C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 19
September 3, 2024
Wednesday Special Spotlight Alcohol and English
What in the world, you ask, does that mean?
It’s hard.
Hard liquor can make you dizzy. Trying to figure out the English language can make your head spin too. English is hard for newcomers to the language and hard for many of us who’ve been speaking it all our lives—especially if you’re looking into the definitions of homonyms and paradoxically phrases.
We can’t take any credit for today’s blog. We found it buried in a file of interesting writing emails we had saved from 2005. We don’t know where it came from so we can’t give the original author credit. It’s just one of those things that floats around on the internet that we thought was worth keeping. After reading it, we’re sure you’ll agree that English can be a screwy language … and don’t depend on your grammar check to fix it.
Here are a few gems to consider.
• The bandage was wound around the wound.
• The farm was used to produce produce.
• The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
• We must polish the Polish furniture.
• He could lead if he would get the lead out.
• The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
• Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
• At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
• When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
• I did not object to the object.
• The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
• There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
• They were too close to the door to close it.
• The buck does funny things when the does are present.
• A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
• To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
• The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
• After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
• Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.
• I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
• How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Screwy pronunciations can mess up your mind! For example, if you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough on a tree!
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on and you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.
Do you have a favourite crazy English paradox, homonym (words that sound alike but have different meanings), homophone (a type of homonym that sounds alike and has different meanings, but has different spellings), homograph (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings), or heteronym (a type of homograph that is spelled the same and has different meanings, but sounds different)? If so, write them down for us and we’ll be right grateful that we’ve learned something from your learned contribution.
Now that the English lesson is over settle into a comfy chair and check out our books from the links below.
We would love for you to try our Turning Stone Books on our book page, or on our Amazon Author Page
September 2, 2024
Tell Again Tuesday Sex and story
How to Write Sizzling Sex Scenes Despite the Fear of SizzlingBy Rebecca Anne Nguyen
As a reader, there’s nothing that hooks me faster than a great love story—especially if that love story is accompanied by a pitch-perfect sex scene. But as a writer working on my debut novel, crafting my own sex scene turned out to be more challenging than I could have predicted. I struggled so much, in fact, that I considered scrapping the sex altogether. There was just one teensy, tiny problem: without that scene, my plot would completely fall apart.
The sexual tension between my two main characters had been simmering for 200 pages and all roads—and every plot point—led to sex. I had to give them the night . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:August 29, 2024
Friday Feature Celebrate Fall
It’s almost that time of year again. Nothing is more refreshing than a vivid blue sky accented by fiery leaves of the hard woods, yellows of the aspens and some maples, and various reds of the underbrush. Many shades of orange and yellow are accented by the dark greens of spruce and pines. Autumn is foliage showing off and we love it. It’s nature’s last hurrah before the settling of wintertime and rest.
The flower gardens are looking a bit seedy (they have cause as they are making next year’s seeds.) Have your Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon, Obedience Plant finished? Sunflowers are nodding their heavy heads with birds and rodents feasting on the bounty of oil rich seeds. For relief we turn to a plant we nicknamed, MUM, but it is so not mum as it speaks with rich fall colors on a plant that stays tidy and easily tucked into existing gardens. Chrysanthemum has been shortened to mum; the real name almost forgotten.
Are mums perennial? Do they survive the freezing temps and come back next year. The answer is . . . maybe. Indeed, the plant is cold hardy at least to agricultural zone 4/5. So why have so many gardeners been disappointed when the mums succumb to the cold? Might be from too much love? Actually, mums are fairly tough plants that need little attention to thrive. The problem is a shallow root system. Simply put, it cannot stay in the ground during frost heaves which come and go with a changing temperature.
Give it up. You aren’t about to run out every time a warm day and a frost freeze night happens. It’s probably many more nights than you suspect. Mulch is the best remedy. A good mulch will cut down on the possibility of the shallow rooted plant being thrust out of the ground and left high and dry to die.
Two other remedies: Stick a pot or two of your favorite colors in a corner of the garage and give a sip of water occasionally. It might work; worth a try.
Next is treat the low-cost mum plant like an annual and don’t worry about it. Just buy new next year.
I’ve done all of the above with various successes. I refuse to give up new and different colors, so I buy every year. I, also, cover my favorite yellows with solid mulch and try to remember to trim until the 4th of July. (Otherwise, they grow leggy and unattractive.) I’ve been known to pot up an unusual color I want to try and save and tuck it into a corner of the garage. It works maybe half the time. I don’t get upset with failures, as I remember mums are not expensive and I can replace them as autumn approaches. It’s a lovely plant; indulge and enjoy.
Here’s a look at one of my cozy mysteries to warm your heart: MURDER AT THE LOOKOUT, 4TH in the Detective Kevin Fowler series.
When is it not fun to be a blonde?
What happens when a blond beauty hits town like a tornado stirring up memories and causing turmoil? Detective Kevin Fowler and his wife, the former Beverly Hampton, owner of the local newspaper, are settling into blissful married life. Although Beverly is sanguine over the demand on Kevin’s time by the good people of Hubbard, she is more than dubious when his duties include the escort of a drop-dead gorgeous female from his past.
