Weekend Update: Upcoming Reviews, Driving Lessons and Editing

So, what am I up to this weekend?

First off, I'm writing some reviews. I have one down and one to go. I've written the review of Cargo by Jen Castleberry, and next up is Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein. Cargo's a YA scifi dystopian and the Amanda Lester book is a middle schooler and up detective story that reminds me of Harry Potter.

And then it's back to reading Saven: Disclosure by Siobhan Davis. She's a somewhat new author, but I haven't found a book of hers I haven't liked. The book's coming out soonish, maybe in a month? Anyhow, it's pretty exciting.

I'm also planning to give my son some more driving lessons. The first couple were actually pretty fun, which surprised me, so I'm looking forward to that.

And, wow, some huge news I almost forgot to mention. I finished up my editing job for The World of Myth series by Travis Bughi, and now I don't know what I'm going to do with myself though I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Anyhow, check out the books and maybe pick them up.  I can say they're awesome reads, considering I've read each one at least four times and they managed to stay exciting and engaging on each read. Epic fantasy that's great for a reading over and over, perfect.

And, here they are. World of Myth books 1-6, written by Travis Bughi, edited by Patricia Hamill, and cover art by Jack Baker.



Beyond the Plains (World of Myth #1)



 

The Forest of Angor (World of Myth #2)

 



The Fall of Lucifan (World of Myth #3)



 

Journey to Savara (World of Myth #4)

 

Juatwa (World of Myth #5)

 

A Legend Ascends (World of Myth #6)

 

Emily's Saga (World of Myth Books 1-6)

 

 

Well, I'd better get back to it. Time to write one more review and then brace myself for another driving lesson. Wish me luck and let me know what you think of the World of Myth series. I'd love to see it take off.

 



  

Grammar: Does the word 'so' need a comma in front of it?

So I just learned a neat trick for figuring out whether or not so needs a comma in front of it. Just pop the clause it begins in front of the sentence and, if it’s nonsensical, no comma.

In other words, if the so only meaningfully fits between the two clauses it joins, then that’s a coordinating conjunction. But, if the so clause works at the beginning, predicting something because of something else, for example, it's acting like a subordinating conjunction, so no comma is needed. (Note that the article on Grammar Girl, linked below, never actually says it is a subordinating conjunction. It just says that it acts like one.)

Another thing I noticed was that most of the subordinating-like instances hide an invisible that right after so (or close, such as in so long that), so if you can insert a that in the clause, you probably don’t need the comma. Fun, huh?

So, to recap, if you find a so you're unsure of, move its clause to the beginning or insert a that right after it. If either action makes it sound weird, then so is a coordinating conjunction in that case, and you need a comma.

Examples:

He wanted to go to the party, so I went with him.
Doesn't make sense if you say: So I went with him, he wanted to go to the party. In this case, so is a coordinating conjunction.

He told me there would be a snack bar at the party so I would go with him.
Here you could state this as, "So I would go with him, he told me there would be a snack bar at the party." That makes sense, so you would treat it like a subordinating conjunction, no comma. It also passes the insert that trick: He told me there would be a snack bar at the party so that I would go with him.


Here are a couple of grammar articles I found helpful with regard to so and other conjunctions. The Grammar Girl one was my primary reference for this post.

Grammar Girl: Weird Coordinating Conjunctions: Yet, For and So

 

Grammar Bytes: The Coordinating Conjunction--Recognize a coordinating conjunction when you see one.

Exercise and editing, a great combo and here is why...

Today I went for a run. It's been a while since the last time I've done that. Usually, I practice karate or take walks, but today I ran. It was invigorating, even though I'm sorely out of practice. What does this have to do with editing?

Well, a lot actually. First off, exercise is an energizer, particularly helpful if you're going to be something sedentary and tedious (like editing). It's also a mood booster, so you'll feel good and that might help motivate you to get to work (cheerfully). And of course, it's good for your body. So you can stay healthy, not only fit, but well (As in not sick as often, and who wants to edit when they're sick? Not me.).

So, I ran today, and now it's time to edit.

I'm feeling good.
I'm motivated.
I'm energized.

What have you done today? Answer in the comments...

It's Been a While, Here's What I'm Up to

Today I've decided to post a little status update instead of a book review. Primarily, that's because I don't have any book reviews lined up.

What I'm reading...

I'm currently reading Only the Cold Remains by Curran Geist, which the author sent me a copy of since I read and reviewed the first one for him.  I must say, it's keeping me turning the pages. I was up until 4am this morning.  Good thing I'm on vacation.

Anyway, the other thing I'm reading is the Wheel of Time series (yes, still). I'm stuck about mid-way through book 5, The Fires of Heaven. Not because there's anything wrong with the book, but because I've read this series about a dozen times and now that I have ebooks, reading new, shiny material is much cheaper and easier to do than ever before.

