Slang

Slang is a poor man’s poetry. - John Moore

Thanks to my sister I have to admit I started my wish list for Santa already. She emailed me an article from the Wall Street Journal about The First English Dictionary of Slang, 1699, and now I feel I must own the actual book.

I’m aware that each generation develops their own slang. I wrote a blog about modern slang phrases added to the Urban Dictionary. I don’t write historical fiction. Working any of the words or phrases into a contemporary novel would be challenging. However, none of these logical things dampen my desire to add it to my collection of reference books.

Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew was uncovered and recently republished under the new name. Canting, by the way, was the language of thieves and ruffians. The book was to educate the upper London classes in case they found themselves in the ‘wrong’ parts of town. Or perhaps, so that those rich enough to have servants could understand them. The dictionary also includes military slang and colloquialisms.

A few of the words you’ll find are:

Anglers - Cheats, petty Thieves, who have a Stick with a hook at the end, with which they pluck things out of Windows, Grates, &c. also those that draw in People to be cheated.
Blind-man’s-holiday - when it is too dark to see to work.
Blobber-lippd - means having lips that are very thick, hanging down, or turning over
Cackling-farts - Eggs.
Chouter - to talk pertly, and sometimes angrily
Conveniency – wife; also a mistress
Fubbs –a fond word for children
Fuddle – an excellent tipple
Grumbletonians -Malecontents, out of Humour with the Government, for want of a Place, or having lost one.
Rum-bluffer – an excellent host
Rum-bung – a full purse

Another interesting and rather ironic tidbit I got from my internet research of the book is that there is no agreed etymology for the word “slang.” I think I’ll have to make this a topic for another blog.

Before closing, I’d like to thank Stephen Tremp of Breakthrough Blogs for the Supernova Award for simply hosting him during his virtual book tour which was a pleasure for me to do. If you missed his post on Promoting and Marketing, you can find it here.

For any booklovers on your Christmas list, I’d also like to mention that personalized signed copies of The Ride will be available this holiday season for only $20.00. Simply email me at jane@janesutton.com for details.

Are there any reference books you hope Santa brings you this year?

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to see you again next week.

Tags: John Moore, The First English Dictionary of Slang , canting, slang, Stephen Tremp, The Ride,

Promotion and Marketing by Stephen Tremp

“In order to promote yourself and your book, you need to develop an identity potential buyers can relate to and remember.” – Stephen Tremp

I’m pleased to host the author of Breakthrough, Stephen Tremp today. Stephen has a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management. He is currently completing his doctorate program in business administration. He spent over ten years in consumer finance for some of the largest companies in the industry, holding numerous management positions. After many years of writing short stories and poems, Stephen has taken the last two years to fulfill his lifelong passion: write and publish Breakthrough. Today he is here to give us some advice on promotion and marketing, a weak area for many of us introverted authors.

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You are a writer. You know it. Others close to you recognize your talents and abilities and have been encouraging you for as long as you can remember. It’s an inherent gift, perhaps lying dormant for years, and you now realize its time to move forward with what you know you have to do. You either have a manuscript, are in the process of writing one, or you want to write. It could be fiction, non-fiction, or your personal memoirs that you want to share with the world and even help other people.

How do you do this? Let’s start with your blogging platform. What makes a good blog, increases traffic, and builds a community of followers? I think this is an area many writers fail in. They have not taken the time to formulate their branding and a series of catchy blurbs, slogans, and one-liners that people can remember.

First, in order to promote yourself and your book, you need to develop an identity potential buyers can relate to and remember:

Branding and Blogging,
Can you tie your blog and book into a one-liner? (Include your name and you have a trifecta). Your Blog Banner should tell a visitor who you are and a little of what the can expect. You can run a contest on your blog and give away a signed copy for the winner. This also engages visitors and helps make your book and brand more than a fleeting memory.

