Lily Bishop's Blog, page 6
September 9, 2014
Writer Wednesday – Meet M.S. Spencer
What do pirates, princes, Puritans, and propaganda have in common? Lacey Delahaye, forager and jelly maker, finds out in M. S. Spencer’s new romantic suspense set in the western Caribbean.
Secret Cravings Publishing, 9/2/2014
89,000 words; M/F; 3 flames; Adventure/Romance
Paraiso, the island in Whirlwind Romance, is based on a real island in the western Caribbean that I discovered—how else?—mucking around on the internet. Called Providencia, it forms an archipelago with two other islands, San Andres and Santa Catalina, and five uninhabited atolls. Currently under the Colombian flag, it has been the ruled by an incredible variety of groups, from Henry Morgan the notorious buccaneer, to Spanish Conquistadors, Dutch traders, even English Puritans. Now part of the UN’s Seaflower Biosphere, it sports the third largest coral reef in the world. To reach it isn’t easy, which is why it’s not well known in tourist circles.
Its rich and odd history made it an intriguing backdrop for my story, but please be aware that most of the cultural and geographic description of Paraiso in Whirlwind Romance, not to mention the characters, is purely fictional.
Blurb:
In the aftermath of a hurricane, Lacey Delahaye finds herself marooned on the Gulf coast of Florida with a mysterious man. They are immediately drawn to each other, but before Armand can confess his identity, they are kidnapped and taken far from civilization to a tiny, remarkable island in the western Caribbean. With the help of her son Crispin, a small, but proud young boy named Inigo, and a cadre of extraordinary characters, Lacey and Armand must confront pirates, power-mad ideologues, and palace intrigue if they are to restore the once idyllic tropical paradise to its former serenity and find lasting happiness.
Excerpt (G): Tommy’s Tree House
She climbed quietly, hand over hand. As she reached the last board, a soft, but menacing voice purred, “Well, my sweet, you’ve found me.”
Okay, here’s where we find out if he’s a bad guy. “Give me a hand up, will you?”
Other than a slight intake of breath, he complied without a word. Lacey’s head rose up over the floor to find a cubicle lit by a small pencil torch and cluttered with toy guns, candy bar wrappers, and crushed Dr. Pepper cans. And Armand. Who took up most of the rest of the space. He still held her hand, but he had stopped pulling her. “Where did you plan to sit, on my lap?”
At least he’s toned down the threat level. “Or you could come down. I don’t think Tommy Forster allows uninvited guests in his palace.”
His jaw dropped. “Palace?” After a brief interval, he said, “Oh. I see. I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Come down.”
“Why not?”
“I…I…think I reinjured the ankle. I can’t put any weight on it.”
Lacey toyed with the idea of leaving him there for little Tommy, but his mother would have been appalled. “All right, just a minute.” She climbed down and went back to her house, grabbed a coil of rope from the shed and sprinted back up the street. “Armand?”
“At your service.”
“I’m bringing up a rope. I want you to tie it to something, then you can shimmy down without using your feet.”
“Um, what about when I get to the ground?”
How much did he say he weighed? Twelve stone? Lacey calculated swiftly. Must be over a hundred sixty pounds. “I’ll try to ease you down.” She threw the coil into the darkness and backed down the tree.
A few minutes later the rope tumbled down and Armand emerged. “For the record, this was my worst event in public school.” He held on for dear life and inched down the rope.
Five minutes later he’d descended a foot. “Come on Armand—hurry it up.”
“I’m doing my best.” By dint of a lot of swearing and some wild swinging, Armand made it into Lacey’s waiting arms. He sat on the ground, legs splayed out in front, panting. “Now what?”
Lacey hadn’t really thought that far. If he’s a fugitive, I can’t trust him. And I have no way of contacting the police. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. “Er, I guess we’d better get you back home. Then you can tell me what this is all about.” He didn’t argue, but when he tried to stand, he fell over. She considered the situation. “What we need is some kind of transport. What was that thing the Indians used?” Lacey cast about for the word.
“Travois?”