I'm seriously considering taking my chances with skipping the next several books and just reading the last one in the series. I'm only rereading these because I want the full experience and want to know who's who in the last book. Robert Jordan tended to create minor characters early on and then make them major several books later. Very easy to move into the "huh?" zone.

On a lighter note, I just ninja re-read Twilight. This makes about four or five reads this year.  I don't know exactly why I like this book so much, but I do. It's my favorite of all the Twilight Saga books, too.  Anyway, I think I might have picked it up this time so I'd have something light to read to balance the dark and scary in Curran's story.  I like having several options open, based on whatever mood I'm in.

What I want to read next...

Ok, so this one's a little more vague. I tend to make snap decisions about what to read next. That's why I don't post "this month's reads" or anything like that. However, I did pick up a new story on Kindle yesterday (free at the time) that I'm looking forward to reading.  So, I'll be reading the first Andy Smithson adventure by L.R.W. Lee.  I found the link to it from one of the author's Twitter postings (@LRWLee). I tell you, her snippets, quotes and quirky adventure sayings have really piqued my interest.  One of my favorite authors to follow at the moment.

What I'm writing...

NOTHING! Why? Because I just finished writing the draft for Shadows of Valor #3. Yeah, yeah, I probably should have mentioned that first, but I do like to save the best for last.  So, I'm not done with it, but I've moved from the writing phase to the revision and editing phase. As I posted to Twitter earlier today (@PatriciaHamill2), editing is how you take your writing from meh to wow.

Now that I'm done with the Shadows of Valor #3 draft, I'll also have some time to finish up revisions and edits for The Freeze, the YA dystopian romance I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2013. That one is super close to done, and I'm very excited about it.  The only thing that's causing me to wring my hands is the romantic scenes. I tend to write pretty clean stuff, but I got a little carried away.  Still, I've read steamier scenes in other YA books, so I don't think it's quite too much. I might have to break my habit of ninja publishing and recruit a few beta readers when I'm done with it.

So, I have two books in editing mode, that's my cue to stop writing.  So far this process has worked. I've managed to publish two books per year for the last two years. This year looks like I'll be able to do the same.

What's going on with my other books...

Er, nothing.  I suppose I've gotten somewhat lax in my self promotion and book promotion.

I do plan to publish Fearless in paperback a little later this year, around Halloween, or maybe a little earlier. I think it would be neat to offer it up in time for people to start reading it in time with the journal entries.  Then, they could just read the entries for each day.  Of course, I don't think I could hold back that long. I've read it dozens of times (mostly during editing), and it usually takes me about two days to do so. I'm amazed at how much of myself I managed to put into this zombie story. It's fiction, but it's almost real to me.  Maybe that's why it's scored such good reviews. The best stories are told from the heart. I also edited the heck out of it, which probably helped at least a little. 

As for Shadows of Valor and Forgotten Valor, I might have to put them up for some read and reviews and do some tweets to build some interest in the series.  Now that the last book is in editing, I feel much better at promoting the series. I had this horrible self-doubt up until now. I didn't want people to read the first two and then not be able to finish the story. I think this comes from being a pantser. I like to let let the stories tell themselves and develop as I write, and the end game was always a little fuzzy for me. I also don't want the last book to be a let down. I've read plenty of trilogies and series that ended in a whimper. I tell you, it's a lot of pressure, especially for a perfectionist like me. I can tell you I've really enjoyed writing this story and I've enjoyed re-reading it as I did so. I really hope you pick up a copy some time and let me know what you think.

Links:  

Here are a few links to help you find my books in the format you want.

• My books on Smashwords: .mobi, .epub, pdf, others
• My books on Barnes and Noble: .epub and Paperback
• My books on Amazon: Kindle (.mobi) and Paperback

Are you the victim of human auto-correct?

Do you find yourself sending an email only to notice glaring errors only moments later? Do you hit publish or post, only to find comments about your grammar, or lack thereof, sprinkled throughout subsequent comments and reviews? If so, you may be the victim of human auto-correct.

The human brain is a wonderful thing. It helps us make sense of a chaotic world and helps us react accordingly; but, similar to the auto-correct on your phone, the brain also subconsciously hides, or auto-corrects, inconsistencies, errors and omissions we encounter in the written word. A duplicate word becomes invisible, a misspelling is overlooked, and missing words are filled in.

Surely, you've seen blurbs where almost every word is a jumble of letters, but you were able to read the message anyway. Take the following example.

The qicuk bworn fox jmups oevr the lzay dgos.

You probably read this with no problems. In fact, so long as the first and last letter of a word is in place, most people's minds will substitute the correct word, especially if there's context to go with it.