What's Happening at Book Readers Heaven... The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly...

The BAD...

It's been a long time since I wrote one of these articles... That's been for a reason; however, it didn't work... LOL

I have announced that I am no longer accepting new requests for book reviews... but that doesn't stop them coming! I appreciate greatly that peoople believe I can help them by reviewing their books, but...it's time to slow down. And, frankly, if I stop to respond to each and every request, I am spending too much time, saying, "No, I'm an no longer accepting new requests!" Requests come in from so many different sites that I have hundreds each day/week that I have just stopped! 

I am so sorry that I cannot take the time to handle the administrative details of being a book reviewer! Would you believe that I have hundreds of books that I have not read yet... At the same time, there are hundreds of books I'd like to read that, if I continued to accept new requests, I'd never be able to read those I want to! Please know that if I do not respond to a request to my official email address, which I can assure you I read, then please assume I am not able to accept your requests. If you write to me on a different site, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, etc., I will not respond... Rather, I cannot respond in order to protect my own health...

For one, my eyes are not as great as they should be, even though I just had an annual exam which showed my glasses were ok (and which means that my eyes are deteriorating and getting tired from so much reading, but improved glasses can't help)... Sad to Say!


The Good!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

But, on to more important things! Like the coming of Emmanuel!

May God Bless you on the Birth of Jesus Christ next week. And to all those who celebrate their beliefs in other ways during holidays. God Loves us all and I personally have accepted Jesus as my Savior. However, God has a plan for each of us who is born--may we each learn what that plan is...

I'm sharing some of my beloved Christmas songs today, so I'll add that, if you don't know who Jesus is, let Andrea Bocelli and Mary Bilge tell about him...

An Exclusive Gift from Lauren Carr

Lauren Carr is graciously sharing two of her short stories from an anthology, here at Book Readers Heaven. I loved both of them and want to thank her in advance for sharing them here, exclusively, at Book Readers Heaven... Don't forget to check my blog on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! My review of the anthology will follow after Christmas...

Yes, I do accept guest blogger posts from authors/writers. I like to share via the blog and if submitted in a good format, it is quite easy and takes little time for me to get them ready to publish... I won't take something just to market a book, however... You can talk about the book, write about why you wrote it, or problems you had publishing it...or even some poetry from poets or articles from those who support the publishing of books... Search on  "Guest Blogger" for my blog to get an idea of what has been published before. Note that I reserve the right to refuse based upon my own beliefs, or to write a dissenting feedback statement... if appropriate.


And the UGLY!

NO, this is not one of my favorite songs. I can deal with a combination of Santa along with the Birthday of Christ, but I have never liked jokes, or poor humor that celebrates "ugly" behavior. Even if it is funny. I'm one of those "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" individualsand after that, then fun can be added, I guess. But I recently heard of a country, I think it was Spain but may be wrong, where they celebrated gift-giving in recognition of Christ and the Three Wise Men who brought Him Gifts... To me, this was perfect... But, that personal opinion, is not what the "ugly" is about...

I'm in the midst of beginning some type of complaint... I'm not quite sure to whom to address it: To Amazon? To publishers? To Editors and Proofreaders? or to Writers/Authors?

Quite simply, I am tired of buying books (or receiving them) which are so badly "presented" to me the purchaser that I do not really want to read that book!

I have contacted Amazon about this issue, from a technical standpoint, but have not yet received a response. My point is, who is responsible for an inferior product...surely not the buyer?! Soooo, if a book is inferior, should we

•  Automatically return it for our money back?
• Contact the author? The publisher? Amazon? All of whom have a role in getting that book to print.
• Let it go if it is not too bad? Say less than 20 errors?
• Complain to the government?
• Stop buying books if there is no ability to resolve the problem?

Ok, do you think I'm over-reacting? Do you care about quality of purchases? Books in particular? What if you got a "gift" of a book that was too "ugly" to read? What would you say to the gifter who acted in good faith to buy a gift for you because you love books? 

Books are important--print or electronically format. That's my opinion. If you share that opinion, I would love to have your comments below, or sent to me at GABixlerReviews...because...YOUR book may be one of the ugly ones I've read...