“That’s it—aren’t you clever. A sort of triangular thingy to carry a wounded man. Made of logs and deerskins.” She stopped, not, as one might assume, due to the lack of readily available logs and skins, but because of the picture in her mind of an injured warrior lying spread-eagled—bare-chested, sexy, bravely enduring the pain. Wow.
Armand didn’t seem to notice her heightened color and pointed at the carport across the street. “Could we use that little red wagon?”
She followed his gaze. Story of my life—instead of Geronimo I get Ralphie. “That’ll do. Wait here.”
“Yes, I think I shall.” Armand kept a straight face. Lacey brought the little wagon to him, and he lay down in it, arms and legs hanging over the sides.
“You’ll have to lift up your extremities if this is going to work.”
And so, with Armand looking like an upside down turtle and Lacey with tears of laughter streaming down her face, they staggered along the road to her house.
***
Buy Links:
Secret Cravings:
http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=934
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Whirlwind-Romance-M-S-Spencer-ebook/dp/B00N105I4E/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-whirlwindromance-1605591-153.html
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/whirlwind-romance
About the Author
Although she has lived or traveled in every continent except Antarctica and Australia (bucket list), M. S. Spencer has spent the last thirty years mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, kayaker, policy wonk, non-profit director and parent. She has two fabulous grown children, and currently divides her time between the Gulf coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
Ms. Spencer has published nine romance novels. The first two, Lost in His Arms and Lost and Found, were published by Red Rose Publishing. The other six—Losers Keepers, Triptych, Artful Dodging: The Torpedo Factory Murders, Mai Tais and Mayhem: Murder at Mote Marine (a Sarasota Romance, Lapses of Memory, and the Mason’s Mark —were published by Secret Cravings. Whirlwind Romance, her ninth, was released September 2014.
Contacts:
Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com OR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencertalespinner
Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
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I hope you enjoyed meeting M.S. Spencer. Give her new book a look. I love the way her style of writing gets into her characters’ heads.
Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter here for a chance to win a $5.00 Starbucks gift card. Every time I get ten new subscribers, everyone is entered into a drawing. You can sign up for new releases only (either once or twice a year) or for my newsletter that comes out monthly, give or take. In my newsletter I include updates on how the writing is going, sales, and sometimes I throw in a recipe or two.
I’m still running my reader survey here — tell over 200 romance authors what you are looking for in covers and heat level. The more responses I get, the more of a representative sample we will have.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Caribbean, contemporary romance, pirates








September 8, 2014
When Characters Go Rogue: Meet Lindsey
You know Lindsey Todd as the younger sister of Laura. At the end of the first book, she is enrolling at Clemson University in Mathematics. At the end of the second book, she is still visiting with Ric Salzana-Toledo on his island paradise, enjoying a bit of a break before she goes back to school for her final semester.
Laura thinks her sister is a genius who must be protected at all cost.
Elizabeth just met her, but she thinks the girl has a good head on her shoulders.
Fox and Lee went off on a wild-goose chase in the first book to find her, but they look at her like a kid sister.
Lindsey just wants to be left alone so she can figure things out. She doesn’t think that she has as much to offer as her sister, and she sees herself as damaged goods. She has seen things that Laura has no idea about. The only time she ever felt sexy was when she dressed in tight sequined cocktail dresses and wore a platinum blonde wig that reached her waist. We know she was on the island with Ric for several days, and we know that the kissed at the airport, but we don’t know what happened. We know that when she returned to Miami, she left with Ben, a friend from college. If she felt such a connection with Ric, why would she turn around and move in with Ben?
That is the sum of what we know right now. As I spend time getting to know Lindsey better, she’s sharing some of her secrets, and I will tell you, she’s tougher than she looks.
Right now, she’s not impressed with the Tower Suite at the Castle, and she doesn’t care about the French chef that Ric swears is the best in the Caribbean. She ignores the fancy menu handwritten on parchment and orders a burger. She mocks the fact that every time she sees him, he’s in a suit. If Ric wants to keep her attention, he will have to do it some way other than the trappings of his money.
