CTRL+F Is My Editing Friend: THAT

I recently had a manuscript edited by a professional editor. When she returned my document, I noticed every THAT in the document had been highlighted.She suggested I review each instance I used the word to see if I could change it to another word or eliminate it completely.

She made a comment to the effect the latest trend among editors is they believe the word THAT should be eliminated from the English language. I think she still likes me even though I gave her my opinion. Trends come and go, probably at the whims of the editors from the big New York publishing houses. Several years ago, the "trend" revolved around whether to use THAT or WHICH, with THAT tending to be favored. If I don't like the trend, I'll just wait five years, and maybe it will change.

However, I did realize I really did use the word THAT an awful lot in my manuscript. Like many writers, I tend to overuse the word. I truly felt grateful she pointed it out to me. In fact, do you have any idea how many times so far while writing this blog post I typed the word THAT only to delete it and reword my sentence? More than a handful.

I am not ready to ban the word THAT from the English language or my writing. However, I have decided from now on I need to review each use of the word THAT in my manuscripts. Can I eliminate it, use another word instead, or reword the sentence completely to create a more effective sentence?

Figure 2

The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the <CTRL> plus F feature on the computer keyboard to bring up the Find and Replace box. If you have never used it, you can access it by holding down the CTRL key usually found at the bottom of your keyboard and at the same time pressing the letter F. When you do, you will bring up a little box that looks like this (figure 2)
:

figure 3

In the Find what: window, type the word that. Then click on the Find Next button. By doing so, the feature will take you from the point of your cursor in your document to the next instance that the word appears. You will note that it highlights the word in your Word document.

Need to cut a couple hundred words from your manuscript? Try using CTRL+F to find all the times you use the word THAT in your manuscript.

By going through your document in this manner, you can review each time you use the word THAT to see if you want it to stay as is, or if you want to make a change. The following is a section of rough draft from my current work in progress. (Oh, all right, I admit I salted it with a few more thats than I originally wrote.) But, by seeing how I originally wrote the sentence and reviewing some possible changes, it can give a writer an idea of how she or he might improve her/his writing style.

     She had lost everyone that was important to her in her life. Since the time that she had been little, she had heard how the War Between the States had been hard on the Parmley family. Her father, Jacob, had fought, caught up in that bloody conflict between Missouri and Kansas. Her older brother, Jacob Junior, called Jake, was a product of their parents still being together before he enlisted at the start of that war. Evidently, Papa had come on leave long enough for her to be conceived, although the war was over before he saw her at two years old. Then had come her little brother. Thinking back on her father's tendency for depression, Lulu realized that because of the war, in some ways, her father had left the family emotionally long before his life ended.

     First, her mother and younger brother had died while the family still lived back in Missouri. That had left her father with two small children to care for along with his failing farm. Eventually, the lure of gold and silver strikes plus the desire to leave behind everything that reminded him of the war had tempted him to sell his farm and take his two children west.

     She had lost everyone who had been important to her. Since the time she had been little, she had heard how the Ward Between the States had been hard on the Parmley family. Her father, Jacob, had fought, caught up in the bloody conflict between Missouri and Kansas. Her older brother, Jacob Junior, called Jake, had been a product of their parents still being together before their father's enlistment. Evidently, Papa had come home on leave long enough for her to be conceived, although the war had ended before he saw her at two years of age. Then had come her little brother. Thinking back on her father's tendency for depression, Lulu realized because of the war, in some ways her father had left the family emotionally long before his life ended.
     first, her mother and younger brother had died while the family still lived back in Missouri. The loss had left her father with two small children to care for along with his failing farm. Eventually, the lure of gold and silver strikes plus the desire to leave behind him everything reminding him of the war had tempted him to sell his farm and take his two children west.

My editor friend would be proud of me. Not one time did I use the word THAT when I rewrote those two paragraphs. But, be kind and keep in mind it is still a rough draft. Those words may be changed even more before I get this story ready to submit for publication.

Robyn Echols writes using the pen name, Zina Abbott. Her novel, Family Secrets, has been published by Fire Star Press and is now available on Amazon HERE and on Barnes & Nobel for Nook HERE. 

Also available from Prairie Rose Publications:

Big Meadows Valentine, on Amazon Kindle HERE and on Nook HERE . The second novella in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, A Resurrected Heart, is available on Amazon Kindle HERE and on Nook HERE.

#NewRelease -- PRINCE CHARMING WORE SPURS by Nan O'Berry -- #Giveaway!

