Month: September 2014

Anger…

AngryHave you ever paused at the word ‘angry’ and wondered whether it should be followed by ‘with’ or ‘at’ or ‘about’?

A good rule of thumb is: you’re angry with a person, but angry at/about a situation.

I was angry with my son because he broke my favourite vase.

I was angry with King Arthur because he left my cakes out in the rain.

He was angry about the situation in Iraq

He was angry at the way the dog had been mistreated.

You can also be ‘angered by’, but this is similar to about/at, in that one is angered by a situation rather than a person.

She was angered by the lack of response to her party invitation.

She was angered by her daughter’s unwillingness to help her with the chores.

However, language evolves, and consequently, ‘angry at’ for use with a person isn’t necessarily wrong and is becoming more acceptable.

I find to avoid any confusion or doubt, it’s simpler to keep ‘with’ for people and ‘about/at’ for things. You could, of course, avoid the problem altogether and ensure that your characters are always happy and never angry about anything at all, and the world of fiction would be a peaceful and calm place. (Nah, that really would be pushing the imagination!)

Saturday Book Showcase: Betwixt

Betwixt
by Melissa Pearl
4.7 average rating from 71 reviews
Word count: 62,600

Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it’s too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

This title is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Continue reading “Saturday Book Showcase: Betwixt”

Flash Fiction Challenge: Purse Snatcher

columbus new providence bahamas 1984The punk grabbed the old lady’s purse and ran up those steps like a monkey on crack. A little crowd of tourists gathered around as the old woman yelled at me to do something.

I’m at least thirty years older and a good fifty pounds heavier than him. I don’t do foot chases any more.

Looking up at the steps, I just smile. “Oh don’t worry. He’ll be coming back this way in a moment.”

I know something he doesn’t know.

In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture and/or the written prompt above. Do not include the prompt in your entry. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level. No religious, political, or racy entries, please.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time.

On Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry accompanying the photo. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms.

2014 Whistler Writers Festival

whistler writers festival logoThe 2014 Whistler Writers Festival, presented by the Whistler Writers Group, will run from Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 19, 2014. It includes workshops, reading events, and more. Event tickets are available individually, including Workshop 1: The A to Z of Self-Publishing with Martin Crosbie which runs all day October 17.

For more information on the Festival, please visit their site.

Information and announcements such as these are provided from time to time by Indies Unlimited in the way of a public service. We strongly encourage interested parties to exercise due diligence in researching and evaluating all such opportunities of interest before choosing to participate.