I know, I know...when it's something about "us," we want it corrected. I enjoyed this little song, because it's something we all have to deal with (yes, I had to replace teeth with fakes, since I already had and lost some of my two sets of teeth! LOL)

Besides I wanted to leave you smiling... But, here's my personal thoughts! If I had written a book, I would want it to be perfect...From my own experience, I'd say that less than 10% of what I've read had been perfect...until they were fixed and republished... I was embarrassed when my a number of visible teeth on top were out and I didn't want to talk to anybody... To me, that's how you should feet about a book... And, writers, if you want to write a book and cannot speak and write the language in which your book will be published, I urge you NOT to publish until you can read that book and know for sure there are no errors... One way or another (and there are ways to make that happen).

My best wishes to you and yours for the holidays... I'll be writing more on the "ugly" issue that's "bugging" me right now... Take care and God Bless...

Glenda
Writing for Book Readers Heaven!

I, Claudia, Just Out! Latest by Author Lin Wilder!

While he was sitting on the judgment seat,
 his wife sent him a message, saying,
“Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; 
for last night I suffered greatly 
in a dream because of Him.” 
—GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, 27:19

“M’lady, M’lady, are you all right?” I could hear Antonia’s concern. She knew how I had dreaded this journey, how fervent had been my prayers for some miracle to forestall what I knew was destiny—his, mine, and the world’s. Unlike the others, Antonia had known me almost since birth. 

“I’m fine, Antonia, fine. Please do not worry, I am just drained. We have been traveling now for more than thirty days. The heat makes it almost impossible to sleep at night—it never cools off here.” It was still only midmorning, and yet the temperature had to be over ninety. The fall weather in Athens had always been gloriously cool, crisp, wholly different from this unrelenting, insufferable heat. Antonia wasn’t fooled by my reply, in spite of my attempt at a smile. I did not blame her. I knew that the upturn of my lips was more rictus than smile...and with good reason. We were heading toward a doom of the kind the world had never seen, and I knew there was nothing I could do or say to stop it. 

Surveying my surroundings, I felt no relief at the unchanged jubilance, the joyous expressions on the faces of the crowds. It would come, and soon. I am nearing the end of my life. Seventy-nine years lived as a shadow, a face behind a curtain, whispering the residues of a dream. Insubstantial, unheard. But my time of silence is done. It is time to write the truth for those with ears to hear it. 

I am Procula, wife of Lucius Pontius Pilate. My husband has been dead for several decades now. Like me, Lucius is the subject of vast ignorance, lies, and injustice. The very name Pontius Pilate has become synonymous with cowardice and betrayal. Those who claim to know the substance of my dream believe it emanates from evil. Others insist that those words that will be recited by Christians, “Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, and died,” were the source of terror in my dreams. I was told by the Oracle that those eight words would echo throughout the centuries and be memorialized in something that would be called the Apostles’ Creed. 

Most of the people reciting the Creed would mindlessly overlook the word under and believe that the Righteous One was crucified by my husband. 

The slanderous claims, and all others like them, no longer break my heart; they are merely annoying. I often think of the writing of Socrates, a man I consider a good friend though he died before I was born. His wisdom and humility await those rare searchers of truth. “I know I am intelligent because I know I know nothing.” 

I was born in Delphi, daughter of the last of the Oracles of Pythia. It was a time of disorder, chaos, terror, and the death of nations. My mother broke her vow of virginity in lying with my father. She feared for both our lives, because what she had done was punishable by death—hers and mine. The time of the Oracles was coming to an end.

Men no longer listened to the whispers of the prophets, certainly not to the women—not even when we had the words of the gods on our lips. 

