Maria Hammarblad's Blog, page 20

I want to write a book on company culture. Good idea, yes or no?

Culture fascinates me. Regional areas have common quirks and ideas, and the same goes for organizations. During my travels and different jobs I've encountered everything from high-spirited corporations where employees take pride in their employer and their work to more depressing versions where employees want to run for their lives after just one week.

My first real job was with a small business consultant firm. I spent a few years there and this laid the foundation to how I see organizations to this day. I just never had an urge to do anything with the observations until now.

I believe that a sustainable, positive company culture is vital to any organization, small as well as large. It will determine whether employees are happy and productive, taking pride in what they do, or if they're miserable, spending their days looking for other jobs or dreaming of whatever's outside the wall.

Bigger organizations generally have an HR department with people trained to handle employees and employee matters, and odds are they have someone well versed in company culture and its impact. I firmly believe that company culture starts at the top, but having someone aware of the phenomenon certainly helps. Smaller organizations - anyone with one employee besides the owner or more - need to think about it as well, and I bet my sunglasses that it's the last thing on the owner's mind.

Don't laugh; sunglasses are important in Florida.

Or, well, go ahead and laugh all you want. I recently had someone point out to me that a sense of humor wasn't an asset, but I disagree. Everything is better with a sense of humor, especially in the office.

The owner of a smaller business has a million things to think about. How should the business grow? Are employees performing up to standards or messing around with their blogs, pretending to work? Do we have enough money for payroll? Should I do accounting in-house or outsource the paperwork? Should we be local or international, do we have enough funding to purchase the new equipment we need, how many employees can share an office, how do we reach new customers... The row of questions is endless, and company culture often falls far down on the list. Too far down.

Many organizations are built around one person, and he or she is a workaholic by necessity. If this wasn't the case, they probably wouldn't have started a company in the first place. They certainly wouldn't keep running it. But, how does this fact affect the employees and their performance?

Company culture is elusive, but I claim that it is something you can see. It shows itself in employee behavior and retention.

I imagine my book as a discussion with examples and tips on what to look out for and how to improve.

What do you think, is this a good idea, or should I tuck it back under the pillow and focus on something else?

Please vote for Flashback!

Flashback has been nominated for a RONE award by Ind'Tale Magazine, and I am stoked! This is a multi-step process, and I need your help to continue to the final.

The books that move on will be judged by industry professionals, and winners will get a prize at an award ceremony in Las Vegas. I've never been to Vegas, and if I were to make it to the final, I'd have a reason to go. ;-)

To vote, please visit this website and vote for Flashback by Maria Hammarblad.

You have to be logged in to vote. Creating an account is easy, but if you don't want to sign up with Ind'Tale Magazine, you can also e-mail your vote to anasmith@indtale.com.

Thank you for your support!


Blurb:

Steve Petersen is a very troubled man. Sole survivor of a Taliban POW camp, he often thinks only parts of him returned; his sanity appears to have been left behind. He seeks solace in alcohol and drugs, but nothing helps block the images from his mind for more than minutes at a time, and he is trapped in horrifying flashbacks.

He is more than surprised when he wakes up in a bright and merry bedroom that turns out to belong to the widow Anna, a woman he has rudimentary memories of meeting. Knowing he should leave isn’t the same as doing it, and before he knows what’s happening, he finds himself pulled into a world with real life problems, such as folding laundry, and what’s for dinner.

Whiskey is no longer his first priority, and not being alone in his waking nightmare is a relief. That is, until Anna disappears. Steve finds himself forced to return to Afghanistan, a place where he’ll have to face both external enemies and himself.


Excerpt: 

When they came home, Steve sank down in the sofa without even taking off his jacket. Life outside could sure be exhausting. Anna went into the kitchen, and he rested his head back and closed his eyes. Listening to her hum a song, just a little out of tune as she loaded the coffee maker soothed his nerves.

A hard rattling sound made him open his eyes again. Gunshots, and they were close. Anna still sang, and she would be an easy target.

He ran through the apartment, making sure to stay away from the windows. Peeking around the corner, his beautiful fiancée was oblivious to the danger.

Women.

How did they survive?

He sprung out from his hiding place behind the wall, shoved her down on the floor, and threw himself over her. After all she did for him, protecting her with his own body was the least he could do.

Anna wheezed, clearly trying to draw a breath.

"Sssh, they're coming."

She lay on her back, and the question in her eyes was clear. Have you lost your mind? Of course he had, a long time ago. She should know. When she opened her mouth, he covered it with his hand so she couldn't draw attention to them.

