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This time for the grammar rodeo, I thought I'd keep our subject matter simple and maybe even fun! Yes, yes, I swear, grammar can be fun--at least when you're like me and find a wicked glee in rolling your eyes at the grammar fails around you!! First, though, let's take a look at a technical writing tip that seems simple, but catches up more people than you might think! Grammar Rodeo #4 Getting It Write Err... Right! Subject and Verb Agreement No, I don't expect them to shake hands after coming to some sort of deal. And I'm not going to go on and on about all the different subject and verb combos, though these rules can work with verbs that aren't joined with "is" or "are", those two words are the particular angle of this grammar lesson. So how do you know which to use, "is" or "are"? Which one is appropriate depends on the subject of the sentence you're writing. Have I lost you already? The subject in a sentence is the who or what is doing the action. Sometimes the subject is singular and sometimes it becomes a compound subject if you link two subjects with the word 'and'. A subject can also be part of a noun phrase usually made up of a noun/pronoun, modifiers, determiners, and/or complements. That sounds complicated, but really, it's just the bit tacked on that shares a bit more about the subject. Example: Dave "is" driving me crazy. (Singular Subject) Dave and Peter "are" driving me crazy. Compound Subject (Plural Subject) The man seated in front of me "is" driving me crazy. Noun phrase subject (Singular Subject) The men seated in front me "are" driving me crazy. Still a noun phrase subject, but now it's plural because I used 'men'. (Plural Subject) The important part is to know what the subject of the sentence is and whether it's singular or plural. The easiest way to figure that out is to first look for the word "and" in the subject. If you use "and" typically your sentence has a plural subject so you should use the word "are". Sometimes, though, it can be a little tricky because you have to pick out which part of the phrase is the actual subject--and sometimes a sentence with a single subject can still be plural due to what the subject actually is. Which is right? 1A The use of cellular phones and mp3 players is prohibited. or 1B The use of cellular phones and mp3 players are prohibited. 2A Beef and pork is good in moderation. or 2B Beef and pork are good in moderation. 3A Your assistance and cooperation is appreciated. or 3B Your assistance and cooperation are appreciated. Grammar Fails Speaking of "your"... the fun part of today's Grammar Rodeo! If you're a bit of an editing geek, like me, you see these on your travels and can't help but snicker. One day at the county fair I saw this shirt and couldn't help but take a picture! I'm sure many of you have seen pics like these shared online or have a story of one, or more, grammar fails you've seen. So share already!

Teddy came out of his fugue silently, but he reached between our seats and sank his fingers into my hip. I jumped, then ducked my head, avoiding my mother’s glare. Teddy’s grip ease immediately. Hopefully that meant whatever startled him wasn’t too serious, as the music was coming to a close, but there was no way to ask him any questions until after the concert ended. The stage curtains came down after the last arrangement ended, hiding the orchestra from view. The lamps came on, and Teddy pull

