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Good afternoon all you fans. I write to you today as a frustrated writer who may now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Why do you ask?
Since August, most of my posts have failed to make it to my email followers. While it royally sucked, the resolution may be in the works.
The publishing company that handles distribution of my posts to all of my followers uploaded a patch to server yesterday. This company handles all distributions, including social media as well as my email subscribers. So far, two days in a row, my email followers have received my posts. Whoo hoo!
However, I must admit, I am still hesitant to say that they fixed the problem. Only time will tell.
One good thing that came out of all this. I was forced to find a simple type of post that followers would like to read, rather than just the same only ‘buy me’ crap that often happened. That is when I stumbled upon the Word of the Day feature. It’s a hit as I have received many positive responses to my posts. Most of the responses tell me that they particularly like the ‘My Take’ portion, which I love doing, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time. Time that I am using to writing my next story.
So, be on the lookout for my next novel, that I hope to publish next month. It’s tentatively called ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ The story is inline with the ‘Her Client’ but with many differences as well. If you liked any of my previous novels, you’ll love this one.
Now, a big thank you to everyone who is buying my books. Sales for the ‘Her Client’ series is phenomenal, as well as I have seen an increase in sales of my other books ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele,’ and ‘The Breakup.’ A big thank you to each and every one of you who bought and read them. Please, do me a favor. Write a review on the site from where you purchased the book(s). It would to a lot of good to get the word out.
Thanks for being patient with my publicizing problem. And, oh, by the way, winter is still here. Snow is on the ground as we had a record snowfall on Sunday, blowing the old record away by 300%. Wow. Now, if I could only blow away my sales by 300%, I could retire and write full-time. Hey, it’s all up to you, the reader. Thank you for your support.
Obfuscate (verb) AHB-fuh-skayt
1 a : darken
b : to make obscure
2 : confuse
3 : to be evasive, unclear, or confusing
“Time and again he has shifted, shaded or obfuscated his policy positions—piling on new ideas, which sometimes didn’t fit with the old.” — David Fahrenthold and Katie Zezima, The Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2016
“It was the trademark of San Francisco psychedelia to never put the year on a concert poster, and to obfuscate important details.” — Sam Whiting, The San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2016
To obfuscate something means to make it so that it isn’t clear or transparent, much like dirty water makes it hard to see to the bottom of a pond. The verb shares its ob-root (meaning “over, completely”) with obscure, another word that can refer to the act of concealing something or making it more difficult to see or understand. The rest of obfuscate comes from Latin fuscus, which means “dark brown” and is distantly related to our word dusk.
Obfuscate, I like this word. If one knows its meaning, it’s easy to use in common language. I can even see me using it in my novels. Any of my plots can darken obscure, confuse or evade the real action. While my writing is explicit, I like to hide undercurrents of thoughts, beliefs or opinions into my scenes.
Take for example my book, ‘The Taste of Honey.’
Did you know that while most of the characters are not spiritual at all, the title character is very much so. She believes in life after death, and she believes in a higher power. None of the other characters do. In essence, the characters in the world I created in these books has lost all touch with religion, spirituality and the idea of life after death.
Not to obfuscate the plot but Honey intends to help her community in life and after. She believes that a higher power will allow her, through ritualistic means, to literally live on after her death and help her family and friends to overcome adversity and thrive for eternity.
For the rest of the characters, their paths through life are clear and well known. They have no concept of life after death. Little by little, Honey is changing that, so that the main character, Mona, questions herself, her life and her role within the community. Her path becomes unclear as she tries to resolve the conflict of her upbringing with the ideals of her best friend, Honey.
‘The Taste of Honey’ is available right here on my website, or at Amazon.com, BN.com or your favorite eBook retailer. It is also available in paperback from Createspace.com.
I had fun looking for images related to this word. I hope you like the ones I chose, as well as the sexy bonus pic you will get if you share this post via Twitter.
