The latest news in the publishing world

                                              By author Trina Boice


This week's publishing news comes from the head editor at Big World Network.  She is gorgeous, although this video doesn't really show her off very well.  She's a fantastic editor and very talented writer.  Big World Network has published 3 of my books and their entire team is terrific.

Listen to the part about the books that are being sold with seeds embedded in their pages!  Enjoy!





If you'd like to see some of the books that Amanda Meuwissen has written, you can find them at:

Do writers need to be good spellers?

                                                             by Trina Boice
                                                       www.trinaboice.com 

Do writers need to be good spellers?  Some writers will say that's what a good editor is for! 

I teach classes for Workplace ESL Solutions.  We specialize in English as a Second language, Spanish for workplace managers, citizenship, and business writing tips.  There is a super helpful article we posted on our Linked In group that lists the 100 words most commonly misspelled ('misspell' is one of them). Dr. Language has provided a one-stop cure for all your spelling ills. Each word has a mnemonic pill with it and, if you swallow it, it will help you to remember how to spell the word. Master the orthography of the words on this page and reduce the time you spend searching dictionaries by 50%.

Here are just the words that start with the letter "A" to get you started...

A

• acceptable - Several words made the list because of the suffix pronounced -êbl but sometimes spelled -ible, sometimes -able. Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this word OK.
• accidentally - It is no accident that the test for adverbs on -ly is whether they come from an adjective on -al ("accidental" in this case). If so, the -al has to be in the spelling. No publical, then publicly.
• accommodate - Remember, this word is large enough to accommodate both a double "c" AND a double "m."
• acquire - Try to acquire the knowledge that this word and the next began with the prefix ad- but the [d] converts to [c] before [q].
• acquit - See the previous discussion.
• a lot - Two words! Hopefully, you won't have to allot a lot of time to this problem.
• amateur - Amateurs need not be mature: this word ends on the French suffix -eur (the equivalent of English -er).
• apparent - A parent need not be apparent but "apparent" must pay the rent, so remember this word always has the rent.
• argument - Let's not argue about the loss of this verb's silent [e] before the suffix -ment.
• atheist - Lord help you remember that this word comprises the prefix a- "not" + the "god" (also in the-ology) + -ist "one who believes."

To see the rest of the 100 words, go to:
   http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/misspelled.html

National Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month!

By Trina Boice

Years ago I worked in Washington DC and spent a day at a congressional reception, consuming every kind of ice cream known to mankind to celebrate National Ice Cream Day. While I thought it was a silly holiday, I was too busy shoving Drumsticks and ice cream sandwiches in my mouth to complain or request that our legislative efforts be spent on more noble causes. Hey, it was free ice cream after all.

Apparently, almost anyone can request that a national holiday be created to honor just about anything. Did you know that September is National Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month? Now there's a holiday worth honoring!

Be sure to finish reading this blog post before you race out to the store to purchase an outrageously expensive gift for me. Here is a very helpful list of of ten ways you can be kind to the editors and writers in your life. If YOU are the writer in your life, then you can simply print this list and set it on the kitchen counter or bedside table where your loved ones may conveniently happen upon it.

1. Sharpen all the pencils in the house. Do not sharpen the pens.

2. Stay off the computer. A writer might have an epiphany just as you are winning your game of Solitaire.

3. Do not interrupt your loved one while they are working. Haven't you ever heard of the "zone"?

4. Do not let your toddler use the computer paper as a doodle pad. What if I have an award-winning novel at my fingertips? There will not be one sheet of paper to print it on.

5. If your writer/editor/loved one is Blonde, take the initiative to clean the white-out off of the computer screen. She'll thank you later.

6. Set out lots of chocolate and late-night treats by the computer. Everyone knows that writers always wait until the last minute to finish a project. They will be up until 3 a.m. trying to decide if they should use the word "lie" or "lay" or "laid".

7. Offer to baby-sit for the writer/editor in your life. They still might not get any work done, but the kids will be out of their hair for awhile and that's always a gift.

8. Help your writer by answering that giant pile of fan mail. If there is no fan mail, write some.

9. Be kind to your editor by taking a few extra minutes to run that doggone spell-check before you send your manuscript.

10. Buy my books. (wink)