So here is my Blog Banner: Breakthrough Blogs: add murder, mayhem and a wormhole, and you've got BREAKTHROUGH. Welcome to chaos. Helen Ginger and Elizabeth S. Craig are examples of really good Blog Banners.

Also, do you have an image or a word that defines and communicates you, your blog, and your book to your audience? I use Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, to help accomplish this for me.

Second: You can develop a handful of catchy blurbs, slogans, and one-liners:
30 second elevator interview describing your book or your blog in no more than three sentences (most people will not listen to anything longer)

Here are two of my one-liners:
“BREAKTHROUGH - An exciting new dimension in sci-fi suspense thrillers."
“Near-future Sci-Fi for Action Lovers”
You can place one-liners on stuff you give away like book marks, business cards, and email signature lines. Place a blurb on the back of your business card – leave them at a table when you leave restaurant. Give them to bank tellers. Ask the manager of your local bookstores if you can hand these out in their store. A blurb with a picture and your name and blog site is all you need.

Third: Can you explain your blog on Twitter in 140 characters or less? Here’s mine: Author of the Breakthrough trilogy - a near-future Sci-Fi action series weaving together theoretical physics and technology with greed, murder, and mayhem.

Do you have an image of your book (or something that relates to your blog) as your wall paper for Twitter? I do. All too often I visit authors and they have something silly as their wall paper. Um … Hello? Upload an image of your book! Then go make some Twitter friends.

Adding Tabs to Your Blog A blog is as important (if not more important) than a static website. Eventually, we may see blogs replacing websites, which is why blogging platforms are adding pages and other features to their blogs. Blogs are essentially becoming interactive websites.

Example: I’m developing a SCIENCE FOR KIDS tab that will debut Wednesday November 10th when I stop by Shannon O’Donell’s blog . This is a great way to promote outside of your niche and genre. I have interest in California, Montana, and Michigan and hope to hook up with schools across the country. This could open more doors for a children’s animated series I’m currently working on too that teaches kids about science in a fun way.

Please join me Monday as I visit Alex Cavanaugh’s blog and we talk about how to write a near-future sci-fi. Due to the proliferation of knowledge, this is an emerging genre that is very popular.
***

Thank you, Stephen. I hope to implement some of your ideas to improve my blog design and Twitter page.

Please feel free to leave your questions or comments for Stephen.

You can visit Stephen Tremp, author of the action thriller Breakthrough at Breakthrough Blogs.

How do you promote yourself and your book(s)? As a reader, what sort of promotion most encourages you to buy a particular book?

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope to see you again on Monday.

Tags: Stephen Tremp, Breakthrough, branding, blog banner, 30 second elevator interview, promoting and marketing,

National Authors’ Day and Other Important Announcements

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. – William James

Whenever I begin to wonder why I blog, something will come along to remind me. I received one such reminder in September when I read an email from Chris Price regarding a post I’d written in 2009 about National Authors’ Day.

It seems that Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, the woman credited with the idea of setting aside a day to celebrate American authors, was her great grandmother. Though she was only five when Mrs. McPherson passed away, Chris described some of her memories. She recalled her great grandmother reading to all the children who would listen. Once, when she read so much she lost her voice, she asked the kids to tell her about the books she’d read to them over recent weeks. According to Chris, “To hear my Mother and Aunt tell the story, it was quite the interesting interpretation of stories read.”

The note went on to read, “Anyway, I just wanted to say Thank You for what you do and be assured that this year, November 1, 2010, I will be reading one of YOUR books.”

I can't think of anything that tops that kind of note.

I found additional information about Nellie McPherson on answers.com.