Growing up, I remember sitting for long hours watching the line up of cowboy shows that were in their hayday in the 60's. So when I was looking around for an idea, it accured to me, that cowboys were the American fairytale. They were, and still are, our knights in shinning armor. Therefore, it wasn't a stretch of the imagination to come up with Logan Malone. The trick was coming up with a twist. Something timely, that my readers might enjoy.

Sitting around with my fellow plot buddy, we were talking about music and I mentioned growing up how I loved Rodgers and Hammerstien's, Cinderella, with Stuart Damon and Leslie Ann Warren. We laughed about it, but I think the kernel was sown. That night in my dreams, I saw Gillian, all that riot of curls and her charming smile. The story seemed to take over and almost write itself.

As you are reading, I hope you invision Miss Celeste Holmes as Celeste Tate, the matchmaker, fairy godmother. Its always fun to see who people see as the hero and heroine. I can't wait to hear who your choices are. Please, enjoy Prince Charming Wore Spurs and come meet the Malones of the Bar M, Logan, Jason, and Troy as they navigate the sometimes wild ride to find their true loves.  -- Nan O'Berry  http://oberrynan.wix.com/nanoberryauthor

BLURB

Fairy tales do exist—just ask Gillian Malone!

When rancher Logan Malone drags his feet on finding love, his five-year-old daughter, Gillian, persuades a local matchmaker to help her find a new mother.

Enter Delaney Holmes, a Washington socialite fleeing from the press after being left at the altar. Swearing off men, she takes the job as a nanny to a precocious five-year-old in a backwoods Texas town called Indigo Springs.

But Logan Malone is a six-foot cowboy hero complete with white hat and a swagger that puts John Wayne to shame. Can he put away the ghost of Gillian's mother to follow the rules of the Fairy Tale Code in order to win Delaney's heart? Or will Delaney's secret past keep him from proposing?

With true love at stake, there’s only one thing for sure—in this real life fairy tale, PRINCE CHARMING WORE SPURS—and it’s going to take some powerful magic to ensure a “happily ever after” ending!

EXCERPT

     “So, Gillian, do you mind telling me why you asked me to come?”

Gillian Malone placed her cake fork beside the plate. “You always tell my daddy you will do anything for us.”

     “Yes, I do. Your granddaddy and I are good friends,” Celeste said.

     Gillian swallowed and pressed her hands down the front of her pink dress. “Well, I need something badly…very badly.”

     Celeste held up a finger to silence the little girl while the waiter served them a bowl of fresh homemade ice cream. When he was out of earshot, she said, “Continue.”

     “I’m going to be this many this summer.”

     Celeste watched her hold up six fingers.

     “And I don’t have a mother. Daddy is too busy to bring one home.” She took a deep breath and looked straight into Celeste’s face. “I would like to hire you to find me one.”

     Celeste Tate blinked. Her hand paused over the bowl, and she stared at the child. 

Be sure and leave a comment to enter the giveaway.  Nan will be giving away a free ebook to one lucky winner.

BUY LINKS                           B&N Nook            Smashwords

The People and the Forest -- Spring Is Here by Jae Hall

Cat, Blackie and Kamisha

May is here and that means five birthdays in my family.
So starting today May 1, Happy Birthday to Carl, Scout, Venice, Migel, and Frank. I know we'll be celebrating on the ranch with cake and maybe a pizza or bbq.

The forest provides a wide variety of foods and medicines, so it's time to gather even more plants for future use.

I was going to spotlight chaparral, but due to my camera dying, I haven't taken enough good photos. Also the toxic bloom is raising cane with my allergies. I'll save that special herb and it's uses for later in the summer so this  blog is about a variety of spring topics, and of course plants.

I've been out gathering  and it's always fun to take the family out and learn something new. A plant we call Princess Pine has been used in our family for many generations. The tea can be used for arthritis and kidney illnesses. Always use caution and test for allergies.

Hunter picking Princess Pine

Scout

Great Grandma Betty and Scout 

Hunter and Scout

Princess Pine

Dogwood

Dogwood Tree

A tree that has beautiful blossoms in the spring is our wild Dogwood tree. This year due to a very mild winter, lack of water and impending drought, our Dogwood is blooming early.

Pussy Ears

We generally take a day drive up into the mountains at the end of May to gather Dogwood blossoms along with other wild flowers. We use them to decorate our family graves for Memorial Day. This year everything is blooming 4-6 weeks early so our flower supply will be limited.
Here are a few of our annual flowers that are currently blooming in the northern California  forests.

Mule Ear Daisy

Trillium

Siskiyou Lewisia

Miners Lettuce

Copper and blooming Chaparral

Red Bells

Lupine

 Spring Colds and flu have hit many hard around here.