I survived, but my mother did not. I was taken to Athens, where I was raised by Adrian and Sabina. Only they knew that I was the last Oracle; my true identity remained a secret to all others—although my husband speculated as much, due to my foreknowledge of so many things.

~~~

I, Claudia

By Lin Wilder

Having read a number of Lin Wilder's books, I have loved each one of them. When she announced her new book, a literary historical novel set in the distant past, I confess I didn't think too much about it...Wilder writes continuously and in various genres. 

Nothing, however, could have prepared me for I, Claudia--not even the book description. Quite simply, I am honored to be one of readers of a novel so insightful, so fulfilling and inspirational, and, yet, so well written, that readers immediately sink in Wilder's choice of words, knowing that much research has had to be done to be able to emulate and expand upon one of the most famous stories ever told. Wilder's decision to write from the perspective of the wife of Pontius Pilate, and thus her husband's role in the crucifixion of Christ, allows readers to move away from the obvious spotlight on Jesus Christ, to those individuals that were actively involved in the background. Those individuals who were destined to be part of a murder--and yet not a murder--but a fulfillment of God's plan.

The key to the manner in which this book is distinguished from others, is that the story, I Claudia, seamlessly blends what historically is fairly well known to those who study theological history and in particular from the Bible. I appreciated greatly Wilder's inclusion of a reference to the writing of Karl Rahner, noting:

Karl Rahner who coined the phrase “anonymous Christian” to describe men and women of “good will” who have not been catechized. Rahner’s categorization provided the solution to a problem that had plagued me for much of my life. Whether because of culture or ethnicity, these are people who have never encountered the Gospel, but who, through some mysterious and unknown power known only to Christ, merit salvation. The phrase anonymous Christian describes men and women like Lucius, Claudia, and Quintillus: people who follow their conscience and live lives of redemptive faith, not mere belief.

For me, as with the author, this was a welcome answer to something that has bothered me all of my life... Thus, discovering that our main character, was the last Oracle born, and that she had special knowledge through her dreams, known to be directly from God, was not surprising...

By Albert Tournaire - École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Art (http://www.ensba.fr/ow2/catzarts/images/E_084_07-25544.JPG), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40736158

The only place I knew as home echoes in my mind and heart still, after almost eight decades of absence. The Delphian air is purer, the sky bluer, and the mountains redolent with wisdom. Scrambling through the tunnels beneath the Treasury of Athena kept me safer than I’d have been in a nanny’s arms, and infused me with more knowledge than did my later tutors. It was there, crawling alone around and under those sacred stone structures, that the unreliability of the senses, the language of the Forms, the highest Good, transcendent and absolute, impressed themselves into my very being. That there was just one god, not many, was a certainty I shared with the Hebrews.

~~~

The mystical, the supernatural force of God is emphasized through Claudia's life and her continued connection to Delphi, even after she had married Lucius Pontius Pilate... In fact, the merger for marriage between Claudia's uncle and Pilate, took place at their first meeting when Claudia was just 5 years old. 

And the meeting of Lucius and Claudia on the date of their marriage, both falling immediately in love, lent a further mystical experience to their time together as husband and wife. Reading about their love affair marriage, even while often separated due to his position, was a lovely addition, in my opinion.

They had been married five years when Jesus arrived on the scene. Lucius Pontius Pilate had been specifically placed because of the difficult problems between those of religious faith who were also responding to the King.

Almost immediately after their wedding, Lucius was summoned by Caiaphas and, of course, when he had first arrived, "the game began..." Lucius knew what he would face and, in marching into town fully protected by his vast army, he had chosen to send them away and take a stand...