This month we featured Valkyrie's short story, Penguin. It's a story about a chance meeting... and of course, the inspiration for the title, Penguin, plays a big part in the story. Check out my interview with Valkyrie, and then leave your thoughts on the story below! She will be available "live" to reply to comments, answer questions, etc... from 8-10 PM, Eastern Time. Single people often have more time to write. Are you single? Yes, although I do a lot of volunteer work for my profession and have a full-time job, so sometimes it can be hard to find the time and energy to write. What are you wearing (and no fibbing!)? A purple t-shirt and blue jeans. Did you like to write in school? I’ve always loved writing. I hated homework, but liked writing assignments, especially if it was creative writing. One of my characters in my current story The Hollow Hills – Josh – first appeared in a story I wrote for my ninth grade English class. What brought you to GA? I was a big fan of Rob Colton’s on Literotica. I found a link to GA on his profile and followed it here. It was exciting to see other writers here that I enjoyed reading on Lit – like Sasha Distan and Reddirtwriter. I found everyone here to be so welcoming and helpful. Comicfan’s prompts inspired me to start writing. I honestly don’t think I would have if it wasn’t for the supportive and helpful nature of GA members. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Like I mentioned above, I am very active in organizations supporting my profession. I sit on three different boards of directors – President of one, Past President of another, and I am also a director on our state board. It takes a lot of my time and thank goodness I am at the end of my service for most of them! I like watching TV and I also enjoy traveling. I have an extensive collection of model horses and show them; although I’ve been doing that quite a bit less than I have in the past. Is there a writer you would consider a mentor or had influence on your writing? Cole Matthews has taught me so much through his beta reading for me. He doesn’t hesitate to let me know when I’ve screwed up and where I need to make improvements. Louis (LJH) and Lisa have helped me make my writing technically stronger through their editing. Joann414 helped me tremendously when I first joined to learn the ins and outs of the site. She also beta read Penguin for me and helped make it a better story. Do you have any writing rituals? Not really. I’m extremely sensitive to noise, so I tend to need it quiet in order to focus on writing. I also have attention issues and am easily distracted by shiny things. Hey look…the cat just yawned! If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be? To let the writing ‘flow’ and worry about the technical aspect later. I tend to write a few paragraphs, then go back and make revisions. I’ve spent a lot of time doing technical writing, so getting in the mindset to write fiction can be difficult at times. I’m constantly learning and (I hope) evolving as a writer. Did something inspire you to write Penguin as a longer story than a flash prompt response? I thought the note that Daniel sent Penguin was so sweet and I really wanted to know what happened after Sean read it. So I suppose my inspiration was curiosity. Did the characters or the plot come to you first when you viewed the prompt? The characters. I envisioned a man jogging in the park and encountering something you don’t see every day. I figured a man walking with a cat perched on his shoulder would fit the bill. I didn’t really plot this story out at all. I let the characters lead the story. How long did it take you to write this story? About two months. What was your favorite part of Penguin? Hmmm… that’s a tough one. I like when Robbie brought Timmy to Sean’s and Penguin gave him a tour of the apartment. I can just picture the two cats wandering around together and imagine the ‘conversation’ between them. My other favorite part would be toward the end of the story, so I don’t want to say any spoilers for those who haven’t read the story yet. Can you share a little of your current work with us? I’m currently writing a story called The Hollow Hills. It’s set on a horse farm in Vermont and centers around Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. This isn’t a ‘fall instantly in love and live happily ever after’ story. There is lots of angst, tragedy, turmoil, and two flawed individuals trying their best to navigate through it all. Will they get their happy ending? That remains to be seen… I’m also working on a piece for the summer antho, which will feature a face familiar to readers of my Max and Elliot stories. Slytherin gets credit for the idea, though, since I never would have told Pete’s story otherwise. Thanks for the interesting interview replies, Valkyrie! Okay readers, share your thoughts!!

Happy Birthday!!

I have to agree with you on that point of the issue--is it right to make this necessary or even voluntary for school? No. Should it stop? Yes. Especially with the increasingly available robotic and computer assisted training options, trainees can gain experience without this outcome. Let's talk about coercion though. If you invested your ability to support yourself by paying for this course in a school, yet are told that you will be failed--which could result in not being able to achieve graduation and getting a job to keep you from being unable to support yourself--if you do not do something that makes you feel personally and sexually violated, is that not a form of abuse? Not everyone has a lot of options; sometimes people have to do things they don't want to do in order to keep their job--or their potential for a job. All adults have probably faced that at some point or another--even if not to this extent. Having been in the medical field and a patient many times, I have very little modesty between myself and medical professionals. Would it feel different in a classroom setting? Probably. Would I be uncomfortable? Likely. Would it feel very different if I were told "You have to do this or I will fail you"? Most definitely--especially if the school's official stance is that the exams are voluntary and the professor made them mandatory--because THAT is coercion. And that is what I feel is the true crux of the matter. What abuse victim doesn't deserve compensation for their pain and anguish? Money doesn't make it right--but it can help them have options in their lives moving on. How much is these girls' mental suffering worth if it's proven that they were forced to disrobe and allow someone to touch their bodies in places and in ways that made them uncomfortable, or even traumatized, while others looked on? That's hard to know, and I'm glad I'm not in a position to have to decide.

Gut-churning rage consumed me as I watched several nobles watching Teddy and me with avarice naked on their faces. Pure greed motivated them, and now that I wasn’t blinded by my need to be one of them, I could see it. It was glaringly obvious, from the tips of their carefully curled hair to the toes of their pointy, useless shoes encrusted with jewels. Every painted face was a mask I’d never penetrated before, but was now paper thin. And what they wanted us for… I would never let that happen.

It will all come down to proof on the so-called "voluntary" status of submitting to the ultrasound. I've worked in the medical field and I've had several of those ultrasounds during pregnancy, so I'm conflicted when it comes to this case. Trans-vaginal ultrasounds are very invasive even when done in the privacy of an office with a medical provider, but part of being in the medical field is learning how to view a patient as just a patient. We all have the same parts and medical professionals have seen them all--many times--so embarrassment over just about everything goes out the window quick both as a provider and a patient. However, a classroom situation is not at all like a clinical situation, and it doesn't seem, from the report, that this was approached in the proper manner.

