Saturday, November 5, 2011

Guest Blog with Natalie J Damschroder

The Importance of Words
by Natalie J Damschroder

I asked Roxanne what kind of topic she wanted from me today, and she said I could do anything, and her list of suggestions included "wiring." I laughed at her. She claimed it was supposed to be "writing." I guess we should give her the benefit of the doubt, right? :)

I told her it gave me an idea for a topic, which I think probably scared her. But I'm not going to talk about wiring (though I am proud to say I've swapped out outlets and dimmer switches in my house :) ). No, I'm going to talk about the importance of words.

It kind of boggles my mind what kind of stuff gets out there. I mean, if you want to be a sign painter, you need to know that you don't put an apostrophe in plurals. It's "home of the best subs," not "sub's." That drives me nuts!

I can't watch commercials for very long. It's not because I hate commercials. I mean, a lot of them are clever or cute or heartwarming or some combination. (I LOVE the Old Spice Guy and the Macs vs PCs.) But some of them spent a LOT of money to make themselves look ridiculous. To people like me, anyway.

Take that credit card commercial on a pirate movie set. The woman doing the voiceover says, "I have a small part in a big movie." And then the scene shows her doing the actor's makeup, and standing behind the scenes with a makeup belt on. So she's not IN the movie. She has a part ON the movie. Two little letters, huge difference in meaning.

There are some songs out there that bug the heck out of me, too. I know we're supposed to give lyrics a pass. Creative license, right? But I can't help it if "you're on my heart just like a tattoo" makes me think too literally and squicks me out. Then there's "When I die/bury me in satin/lay me down in a bed of roses/sink me in the river/at dawn..."

Uh...which one? Okay, we can lay roses in the grave, wrap you in satin, and bury you, but then it's not possible to sink you in the river without digging you back up, and that's kind of hard on your loved ones, hon.

I'm sorry! That just completely ruins what's actually a sweet song. Mostly. Except for the part where she's gonna sell her thoughts for a dollar because they'll be worth much more when she's a gonner...

I could go on and on, but really, do you want me to? LOL I'd rather hear YOUR word-based pet peeves. Tell me what bugs you the most!

Hopefully, you won't find any huge snafus in my new books!

Behind the Scenes

Kennedy Smyth's firm provides security for companies and charities in seriously dangerous countries. She doesn't usually take on "frivolous" jobs, but when an old friend asks her to protect his son's movie shoot, she finds it hard to refuse. Also hard to resist is the film's charismatic star, Rogan St. James. The handsome actor piques her interest, while the strange actions of the terrorist threatening the set raise her suspicions.

Even though he's a successful actor, Rogan wants more a real woman to love, the type he doesn't think exists...until he meets Kennedy. She intrigues him with her confidence and passion for her work, and frustrates him with her refusal to let him get close.

But Kennedy finds herself in a vulnerable position when she discovers that the terrorist isn't actually out to derail the film. She's the real target and if he finds out how much Rogan means to her, he could be next...

Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible coming soon.


Under the Moon November 15, 2011

Their power gives them strength…and makes them targets.

Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father’s bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.

But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue (whatever that means) and that Quinn is influenced by “family ties” she didn’t know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.

But not as hard as denying their hearts…

4 comments:

mnjcarter said...

Loved this post!! My biggest word pet peeve(and every time I hear it, I want to slap the s#&! out of someone) is, "I know, right?!" Seriously, what the hell?
Glad I got that off my chest, thanks!

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

LOL! That's a funny one! I actually like it, but probably because Dean uses it in a couple of episodes of Supernatural. :)

Sorry I didn't get over here yesterday. I never got near a computer! :(

Norah Wilson said...

The one that gets me is when reporters say someone was guilty of "driving with undue care and attention". Hello? That would be exercising MORE care and attention than the task actually required. What they mean, of course is driving WITHOUT due care and attention.

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Oh, yeah! That's a good one. I don't like to watch the news, and that's part of it. I get a glimpse of 30 seconds and I'm editing everything they say. LOL

 
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