What really happened in her first trip to Calliope? And what happened the weekend of the wedding, after the two newlywed couples left? Can she set aside the logic that rules her life and let Ric into her heart? When danger comes–and you know it will–can she trust Ric enough to believe in them through it all?
I’ve got two working titles for this one. The first, No Ordinary Man, focuses on Ric. The second idea that I have for a title, No Stone Unturned, focuses on their journey. Or it may even be a third title not dreamed of yet.
What do you think? How innocent is Lindsey? Is she too young for the sophisticated Ric? I can’t wait to get to know her better, and dig into her story.
Filed under: Character Interviews, Creative Process, No Ordinary Man, No Stone Unturned, Publishing, Writing Tagged: City Lights Series, graduate school, Lindsey, No Ordinary Man, No Stone Unturned, paradise








September 1, 2014
Romance Reader Survey
There are many puzzle pieces to putting together a book, including the genre, the cover, the sex scenes… I thought I would do a quick survey. Please take the time to answer a few questions. Help me get additional people to take the survey by sharing on twitter and facebook using the buttons below.
What type of romances do you like to read? Stand-alone? Connected books
What type of covers catch your eye?
All of these and more are covered in this quick survey. I’d love to hear your opinion, and I will share the results with my fellow writers.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Q9cT1AZAz6EeSp1hRmuxiSGqcH8fudxNMzy0q6z0ODc/viewform?usp=send_form
Thank you! Did something in the survey strike a nerve? Feel free to tell me in the comments below.
(Don’t forget – I’m still waiting to give away a Starbucks gift card. Sign up for my newsletter here)
Filed under: Creative Process, Editing, Indy-Publishing, Publishing, Reading, Writing Tagged: covers, reading, Romance, Romance Authors, romance readers








August 27, 2014
Trying Some Short Fiction
Now those are words that I ever thought would come out of my mouth. Short? That’s crazy talk.
But I’ve been encouraged by a writing group that I’m in to come up with a 1,000 – 2,000 word extra-short story related to a holiday between Thanksgiving and New Year, and it may be chosen fora n anthology. It can’t be a chapter of a longer work, and it has to stand alone.
This is coming from someone who literally dropped out of the Purdue MFA in fiction twenty-five years ago because they wanted me to write short stories. I couldn’t do it then, and frankly, since then I’ve had little interest in short. I don’t read a lot of short fiction, and as such, never had any interest in it.
But, on the other hand, I wanted to be a part of this promotional opportunity. So I brainstormed and brainstormed. How on earth could I have a romance in that few words, and end it? Really? The couple would have to know each other previously, obviously.
So tonight I punched out a first draft of a short involving two characters from my two books, and I really like it. Mark and Deena anyone? It’s tentatively called A Kiss at Midnight and it takes place on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. If I don’t get accepted for the anthology, I’ll probably post it here, but I’m excited about it.
Filed under: Creative Process, Goal Setting, Indy-Publishing, Publishing, Writing Tagged: anthology, short fiction, short stories, Writing








August 26, 2014
Welcome Guest Author Paty Jager
Today I welcome Author Paty Jager, who is interviewing her main character Isabella Mumphrey, Anthropologist.
Interview with Isabella Mumphrey
Today, I’m here to interview Dr. Isabella Mumphrey, an up-and-coming anthropologist, who received her doctorate at the age of twenty-two and has since become the head of her department at the University of Arizona. Her driving career goal is to link the people of Central America to the Native Americans within the United States.
Interviewer: Dr. Mumphrey, when did you discover you had a genius IQ?
Isabella: My mother has high intelligence and when she became aware of my acute memory, she enrolled me in schools for the gifted. But I don’t like to talk about that. I’d rather discuss my work at the university.
Interviewer: Dr. Mumphrey, we’re here to learn about you and not what you do at the university. You know what they say about all work and no play? As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Isabella: Most of the time, I just wanted to be normal. To live with my parents and see them more than holidays and my birthday. To have friends. It’s hard to connect when you’re twelve and everyone else you see on a daily basis is a college student. They look at you as a freak. I just wanted to grow up and be normal.