Striding forward until I was practically on top of the man, I extended my right hand. “Hello, Caiaphas. My name is Lucius Pontius Pilate. Emperor Tiberius has appointed me the new Prefect of Judea.”

~~~

Nevertheless, the priests did everything possible to bring turmoil to the new Prefect, to provide justice... even while graciously thanking him for his protection... But it was when Caiaphas decided what to do when the Christ became so popular... that Lucius knew he might not be the Prefect afterward...

Wilder paints a kinder, gentler Lucius Pontius Pilate than most of history has colored him. Interestingly, the same words may be used, but the tone, setting, and background of the occasion has completely changed as we learn what happened from the viewpoint of Claudia, Lucius' wife... Given the foreknowledge and understanding of Pilate as he accepted his position, together with his life with Claudia and their love, It is quite acceptable, actually believable from the tone set for the book, just how much Pilate hated what he was being forced to do...

If I'd had a chance to think about it, I could have imaged how Wilder would end her book. Still, it surprised, and completed out the lives of the couple who had been separated after only five years. Claudia had been told by the Oracle that would be happening, but she had never shared her knowledge with Lucius. But, in the end, both knew how it would have to be after Jesus had died... The law was the law--and could be used to justify anything if manipulated by those in power...

It's been awhile since a story has been so well written that I felt like I was right there, having entered into the book, visited the places where our characters traveled... Some characterization of those who have been earlier written about could be expected to be recognizable. However, most readers will not know what is based on fact and what has been creatively hypothesized based upon research. The book is magnificent in every way. Each of the main characters presents a unique perspective that dramatically improves the basic story of Jesus' death and resurrection. I cannot find the words to express my emotional response to Lin Wilder's story. I can only say thank you...it was wonderfully inspirational for me...

GABixlerReviews

Lin Wilder holds a Doctorate in Public Health and has published extensively in fields like cardiac physiology, institutional ethics, and hospital management. In 2007, she switched from non-fiction to fiction. Her series of the medical thrillers include many references to the Texas Medical Center where Lin worked for over twenty-three years. 
Her first novel, The Fragrance Shed By A Violet: Murder in the Medical Center, was a winner in the 2017 IAN 2017 Book of the Year Awards, a finalist in the category of mystery. The Fragrance Shed By A Violet was a finalist in the NN Light 2017 Best Book of the Year Award in the category of mystery. Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath, the fourth in the Dr.Lindsey McCall medical mystery series, won Silver/2nd Place award in the 2018 Feathered Quill Book Awards Program for the Women's Fiction category. Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath was selected for the NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winners for Winter 2018 in the category of thrillers.
Finding the Narrow Path is the true story of why she walked away from -then back to God. I, Claudia is her latest nove. All her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at her website, linwilder.com where she writes weekly articles

Note: Videos were selected based upon how close the words fit the novel and are not from any one musical selection. 

Latest Stan Turner Mystery, Deadly Blood, by William Manchee Packs Double Punch!

Wow! I got interested in the Stan Turner Mystery Series with my first read, Deadly Dining (read that review). But Deadly Blood pulls readers into one of the most complicated, intense legal novels that I've read. Kudos to the author!

Stan Turner, a reluctant criminal lawyer, seems to always get pulled into cases that he is quite able to handle, but not his preferred choice. Nevertheless, he's good at it, and word is spreading. And, another lawyer is watching his latest case, trying to help, hoping she can maybe join in his future cases...

The latest case is a perfect example...somebody comes out, sees Lawyer Stan turner, and asks him to represent the child as her attorney-ad-litem. Simple enough so he takes it. Melody Monroe, an adopted child, has been taken into a home that is not the happiest, albeit a rich, beautiful home that is comfortable and she is well cared for. Finally, Frank and Marjorie are in divorce court, with Marjorie seeking a divorce. Frank is an alcoholic and often abuses his wife... In a normal situation, the decision would be easily closed and life would move on.

Before that can happen, Frank is found dead, a possible suicide, as he was still sitting in his truck with the engine turned on... And before the judge releases Turner from the divorce case, the police are asking him if he will continue as her legal representative for...murder... Melody Monroe has been charged with the murder of her father...

I enjoy Stan Turner, the main character and wish I could read the entire series. For this book, however, Melody Monroe, is the sympathetic character to watch. Earlier in her life, she was an exceptional gymnast and her parents were thrilled to support her. In fact, it was on their way to a meet when a terrible car accident occurred. Both of Melody's parents were killed. Melody was devastated that they were killed and felt great guilt in living. Even after her scars healed, she continued in deep depression. While she was in Child Protective Services, she was not allowed to grieve while she was shuffled from home to home, and sent back, due to what was called her bad attitude. 

It must have seemed like a miracle to be going home, finally, with Frank and Marjorie, who seemed to be quite happy to have their new daughter to love and care for. I was happy to find Alisha Newton, who looked like the young teen on the cover, who I would pick to play Melody in the movie (surely there should be one). You might recognize her from the TV program Heartland. 

If only Melody could have known what was ahead for her! Because, there was a "motive" for her to have killed her father...One that, if she had known it, had mattered little in light of finally having a home and stability...

...Mrs. Stone's (Frank's sister) openness and brutal honesty surprised me. Her resentment and bitterness had obviously been festering for years for her to blurt out such emotions to a perfect stranger.

"Oh, don't be. It's water under the bridge."

"so, were you surprised about your brother's death?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Yes and no. Frank was an unhappy man and his health took a dive on account of it. He smoked, drank too much and loved to party."

"Why was he so unhappy? Didn't he love Marjorie?" I asked.

"Marjorie was okay, but Frank didn't love her like he did Mildred. Mildred was his soul mate. Marjorie was more of a partner. They were both into real estate, you know. So, they were compatible, but it was more business than love if you know what I mean."

"So, he had trouble getting over Mildred?"

"Yes. He never got over her death."

"What about Melody?"

"Well, Frank didn't love her. They needed an heir, you know. What's the point of accumulating a lot of money and wealth if you don't have someone to give it to when you die? At least that's the excuse they gave when they decided to adopt her. That's why they picked an older child, neither one wanted a baby who would be a lot of trouble."

We continued to talk until it started to get late, so I thanked Natalie and left. My visit had been very informative but hadn't made me feel any better about Frank's death. It was just too convenient. I wondered if Detective Watson had misgivings too. I wished I had more time to investigate, but I was pretty sure my ad-litem appointment would be terminated very soon, and my job as Melody's attorney ad-litem would be over...

"Sorry to bother you again, but I need to know if you are going to represent Melody?"

"Well, like I said, I do represent her, but I'm expecting Judge Renner to dismiss the divorce today or tomorrow as being moot. So, I won't be Melody's attorney-ad-litem once that is done."

"I'm not talking about the divorce case," Detective Watson said irritably. "I'm talking about the murder charge she's facing. Are you going to be her criminal defense attorney?"

My mouth suddenly went dry. I tried to say something, but nothing came out. I swallowed hard and finally replied, "Ah, well, I don't know. This is the first I've heard of a murder charge against her. I thought it was a suicide..."