I love learning the different contexts of these words of the day. Don’t you? Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.
Have a great day.
Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.
I know lately, all you have heard from me are my ‘Word of the Day’ posts. I didn’t mean for this to go on so long, my not sharing with you what is going on.
These last many months have been very strange for me. As you may recall, or not and that’s okay too, I suffered a severe concussion at work. That was in mid-July, and I’ve been out of work since then, as I’m still dealing with the after-effects. Now, mostly it’s the headaches and occasional short-term memory issue.
Then, in mid-August, my website began running into problems, which are still going today. It’s mid-November, and the vendor involved still hasn’t fixed it.
Apparently, I’m not alone with this problem, but I still had to involve my web hosting company and spend hundreds of hours on triaging the problem. Eventually, the company relented and reported that their email administrators had discovered a ‘race’ condition between their mail servers which affected me. I think that the servers are either overloaded or undersized. My tests seem to support that my posts that go out late in the day have a better chance of being delivered to my email subscribers than those that go out earlier in the day. That’s right. Not everyone is getting their mail sent to them. I received this note from them early this morning.
“I’ve let our developers know about this so they can investigate further.”
It’s the same problem that surfaced back in August, and they’re still dicking around with investigating the problem?
Another consequence of my concussion was that for a long time, I was unable to use my computers. Looking at the screen gave me severe headaches. While the headaches remain, I can now look at computer screens without making them worse.
I also suffered from cognitive thinking and short-term memory issues. What really disturbed me was that my continuous stream of creative thinking that was a part of my entire life … disappeared. For months, the imagery that was so much a part of me was gone. I felt like I lost a lover, a friend, a companion, and … well … me.
I tried to encourage its return by editing my first draft of ‘Lucky Bitch’, the third book in my Mona Bendarova Series. That went okay for a while until I discovered that I had to rewrite the ending. I noticed that I had written much of the material included in the last couple of chapters in the first third of the book. What the fuck? I reached out to my beta readers asking for some help, which they graciously gave. However, without a creative stream of thoughts, I couldn’t rewrite the ending, so I put it aside for the time being. Shit. It’s going to be a full year since I published the second book in the series, ‘Broken Steele’. Shit, but I know that there is nothing I can do about it.
So, I kept working on restarting my creative stream. I’m happy to say, about three weeks ago, the creative stream suddenly flared back with a passion. In an instant, a fully formed idea for a new novel, from start to finish, flashed into my mind, demanding release.
Since then, I have been writing up a storm. I’m consumed with trying to get the novel out of my soul and down in print. Every day since late October, I write. Sometimes, only a few thousands of words get written down but often, I get ten thousand or more out. I’ve haven’t checked recently, but I think I’m over 100k words right now and still going.
It’s wonderful to have the stream back. My live-in girlfriend is at times upset with me as I bury myself in my office and write. In the afternoons and evenings, I’ll sit with her. She controls the TV remote while I pick up my laptop and write. She understands but still feels ignored. It’s a delicate balance but the consuming need to express myself outweighs the need to help her feel comfortable. Later that evening, I will put the laptop down and fully dedicate my time to her.
So, I hope to have this new novel out by the end of the year, but we’ll see. It will need severe editing, as I don’t trust my mind right now to keep all of the characters and timings straight. Automatic spell and grammar checking are fantastic, but there are many things they cannot catch.
One thing I have noticed as I write, sometimes I’ll think of a word I intend to write only to look up at the screen and see an entirely different word. Huh? How did I think ‘dog’ and write ‘dolphin’ or ‘plane?’ Yes, it happens, and I can’t seem to correct it. Perhaps my physical therapy which starts next week will help with that. Frankly, I think just writing will ultimately solve that. I just hope that I don’t pass on an incongruous thought to you in my writing. And if I do, I trust that you’ll forgive me.
I had fun looking for images related to my issues. I hope you like the ones I chose, as well as the sexy bonus pic you will get if you share this post via Twitter.
