Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 55

Spanking the Pomegranate – The Triumph of #Communication

I cannot speak for other languages as I do not know any others fluently, (unless you are including Dlalth, but since that is one I made up myself for my story Dark Fey, it really doesn’t count) but the English language is a curious thing. Have you ever noticed how often we say things that mean something entirely different from what we are actually trying to say? Our slang is chock full of examples. (such as the one I just used.) Chock? How does a word that means to block or stop something from moving; a ships fitting or cable, or an anchor or brace, end up in an expression that means completely full? Even Wiktionary cannot say for sure.

I loved the Linguistics class I had in high school; learning all about words, phrases, slang and etymology; what’s not to like, really? For someone (like me) who spent their free time constructing grammatically correct, compound, complex sentences worthy of praise from Charles Dickens and then diagramming them (correctly, I might add!) just for fun; explaining that I enjoyed the systematic study of (the English) language is like saying Mr. Spock is Logical or Hobbits have hairy feet. It’s a given.

The variety of vernacular that exists, depending on the region (or country) you live in is truly amazing or, one might say, is enough to make your head spin or leave you gobsmacked. As I have lived in several distinctly different areas of the country (that country being the US) I’ve picked up more than a few catch phrases (although how I picked up an inanimate object and what exactly said object was catching I am by no means sure).

In South Central Pennsylvania, where I presently reside, there are a plethora of colloquialisms derived from the Pennsylvania Dutch community that are peculiar enough to make anyone who is not from the area stare at you like you just started speaking Klingon should you happen to use one. For example, if you are embarrassed about something you Feel Your Nerve. If you cannot sit still you are Ruchy. If you want me to move down lower in my chair or make room for you on the park bench you would ask me to Ruch Down or Ruch Over. Similarly, the milk bottle is not empty, It’s All, and you don’t turn off the light, you Make Out The Light.

When I lived in the South (Alabama to be exact, which was an experience worthy of its own bizarre post) I swore left and right (although I never actually turned my head) that I would not be Fixin’ or Reckon’ anything. Nevertheless, I often found myself saying things like It’s Fixin’ to Rain, which means It’s Getting Ready to Rain, or It’s Fixin’ to Get It, which means Things are About to Get a Little Crazy. Fixin’ simply means Getting Ready, unless, of course, you say I’m Fixin’ to Get Ready, which, literally translated, would mean you are Getting Ready to Get Ready, but in reality it means you are already Ready to Do whatever it is you are going to do. Confused yet? I Reckon’!

(Disclaimer to my friends across the pond: As I am not British, {a tragedy I will forever lament}, I believe I understand the proper use of the following examples of British slang, but should I be mistaken, please do feel free to correct me)

In America we say Ta! when we mean Goodbye and Cheers! when we mean Thank you; however in England they say Cheers! when they mean Goodbye and Ta! when they mean Thank You. In America we ask if someone is All Right? when we are concerned over their health or state of being; however in England saying All Right? to someone is like saying Hi, How are you? And if someone in England said to me Give Us a Bell, being American, I would raise a delicately arched brow and hand them a bell, when what they really mean is they want me to call them (or ring them) on the telephone. Perplexed? Me too!

The differences in our own language are endless and with all these intricacies, dialects, regional connotations, and interpretations about (or around, depending) not to mention slang usage and hyper-text abbreviations, it is a miracle that we understand each other at all. So the next time you (or I) labor for hours masterfully interweaving descriptors, plot, characters, research, and good old fashioned fancy into something post-worthy; yet it ends up sparking only minimal interest (or the editor/publisher requests an absurd number of rewrites), take heart! Even if only a handful of readers ultimately respond, you can still consider it a triumph of communication in a sea of chaff.

OH….any for those of you who were lured in by the double-entendre of this post’s title, Spanking the Pomegranate is simply a culinary term used for liberating those delectable little jewels of sweetness from the otherwise inconsequential husk of the fruit.

~Morgan~
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Beautiful Photograph found on pinterest

These Avowals – #LovePoems & #Romance

How Enchanting these Avowals could be
If I had Skill in articulating them of Thee.

How Stirring and Elegant that single Phrase
Would Comprise My Love, and Thy Endless Praise.