Interviewer: What are your favorite TV shows?
Isabella: I don’t watch TV but my favorite movies are Indiana Jones. The way he gets out of tight spots and uses his whip…I know it’s all make-believe but to have that freedom…I guess in answer to your question above. I’d like to grow up to be Indiana Jones. (She smiles wistfully) I’ve had enough of the real world, I’d like to live in a make-believe world for a while.
Interviewer: What is your favorite meal?
Isabella: Any meal! I love food and have a high metabolism which makes it hard for me to keep any fat on my body.
Interviewer: What are you passionate about these days?
Isabella, staring past the interviewer’s shoulder with a happy grin: I’m still passionate about my work and discovering where my roots are, but I’d have to say right now in this moment I’m most passionate about a Venezuelan man who has come into my life and shown me I’m not a freak and can be loved for exactly who I am.
Interviewer: What do you do to unwind and relax?
Isabella: There is such a thing?(laughing) I like to chat with my cockatoo Alabaster, read about the Hopi culture, and spend time with my latest passion.
Interviewer: Morning Person? Or Night Person? How do you know?
Isabella: Night person. If I’m working on a project I can stay up for days and nights on end. If a puzzle presents itself I can’t let it go until I’ve solved it. One of my greatest flaws I think.
Interviewer: What would we find under your bed?
Isabella: A whip I bought trying to use it like Indiana Jones. (She blushes) The attempt didn’t turn out too well.
Interviewer: What makes you happy?
Isabella: Discovering more and more connections between the people I study and the growing love and admiration I have for Augustino Constantine. Below is my first meeting with Tino.
Interviewer: I’d also like to add that Secrets of a Mayan Moon is the first of three books in the Isabella Mumphrey Series.
Blurb:
What happens when a brilliant anthropologist is lured to the jungle to be used as a human sacrifice?
Child prodigy and now Doctor of Anthropology, Isabella Mumphrey, is about to lose her job at the university. In the world of publish or perish, her mentor’s request for her assistance on a dig is just the opportunity she’s been seeking. If she can decipher an ancient stone table—and she can—she’ll keep her department. She heads to Guatemala, but drug trafficking bad guys, artifact thieves, and her infatuation for her handsome guide wreak havoc on her scholarly intentions.
DEA agent Tino Kosta, is out to avenge the deaths of his family. He’s deep undercover as a jaguar tracker and sometimes jungle guide, but the appearance of a beautiful, brainy anthropologist heats his Latin blood taking him on a dangerous detour that could leave them both casualties of the jungle.
Excerpt:
She deposited her backpack on the floor at her feet. The horn handle of a twelve inch Guatemalan blade protruded from the side pocket. Tino’s curiosity spiked another notch.
“I have a reservation. Dr. Isabella Mumphrey.”
Tino snapped the paper down and stared even harder at the woman. This was the frumpy, old anthropologist he was to guide? His gaze scanned the length of her one more time while tuning in the conversation.
“Ahh, Dr. Mumphrey, Dr. Martin said you were to get the finest room, no?” The clerk acted like a simpering fool giving the doctor her key and expounding on all the wonders of the hotel.
“Gracias. May I borrow a paper and pencil? I need to make a list for the taxi driver.”
The clerk handed her the items. She stepped to the side of the counter and began writing.
Why would she make a list for a taxi driver? Curious, Tino folded the paper and strolled to a spot beside her. So intent on her list, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence as he leaned, reading the items. Army knife, candle, braided fishing line, hooks, swivels, 24 gauge snare wire…
“You are planning a trip into the jungle, no?”
She started at his voice. Deep green eyes rimmed in gold stared at him from behind wire-rimmed lenses. She blinked, focused on him, and narrowed her eyes.
“Didn’t your mother teach you manners? You don’t look over people’s shoulders to see what they’re doing.” She picked up her list and held it to her damp shirt.