Young Western Red Cedar

Mature Western Red Cedar

Cold and flu season has depleted my supply of  Western Red Cedar.

Cedar is our go to for chest congestion and respiratory illnesses. Always remember to identify plants correctly before using. We only use the Western Red Cedar. Other varieties may have similar or different properties and uses.

These photos are of  young Western Red Cedar and a mature tree.

I gather the green foliage and dry for a tea. We use it in place of, or in conjunction with, commercially produced flu remedies.
I gather the berries for decorations and jewelry. Again. know your plants and if possible go out with someone knowledgeable.

After 30+ years,  I'm still not used to the idea that my husband no longer fells timber and there will be no summer long camp-outs in the forest. The time I've spent living in the deep forest and taking pictures of trees and plants has contributed to the background information in many of my stories. Spending weeks away from modern conveniences is at the top of my fun list.

Some of my photos of my husband cutting down danger trees near roadways and tourists camps have become a part of on my book covers.

My children are also in the forest/logging industry and work to keep the forest healthy as our family has done for countless generations.

At the end of the day we all give thanks that we are able to spend our life out in nature passing down generations of knowledge and skills, enjoying good company, and watching the sun set on yet another great day in the northern California forest. It's our Shasta tradition.

Jae Hall lives in far Northern California with her husband, the Shasta tribal Chief, family, cats, dogs and over a dozen horses. She is the co-author of Arcadia Publishing history books Western Siskiyou, Gold and Dreams, and Shasta Nation. Through PRP is the novel TimberBeast and she has Indie published the second book in her TimberBeast series, DutchMan.
More fiction and non-fiction books are coming soon.

#NewRelease -- THE VIOLIN by Sarah J. McNeal -- #Giveaway!

Leave Sarah a comment below to be entered in a drawing for a free ecopy of her time travel novel, THE VIOLIN.

BLURB

Genevieve Beaumont is haunted by dreams of a drowning man and her helplessness to save him. She buys a violin at an estate sale, and when she opens the case, her life is changed forever. The pictures she finds inside the case are of the man in her dreams, and the news clippings detail his death--a death she has witnessed countless times.

She travels to the small town where he died, almost 90 years in the past, searching for answers. When she enters the abandoned homestead where John Douglas lived with his parents and younger brother, she steps through the threshold of time. It's 1927 all over again, and she has only days to prevent John's death--if she's able.

THE VIOLIN has brought Genevieve into the past--but to what end? She must make the decision of a lifetime--whether to return to her life in the future, or stay in the past with John--the man she's already fallen in love with. Either way, she must find a way to keep the dream of his death from becoming a reality...

EXCERPT

 The man wore canvas trousers, a white cotton shirt with no collar and suspenders. He was fly-fishing in a picturesque scene with steep banks and forests on either side of the river that hurried past rocks and boulders. The water scrubbed his waders, sometimes a few inches below his knees and other times deeper, up to his waist, as the man worked the river using a fishing pole and liquid skill.

 He stood with his back to her. She watched the muscles ripple in his back as he cast his line into the water. The wind ruffled his hair and the sunlight glinted through it. Water gurgled and splashed as it bumped along the rocks and boulders.

 It seemed to be a pleasant scene, but something wasn't quite right.

 Genevieve had a feeling deep in her core, something ominous was about to happen. She tensed. Her heart went into overdrive. Someone screamed. Was it her? The man began to turn, his face almost revealed to her.

 Then, the dream tumbled out of control.

     She couldn't breathe. She found herself under the water, looking up through it into the clear, blue sky. The man's face hovered above the water to peer at her through the surging current. The rippling water distorted his appearance and kept his identity a mystery. He reached toward her as if to help her…and everything went black. 

BUY LINKS   Smashwords      Barnes and Noble Nook     Kobo

Back It Up

Image courtesy of Jeff777BC

This past month, with a manuscript deadline hanging over my head, I experienced one of a writer's worse nightmares. My trusty five year-old computer stopped being trustworthy. 

***It crashed.   ***It froze.   ****More often than not, in order to turn it off so I could restart, I had to press the button to force the "hard" shut down. 

I made two decisions:  

• First, I started backing up all my files before I completely lost the computer. 
•  Second, I bought a new computer. 

 I have always been one to back up my computer files. That is the good news. The bad news is that I have a tendency to regularly back up only my working files. After all, those family photos and images I've downloaded from the internet tend to be big files that take a long time to copy and paste to a back-up drive. I don't get to those as often. Then there are the email addresses and the favorites/bookmarks I want to save......