“The idea of setting aside a day to celebrate American authors came from Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement (Illinois) Women's Club in 1928. McPherson was a teacher and an avid reader throughout her life. During World War I, when she was recuperating in a hospital, she wrote a fan letter to fiction writer Irving Bacheller, telling him how much she had enjoyed his story, "Eben Holden's Last Day A'Fishin." Bacheller sent her an autographed copy of another story, and McPherson realized that she could never adequately thank him for his gift. Instead, she showed her appreciation by submitting an idea for a National Author's Day to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which passed a resolution setting aside November 1 as a day to honor American writers. In 1949 the day was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Sue Cole, McPherson's granddaughter, was largely responsible for promoting the observation of National Author's Day after her grandmother's death in 1968. She has urged people to write a note to their favorite author on this day to "brighten up the sometimes lonely business of being a writer." Flying the American flag on November 1, according to Mrs. Cole, is another way of showing appreciation for the men and women who have created American literature.”

I’d like to say thank you, Nellie McPherson! My gratitude also goes to Sue Cole and Chris Price for following in Mrs. McPherson’s footsteps.

I checked local events and still found no mention of what I think should be a major holiday. Hallmark may have missed coming out with cards for this occasion, but that shouldn’t stop us from writing our favorite author or a newly emerging writer in hopes of brightening their day as much as the note from Chris brightened mine.

Are there any celebrations in your area? If you wrote to an author, who would it be?

Though I usually post only on Mondays, I’m making an exception this week. On Saturday (11/6), I’ll be hosting Stephen Tremp, author of Breakthough. I hope you’ll make plans to visit. In the meantime find out more about Stephen and his book by visiting his blog.

One more announcement before I go. Author Darcia Helle of A Word Please is organizing a huge giveaway event that will run through the month of December. It will be hosted on her website and blog. Participating authors will be cross promoting on their own blogs, as well as through various social networks. All indie authors (self-published and small press) are welcome to participate. You can offer as many (or as few) titles and copies as you'd like. Both print and e-books are welcome. She’ll be sending out press releases and doing tons of promotion. She already has about 300 books to give away! I’m looking forward to taking part in this big event. If you’d like to participate, be sure to send Darcia an email at darcia@quietfurybooks.com before Nov. 15.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Tags: National Authors Day, Nellie McPherson, Stephen Tremp, William James, Darcia Helle,

Special Moments and Milestones

Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments. - Rose F. Kennedy

Milestone or moment? I’m not going to quibble over the proper term. Set off the fireworks! Why am I celebrating? Let me explain.

My publisher strongly suggested that I begin to blog if I wasn’t doing so already. Though I enthusiastically agreed that I would do so, I honestly didn’t know what a blog was. Thinking I was doomed, I explained my problem to my husband. He immediately set out to show me that blogging was no big deal. Within minutes he had designed, written and posted a blog that chronicled the “sightings” on our walks through Lakes Park. Within a short period of time his blog was noticed and he was asked to become a member of the Lakes Park Foundation’s Board. But that’s a story for another time. Today it’s all about me!

What I’m getting to is that he led me through the steps. I developed and wrote my blog with the certainty that the only people who’d read it would be my family and maybe a few friends. Therefore, no one could be more surprised than I was this week when my blog passed the milestone of 100 followers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart #100, Southpaw. (The number currently shows 101, but I can’t for the life of me figure out who 101 is. Sorry. I obviously still have a lot to learn.)

A very hearty and sincere THANK YOU to the rest of you as well. You’ll never know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. If I could hug you all, I would.

One of my highlights of blogging was receiving that first comment from someone I didn’t know. Now many of you leave comments for which I am more grateful than I could ever express. I may not always respond to every comment, but believe me, I enthusiastically read and enjoy every single one.

I do try to follow back, visit your blogs and leave comments. However, during my time as a blogger I’ve had several periods where I have been unplugged for one reason or another. Catching up is not easy and I’m afraid some of you may have slipped by me. Please let me know via of a comment or email (jane@janesutton.com) if I may have missed you and I’ll be happy to remedy the situation.