“Mi mamá did teach me manners, no? I am Tino Kosta, your guide to the dig at Ch’juña.” He held out his hand waiting for her to shake.
Her gaze traveled from his extended hand up his arm to his face. She squinted her eyes and glared at him.
“You’re not of Mesoamerican descent, so you can’t possibly be my guide. Are you in cahoots with the disgusting little man who stole my property?” She bent toward her backpack, giving him a good view down the front of her blouse.
Si, she didn’t wear a bra. The nipples peaking through her clingy shirt sat atop a palm-sized mound. Now, being a man who liked his hands filled to overflowing when it came to handling a woman—
“¡Carajo!” The pointed end of the large knife that had been tucked in the doctor’s backpack waved inches from his nose. “What is this about?” A woman who ran around without undergarments shouldn’t be offended by a man viewing her body.
Secrets of a Mayan Moon is available at Windtree Press, Kindle, Nook Kobo.
About Paty
Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.
Her first book was published in 2006 by Wild Rose Press since then she has published seventeen novels, two anthologies, and five novellas. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that eventually turn into yet another story.
You can learn more about Paty at her blog; Writing into the Sunset her website; http://www.patyjager.net or on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/#!/paty.jager , Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager and twitter; @patyjag.
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Paty, thanks for stopping by. Isabella sounds fabulous!!
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Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Adventure, anthropologist, Romance, Venezuela








August 15, 2014
Talking About Birthdays Today
This picture is from last year, about this time.
I was thinking about birthdays this morning, and how often where you are in life is a feature of how you feel about birthdays.
Generally, I’ve not been one of those people upset about growing older. In fact, half the time, because my birthday is in August, when I do the math throughout the year to determine my age, I think I’m older than I am anyway. In my mind, I’ve been 46 for half the year already, so what’s another day?
But, having said that, the year I turned 29 was a miserable year. At 29, not only was I not dating, I had no immediate prospects of dating. That all changed a few short months later when I started dating the man that I would eventually marry. In 1997, turning 29, I couldn’t see that on the horizon. By 1998, mid-year, I was engaged, and, by April 1999, I got married. (Somewhere along the way I left Athens, GA and moved to Greenville, SC, but that’s another journey for another day)
If I could talk to my 29-year old self, I would tell her to be patient. I still remember her frustration and disappointment, but I would tell her that love will come, and when it does, it will leave her breathless.
Filed under: About Me, General Life








August 8, 2014
Visiting over at Tony Sweeney’s Blog today…
I’m visiting at Toni V. Sweeney’s blog today. Come give it a read here. I talk about how Elizabeth came to be, and also include an excerpt from one of my favorite scenes.
Under His Protection is listed at $2.99 for one more week, and then it goes up to $3.99.
Filed under: Blog visits, Under His Protection








August 4, 2014
How Publishing a Book is Like Having A Baby
I keep trying to think of a metaphor for releasing a novel into the wild.
The first one that I came up with is releasing novel is like having your first baby. You prepare for nine months (although this book took about 15 months), you read everything you can about parenting (all of those books on character development, pacing, etc.), and you buy everything you can think of to help you with your baby. You have parties (showers), you fix up the nursery, paint the room. But as the date gets closer, you wonder, have you done enough? Do you have everything you need? Will the baby be healthy? Once you bring the baby home, you start to get your confidence up as a parent. That’s where the metaphor fails.
The second one that I came up with is sending your child to college. Now, granted, my children are 12 (almost 13) and 11, and I haven’t sent either one of them to college, but here are my thoughts. You took care of your child for years, making sure that he does his homework. You hope that you taught him the right things about life. You hope he will have a good work ethic and not flunk out. You buy him everything you think he will need to help him in his new life. He needs a new computer, new clothes, and bedding for that extra-long twin bed. Then he moves out, and suddenly your control vanishes.
I‘m getting ready to send this baby on out its own. It’s hard, so very hard. I think the story’s strong. I love the characters. I’ve been working on the language for a month now. My editor has gone through it and four beta readers. Why is it so difficult to take the final steps required to publish it?
