A is for Adverbs, and also for Authors

Today is the first day of my new Alphabet Challenge. I had such fun last time that I'm doing it again. It is also Emily's third birthday!

A is for Adverbs, so the first task of the day is to write another section for Grammar Without Tears. I've been working on new material to expand the book, because although reviews have been wonderful, there's a consistent criticism by reviewers that it's not comprehensive enough. Obviously what I was trying to do in this book works, so I've been collecting new dialogues to flesh it out, and I hope that when I have covered everything possible, it will be big enough to make a paperback edition.

This is Grammar Without Tears. Readers of this blog can download a free copy all through September using the coupon code FA67W. Get it HERE. 

By the way, I've appealed to my friends to contribute their pet hates and grammar errors that they see. If you have something you'd like me to cover, you may email me at Tabitha.Ormiston.Smith@gmail.com, or comment on this blog.

So, although it is Emily's birthday, nevertheless I settle down to work by quarter to ten. Today I will be continuing to work on adverb misuse; I have already covered the difference between 'quick' and 'quickly' and today I want to do either 'good/well' or 'bad/badly'. As often happens with GWT material, though, I feel a little bit stuck trying to decide on what characters to use. I go to make some toast while I mull it over, and by the time I return to my desk laden with coffee and toast and marmalade, I have settled on Dick Whittington and the cat.

By half past ten I've done the dialogue, and incidentally this brings my word count for the year up to 150K.

A is also for Authors, and authors need to support each other. As with any job, we are part of a professional community, and one of the things we do is review each other's work. I have just finished reading Green Tequila Beach by Wendell Thorne, so my next task for the day is to write the review.

You can get the book here at AMAZON. I thoroughly recommend it.

Posting the review at Amazon reminds me that my own new book, King's Ransom, released yesterday and can therefore now be reviewed on Amazon and Smashwords as well as on Goodreads. So a final task, before I finish work to spend the rest of the day with Emily celebrating her birthday, is to follow up on the review copies I sent out, and remind the reviewers who posted reviews on Goodreads to put them up on Amazon and Smashwords. It's easy to forget this stuff, so I send everyone who has reviewed on Goodreads a message to remind them. I've finished by 11:15, and the rest of the day is for Emily, to have fun and celebrate her birthday.

King's Ransom is available at AMAZON and SMASHWORDS.