Right now, I need to get back to my novel. Parts of it are still up there in that noggin of mine, demanding a release from its captivity inside my skull. You’ll forgive me if I stop now and return to my novel.
This is Richard Verry, writing to you from my home office. Thanks for caring. I appreciate all of the kind words people have sent to me over these past several months.
Hoick: (verb) HOIK
: to move or pull abruptly : yank
buck, hitch, jerk, jolt, twitch, yank, hike
“to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion” <hoicked up his pants and hastily waded into the water>
“Occasionally he hoicks up the waistband of his trousers when he thinks no one is looking.” — Elizabeth Day, The Observer, 24 Feb. 2015
“The flutist … looks forward, unfolding a retinue of futuristic techniques—sounds that purr like a cat, pop like a cork or hoick like a spitball—on the way to a final improvisation….” — David Allen, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2016
Etymologists suspect that hoick is an alteration of the verb hike, which is itself akin to hitch. According to the evidence, hike entered the language during the first decade of the 19th century, whereas hoick appeared near that century’s close. The word hoick can be used for any type of abrupt pulling movement but is commonly used for the sudden pulling back on the joystick of an airplane; a rough, jerky movement when rowing; and a jerky, elevated shot in cricket. In fox hunting, the word hoicks is used to call attention to a hound that has picked up the scent and to bring the pack together.
Hoick is an interesting word. To yank, to pull up, to hike up, to pull abruptly are just some of the synonyms for the word. I like it.
Especially when applied to pulling up trousers, hiking up one’s dress or adjusting one’s bra. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a woman absent-mindedly pull up on her bra straps because her breasts were pulling hard on the cups, forcing the bra-strap to ride her her back. I’ve never commented when it happens, yet I’m strangely drawn to watching her do it. It is over in a blink of an eye, but I smile inside never-the-less. I do the same to adjust the boys when they get jammed between my legs. It’s uncomfortable if not painful. So, I understand ladies. I do.
In researching this word, I did not know that it is also the proper name for many people as well as a band and it’s heavily used in the game of cricket.
When I think about it, it is a word I can use in my books. Already, several scenarios are evolving in my mind in thinking about the Mona Bendarova Stories. In book two ‘Broken Steele,’ I might have utilized it when Jewel competed in her first dance competition. Of course, I published that book last year, so I can’t. However, dance competitions are common in these stories, so look for it in future stories. By the way, spoiler alert, Jewel ties for first place.
Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all enjoy reading them.
ab initio (adverb) ab-ih-NISH-ee-oh
: from the beginning
“Like many of contemporary architecture’s most celebrated figures, [Zaha] Hadid is often presented as an artist who conceives her buildings entirely ab initio.” — Ellis Woodman, The Daily Telegraph (London), 3 Sept. 2012
“Two months ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Federal Court judges are not eligible to represent Quebec on its bench. Justice Nadon’s nomination was therefore void ab initio.” — André Pratte, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 29 May 2014
We’ll tell you right from the beginning where ab initio comes from. This adverb was adopted at the beginning of the 17th century directly from Latin, where it translates as “from the beginning.” (Initio is a form of the noun initium, meaning “beginning,” which gave rise to such English words as initial, initiate, andinitiative.) Ab initio most frequently appears in legal contexts, but it is not surprising to find it used outside of the courtroom. The phrase is also used as an adjective meaning “starting from or based on first principles” (as in “predicted from ab initio calculations”).
Why am I surprised? Well, first off, I think of myself as a well-rounded individual. I don’t pretend to know it all, but I feel I know a bit and comprehend more. Well, maybe I am no so well-rounded as I thought.
First off, I never knew a single word in the English language could include a space in the middle of the word. Ab Initio has such a space. It is considered a single word though to me; it is two words. It can’t be of course, as the first two letters of the word do not include a vowel, an essential component in the English language.