I’m not a perfectionist, but last minute changes can kill you with a book. That’s usually where those typos and “oops” moments happen. When I read it, I see what’ supposed to be there, not what’s really there. It’s also nearly impossible for me to read it and not tweak. Sigh.
When you send your child to college, she has to stand on her own. You’re not going to be there to make sure she goes to class, or eats breakfast.
Once I hit publish, the book either makes it or doesn’t on its own merits. Either the book will get good reviews and some attention from readers, or it will languish in the millions of ebooks available now, never read or loved. I have to give it the best shot I can, and then it’s on its own.
Update…
I wrote this last Friday, but I couldn’t bring myself to publish it. The book was still in process with Amazon, and taking forever, and I was like an expectant father of old, pacing the waiting room with cigars.
And now I find I’m mentally exhausted and not wanting to get anywhere near my computer, although I know that I need to be looking for ways to promote this book. After working all day, and then staying on the computer an average of 3-4 hours a night, that’s about 12 hours a day of computer time, and I have to admit that I’m burned out.
So, if you are looking for something to read, Under His Protection can now be downloaded from Amazon
Under His Protection (City Lights Book 2) Barnes and Noble and iTunes will hopefully release soon. The first in the series can be found here: No Strings Attached (City Lights Book 1)
I’m sure I will tell you in the future how great my baby is, and how it will scare and titillate you at the same time, but right now, like a new mother, I just want to sleep. Oh, and psssstttt, if you want to keep up with how all my babies are doing, don’t forget to join my monthly newsletter here. Every time I get ten new susbscribers, I give away a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks.
Filed under: Creative Process, Editing, Under His Protection Tagged: Publishing, Writing








July 15, 2014
Character Interview – Meet Elizabeth from Under His Protection
Well, we’re getting close to delivery date on Under His Protection, so it’s only fitting that we sit down and have a chat with Ms. Elizabeth Crowne, lawyer extraordinaire.
Elizabeth is a beautiful brunette, with long straight black hair and brown eyes. Elizabeth loves the color red. Pull up a chair and have a listen.
So you’re one of the hot female lawyers in the greater Atlanta area. You must have to fight off the men with a stick.
I don’t date. I thought this interview was about my career.
Of course. So you were in the top of your law school class, and after you graduated you went to work for your father. He’s a Georgia state senator, right?
That’s correct. But I don’t work exactly for him. I work for Brad Lawson, one of the other partners. I started out working for my dad, but that was a recipe for disaster. He’s way too controlling for me to work for him. I mainly practice criminal law at this point. I’m getting ready to declare my intentions to run for attorney general.
So why don’t you date? Is it because your ex-fiance works in the same office?
I have nothing to do with him. He was supposed to stay in Miami.
I see. How do you think your life will change if you decide to run for attorney general?
Why, what have you heard? At this point I don’t plan to do anything differently.
There was the little matter of the death threats…
No comment. That will all blow over.
I see. So, tell me what issues you feel will be important in this election?
I want to draw attention to the increase in sex trafficking in Georgia. I also want to make sure that business regulations are enforced equally..
Well, good luck with the election.
Thank you.
___________
Elizabeth wasn’t in the mood to talk, not about her ex or about the death threats. We’ll be hearing more about her campaign in the coming days.
Although the attorney general is a partisan elected official in Georgia, meaning that one would run as a Democrat or a Republican, this book stays away from partisanship and doesn’t mention either political party.
Take a look at the new book trailer for Under His Protection. Make sure and give it a like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXjCDDiGJto
Click here to join my mailing list and receive my monthly email newsletter. I’m close to giving away a $5.00 Starbucks giftcard to one lucky winner.
Filed under: Character Interviews, Creative Process, Under His Protection, Writing








July 2, 2014
Writer Wednesday – Meet Author Lois Winston AKA Emma Carlyle
Lois Winston has stopped by today to talk about one of her pet peeves: Grammar Crimes.