"Don't you hear them? The shots?"

She shook her head and closed her fingers around his wrist, attempting to pull his hand away.

"I think we're safe, but be very quiet."

Anna nodded, and as soon as he removed the hand, she whispered, "Please get off me. I can't breathe."

He obeyed, she endeavored to sit up, and he pulled her back down.

"Don't make yourself a target."

Why did she look so exhausted?

"Sweetheart, there's nothing there."

"But..." He had heard them.

"That noise? Remember the crazy people upstairs? I don't know what they're doing, but it's definitely them."

Commas giving you grief?

I've noticed that a lot of people have problems with commas, but it's not that hard once you figure out the rules. And, the rules don't have to be as difficult as many convey them. Good grammar can seem superfluous in an age of tweets and texts, but it helps get a message across.


Commas make a difference: "I like cooking my family and my pets." "I like cooking, my family, and my pets."

If you see an -ing word, look out for a comma.
Unless it's a really short sentence, like, "I should be working" an -ing word always comes with a comma. It's not always right by the -ing word, but it's there.

Example:

"Alice ran towards the fire, waving her arms in the air."


And, Or, Nor, For, But, So, Yet
These words require attention. Except for "and" all of them should have commas. The word and is an exception because it can have different functions in a sentence.
If and is used to separate an element in a series - three or more things - it should have a comma. "We have apples, oranges, and tomatoes." A lot of people skip this comma, but not writing it gives the sentence another meaning. It's the difference between "macaroni and cheese" and "macaroni, and cheese."If and is used as a conjunction - to connect two independent clauses - it should have a comma. "They ran down the street, and the firetruck raced the other way."
Subordinating conjunctions
It's not as bad as it sounds. A subordinating conjunction is a word that connects a main clause to a subordinate clause. There are many subordinating conjunctions. These are words like:
Because, Before, After, Although, Unless, Until, When, As, Since, While, Which
Examples: 
"Paul needed a nap, because he hadn't slept well.""Although Isabela liked chips, she didn't enjoy the new flavor.""Mike didn't want to come to the store, unless they were shopping for toys."

Parenthetical elements
A parenthetical is a part of a sentence used to clarify or explain.

Example:

"Maria's computer, which she mostly uses for writing, ran out of battery."


To avoid confusion
Examples:
"Outside the lawn was cluttered with fallen leaves.""Outside, the lawn was cluttered with fallen leaves."
"Let's eat Grandma.""Let's eat, Grandma."
"We're going to learn to cut and paste kids.""We're going to learn to cut and paste, kids."

Going to the Venice book fair

Venice Florida, that is. Venice Italy would be nice, but this one is in Florida. If you're in the area, come say hi to me. I'm sharing booth with Mal Salter and Myrna Lou Goldbaum. We write about very different things, so we'll have something for everyone.

The Venice Book Fair is in Centennial Park, Saturday April 5th, between ten and three. I will have paperbacks, some swag, and my charming self, of course. ;-)

I feel like I should have something more to say about it, but I've never been before, so I'll have to come back with a review of the event later.

It's a Borealis week

If you follow me on any social media you've probably heard me go on and on about how my Borealis novella Shadow of a Man is nominated for a RONE award? In order to give you incentive to vote, I want to share an excerpt from the book.

In my opinion, this book is the best one I've written, closely followed by Flashback. Funny enough, they're also the least popular of all my books. What does that say about me?


"I wish we weren't going to Borealis."

"Trust me, you're not the only one."

Interesting.

Captain Geo rarely answered when she spoke, even if he was right next to her.

Sometimes she forgot what his voice sounded like.

Why is he standing guard inside the room anyway? He's usually on the other side of the door. Oh well, maybe he needs company too.

Theresa turned to meet his eyes and lifted an eyebrow.

"Did something happen to you there?"

He stood right beside the door with his feet apart and his hands tucked behind his back, looking authoritative and unafraid.

"Something happens to everyone who sets foot there. You too. Am I correct?"

This time all willpower in the world couldn't suppress the shudder. How could she be so fearful of a place she'd never seen? Telling herself Borealis was built and inhabited by humans didn't help one bit. She still considered it one of the lower levels of Tartarus where souls were tortured until the end of times.

"You know. You helped get him out."

He nodded, but didn't have time to answer; his radio crackled to life. She couldn't quite make out the mumbling voice on the other side, but it didn't matter.

It wasn't for her.

It was never for her.

"Ma'am."