However, with the prospect of the permanent death of my computer staring me in the face, I knew there were a lot of files other than my working files I needed to get backed-up while I still could.

Back-up Considerations

 

How a person backs up their files is a personal choice. The considerations try to keep in mind are these:

• the ease of use, therefore, the greater likelihood that I take the time to make back-ups
• the durability of the back-up media
• the number of years I will be able to access the back-up media
• cost

Like Jennie in my novel, Family Secrets, once I developed an interest in family history, I gathered only so much information before I realized the importance of setting up a filing system. The same held true for my digital files on my computer. And, if I didn't want to lose all my hard work, I needed to back it up.

In the early years I backed my files up on 5.25 inch floppies. Then my Windows 95 computer died. Not only did my computer that replaced it not have a 5.25 inch drive, which required me to purchase an external drive, the later version of Windows I purchased did not let me access the old MS-DOS files.

Then for years I backed everything up on 3.5 inch floppies (they were in a hard plastic case, but everyone I knew still called them floppies.) Imagine my surprise when several years later after a couple of computer deaths and a mother board failure, I realized that among the three current computers in my household, only one had a 3.5 inch drive. Everything had gone to CDs by then, and they were no longer selling computers with the floppy drives. So, using that old laptop that, fortunately, also had both a CD drive and two USB ports, I was able to back up everything I wanted to save on the most current media.

At first I heard that CDs are indestructible. If that claim sounds too good to be true, that is because it was. Later claims warned that CDs have about a ten year life. After ten years, it is wise to copy the contents of the CD onto a new CD or another form of media.

Now, many computers have DVD drives that won't work well with CDs. And, what happens when the CD/DVD drives on computers go the way of the 5.25 inch and 3.5 inch floppy drives? I have already chosen one of my daughters and one of my granddaughters to be the family historians after I pass. One of the most important duties to which I have tasked them is to keep our family digital photos and records backed up on the most current media.

Decide on your best back-up options--the ones that will work for you. Right now, I rely more on flash drives (thumb drives, USB drives) and external hard drives. Because I can fill up even the largest flash drive with only a portion of my images, I mostly use two external hard drives. I alternate them and make a point every couple of months to not only back up my working computer files on them, but I also back them up with each other. That way, my data is saved in two places .

Consider the Cloud -- Carefully

Several years ago I started using Dropbox. They offered a small amount of storage space free of charge with the hope that I would pay their fee for more storage space on the "cloud." I loved the ease of transferring files from one computer to another using this program. Also, I could invite others to share individual file folders which made it a lot easier for me to transfer large data files to family and friends rather than using email. The more family and friends I convinced to sign up for Dropbox, the more storage they granted me. 

However, what a free service gives, a free service can take away. I heard the rumor that Dropbox had dropped several files for many of its users. In a panic, I checked my account. Yes, some file folders were gone, but I had them backed up in other places. Fortunately, the files with the family history documents and photos I share with my cousins were still there. I immediately made sure everything the others had contributed were also saved to my hard drive and my back-up drives. I have since decided that until I am ready to PAY for a cloud storage service, I am better off not relying on one.

It took me about two weeks, but I got my back-up media organized (well, fairly organized), my new computer set up, and the files I need now transferred to my new computer's hard drive. I'm back to writing and still chasing that deadline. And, I am making an effort to be more diligent about backing up EVERYTHING in a timely manner.

Robyn Echols writes using the pen name, Zina Abbott. Her novel, Family Secrets, has been published by Fire Star Press and is now available on Amazon HERE and on Barnes & Nobel for Nook HERE. 

Also available from Prairie Rose Publications:

Big Meadows Valentine, on Amazon Kindle HERE and on Nook HERE . The second novella in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, A Resurrected Heart, is available on Amazon Kindle HERE and on Nook HERE.

 

People and the Forest--Gathering Ichnish, A Tribal Tradition. by Jae Hall

Lomatium californicum. Also called Ich-nish

Getting ready for this blog I thought about wide variety of native plants and the stories connected with them.  

Then the warm weather turned cold and my camera came out. Our mountain tops were shrouded in clouds and snow furies. I knew the plant and the story that needed to be shared.

I gather many plants with my family through the year, but spring time is special. It's not only Ich-nish (Ick niche) Season but it's also Coyote Weather, and the Story of Coyote and Coyote Weather is told in my family as it has been told for thousands of years.

In the Shasta Language Lomatium californicum is called Ich-nish.