Grammar Crimes
by Lois Winston
Do you have a grammar pet peeve? I do. Actually, I have several, and it’s all the fault of an excellent junior high school English teacher who drummed the rules of grammar into me. Thanks to Peggy Riley Hughes at Burnett Jr. High, I can’t shake the good grammar habit. And because of Peggy Riley Hughes, I cringe whenever I hear or read bad grammar. I can’t help it. Those rules are ingrained in my brain. If the world had more Peggys, I’d cringe a lot less.
To boldly go where no man has gone before. Remember that opening from Star Trek? Cringe-worthy! Gene Rodenberry obviously didn’t have Peggy Riley Hughes as an English teacher. If he had, he never would have split his infinitive.
Sadly, because there are so few English teachers like Peggy Riley Hughes, the Oxford English Dictionary did the unthinkable a few years ago — they declared it okay to split infinitives. The horror! What would Peggy say?
Writers have the license to take liberties with their writing. When I write dialogue, I don’t necessarily write in perfectly formed sentences. People don’t always speak in perfectly formed sentences. We speak in sentence fragments. Style often dictates that sentence fragments also be used in narrative. And our characters rarely speak using perfect grammar. They, too, never took an English class taught by Peggy Riley Hughes. And that’s okay. We want our characters to sound real, not stilted.
But there are grammar rules that should never be broken.
The grammar error that makes me cringe the most, is the misuse of pronouns in prepositional phrases and as direct objects. For some reason, many people think substituting the nominative “I” for the objective “me” sounds more intelligent. In reality, it shows they weren’t paying attention in English class. I see this mistake made all the time. Will the OED eventually decide it’s okay to break this very basic rule of English grammar? Peggy Riley Hughes and I both hope not.
So here’s a little refresher course on proper pronoun usage:
There are 3 types of pronouns:
Nominative: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who
Possessive: my, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs, and whose
Objective: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, and whom
The nominative form is used when the pronoun is the subject of a sentence. The objective form is used when the pronoun is the direct object of the sentence or is part of a prepositional phrase.
Wrong: He likes Mary and I.
Right: He likes Mary and me.
Wrong: He gave the papers to Mary and I.
Right: He gave the papers to Mary and me.
Wrong: The choice will be between you and I.
Right: The choice will be between you and me.
Do you have a grammar pet peeve?
A Little Bit About Lois:
Award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Visit Lois/Emma at www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth.
Here’s an example of one of Lois’s books, written under her pen name Emma Carlyle.
Someone to Watch Over Me
by Lois Winston, writing as Emma Carlyle
Dori Johnson is in hiding from the Russian Mafia. Six years ago she committed a series of felonies in order to create new identities for herself and her younger brother and sister. They’ve kept a low profile, living in fear of their lives ever since.
When Niles York, Dori’s boss, offers her the opportunity of a lifetime, she turns down the job, not wanting to risk discovery. However, her brother and sister convince her that after six years, she’s unrecognizable, and she can’t pass up such an opportunity. Reluctantly, Dori agrees to become the face and spokesperson for York’s new retail venture.
Jake Prentiss suspects Dori is hiding a secret, and he’s not going to let her jeopardize his friend’s business. As a former government operative, he calls in some favors and starts digging into Dori’s past. What he finds has him convinced she’s out to sabotage York Enterprises. Too bad he’s falling for her.
Dori is falling in love with Jake, but she doesn’t trust him. He works for the government, and she’s a criminal. But then her life is threatened, and she has to make a decision that could either get her killed or put her behind bars for a very long time.
Buy Links
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/someone-to-watch-over-me-emma-carlyle/1112312999?ean=2940015029765
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/someone-to-watch-over-me-1
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/someone-to-watch-over-me/id847717039?mt=11
Wow, Lois, that sounds like a plot I can really sink my teeth into. I will have to add it to my reading list.
You nailed it with this pet peeve today. I’m really having to work with my 11-year old daughter on this one, who continually and despite my best efforts starts every sentence with “Me and __________ are…”
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Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Emma Carlyle, romantic suspense







