Anna Faversham
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Posts posted by Anna Faversham
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Thank you, Chesilbeach.
I've been using free ones - some are better than others! -
Me too, Ian. There's just a few that stop me in my tracks. Most of the time I can ignore for the sake of a good story.
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There's no doubt that there's a lot more to it than I have said as I am not an expert and am always short of time, but I am fascinated by how our language has evolved. An increasing problem - for me too - is that it is quicker to consult Google for a spelling than it is to look it up in my OED. I think I shall put my OED closer to my keyboard. Or perhaps the OED is online?
Anyway, I just reuploaded one of my novels (with updates to the 'end matter') and sweet Amazon declared it had no spelling errors again. Yippee! One less job to do.
Writers really need discussions like this, so thank you everyone.
I like your Charles Darwin quotation willoyd. There now, we're quits.
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Welcome Matt.
There's lots of info on this forum - hope you enjoy it.
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Lots of us are inclined to think we know how things should be spelled but I learnt a lesson when I noticed above an old school gate the school motto included the word 'honor'. As this was in deepest Sussex, I was a bit puzzled. I researched it and sure enough, at the time the motto was erected over the gate, that was the correct way to spell it. Bill Bryson's book The Mother Tongue is very helpful on matters like we're discussing.
It seems that the Americans have hung on to man of the old spellings and it is the Brits who have evolved.
I was always taught that organization should be spelled with a 'z'. In my old OED 'z' is the first option. Anyone watch 'Morse'? One of the episodes showed where Morse realized that the killer could not be whatshisname because as an Oxford man he would never have spelled realize with an 's'.
I know a few British writers who stick to 'z' in some words. I'm inclined to think that Microsoft Spell Check decided that the Brits should have the 's' and it's stuck. It's certainly easier to go with the flow than to swim against the tide. But I do like to rebel sometimes.
Good thread!
Edit - I meant to start this post with 'I agree with Chesil!'
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Welcome BML. Kindles are great. I have 50+ books stored on mine and most of the books were either free or under £5 at the very most. As for finding quotes - yes, as has been mentioned, you can find things on there. Of course, you can always Google your quote and see if it takes you to the exact quote within that book.
Good luck!
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How brave you are to be writing such a book! I hope you will be careful about what you say!
I enjoy books where good battles evil. I always want the goodies to win but I often am attracted to the baddie character, so I don't think you need worry too much about people speaking their minds and being a bit pushy.
I enjoy watching a TV programme called Inspector George Gently which is based on a book series. The young, sidekick detective is just as you describe your New Englanders and sometimes I could get mad at him, but his character is strong enough to keep my eyes on him all the time. That is what you want in a book. So yes, I would pick up a book that highlighted the regional differences you mention above.
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On reading your initial post, only your American flag gave you away to me, but I thought I had better not assume you were American! However, I have become aware of the many differences in culture and speech even in the U.S. I mentioned 'Gone With the Wind' because I can sometimes distinguish the southerners from say, Californians or New Englanders. I find all this fascinating.
Here in the U.K. we often cannot understand all of what someone else says when they only live 400 miles away! But we can always understand what they write (unless they write in the vernacular). I've just started reading some of the Poldark books and Winston Graham writes beautifully and I love it, but sometimes I can't make out what his characters are saying as he writes as they spoke it and being west country mining folk from the 19th century, it's richly scattered with local expressions and missing a lot of consonants. I slow down and decipher it! Well, I try!
My books are on Amazon - I'll p.m. you.
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Mostly Amazon, occasionally Book Depository. I didn't know Waterstones did online. I've used their bookshops and Hatchards.
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Are you American? If so, roughly whereabouts do you live? Sorry to be so nosey!
Gone With the Wind was a very American story but it translates well into other countries. Some do, some don't. I did wonder whether to adapt my style to make my books more acceptable to Americans, but I decided that I'm just too British to be able to do that and my stories are set in England and so I just hope for better marketing to come along for the Brits.
As a reader, I depend heavily on book groups and recommendations and contacts.