Inside of You is a 'companion' story outside of my Carthera trilogy (Carthera Takeover Tales) but featuring some of the characters in there. If you like the world, but haven't read the trilogy, I'd suggest reading Bonds Unbroken, Two of a Kind, and Hypnotic. I also gave Benny a story outside of the trilogy timeline, titled, "Lost Inside". Thank you so much for the wonderful review, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the stories.

Swimming! It's an all over exercise and a great time to start since so many pools or natural swimming places are open. I'm looking forward to finally, after years, being able to get on a bike again too. Those are both good low-impact alternatives to walking and/or jogging. Look for little ways to work in muscle exercise in the day, or stand up after so long sitting and just do a few squats or lunges to get blood flowing. Yoga is a great way to start or end the day, too.

Happy Birthday!!

Yay! I definitely could see the confusion when I realized my oops. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Valkyrie!

Fortunate for his conscience... though he's pretty wise to the ways of the city. I don't see him leaving a weapon in his arsenal untested, so I'd bet Will has walked the shadows before! Thanks for reading, Scary, and I'm glad it made more sense this time.

You guys were right; I blame my out-of-it-ness last week, but I thought I'd posted the chapter here. I fixed the chapters, so hopefully 29 will make sense as chapter 29 instead of chapter 28. Whoops! :blush:

*facepalms* I did screw it up! The chapters are now posted and in order the right way. Sorry!!

“Damn it. Lower me down.” I looped the rope around my waist quickly and held tight. “Teddy?” I hurried over to him, and accidentally kicked the lamp. It was barely glowing. I reached down and sent a surge of energy into it, gasping at the painful drawing I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Will?” Teddy blinked up at me. Relief compounded my exhaustion, and I swayed. “You really must stop falling asleep on me. My heart can’t take it!” “Sorry.” “Come on, let’s go. I have some help to get us out of

“Teddy?” There was no answer, and the room beyond the tunnel was dark. My heart raced and my stomach churned as fear gripped me. “Teddy!” I darted into the room, holding my lamp high. “Oh god.” He was still sitting against the wall. His head lolled to one side. I slammed into the floor next to him, reaching out with trembling fingers. He couldn’t be…. He just had a dislocated shoulder! I could barely breathe. “T-Teddy?” I stroked his cheek, dreading the feeling of cold flesh, but he was warm

This is exactly why I spend so much time at my kids' school, some weeks nearly enough for it to be a job. But it's all part of ensuring their educational experience is as good as I can make it, by being involved, by helping the teachers and librarian and gym and music teachers because they do so damn much already, anything I can do is one less thing that takes time away from their focus in the classrooms.

Great Q & A for the authors! And aww, thanks Rob! I always enjoy working with authors who are just as interested in striving for quality work as I am.

This month we are saying goodbye or hello to days at the park and picnics... but it's always the season for love! So this month we're featuring: Penguin by Valkyrie Length: 14,683 Description: Where will a chance encounter at a park lead? A reader said: The romantic wins the day in the end. ~ Jaro_423 This month's discussion day will be held on Monday, May 25th, so make sure you read the story and be ready with your thoughts and questions for Valkyrie!!

Another editing mistake found and corrected by Timothy M. Well done!! A little trick, use find/replace in Word to replace the space, hyphen, space with an em dash. It'll remove the spaces and everything, which makes it easier. You'll probably also have to do a separate find/replace for em dashes at the end of a sentence without any spaces, but it works the same way. Hope that helps!!

Seriously? A flight to the moon could be faster than across the country! This news from NASA is super cool!! (Now they just need to figure out why it works, lol)

You're welcome True! You're correct Lisa. Though I meant to have the sentence read as: 'a well-known man'. I fixed it. (thanks!!) Mann, I always use Chicago Manual of Style. The 2 eBook publishers I work(ed) with both use that style guide, so I adhere to it whenever possible. Glad it's helpful, Valkyrie, Carlos. I know grammar rules are difficult to figure out, much less remember, so it's helpful for me to share them as well as talk it out with other authors.

“Teddy? Are you okay?” “Maybe.” Now he definitely sounded hurt. Figuring out how to get down to him without dropping the lamp was tricky, and sweat was trickling down my back by the time I dropped to the floor by his feet. I held the light up. Teddy was cradling one arm, and his shoulder had an odd hunch. Dislocated. “You sure know how to make an entrance, Teddy.” “I didn’t mean to make a scene. Do you think anyone noticed?” he joked in a weak voice. “Yes. The gentleman on your right is qui

Graeme's covered just about everything on how to find stories you'll enjoy on your own, but if you're looking for recommendations from readers specifically (and that's okay too!) then I'd suggest giving us a few examples of your fav genres or story themes to go on.