Geo's voice right next to her made her jump. His chiseled face was almost within kissing distance. How could he be so quiet and still move so quickly?

"I need your assistance."

The mere words made her feel fatigued.

"Oh no. What did he do?"

"He's setting fires on the cargo deck, ma'am. Fire will deplete our air supply."

Great review for Embarkment 2577!

Readersfavorite.com has kindly reviewed Embarkment 2577. I must admit that I winced when I got the review notice - I like these books, but they are a bit on the silly side and some people hate them. To be fair, many love them as well, but I didn't know what to expect when I followed the link to check out the review.

They gave the book four stars, and I feel that the reviewer "gets" me. Yay!

The reviewer says, "Maria Hammarblad does a wonderful job of adding in enough information and facts to make you really feel like you are learning about living in space along with Alex, but not enough to bore you." She goes on with stating, "Maria Hammarblad gives us a real-life feel in this science fiction novel. The aliens sound plausible and interesting. If anything, Embarkment 2577 makes me want to delve more into science to see if we can't make some of this come true."

Thank you!

Read the full review here, and see the book on Amazon.

I need your help!

My novella "Shadow of a Man" has been nominated for a RONE-award! This is a multi-step process, and now public voting will decide which books go to the final. 

I am delighted that my little story has made it this far, and reaching the final would be amazing.

To vote, please visit this link and vote for Shadow of a Man by Maria Hammarblad! You have to be logged in to vote. If you don't have an account with Ind'Tale and you don't want one, you can e-mail your vote to anasmith@indtale.com.

Thank you for your support! =D

True story ;-)

All the below are true stories. I didn't put them together, but I could have. LOL!
This one also goes for the computer, or other objects used for writing/reading:

Guilty as charged. Bought another one yesterday:

Everything is better if it's Swedish:

And yes, these things drive me crazy:

Hehehe, yes:

All the time:

Phone-spammers

I don't really like phones. I love my iPhone and all the cool stuff it can do that's not involved with talking to people. Text messaging, e-mail, social media, books, music, apps... The thing rocks, but voice conversations are overrated. (There's a story here, but I'm saving that for another day.)

Thus, if someone calls me that's not in my address book, I assume that it's a salesman, and I ignore it. If it's a real caller they will likely leave a message, and I can call them back.

I had a period when I would answer, listen to whatever the phone-spammer had to say, and respond with, "No thank you, but I have a great offer for you. Would you like a subscription of my books? For just $19.99 including postage and shipping you will get a signed book every month."

Attempting to sell something to a sales-person is amusing, and a great way to end the call. Sure, I realize these people are just doing their jobs the best they can, but they're still annoying.

Anyway, the other day I decided to answer, against better judgment. The phone rang from an unknown number around lunch time, and I thought it might be my mom. I don't know why I would get such an idea - she hasn't called me since some time in 2008 - but I've been thinking a lot about her lately.

It wasn't my mom. It was a man with a strong Indian accent, and deeming from the noise in the background he was at a call center.

He said, "May I speak with Maria?"

I said, "That's me."

"I have good news for you. You are eligible for a large sum of money due to a medical procedure."

I thought, "Sure I am. I also have a pink unicorn." I said, "I doubt it."

He said, "You have had a vaginal mesh surgery, and..."

I interrupted, "No I don't. I have never had a surgery."

"You've never had a surgery? Not even one?"

This was clearly a shocking piece of news. From the tone of his voice I'm supposed to have had many. Trust me, if I had any form of mesh down there I'd know.

He tried a new approach, "Well, during your last pregnancy, did you..."

I interrupted again. "I don't have children."

"Oh, I see, so you're not eligible for that. Well, have you ever taken any antidepressants, or..."

By now I was getting good at interrupting. I said, "Why don't you just update in your records that I'm not eligible for anything and you don't have to call me again. Bye, have a good day."

I hurried to hang up before he had a chance to start talking again. In retrospect, maybe I should have tried to sell him something.

Are you also battered by phone spammers? How do you deal with it?

Sizes in space

I saw a meme the other day about how we are on a spaceship traveling at a mean velocity of 67,000 mph, spinning at 1,000 mph. In addition to that, the Sun circles the center of the galaxy at about 250 km/s, and the galaxy as a whole moves relative the "average velocity of the universe" at 600 km/s. 

We don't know this, because can only measure speed relative to something else, but just thinking about it makes me dizzy!

Another dizzying notion is the sizes in the universe. This link leads to an cool website where you can zoom in and out to see sizes in relation to each other.