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As a writer, I have found that my ebooks sell more in the US than in the UK; ten times better but the population is only four or five times larger. The books are set in England and were intended for a UK readership. It hadn't occurred to me that Americans might like them. So culturally they have crossed the pond but the star ratings are lower so, to use your words, they probably don't 'read as well' in the US, i.e. do not resonate so well there.
Indians, those in India too, seem to speak highly of British classics such as Jane Austen (who doesn't) and Thomas Hardy, etc.
I know of a New Zealand writer who sets her books in early days NZ and I should have thought they would have a limited market but, not so, they sell very well in the US too.
Marketing is easier in the U.S. as they have lots of companies sending enewsletters around of bargain books. So, as Talisman suggests, marketing probably plays a large part. I keep hoping some British entrepreneurs will start more here in the UK.
As a reader, I prefer British writers perhaps because of the familiarity of the language they use. Some overseas mini genres such as Mail Order Brides just do not appeal. However, I have enjoyed very much some overseas writers as they take me to places and times I cannot visit myself.
Mr Cat, I hope you can find books you like very much cheaper somewhere. Have you tried Amazon? Most ebooks are cheaper.
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Welcome - I'm looking forward to seeing some of your sunshine soon!
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Welcome back, SunnyShadows. I like your name - atmospheric in itself! Let's hope for some sun to make some shadows - it's grey and damp here in Kent.
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Welcome Shades. I wonder what you'll dig up.
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Dark and Intriguing Historical Romance/Suspense - One Dark Night - 99p until January 3rd
To give you an idea of what it's like:-“A great read! I love all the historical detail and I learnt much about smugglers. It's fast paced, and it really grips you until the end. The characters are very well portrayed. I was sorry to finish the book, always the sign of a good story.” - ‘Amazon Customer’ UK site.It is 1821 and smuggling is rife on the English coast. Lucy doesn’t know who to trust, while those around her suspect she is a spy and treat her accordingly. Her problems increase when two men enter her life:Lieutenant Karl Thorsen, sworn to avenge his father’s murder, is determined to hang the violent smugglers.Daniel Tynton has smuggling in his blood. When he witnesses a murder, he makes a tough decision, and many lives will never be the same.99p until 3rd January or Free if you have Kindle UnlimitedPerhaps I should have put this on the writers' thread? I thought it might be a service to all book club members to know of a reduction.
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Mine is also too big. Nowhere near as big as other people's, I'm sure, but I rarely get time to read. And I do so enjoy reading.
Autumn, I belong to Goodreads and I've come across people with thousands on their TBR shelves. Most people find it useful.
I think it can be very helpful for lesser mortals, like me, to have 'To Do' lists and 'To Read' lists otherwise I could miss out on the ones I really want to read by forgetting I've got them! I now mostly read on my Kindle, so they are all listed on that - easy.
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I wish we could help you more. Perhaps what you need is to join some of the sites that send a daily newsletter which have free books in them and then watch out for Sherlock Holmes ones.
Perhaps we could all look out for Sherlock ones and post on here if we see any of them are free to download.
This forum has a good thread here:
http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/11149-kindle-and-ebooks-deals/page
But will you be able to download to Syria? Are you living in Syria?
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http://www.BookHippo.co.ukis a very good daily newsletter. I get a lot of newsletters with daily offers but this British one is the best and has all sorts of extras as well as a great selection of discounted books.
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I have to agree with all you say, poppyshake, about Austen and Emily Bronte. They were the first names to pop into my head - tragically short lives.
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called me a peasant! A peasant? Me! Well, I can tell you, I thought of a few names I could call her, but I kept my cool and just said...
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Takeaways, thought Bertie suppressing a smile. "Take it to where?"
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to the Book Club Forum, Simsons. I wish I could answer your questions but I can't! Sorry.I haven't read any of Nicky Gumbel's books but I know there is one which is called 'Questions of Life' on Amazon which people speak very highly of and when I Googled 'Nicky Gumbel not always a Christian' that's the one that came up.
I hope someone else can help with the Charles Bronson book - I didn't even know he'd written one. Is that the actor or just someone with the same name?
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I hope you enjoy getting to know everyone and you find some great books.
UK spelling vs. US spelling in US / UK editions
in General Book Discussions
Posted
Willoyd, you've put it exactly as I think it should be explained, but so much better than I would have done.