July 2020 – Sonja Danielson

Happy Avocado Day!

I hope you like avocados because this is your day! Whether you like them whole, chopped up and made into guacamole (yum!), or slathered on toast-avocados are a superfood.

They’re a good source of monounsaturated fat, which helps reduce your risk of heart disease. They also have a bunch of nutrients that you need. Although a lot of the calories from avocados come from fat, eat away! (Just don’t eat too many at one time because they are loaded with fiber.)

How do you know when these green gems are ripe?

They will give way to a gentle squeeze, but not feel mushy. Usually, the skin is greener, but going by color alone can yield disappointment.

Enjoy your day to eat the green fruit. Sonja

FREE BOOK!

(c) 2020 Guinness has his first therapy session at the library!

Guinness wants you to read about his adventures as a therapy dog. We are offering the ebook for FREE!

It’s available only for a limited time at this special just-for-you price.

Go to Amazon.com and search for my name to see all my books, or use the link in the left margin of this web site. There are direct links for each of my books.

This book is the second in the series, but does not rely on the first book to set it up. You can read them in any order (although I recommend starting at #1!).

This is an illustrated, easy-to-read book. More advanced than a picture book, but much less complicated than a middle-grade or chapter book intended for advanced readers.

Enjoy reading about Guinness the Therapy Dog! Sonja

The Internet is Your Friend-But

But you need to be careful about your source. Are there footnotes? Sources? Corroboration?

There is a lot of false information out there. You need to be careful with your research.

I was recently researching a location for a book and found a lot of conflicting information. Granted, it is a historical site and I was looked for the minutiae, but, still, it was frustrating. The thing was, the sites were the information came from were all vetted sites and operated by trustworthy sources.

Although several of the sites supported each other, I’m not sure if they’re correct. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? It’s so tempting to take the one that matches what you need and use it, but it may be dramatically incorrect.

What do you do?

I will likely modify things to suit my story and put in a disclaimer that I did this. I’ll write that I couldn’t find good corroboration in my research and to not take my information as fact. I certainly don’t want it used as a source. I pride myself on the accuracy of my research.

I’m sure each of the sites I researched insists that their version is based on truth. How can I know which is accurate?

All I’m saying is, be careful and admit when you aren’t sure about something. Sonja

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

The photo is of the U.S. National Korean War Memorial.

Today is the day we honor the men and women who fought in that war.

The Korean War was a fight against Communism-the first battle in the Cold War. Sometimes called the Forgotten War, the Korean War began in June 1950 and killed 36,000 Americans.

For three years America and its allies fought the North Korean forces.

Peace was attained by President Eisenhower’s government and on July 27, 1953 an armistice was signed. All fighting ended.

We honor those who fought in the Korean War.

You are not forgotten. Sonja

How Is A Cover Made?

(c) 2020 A non-fiction look at the search for religious freedom in the 1600s

The first photo is the published cover. The second photo is a trial mock-up. I like the final product. How about you?

I think the red of the cover is eye-catching, and the artwork on the front is a good example of what’s inside.

The cover is what draws the reader into looking at the first page. It’s a matter of reader preference.

I hope you have read, and enjoyed, The Voyage! Sonja

My Favorite Book-

Last month I told you about my favorite book that helps me with my narrative and descriptions. It’s called the Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary, by Marc McCutcheon. There are some sections that I don’t use, like “French Cooking Terms” and “Surgical Procedures.” But if I want to know what a “hand-and-a-half sword” is, then there’s a definition for it. (It’s an intermediate or small sword, smaller than a two-handed sword, by the way). There’s also a section on clothing, separated by major historical eras or shifts.

Hey, have you heard of a “ha-ha”? No, it’s not laughter. It’s a sunken fence or moat around a garden to keep animals out of the area.

Fascinating, huh?

I like books that help me with research or language. I don’t like redundancy or interrupting my writing flow while I search for the correct word. Sometimes I put XXX to hold the place of a word I need and then go back to fill it in. Otherwise, that fleeting thread of dialogue or plot will evaporate. It usually doesn’t come back, whether it was good or bad.

Enjoy your writing process. Sonja

Last Chance!

https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+fairies+of+carlow — (c) 2019 Available on Amazon.com

Today is the final day to get your FREE ebook of The Gilding, the first book in The Fairies of Carlow book series.

This series is comprised of middle-grade books. There are chapters, a complex plot, but the subject matter is appropriate for those as young as 3rd grade. I have received comments from all age groups about how enjoyable these books are-so while they are categorized as children’s books, they resonate with adults, too.

You can follow the link on this website (in the left margin) or enter my name into the search bar of Amazon.com to find this book. The price will be automatically adjusted to FREE no matter how you get there.

Enjoy your ebook! Sonja

If you’re a writer-

Today I’m going to talk about writing.

I know, when don’t I? But today I want to talk about asking for help. What? I don’t want a writing partner. I’m not talking about someone helping you write your scenes; I’m talking about a fresh set of eyes to look at your finished draft. There will always be something you missed!

Have you ever written a paragraph, read it over and been satisfied, then handed it to someone else who pointed out that you missed a word? Yup, we’ve all been there. My big gaffe (which makes me laugh every time I think about it) is using lamp for lamb. It makes a big difference in the sentence.

I must have read that almost a dozen times and never caught it.

Why?

Because my brain saw the word that I wanted, not the word I had written.

I recommend:

Critique partners

Beta readers

Proofreaders

Etc.

It doesn’t need to cost you much, whether that be money or time, but it’s necessary for your writing. Can you imagine submitting a manuscript with a ewe birthing a lamp instead of a lamb (Hand raised. I did it.)?

Get yourself a fresh set of eyes. Sonja