There is some concern over the persistent vandalism of residential mailboxes, but an infamous arsonist has decided peaceful but dull Hubbard would make a great place from which to operate. He brazenly locates down the block from the detective and his wife.
What bait and tackle shop in the village has a dual purpose? Kevin ponders why two goons have invaded town shooting at and attempting to kidnap and murder three women. A state patrolman, aptly nick named Rooster, teases Fowler at the riotous scene of a traffic accident where the press, not the police, wins the day.
Another mystery and adventure with a satisfying ending unfolds in peaceful Hubbard, New York, small-town Americana, where Detective Kevin Fowler keeps an ever-vigilant watch.
Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma Lane, and spice as Sunny Lane.
She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.
Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.
Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.
August 27, 2024
Wednesday Special Spotlight Believe it or not?
This week while riding on a boat in the middle of the lake we saw a semi-truck coming toward us. Yellow lights flashed on top of the cab and the deep-throated horn bellowed for us to move out of the way. We looked at each other and said “How can semi-truck be out on the lake?” Then we steered our boat out of the direct path as it barreled toward us.
Do you believe it, or not?
Sometimes things we see can’t be explained. Sometimes things happen that can’t be explained.
We could spend a thousand words trying to describe this phenomenon, and you still might not believe us. So, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Here is the semi-truck heading directly for us on the water.
Do you believe us now? Are there still some skeptics out there? How about another thousand words, via a picture?
Now you can see it is possible. Here’s another thousand words to show some of the details.
If a semi-truck can travel on water, perhaps shape shifters are real. We would love for you to try our Turning Stone Books on our book page, or on our Amazon Author Page
August 26, 2024
Tell Again Tuesday Write for the reader
Designing for Reader ExperienceBy Cathy Yardley
I’ve mentioned reader experience in a previous post. It’s something I work on with my coaching clients, and it’s something I consciously use in my own novels. I got the term, and the concept, from UX – a tech term for User Experience, which goes far beyond “make it pretty and put the buttons here.”
While “designing” may sound sterile and soulless – tech tends to call to mind the glossy, edgeless, minimalist white of Apple products or the calculated, scientific heartlessness of AI – it truly isn’t.
Because . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:August 22, 2024
Friday Feature a Paranormal World
Today we’d like to tell you a little bit about the paranormal shape shifter world we created for our series The Turning Stone Chronicles.
We started brainstorming our book on a long road trip. A sign, entitled Turning Stone, was the impetus for the series name, The Turning Stone Chronicles. We decided we were going to go with shape shifters in part because we like paranormal books and because the title of the series lent itself nicely to shape shifters. We briefly considered vampires—after all they shift into bats—but ditched the idea because Catherine didn’t think she could sleep at night if we wrote a vampire book. They’ve always scared the life out of her—no pun intended.
While talking about what our shifter world would look like, Donald suggested we do
something different. Typically, a shape shifter has one alternate form—an animal, which is more often than not a wolf. Donald remembered a class he’d taken in college where they talked about the three parts of the human psyche, the id, ego, and super ego. He suggested we take that concept, a tri-personality aspect, and tweek it a bit for our books. Consequently, our shifters have the ability to shift into other human forms, as well as an animal form.
As we talked about how the shape shifting elements were going to differ in our books, we 
began to wonder about the clothing question our characters faced when they turned into an animal. Catherine had done some were-animal research earlier that revealed hiding humans’ clothes, when they have shifted into an animal, prevents them from turning back into humans. That makes shape shifters susceptible to easy capture, in our opinion, so we decided to eliminate that problem by adding magic rings to the mix—the Turning Stone rings, carved from an ancient bloodstone by Celtic druids. Because of the magic in the rings, when our characters shift into animals their clothing, the ring, and anything else on their person is transformed, too. However, that is not the case when they are shifting into another human form, which makes for some interesting scenes in the book.
We’ve had a lot of fun designing a new and different shape shifting world, developing
interesting rules for our tri-personality shifters, and discovering who and what each character’s alter ego and animal ego are. We like to listen to our characters and let them give us clues about their other personalities. Here’s a hint about the secret Turning Stone Society shape shifters—it’s a zoo out there.
Do you like shape shifter stories? What’s your favorite were-animal? What animal do you think you would be if you had a Turning Stone ring?
Amazon buy links:The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1)
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2)
Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3)
The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 4)
August 20, 2024
Wednesday Special Spotlight Become A Profiler
We’ve all heard it. Zero in on your target audience. Build your author platform according to who you’re writing for. Sage advice for sure. Books without identifiable potential readers do not sell. Let me repeat that. If you don’t have target market in mind—who you gonna call? To avoid creating a manuscript no one wants, successful writers consider who will read the fruits of their labors. They know their market, and that’s who they write for. One of the most frequent mistakes made by beginner writers—a step above the writer who does not even bother to look at the publisher’s guidelines—is to assume that EVERYONE will enjoy what they write. You have to decide early on what posse you belong with. Pick your tribe, pick your team, pick where you roll.
