jesus” in CBU’s The Dazed Starling Unbound 2023.
Agape Review published ten poems. https://agapereview.com/tag/kaci-rigney/
Kosmeo Magazine published “Be All Things” in their February/March 2023 addition. https://kosmeomag.com
In December 2023, Local Gems Press, a traditional publisher of poetry, published “Guilt and Grace” in the anthology Poets of the Promise. God is so good!

Last but by no means least, I am in love with Jesus. I’ve spent a lifetime failing, falling, and getting back up. But I know He loves me and forgives my unfaithfulness. We have all fallen short of His glory. I’m so glad He is faithful. His character–faithful, just, sovereign, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy, and full of grace and truth gives me hope. He loves me. He loves you. He died taking my sins and your sins with Him on the cross. I’ve given Him my heart and my life. I pray you have done the same so we may spend forever in His presence. God bless you.

If you would like encouraging, constructive criticism on a poem, the first page of your novel, or a song you’ve written, hit me up. I’d be happy to encourage your endeavors.

Kaci

Find me on:

MeWe:  Kaci Rigney

 Twitter: @KaciRigney

 Instagram: @kacirigney

 Facebook: Author Kaci Rigney,  Kaci Cutshaw Rigney

 LinkedIn: Kaci Rigney

 Pinterest: @kacisings

 YouTube:  Kaci Rigney, Singer/Songwriter

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Email me at apoeticjourneywithkaci@gmail.com