However, I do understand the concept. When I first reflected on the word, I recognized its Latin roots. I then figured that it most likely is used in either the medical or legal vernacular. I’m not sure whether it can be used in everyday conversation.
When I researched the word, I stumbled upon a website devoted to the concept, ‘from the beginning to infinity’ or ‘ab initio ad infinitum.’ The site hasn’t been updated in over four years now, but I found it an interesting read. More importantly, through it, I found another artist who intrigues me, A. Andrew Gonzalez. I plan on adding him to my list of artists to study.
What do you think about the word? Can the average person use it in everyday conversation? Certainly, if you want to read my Mona Bendarova books, you need to read them ab initio. Hmmm, an interesting word, don’t you think?
Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all enjoy reading them.
By the way, if you share this post on twitter by clicking one of twitter buttons on the page, you’ll be treated with a sexier image related to this topic. My gift to you for sharing my post.
Before I lose it again, I want to send everyone an update. For more than two weeks, my posts have not been going out to my email subscribers. Holy missing feed batman. I do not know why, it is working at this moment, but it is. So while it is, I am sending out this update to let you know what is going on.
My social media sites received the updates but my email subscribers have not. If I had hair, I would have pulled it all out by now.
To my email subscribers, I apologize. I will strive hard to make sure that you continue to receive my updates on a timely basis. In the meantime, if you like, you can go to my blog site and catch up. They are all there. https://richardverry.com/blog.
For the past two weeks, I’ve worked extensively with my host provider and the plug-in author to try and figure it all out. Yes, there are two vendors involved with this issue, and both pointed to the other as the responsible party.
Me? I believe it was the plug-in that broke the feeds. Why? The first question I ask myself is, what’s changed? That’s easy. The plug-in changed. In fact, the publishers updated the plug-in several times over the past two months. They released a brand new version just before I noticed my posts were not distributed properly. They claimed my SSL certificate configuration was not correct. Of course, this was debunked pretty quickly by the hosting company as well as my research.
So, what did it come down too? Persistence and I don’t know what else. I can say, that I used Google to research all sorts of ideas. (Don’t you just love the Google search engine for looking up answers to problems?) I also did a thorough review of my site, I found broken links, carried over from a year ago when I migrated my site to a hosted solution, which I fixed. I also figured out a way to leverage server-side caching that was on my to-do list. But that is about the size of it.
I believe it is the plug-in server side programming as well as aspects of the plug-in client-side programming that are the root cause of the issue. But, could I get them to acknowledge it? Nope. Even now, they still haven’t. Yet, yesterday morning, my posts failed to distribute to my email subscribers, and today they do. What did I do? Nothing.
To my email subscribers, I apologize. If you have read this far, thank you. In acknowledgment of your patience, I would like to offer you a free copy of my book ‘The Taste of Honey‘. Just click the book title to connect you to the free download page.
In the meantime, I will do everything I can to keep this feed up and working for you.
Until the next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Regards,
Rich
Scion (noun) SYE-un
1 : a detached living portion of a plant (as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
2 : descendant, child; especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family
3 : heir
“The duke was the billionaire owner of swaths of central London, a friend of Britain’s royal family and the scion of an aristocratic family stretching back to the Norman Conquest.” —The Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2016
“The vibe of the place is a mixture of old-school cool and Brit eccentric. There are poems etched onto the wall by the artist Hugo Guinness, … a scion of the famous Anglo-Irish brewing family.” — Christa D’Souza, W, September 2016
Scion derives from the Middle English sioun and Old French cion and is related to the Old English cīth and the Old High German kīdi (meaning “sprout” or “shoot”). When it first sprouted in English in the 14th century, scion meant “a shoot or twig.” That sense withered in horticultural contexts, but the word branched out, adding the grafting-related meaning we know today. A figurative sense also blossomed referring to one’s descendants, with particular reference to those who are descendants of notable families.
Well, knock me down with a feather. While I knew the word in everyday life (the car), I did not know its meaning. I did not know it meant grafting or its relationship to an heir.
