First Word

Okay, it's Friday -- and we'll call it "not-serious-day" ... because I am not in a serious mood. So, here we go "Ready to Ramble". All right so I think I should share some of the most common grammar and spelling mistakes I see perpetrated by the masses -- and I'm just itching to correct them. Since I can't correct a billboard, I guess I will just share here on my blog and hope the news spreads throughout the land ;). Alright vs. All right -- it's not all right to be alright! Are you smiling yet. No, my friends alright is incorrect. I know this may shatter a glass house or two, but it's always "all right" ... all right? Toward vs. towards -- guess which one? It's America, is it not? Yes, I believe I am blogging on American soil. British usage sanctions towards. American usage embraces toward. Fair enough! So given that I own an American publishing company (www.3LPublishing.com ... plug), we will go for toward. Backwards, ...

No, there are no magic elixirs or formulas for instant business success. The Blue Fairy won't make your business a "real" business with a wave of the wand nor will the evil witch change your fate with a potion (can you tell I've been watching too much Disney over the holiday break?). BUT I have some great news. You don't need wands or potions to be successful in business. I've been a business owner for seven years, and here is what I've learned over the years and what I know works in business. Here are three things every business owner should be doing to create a profitable, successful business. No. #1 -- Networking . Do you remember in college when your professor told you to go out and network and you thought, "Oh no! I would rather spend the evening in the frat house." The idea of going out and meeting strangers sounded about as exciting as a root canal. Well, reality is you have to network to be successful in business. You have to shake stra...

Meaningless or important -- you be the judge LOL ... here are the things I learned in 2012. I will either make you laugh, roll your eyes, or agree with me. Here we go: 1. When you move twice expect your stuff to magically disappear with no clear explanation of where it went ... did it get dropped? Did the fairies swoop in and move it to nowhere land? Did the movers steal it? Aw the questions are endless. I am most specifically curious what happened to my favorite leather jacket! It is missed in the cold weather. 2. When you get divorced, expect your ex to annoy you somehow. My annoyance? Taking all of my jackets to the Salvation Army. Yep! I had quite a collection. There are now some poor people with a beautiful INC leather, full-length coat. Oh, I miss it! 3. Dating in your forties is way better than your twenties. The confidence alone makes a whole difference. I had more dates than I knew what to do with. And it was fun ... for a while; but then you know I'm really like a ...

My blog will be shut down for the holidays! Yes, I do believe in downtime LOL. So, please enjoy the season with your friends and family. I resume posting on the 26th! I hope all my loyal readers enjoy reading the older posts. I've had quite a year evidenced by what I've posted, but the good news is my life and company are on track and poised for great things in 2013! I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas. Best Wishes to You All!  3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com)

I had this discussion with one of our authors yesterday. Some people mistake the editor's role on a book to be solely about finding the grammatical mistakes. On a fiction book, the editor's job is not just making sure all the grammar and usage is correct -- that is only one part of it. A story editor is looking at the entire picture. A good story editor does the following: Character development -- are the characters consistently written. Do their voices stay the same throughout the book. Did the author build real, vivid individuals who can be easily identified in the story? Story development -- does the story make sense. Is it being properly told with a beginning, middle and end? Are all the plots and subplots wrapped up? Does it all make sense? Holes and consistency -- are there any unanswered questions? Are their holes in the story? Are their inconsistencies? Are all of the references the same throughout the book? Are the names correct and in the right place at the r...

Having trouble getting your creative spark lit? I have trouble all of the time. Yes, I'm super prolific and I write every single day. I have to write this blog every day, too. Do I make it look effortless? Well, sometimes I start with nothing. I got nothing! Today ... I got nothing except last night's weird dreams to fuel my ideas. Yes, I had a super weird dream, something about a story about animals and my fellow writing friend's desk. The manuscript was sitting on his desk, and it was a song ... all right what is my point? I don't have a point LOL, but I do have some great tips to kickstart your creativity if you're having writer's block. Let a title define your project . The title of my book California Girl Chronicles came to me first. I actually built the story around the title. For some writers this would be backward, but for me it worked. Just start writing from an unconscious level . Just sit down at your desk and let your fingers type and see where ...