As if reaching a new milestone wasn’t enough, last week I also received a Meat and Potatoes Award from Stephen Tremp. According to Stephen, “This prestigious award goes to a particular group of wise and experienced bloggers who have proven themselves over the course of time, trials, and tribulations. If you are looking to follow someone’s guidance for writing, publishing, and promotion than I suggest you look no further than this esteemed group.”

Thank you, Stephen. I’m fairly certain that I don’t belong in the group (especially since in my last blog I confessed to procrastination and this blog has way too many ly words) but I am flattered. Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs successfully weaves together theoretical physics and technology with greed, murder, and mayhem. If you haven’t visited his blog, you may want to stop by. It’s worth it.

Again, thank you followers. I hope I can live up to your expectations. It’s nice to see you today. Hope you’ll stop back by next Monday.

Tags: Rose Kennedy, Lakes Park, milestones, meat and potatoes, Stephen Tremp,

Coincidence, Hamsters and a Couple of Other Things

"Coincidence is like a rubber band. Stretch it too far and it snaps. "- Roger Zelazny

Coincidence is a part of life. I’m sure just about everyone has a story to tell about running into someone or receiving a phone call from a friend they were just thinking about but hadn’t seen in years. It’s also a common tool for authors as a way for their characters to get together or to move the action along.

If a writer uses too many coincidences, the story does not ring true. Readers will shake their head in disgust and close the book. I've wondered for quite some time exactly how much coincidence is acceptable in fiction. Recently, I found my anwer.

An article, "The Law of Stackable Hamster," summed up this dilemma nicely. The following is quoted from the article:

"Within a scene in a story, a reader will suspend disbelief to a certain degree in order for the author to tell their tale; however, there is a limit to the number of coincidences you can create within a scene in the book. Or, as my brother explained in an alternate way of considering the number of coincidences to include, there is a limit to the number of hamsters you can stack. You can stack two hamsters and they will generally stay in place; three hamsters and the underlying structure is very wobbly and possibly won’t hold; and you can’t try four or more hamsters because there is no way to stack that many without it falling over right away. Thus, my brother created the Law of Stackable Hamsters in the field of creative writing."

I thought this was a great visual and it's something I’ll keep in mind each time I’m tempted to explain away a scene through coincidence. You can read the whole article here.

Since I have no clue how to segue to the next topic, I’m just going to chalk it up as a coincidence that two subjects met on my blog on the same day.

I have some good news for those people who, like me, didn’t participate in black Friday or cyber Monday and still have all their Christmas shopping to do. It is called The Spirit of the Season Catalog and it allows you to shop without leaving the comfort of your home. The catalog is full of wonderful gift ideas which includes books of all genres, works of art, handmade jewelry (where all the proceeds help support widows and orphans in Kenya) and assorted services.

Of course, my novel, The Ride, is listed (it's under Mainstream Fiction). It does make a wonderful gift. It’s also the perfect gift to give yourself for those times when you’ll need a break from the hustle and bustle of the season. It's easy. Scroll down the page until you see the picture of the cover (it looks exactly like this one) and click on the "Buy Now" button.

For anyone who would like to personalize the book, I’ll be happy to send you, FREE OF CHARGE, a signed bookplate. Simply email me (jane@janesutton.com) with the name of the person the book is to and anything else you’d like me to include on the bookplate. Or, you can simply request, "signature only." The free signed bookplate applies regardless of how you purchase the book (through the catalog, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your local bookseller and so on).

Uh oh, looks like I’m stacking three hamsters.

However, I couldn’t leave without thanking Stephen Tremp for honoring me with his Awesome Maximus Award. If you haven’t visited Stephen’s Breakthrough Blogs for the Aspiring Author, where he is “Weaving together breakthroughs in physics and technology with greed, murder, and mayhem,” you might want to stop by. He discusses all sort sorts of interesting and fascinating theories including wormholes and black holes.

Now, I’m really done—no more hamsters today. Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Zelazny, hamsters, Spirit of the Season Catalog, The Ride, Steven Tremp,