In researching the word, I came up with thousands of relevant photos, most of them of the car. Since I don’t promote products in this forum, I needed to dig deeper. It was in this digging that it truly hit me, to graft one onto another. In it view of a descendant, examples are all around us, from the heir to a throne, to being the descendant of our ancestors. As implied in the photo, the branches of our genealogical tree can intermingle and intertwine, spreading out or coming together over the ages, merging before taking separate paths. It reminds me that we, the residents of this planet, are all related to each other.
In my Mona Bendarova Adventures, there is a scion on the way. Honey carries the heir, or scion, to Lee Marks. They commonly call him the ‘Little Master.’ Assuming he survives to adulthood, he is most definitely the scion to the Mark’s estate. He may not, but Honey is sure he will. I look forward to writing his story in later books within the series.
Please share with me your comments. I enjoy reading them.
Brought to you by Merrian-Webster, Word of the Day.
Truncate (verb) TRUNG-kayt
: to shorten by or as if by cutting off
“Apparently, a federal law … requires printed credit card receipts truncate not only the credit card number, but also the expiration date.” — Jack Greiner, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2016
“Google’s own URL shortener service … instantly truncates the URL you’re visiting and copies the new address to the clipboard for use anywhere.” — Eric Griffith, PCMag.com, 23 Aug. 2016
Truncate descends from the Latin verb truncare, meaning “to shorten,” which in turn can be traced back to the Latin word for the trunk of a tree, which is truncus. Incidentally, if you’ve guessed that truncus is also the ancestor of the English word trunk, you are correct. Truncusalso gave us truncheon, which is the name for a police officer’s billy club, and the obscure word obtruncate, meaning “to cut the head or top from.”
Truncate is another word that is part of my everyday vocabulary. It joined my vocabulary decades ago when I became a software engineer. Truncating strings (letters or words, such as a last name, an error message, or other similar communications). I’ve also used it to truncate trailing spaces in a string, to minimize storage necessities or make a message easier to understand.
In everyday life, agencies and companies routinely truncate, or prune, portions of a string to protect the privacy of the end user. Displaying the last four digits of a social security number or a credit card number protects the identity of the owner of that number. I could come up with example after example, but I believe you get the idea. So, the next time you see a truncated string, just remember that it’s there to help protect your privacy or understand the message.
Other things that can be truncated include cropped shirts, cropped shorts, and cropped hair cuts. Cropped is another word for truncate. Look around and see what other examples you can find in everyday life. Share them by commenting below. In the meantime, have a great day.
Brought to you by Merrian-Webster, Word of the Day.
Vulnerary
adjective VUL-nuh-rair-ee
: used for or useful in healing wounds
“Rebecca examined the wound, and having applied to it such vulneraryremedies as her art prescribed, informed her father that if fever could be averted … there was nothing to fear for his guest’s life, and that he might with safety travel to York with them on the ensuing day.” — Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1820
“St. John’s wort can also help those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to lower sunlight exposure in the winter months. Its anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, astringent, and antimicrobial actions make it a powerful healer for wounds, bruises, burns, sprains, and muscle pain.” — Jane Metzger, Mother Earth News, 13 July 2015
Ah, a new word for me, and one that I can use in my Mona Bendarova books. In these books, there is a medical doctor who is researching the male child high mortality rate and other issues.
However, he is also the primary care physician for hundreds of thousands of patients. In a world where sickness has been eliminated, the greatest need for his services is trauma care. Trauma injury occurs frequently. Treatment is performed using natural and manufactured medicines.
Vulnerary is a word that I can apply to his treatments. Wounds, bruises, burns, sprains, and muscle strain is common and need for the Doctor’s services is frequent. I look forward to the opportunity to use the word.
If you are interested in further information on the science of vulnerary, check out this blog site The Top 10 Best Blogs on Vulnerary.
Brought to you by Merrian-Webster, Word of the Day.