The dating advice I keep posting on this blog is moving up our most-read items. Okay, so how I got positioned as an expert on dating is kind of funny. It seems we have some love lorn out there in need of a few tips and tricks. Well, I have learned some great insight into human behavior and dating that has worked very well for me. Of course, I am not suggesting I have always done the right things. I have definitely tripped and fallen with egg on my face and a few other trite cliches I could add to that sentence LOL. But before I give you some great tips, I must credit Bo Bradley, who is also my life coach and operations manager. She was constantly in the wings advising me carefully on what to do. Some of these tips are mine, some are hers, and some are just widely adopted and known by the experts of amazing books like Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus (great book, BTW). The man cave -- yep! The guys use it. My beloved boyfriend Kirk Donnelly denies use of the man cave. I on...

The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming 3L Publishing book Vengeance is Now by Scott D. Roberts . If you would like to learn more about the book, become a fan on Facebook or send an email to info@3LPublishing.com. Pre-sales begin in January and the official release is April 2013. Chapter 1                   You’ve never really lived until you’ve seen the life leave another human being.   That’s what I wish I would have told my narcissistic Aunt and Uncle whenever they came by my mother’s apartment in the ‘Loin. “Slumming in the ‘Loin” is what I’d called it. They’d only come by to brag about their latest extravagant vacation.  I was only 10 at the time, though.  You’ve never really lived until you’ve seen the Eifel Tower.  You’ve never really lived until you’ve taken a helicopter ride along the coast of Hawaii.  My mother was ill most of my childhood....

Friday morning musings really translates to I don't know what to blog about today LOL. Usually when I don't know what to blather about on the blog, I just start writing and see what comes out of my mouth. Oh! Here is a good one: It doesn't matter ... what doesn't matter? Here is my list of things I don't think anyone should ever fuss about (aka who cares ... or reality check) and it goes like this: 1. How many millimeters from the text is from the gutter in a book. Yes, an author once fussed over that one! 2. Asking me to verify that I really did spend those 2 hours on a project that in reality would have taken most people three times that amount to do ... yet you're worried I really did spend a whopping 2 hours on it. This one falls under the category of "reality check". 3. Getting a bargain-basement quote on publishing services (you know it's a deal) and yet still asking, "Can I get another discount?" Or the other favorite: "W...

We attended a networking function where there was an image consultant talking about (what else) -- image. I listened attentively and agreed with most of it. Although I don't think a suit is always the item to project the perfect image. For me in my business, I deliberately avoid business suits, because I want to project an image of fun and creativity, which is something in her speech she missed. Just like in the IT world where a "look" got adopted, the same can be said of other industries. I'm not running a staid corporation. I want my image to reflect my brand, and that is something she didn't recognize. My 3L Publishing brand projects fun, creativity, art and intellectual capital. You will never see me out on the networking scene wearing a suit. I dress fun, interesting and different with a sexy, flirty flair. But no matter how you dress two things are ALWAYS critical to project success: you shoes and handbag. Saying you're a success and then wearing worn-o...

So Bo Bradley, 3L Publishing's operations manager, and I are working on the book 20 Reasons not to Date THAT Guy , which we want to publish for Valentine's Day 2014. In the meantime, my astute and non-romantically challenged boyfriend Kirk Donnelly, who initially gave me the idea for the first book, declared he wanted to write the male version to help those hapless guys out there. His version has the working title The Stupid Guy's Guide to Finding and Keeping a Woman . So, he sat down over the weekend while we were eating and began his tentative table of contents. He came up with 11 things (so far), and I thought it would be great to share it with you all. Here it goes (and for the record, Mr. Donnelly practices what he preaches, which is why he got me LOL). Keep your woman happy -- it's your job! Listen to her, don't judge or solve Do what you say you're going to do in a timely manner Be a man of your word -- respect is imperative Spend time with her --...