Yet I have not skill enough to Name
A single measure of the same;

For this Depth of Love, though I cannot Suppress,
Is more than I know or can ever Express.

~Morgan~

ACX Holds #Authors Hostage #AudioBook Company Refuses to Pay Royalties

 

ACX is an Amazon marketplace where authors, literary agents, publishers, and other Rights Holders can connect with narrators, engineers, recording studios, and other Producers capable of producing a finished audiobook. The only problem is, they refuse to pay royalties.

Theft is theft, regardless of how you try to hide it, justify it, or finagle it. A bully is a bully whether they are a pack of kids of the playground or a multi-million dollar company, and the only way I know how to respond is to tell as many people as I can.

As an author, it is undeniably exciting to have your work artfully created into an audiobook. It’s an indescribable feeling to hear your words come alive by a talented voiceover artist, narrator, or actor and ACX offered a unique opportunity to bring creators together in order to produce a winning product. Unfortunately, ACX has not held up its end of the agreement.

I am a published author with Next Chapter Publications. Twice within the last year, ACX has closed my publisher’s account, stating reasons that were unsubstantiated by any sort of documentation, legal or otherwise. The company continued to sell the audiobooks listed under my publisher’s account; yet refused to pay out any royalties. Although my publisher made tireless efforts to negotiate, ACX was uncooperative and resistant to make any resolution.

The most recent action by ACX has locked my publisher out from their account. When we, the authors, write to ACX with concerns, we are told since we are not the account holder, ACX cannot communicate with us about the situation. Meanwhile, our audiobooks continue to sell and ACX is holding all the royalties.

“Today on 17th September, our audiobook production account at ACX was closed without warning. Moments later, we received a cryptic email from them about a copyright infringement on one of our titles, and they have informed us that any outstanding royalties will not be paid. Next Chapter does not have any infringing material on our account, and ACX has shown us zero proof of any copyright infringement.” — Next Chapter Publishing

Understandably incensed, I have done some research into the company and have found a plethora of similar complaints from other authors, narrators, and even the Alliance of Independent Authors-

“The Alliance of Independent Authors has launched an AudibleGate Campaign resource to disseminate information about the latest developments in this case. There, you’ll find breaking news, a summary of the issues, and information on how you can take action to demand a fair deal for rights holders, click here. Below ALLi Watchdog John Doppler explains what’s going on and why the company’s recent “concession” of a seven-day limit on returns misses the point, and is wholly insufficient.”

ACX’s rating on TrustPilot is a woeful 1.9 with page after page of complaints and issues. You can take a look at them here.

“Sales reporting is a mess. Often nothing is reported for days, and seems somewhat random. No transparency: I have no idea if reported sales are accurate. Last month I was getting dozens of sales every day. Then, the new month began and no sales were reported for 6 days. There are still an estimated 150–200 sales missing. I wrote to customer support, who said they were aware of the problem and that many others have complained, but nothing since.

Edit: overnight, ACX deleted 139 of my sales. These were not “returns” (the returns number remained the same as the day before). Still no response from my first email. I’ve written again.”

ACX is hiding sales, changing contracts, and reneging on agreements on a daily basis. This recent article by the ALLi Watchdog Report cites multiple offenses. As does this article by Fictive Universe and this interview with a narrator by AudibleGate. The list of articles and scams goes on and on….and on.

So what does this mean and why am I ranting?

Because theft is theft, regardless of how you try to hide it, justify it, or finagle it. A bully is a bully whether they are a pack of kids of the playground or a multi-million dollar company, and the only way I know how to respond is to tell as many people as I can.

IF you feel as outraged about this as I do, please take a moment to share this article. Bad press can move mountains. Should you feel inclined to further action, you can contact ACX through these channels.

ACX contact information is as follows:
EMAILS: info@acx.com, support@acx.com, exec-relations@audible.com
PHONE NUMBERS: 1–888–396–6347 (US) and 0800–031–4086 (UK)

Thank you for your support.

~Morgan~

Sweetest Language – #Romantic #LovePoems

If Love Doth Speak

In the Sweetest Language Of its own,

‘Tis then in Honesty

That it speaks to me,

To my Heart,

With Tremors of Breath,

And Shudders of Pleased Delight;

Yet never let it Cease to Whisper,

Lest I be unable to Breathe

By its Loss.