~~~

Twists, turns, and surprises move this book forward quickly and just when things are cooling down...another murder occurs! Yes, a double murder case in one book...with our Stan Turner taking charge in both. But even he was surprised as we move toward the closing. Unexpected, tense, and legal thrills at their finest. But the mystery is stronger than the thrills, even, as the author pulls our strings as each page goes by and has us guessing. No way could I have worked out the ending... And you know what that means...I love an unsolvable mystery book! And with the Double Punch of two different cases, we see Turner and his crew at their finest, trying to get ahead of the prosecutor's case! Don't let this one pass you by if you are a legal novel fan! Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews

William Manchee is an attorney by trade who practices consumer law in Texas with his son Jim. Originally from southern California, he lives now in Plano, Texas. In 1995 he began writing as an escape from his stressful law practice. Since then he has written over twenty-two novels. He is the author of the Stan Turner Mysteries, inspired by actual cases he has been involved in over the years, the Rich Coleman Novels, the Tarizon Trilogy & Saga, as well as other stand-alone works.

Amazon has not yet merged the different editions.

That makes them harder to find. My review is under the paper copy

Here is the cover for the ebook...

Guest Blogger R. D. Murray, Author of My Dead Blue Caterpillar, Shares "From Bullied to Author: There is Hope For You!

After reading My Dead Blue Caterpillar (Read my view), many readers will wonder and want to know more about the writer, so I asked him to share here at Book Readers Heaven...

From Bullied to Author: 

There is hope for you

By R. D. Murray

I have to start off by saying that this is a very hard topic and piece to write, but when I was in the 3rd grade I was bullied so badly and so often that at age eight I wanted to kill myself. My name is Rasheed Murray and I was born and raised in New York City, specifically the neighborhood referred to as Harlem. The fast and mean streets of New York City did nothing to harm me directly.  

My problems were never with the impoverished neighborhood I grew up in because my hellish nightmare had always occurred in my elementary school. This was not because a staff member harmed me physically or sexually, not because the school didn’t have heat or air conditioning, but because of bullies who tortured me for a three-year period. I was shy, quiet and awkward. I guess I was an easy target if you want to say that. I was thrown in the boy’s bathroom by these 3 particular kids who would punch and kick me as hard as they could. 

I could barely walk as everyday they would abuse me over, and over again. The other kids in school would just laugh at me and no one actually helped. There were a few young ladies who tried to defend me but they were outnumbered. In fact, many of the other children who watched and knew about my abuse would slowly join in on the abuse themselves, as if it was a game that required audience participation. 

As the bullies abused me questions would pop into my head.“Why are they doing this to me? What did I do to deserve this? Why isn’t anyone helping me?” My thoughts were all over the place at times “help, Mommmmmmmy, I love people…. Kids….. animals, Why.”

(This video has been disabled but it is worth watching on UTube.)

