Another milestone reached in the Aliens Versus Zombies Thunderclap campaign!

I'm pleased to announce that as of three hours ago we have reached 50% of our goal! We still need another 50 supporters, but there are 24 full days left in which to do it.

As always, thanks so much for helping Aliens Versus Zombies get off to a rousing start. The first 50

supporters have a combined social media reach of more than 45,000 people. That's getting the word out. :)

In an earlier update, I listed the first 34 supporters. Here are the next 16:

Casey Harvell
Anthony D. Lombardi
Tony
Seth Newman
K.s. Crooks
Dale Stiffler
Janet Smith Brown
Brenda Lacy
Venus Morales Author
Kristin Lundgren
Linda Bouyea
Michael Peirce
Matthew Pittaway
Jay Brown
P.D.Roberts
Roy Goodwin

My heartfelt thanks to each of you for helping me with this campaign. :)

Now, let's go get another 50! Here's the link to the campaign: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/27110-aliens-versus-zombies#

And here's the link to preorder AVZ, if you're so inclined: http://smarturl.it/AliensVersusZombies

Mark.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly) is available for preorder

From the author of the former #1 bestselling Military Sci-fi novel on Amazon (My Other Car is a Spaceship). FREQUENTLY MISUSED AND MISSPELLED WORDS AND PHRASES (and how to use them correctly) is now available for preorder on Amazon.

Do you sometimes find yourself using the wrong word (such as discrete vs. discreet), or using a word incorrectly? Are you confused by the differences between similar words (such as shined, shone, and shown; lay and lie; or to, too, and two)? Do you misspell common words (alright vs. all right, or ect. vs. etc.) and phrases (such as tow the line vs. toe the line)? Do you write fiction, nonfiction, business memos, emails, or anything else that others will read? Then this book is for you.

It explains in simple language the differences between words and phrases that are frequently misused and misspelled, as well as rules for proper punctuation and capitalization, and other elements of English that often trip up the unwary writer. And it does so with frequent humor to keep it from becoming too dry. For example:

Baited vs. Bated
Wrong: I waited with baited breath.
Right: I waited with bated breath.

Do your friends call you “fish-breath”? If not, then you wait with bated breath, which means “reduced, lessened, lowered in force.” The expression bated breath (using a short form of abated) refers to how someone almost stops breathing through awe, terror, anxiety, or extreme anticipation. Perhaps you waited with bated breath as he baited the hook.

and:

Dessert vs. Desert
Wrong: She wandered for days, lost in the dessert.
Right: She wandered for days, lost in the desert.

Unless she was eating the world’s largest hot fudge sundae, she was lost in a desert (an extremely dry place that supports only sparse vegetation), not a dessert (the final course of a meal).

and:

Site vs. Sight vs. Cite
Wrong: Check out my web sight.
Right: Check out my web site.

A site (noun) is a location. (“This is the site of our upcoming restaurant.”) A sight (noun) is a vision or a glimpse of something. (“She was quite a sight in that dress.”) Cite isn’t even a noun, it’s a verb. It means to quote as an authority (“Cite your sources.”), to commend for outstanding service (“He was cited for bravery.”) or to summon to court (“She was cited for speeding.”). The noun form of cite is citation. (Isn’t it interesting how a citation for bravery can be a good thing while a citation for speeding is a bad thing?)

and:

Tact vs. Tack vs. Tactic
Wrong: I’m going to take a different tact on this problem.
Right: I’m going to take a different tack on this problem.
Right: I’m going to try a different tactic with this problem.

The phrase “taking a different tack” comes from nautical terminology meaning a course run obliquely against the wind in a zigzag fashion. So, taking a different tack means to try another approach or come at the problem from a different direction. Tact, on the other hand, is a sense of what’s appropriate or a skill with delicate situations. A tactic is a plan or procedure to attain a goal. A person of tact, then, might try a different tack as a tactic for achieving victory.
Check out the Look Inside feature for hundreds of other examples.