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork by: Cindy Grundsten

Feed the Birds – How a Childhood Song Shaped my Life

Remember the song from Mary Poppins- Feed the Birds?Read on Medium how it shaped my life

 

~Morgan~

Love’s Flower – #Introspective #LovePoetry

Love is the Passing,
Blushing,
Frailty of a Flower,
Shimmering Brightly in the
Warm Light afforded it.

But when the Wind blows
From the North,
It withers all away,
Falling to Dire Sleep,
Most Dreadful,
Endless Slumber.

Yet Spring oft’ Brings
Delicate Warmth;
Tender Life Anew.
And if this Love will
Flourish and Bloom,
Depends, My Sweet,
Upon You.

~Morgan~
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Beautiful Image found on Pinterest

The Depth of My Love – #LovePoems & #Romance

My Passion runs Rampant,

Like a Traitor to my Heart,

Revealing to all who can See,

And All who Dare not,

The Depth of my Love

And Sweet Ardor for Thee.

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork by: Lauri Blank

Silence and Solitude – #Introspective #Poetry

Silence.

It borders on my Sanity like a perimeter fence, locking out my Solitude, Barring me from myself.

From You.

And Chaos Wakens within me, like the Opening Eye of Daylight, the turmoil of My Soul.

Solitude is Beautiful.

Solitude is Violence to my Heart.

Solitude is something, although I have little or any Awareness of what it is exactly;

Still it Exists and is very much a part of me.

Yet it is rather like a Part of Me I could live without, something necessary, but not Vital in sustaining me.

Silence.

It keeps me from Sharing that which I would rather not Share.

Or if I Would, I’d ought to not.

Or if I ought to not, I rather Would.

Silence And Solitude.

The inner workings of a Heart in Need of more than what it knows it wants,

But that it wants what it knows it longs for,

Ever Seeking that which it cannot find, yet yearns for,

The Match,

The Other,

Half of itself, lost in Time,

Waiting

in Silence and Solitude

for that seeming Tranquility to be broken

By You.

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~Morgan~
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Artwork found at : http://www.tekstovi-pesama.com

It Is Not – #Poetry About #Negativity

It is Not,
It does Not,
Calamity upon the sleeve;
Creeping like the Dark of Night
Into the Heart
To lurk and cleave.

It has Never,
It will Never,
Trespass set into motion;
Crushing the Majestic Billowing Wave
Of the deepest,
Bravest Ocean.

Impossible,
Improbable,
Wreaking Havoc on their course;
Vile demons smashing Heaven,
Hand in Hand
With Force.

Negativity,
Like Poison,
Caustic as Infection;
Cheats the Heart of all that Shimmers,
And Gathers unto it
Rejection.

~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork by: abuseofreason at deviantart

#Fantasy Can #Change Reality – A #Group Just for YOU.

Yet another group that talks about fantasy books, you might ask? 

Yes, but with one specific difference. Here, we aim not only to entertain, but to inspire! Fantasy is a great place to hide away from the real world, thus the name, but it’s also a place where the characters, plot twists, and ultimate goals can alter your perspective and, perhaps, change your present reality.

Remember that great scene in Lord of the Rings where Sam is talking to Frodo: “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”

This is the most quoted soliloquy in movie history and for good reason. It points to the entire purpose behind the trilogy. The positive message borne upon the backs of hairy-footed, pointy-eared, and hideously ugly peoples.

That’s what I mean when I say Fantasy Can Change Reality….and that’s what we strive for here. To share stories that will shape your perspectives, point you in a new direction, or maybe just give you one of those “A-Ha” moments.

But Wait…yes, of course, there’s more Should you want more, that is….Subscribe and get tons of original content found No Where Else!

Book teasers/snippets Behind-the-scenes articles and author insights Character Interviews/Spotlights World-Building Tips Plot Twist suggestions Character Development advice Special Promotions and Giveaways just for YOU!

Interested? Stop by and take a look around.

****** If you’re an Author and would like to join as a contributor, please leave a simple comment below -“I want to help weave the magic!” and I’ll get back to you straightaway.

 

~Morgan~