A great first step toward knowing your readers is learning what they already like. Read what they read. Check book reviews. Go over the bestseller lists. What needs do these books fill? Who are the main characters? What emotions are dealt with in the story? Once done, you can find the parts that appeal to your strengths as a writer and your likes as a person, to make sure that your book is not just another version of a successful series, but rather a fresher, more vibrant work.
Probably the most important rule in writing is to know your readers, but do not become so obsessed with them that they interfere with your writing what you love. Let’s face it most of us start with ideas, not readers. Awareness is the key here. Perhaps the best way to start creating a reader profile is to start with your idea, and go through these series of questions: Who will this interest? Who will this help? Who needs to know this? Who wants to know this? Once you’ve answered those questions, you can start to identify the type of reader who will benefit.
And believe me, if your readers benefit, then you’ll benefit.
Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series.
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries…
Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with this freakish power while trying to have a normal life. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go.
Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…
Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.
Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:
The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Legend of the Timekeepers, prequel Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:
Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE
Here’s a glimpse into one of the books from Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, my teen psychic mystery series.
The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…
City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.
Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.
Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
August 19, 2024
Tell Again Tuesday Having lived it
When Contemporary Times Become Historical Times:By Viola Russell
I have long loved history. Nothing makes me happier than reading about ancient cultures and people. Although I have written several contemporary novels, many of my novels take place during WWI and WWII; my historical pirate novel, Buccaneer Beauty, is set in Ireland during the 1500s. I loved researching the times, conflicts, and triumphs that defined people of those eras. From Ice Wagon to Club House traversed continents as did The Progeny, the next novel in that series. Love at War illustrated the sacrifice, loyalty, and heroism of WWII. Buccaneer Beauty portrayed the courage of a real pirate woman of 1500s Ireland, Grace O’Malley.
Writers, however, need to challenge themselves and grow. In recent years, I have delved into contemporary events, setting my characters in . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:August 15, 2024
Friday Feature Son of the Moonless Night
Thrust back into the world of paranormal huntress, Deputy Coroner Katrina Romanovski must unravel a string of murders she believes are vampire attacks. When she discovers the shape shifter she’s in love with is the murderer, she must reconcile her feelings for him, examine her life of violence against paranormals, and justify deceiving him in order to bring him to justice.
“Did I get it?”
“What?”
“The bear.”
“Yeah. You got it.” She slid her arm under his shoulder. “Let’s get you out of here-just in case it still has some life left in it.” No way would she tell him what she had seen. Moving between him and the shape shifter, she blocked his view and helped him to his feet. “Can you walk?”
“I think so. My car’s just at the end of the alley. If you’ll get me to it, I can manage from there.”
“No way. You’re bleeding too much. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“No hospital. A hospital means cops and reports.” The words shot out of him. “I have a friend who’s a doctor. He’ll take care of me.”
Great. A criminal. Just what I need. On the other hand, she didn’t want to explain a dead shifter. Urging her charge forward, she replied, “Okay, but I’ll drive you there. Don’t want you passing out and killing someone.” She stopped herself before she added the word else. No need to let him know a dead man, not a bear, lay in the alley.
“Which one is your car?” she asked as they neared the alley opening.
As he handed her the keys a nearby car’s lights flashed. “That one. What about yours?”
“In my apartment’s garage. I was out for a quick walk and some dinner.”
“Sorry I interrupted.”
“That’s okay. I’ll order pizza when I get home.” She opened the passenger door and helped him in. “I’m afraid you’re going to bleed all over your car.”
“Better mine than yours,” he said with a wan smile. “There’s a newspaper in the back seat. Give it to me, and I’ll use it to pack the wounds.”
Opening the rear door, she retrieved the paper and handed it to him. For someone who had just been mauled by a bear he was way too calm. Was killing second nature to him?
He stripped out a few sheets, tore the slashed shirt open, grimacing as he held the paper against the bleeding lacerations.
“We really need to get you to the hospital.”
“No. Promise you won’t take me there.” He looked at her, his blue eyes pleading in his whitening face.
Amazon buy links:The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1)
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2)
Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3)
The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 4)
August 13, 2024
Wednesday Special Spotlight Recipe
This tasty treat is one the Taylor family loves and because it’s so easy to make they have it often.
Peach Crumble
1 – 15.25 oz. can peach chunks in heavy sauce
½ tsp. cinnamon
1½ tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup apple juice
Pour peaches into a small saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook for 1 minute. Stir constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn. If the sauce is too thick add more apple juice one tablespoon at a time.
Scoop peach mixture into an ungreased 1 quart, or slightly smaller, ovenproof casserole. Individual ramekins work well, too.
Topping
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, cut into bits
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Add butter bits then use your fingertips to blend the mixture into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over peaches.
Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until topping is a lightly golden.
Serve smothered in whipped cream.
May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!
Sloane
Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning romance author with a passion that consumes her day and night. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.
To learn more about Taylor go to her website. Stay in touch on Blogger, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Taylor’s cookbooks, Hot Men Wear Aprons, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Italian Style, Sizzling Summer, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire are released by Toque & Dagger Publishing and available on Amazon.