FREQUENTLY MISUSED AND MISSPELLED WORDS AND PHRASES (and how to use them correctly) is available on Amazon in 12 countries: http://hyperurl.co/FrequentlyMisusedWrd. To find out more about my books, go to my website: http://MarkTerenceChapman.com.

Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 94

Very unique

Wrong: This is a very unique example of Etruscan pottery.
Right: This is a unique example of Etruscan pottery.

Unique means one-of-a-kind. Something either is or isn’t unique, just as a woman either is or isn’t pregnant. It can’t be slightly or moderately or very unique (or pregnant). “Very,” in this case—as in most—is redundant. It’s akin to “gilding the golden lily.”

This is an excerpt from my upcoming self-help book for writers of all types and skill levels, "Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly)"

First review for My Other Car is a Spaceship!

My new military sci-fi/space opera novel, My Other Car is a Spaceship, has been out for only four days, but it's selling like gangbusters. (Yesterday it hit the Top 100 for military SF.)

It just got its first review on Amazon. *****Five Stars***** The review is short but oh-so-sweet: 

"A very enjoyable, action pack[ed] military [SF] against pirates. Well worth buying. I started and could not stop reading it. I will definitely buy the next book in the series."

It’s available on Amazon in 12 countries: http://smarturl.it/MyOtherCarSpaceship 

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 93

From my upcoming book, Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly).

People vs. Peoples vs. Persons

Wrong: The many people of Africa offer diverse cultures.

Right: The many peoples of Africa offer diverse cultures.

Wrong: The incredibly huge number of peoples in India leads to economic hardship and health problems.

Right: The incredibly huge number of people in India leads to economic hardship and health problems.

Wrong: We’re hunting for three specific people who escaped from jail.

Right: We’re hunting for three specific persons who escaped from jail.

The word people refers to a group of human beings in a general sense. But a people is used for a body of people sharing a similar culture. When discussing multiple such bodies of people, use peoples. Persons is a plural of person, naturally, and refers to particular individuals, even if unidentified (as in “person or persons unknown”).

The cover for Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly)

Here is the cover of my upcoming self-help book for all types of writers (fiction/nonfiction/business/emails, etc), Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly).

What do you think of it?

The official release date for My Other Car is a Spaceship is August 20, 2014!

The release date for My Other Car is a Spaceship is August 20, 2014. It will come with an introductory price of US$1.99 until September 20, 2014. 

In case you haven't seen the cover before, here it is:

The Imperative Chronicles, Books One and Two: clarification

For anyone who is more interested in the plot of The Tesserene Imperative (Book Two) than that of The Mars Imperative (Book One), or who doesn't want to get "hooked" on another never-ending book series, there is something you should know. These two books are only loosely connected. Yes, they're set in the same fictional universe, but the stories take place a decade apart, with different characters. And where The Mars Imperative is set in our solar system, The Tesserene Imperative takes place almost entirely in deep space.

For comparisons, think of Saberhagen's Berserker series (Berserker Throne, etc.) or McCaffrey's Brainship series (The Ship Who Sang, etc.), each with different characters and stories, with only slight overlap between them.

Therefore, either book could be read alone, or in either order, without affecting your enjoyment of them. I do, however, have plans for a third book to follow The Tesserene Imperative. I thought it would be fun to have an adventure involving characters from both books working together. (The working title is The Galactic Imperative.) 

There is also the possibility some day of a prequel (Book 0?) to The Mars Imperative, set two decades earlier and involving two of the secondary characters from The Mars Imperative at an earlier point in their careers, but that's speculative at best. I have no plans for any other books in the series, so you don't have to worry about The Imperative Chronicles turning into a Game of Thrones and having to wait a decade for me to finish the series. Except for Book 3 (which would benefit from reading Books One and Two first), the others could be read in any order--or skipped entirely. (You wouldn't do that, though, would you???)

Introductory prices expire soon!

The introductory US$1.49 price for my sci-fi novel, The Mars Imperative, expires on August 14. So now would be a good time to buy it, before the price increase. The same introductory price will expire for The Tesserene Imperative on August 28, so there isn't a lot of time left for that one either. :)


Here are the links for the two books:
The Mars Imperative
The Tesserene Imperative

New book cover postcard for My Other Car is a Spaceship

Here's a low-res image of how the new postcards will look when they arrive in a week or two:

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 92

Snuck vs. Sneaked

Wrong: He snuck in through the back window.