We do book coaching here at 3L Publishing . We see manuscripts in the early stages, and we see common mistakes. Here are some of the most common. Exposition and storytelling via dialog . Have you ever heard the phrase show don't tell? New writers often use dialog to tell their stories vs. telling the story. They will give their characters paragraph-long speeches. How often do you talk to someone in paragraphs? I would suggest most conversations go back and forth -- that is a more natural flow. And it's far more compelling and interesting to read the story told via narrative not dialog. Formalism in dialog . These days have you ever heard a generic conversation sound formal? Probably not. Most people use idioms, slang and colloquial expressions. If you are telling a story about certain age groups of people, go out and listen to how those people really talk to each other. Use dialog to develop your characters and show who they are; don't use it as a storytelling device, b...

Okay, I have to start off with an astute observation made by wonderful boyfriend Kirk Donnelly who whispers all sorts of sage wisdom in my ear. One day we were bantering back and forth in text and the discussion took a serious turn.  Suddenly, my phone rings and Kirk says, "Why the heck are we having a serious discussion in text?"  I started laughing. "I don't know sweetheart, why are we?"  "Text is no place to have a serious discussion, sweetie." LOL ...  And words to live by ... TEXTING is no place to have a serious discussion whether personally or professionally .  We are a strange techno society indeed. What is up with people using text to discuss important matters? I had a relationship where the person never picked up the phone and all the heavy stuff went down in text. First, text and email are cold media -- no voice, no inflection, no tone, and no idea of the true intent or emotions behind it. The only upside, you ca...

If there is anything I know is this: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the kiss of death when those behaviors killed your relationship and you expect them not to affect a new relationship. It's like the suggestion of doing something the same but expecting different results. When in a new relationship, use your old relationship as your instruction guide of what not to do again. Here are some fabulous tips to help create strong bonds with your significant other versus tear apart something that starts out strong and soon disintegrates. Now mind you I'm not a psychologist or counselor, but I am a student of life. TV killed the Love Stars . How many of you out there come home from work, sit down, and watch TV all evening vs. talking to your partner? How many of you actually eat dinner in front of the TV? There is absolutely nothing wrong with a little TV here and there; but when the television becomes the focal point of entertainment in y...

I have situations arise all of the time where I am just amused. Now I have to admit most authors who do these things are doing so in pure innocence and lack of knowledge, which of course, I am aware ... but none the less, it still entertains me. You always have to keep your sense of humor in this business. So, here are two things I find infinitely amusing. The hand-drawn, homemade illustration . Many children's authors make this mistake. As a part of their pitch, they will whip out the homemade drawing their kids produced and say how cute it would be to use their kid's work in their professional children's book. All right, that's cute ... okay ... BUT it's a far cry from "professional" and while you may be astounded by your little Suzie's talents (and perhaps little Suzie is a master hand at the Crayolas), but you're not alone in your "cute" idea. In fact, it's a common idea among many new children's book writers who don't k...

You're an aspiring writer. You already write, but you want to improve. You just didn't know what I'm about to share LOL ... okay, all qualifiers done now. Here are three tips to improve your writing. Words, words, everywhere too many so let's spare the air (see I'm feeling humorous today) . Wordiness! Wordiness bogs down your work. Wordiness makes your sentences longer. And wordiness makes your editor have to bring out a major chainsaw to hack your work down to the message. Here is an absolutely fantastic exercise. Take a paragraph from one of your works. Look at how many words could be easily deleted. Delete them. Now repeat. Keep going until you have only the "bones" of the sentence left. Now read it. How much easier is that to understand? The biggest offenders tend to be too many adjectives and adverbs. Dialog or Shakespeare . I see so many writers who write their characters' dialog like it's a Shakespearian play. The formalism makes it soun...