It's a species of plant related to the carrot and the parsnip which is known by the common names California rock parsnip, celery weed, and California lomatium. This plant is native to California and Oregon, where it is found in low elevation mountains and hills. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomatium_californicum )

Gathering among the Oak trees

As with all wild plants, please know what you are picking and eating. Most plants in the carrot/celery family are extremely toxic. There is no such thing as too much caution. I recommend if you are in Northern California/ Southern Oregon and do decide to gather this plant that you go with someone knowledgeable.

Ichnish is used by several tribes in the Southern Oregon/Northern California area. Some use the root as a part of their traditional medicine and religious ceremonies. It can be used for smudge and many Shasta people use it to protect their homes from evil spirits.

I'll focus on the edible aspects of the plant.

Bags of Ichnish Spring 2015

For most people it is simply a delicious herbal seasoning and only the leaf is used. It is a great addition to common seasonings like pepper and garlic. It tastes somewhere between celery tops and cilantro with a twist. The older the plants the hotter the leaves. I often add it to soups, stews, and any roasted meat. it also spices up deviled eggs, omelets and salads. It grows only in the spring and is only available for a few weeks so gathering and drying enough to last our family for the year is important.

Book By Mary Carpelan

When the late winter gets warm and the Ichnish starts to grow we watch the mountains for the distinct green color of the growing Ichnish. 

I'm going to share a Shasta Legend that has been handed down for many many generations. This story takes place during the 3 days of the spring equinox and the Sun and all the landmarks in this story line up perfectly on a map for those 3 days.

My sister-in-law, Mary Carpelan wrote and illustrated this ancient family story in a children's book called Coyote Fights the Sun (currently out of print) 

I'm using common names for places and please forgive some of the photos. It's hard to get clear pictures without getting power lines, houses and  other modern items in the shots.

  

The Shasta Legend: Coyote Fights the Sun

Winter was turning to spring and Coyote thought of eating fresh Ichnish. He was foolish and decided that the food they had stored to get through winter was no longer good enough. He had his daughters throw it out.

He looked outside and saw that the skies were clear. Calling his two daughters he told them to go up the mountain (Quartz Hill) and  pick some Ichnish.

His daughters were hungry too. They went up the mountain to gather in the Ichnish patch. It was growing tall and they began to fill their bags quickly so they could get home before dark. The kept their eyes on their work and didn't pay attention to the weather.

They didn't notice that the clouds started coming over the Marble Mountains and came across Quartz Valley.

The storm rolled up the ridges and covered Quartz Hill. Soon there was a terrible storm and several feet of snow covered the hill. Coyote's daughters realized too late that the sun was gone and they were trapped.

 When the storm was over and Coyote was able to climb Quartz Hill he found that his daughters had died in the storm. He was very angry. He blamed the Sun for going away and allowing the storm to take his daughters. He vowed to kill the Sun. He took his bows and arrows and climbed up on Quartz Hill to the Ichnish patch. He waited all night for the Sun to come up, but the Sun came up across Oro Fino over Chapparal Hill!  

Still angry Coyote walked all day and climbed to the top of Chapparal Hill. The next morning the sun came up over Duzel Rock. 

Now Coyote was really mad. The sun was teasing him. He walked all day and climbed to the top of Duzel Rock and waited for the sun to rise. But the sun came up over the Lime Stone Bluffs in Shasta Valley. 

Again he walked all day to the Lime Stone Bluffs. He was determined to kill the Sun.

 The next morning the Sun was now across the valley and came up behind Mount Shasta. Coyote looked down the bluffs and saw a big lake between him and Mt. Shasta. He dove down to swim across and get ready for the next morning. But the lake was really fog. Down he tumbled until he landed on a rocky ridge and was turned to stone. 

Coyote is still standing on the ridge south of Gazelle California.

He waits each morning hoping to get his chance to kill the Sun.

So when Sun shines brightly in February and March we don't go up the mountain to look for Ichnish. We call it Coyote Weather because Coyote is a trickster and the warm weather is not Spring. It is a false Spring that goes away as the late March and early April snowstorms come over the Marble Mountains and cross Quartz Valley to wrap our Ichnish patch on Quartz Hill in cold and ice and snow.

Jae Hall

Find my page and book TimberBeast at http://prairierosepublications.com "Kelsy is an environmental spy running from her troubles. Fox is an timber faller living his dream. They meet in a forest full of  danger, romance and the Timberbeast." What could possibly go wrong?
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/TimberBeastSaga

At twitter JaeHall @kelsyfoxx

Find my  PRP Firestar Press novels and Arcadia history books at  www.amazon.com/Jae-Hall/e/B00DPOQHSW