Right: He sneaked in though the back window.

Sneak is the past tense of sneak (to move surreptitiously). Snuck is simply a nonstandard variation. It is used quite often in dialog to give the speaker a certain relaxed vibe. But it shouldn’t be used in formal writing.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 91

Udder/Udderly vs. Utter/Utterly

Wrong: That’s udder nonsense!

Right: That’s utter nonsense!

Wrong: She was udderly oblivious to the destruction behind her.

Right: She was utterly oblivious to the destruction behind her.

Don’t laugh! I’ve seen this entirely too many times. An udder is the large baglike mammary gland (teat) of female cows, sheep, goats, and other four-legged mammals. Udderly isn’t even a word.  Utter has several meanings, including (as a verb) to produce audible sounds or speak, and (as an adjective) complete, total, or unconditional. Utterly is an adverb meaning completely, totally, or absolutely. This is a case where “udder nonsense” is utterly nonsensical.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 90

Foo-pa vs. Faux pas

Wrong: Did you hear about her foo-pa at the gala last night?

Right: Did you hear about her faux pas at the gala last night?

Faux pas (pronounced FOH-pa) is a French term (literally “false step”) for an embarrassing social blunder or slip in manners, etiquette, or conduct. In the above example, it was the speaker who committed the faux pas.

Book cover wars!

Hold the presses! We have another contender for the cover. Bear in mind that despite the whimsical title, the story is hard military/space opera. So which cover do you like better? One font probably fits the title better, while the other fits the story better. But which is more eye-catching?

New cover for My Other Car is a Spaceship

Here's a sneak peak at the cover for my upcoming military/space opera sci-fi thriller, My Other Car is a Spaceship. It should be out late this month. (Click on it for a larger picture.)

What do you think?

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 89

Literally vs. Figuratively

Wrong: I was literally buried under paperwork yesterday.

Right: I was buried under paperwork yesterday.

Wrong: Having a baby literally ended her life.

Right: Having a baby ended her life, figuratively speaking.

Literally means actually. Therefore, unless a huge pile of papers actually toppled over and trapped you beneath it, don’t say literally. If that was what happened, you might be advised to wear a medical alert bracelet so the search-and-rescue team can find you, in case it ever happens again—or change to a safer job.

If you’re not speaking literally, but using a figure of speech or metaphor, then say figuratively.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 88

Here's another one:

Expresso vs. Espresso

Wrong: I like to start every morning with a strong shot of expresso.

Right: I like to start every morning with a strong shot of espresso.

Espresso is a delicious hot beverage with quite a caffeine kick. Expresso isn’t. In fact, it’s nothing, not even a real word. So don’t use it.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 87

From my upcoming book by the same title.

Eldest vs. Elder

Wrong: The eldest of their two daughters is getting married next month.

Right: The elder of their two daughters is getting married next month.

Use elder when referring to one of only two; use eldest when referring to one of three or more.

Later!

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 86

I've decided to resume posting bits and pieces of my upcoming book by the same name. No idea when it'll be done. It currently has over 250 entries. I'll have to decide when there are enough to publish.

Allude vs. Refer

Wrong: She kept alluding to the particulars of the annual report.

Right: She kept referring to the particulars of the annual report.

Right: Mr. Kellar frequently alluded to the neighborhood where he grew up.

We refer to something directly or allude to it indirectly. (Sports commentators, for some reason, seem to misuse allude frequently.) Rather than saying a woman has put gained a lot of weight late in her pregnancy, we might allude to this by saying she’s “very pregnant.”

More later. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! May all your hopes and dreams come true, and your endeavors prove fruitful.

By the way, my science fiction novel, Sunrise Destiny is up for Book of the Month at Dark Divas Reviews. Click here to vote for it. (Voting ends at midnight on January 6.) To read the Dark Divas review of Sunrise Destiny, go here.

Thanks, and have a wonderful new year!

Mark.