I remember having the entire class chase me out of school one day. I ran, and cried, up until the point where I almost got hit by a dark blue sports car going well over the speed limit. I didn’t care, I had to cross that street before “they got me.” I just remember that car speeding towards me, and stopping inches in front of me. The moans and sighs of relief from the people in the streets, let me know that they were as relieved that I was that I didn’t get hit. If that car actually hit me, things would have been pretty bad for me because I was running so fast that I didn’t even see my mother who was coming to pick me up. An act she got used to doing not only because I was young, but also because my safety was her number one priority. 

One day I got so sick of being treated this way I made the decision to end my life. I wanted to jump off a roof rather than go to school. But, instead I decided to be an obedient child and go back to school, and wouldn’t you know it, the bullying only got worse. I was teased, and laughed at daily, and the kids even threw food at me during my lunch period. The principle didn’t do much, the teachers were helpless, and the only person who was my advocate was my mother. My mother would come to my school and fight for me with the school administrators, and once she was so enraged due to the lack of leadership and support, she even tried to fight one of the bullies. Sadly, and despite her actions, the bullying continued up until I got to middle school, and away from many of those bullies. 

Till this day, I do not know why I didn’t kill my self but thanks to God, I am beyond overjoyed to still be alive, and here on this earth. God saved me and I found writing. It was an outlet to take me away from the pain I was going through in this world. For those three long years the bullying didn’t stop, but the writing I began as a child took me away from this world and brought me to another place, a place were bullies got what they deserved.

During those hellish years, I started to create different characters, and a different world just to escape. Thanks to writing I survived the bullying and I believe deeply that writing really saved my life. Now at the age of 42 with the large support from my wife, my children, and my mother, I just released my first novel. My Dead Blue Caterpillar which is currently on Amazon Kindle and peaked at number 73 on their Top 100 for Free Downloads in the category of suspense. 

So please know if you are ever bullied, know that you can survive your circumstance and become anyone you want.  You are worth everything. You can rise like me and become the special person that you are destined to be. Nothing last forever, not even pain as promising as it appears to be. Continue to fight the good fight, advocate for yourself, and always believe in the promise of tomorrow, the fact that it does get better, and ultimately, in yourself and the future you that you are meant to become. 

Rasheed Murray

My name is Rasheed Murray. I am 42 years old and I’m from New Jersey. I been writing for over ten years. This is my first release.

I am always happy to have role models appear in my life, who have gone through terrible times and yet found the strength to get through it, and share that it does get better... It's important that children who are getting bullied have someone to support them...parents, teachers, or relatives and friends. Especially those who are willing to stand tall and speak back to bullies! As with Rasheed, I was bullied, but it was verbal and I have told this before... I really think God's spirit tells us what to say, when we listen... I don't remember my age, probably in grade school, but my uncle and our family was at my grandmother's home... My uncle called me "Fatty" and went on to say something. I didn't answer. My mother said, "Glenda, Dale's talking to you..." I responded, "That's not my name." And walked away... I have no idea what occurred thereafter, but I was feeling pretty good, for saying what I said! Of course, that didn't stop other kids also acting out, but you get the idea...

Some kids can be so cruel! What's interesting to me, is that Rasheed chose to write in his novel about the little voices we all have in our heads... You know, the ones who tell us what to do, good and bad... Perhaps it is just those individuals who have grown up with some form of bullying, I don't know... but those voices have haunted me all my life... I can just hear the bad voice, telling me, "Go slap that man's face, for not being nice..." Thankfully, the good voice mostly wins

Thank you Rasheed for sharing here at Book Readers Heaven... We welcome further contributions when you want to come back!   Glenda

Guest Blogger, Writer and Author Guy Graybill, Pens about "America's Most Prevalent Writing Flaw"

Guy Graybill

LISTEN UP!

America’s Most Prevalent Writing Flaw

It’s the most common sign of sloppy writing; the unaddressed writing flaw that permeates American journalism.  It may be found in books, magazines and newspapers.  Yet, although easily taught and understood, it remains generally unaddressed.  It is the mutant modifier; the writing mistake that is intentionally inserted into the title of this modest literary piece.  Let me say again:  Listen!

TIME magazine used the mutant modifier several times in its August 18, 2014 issue, when it sloppily stated: “Megan Fox teams up with….”  and, again in that same issue one read:  “SPEEDING UP SECURITY.”  Please re-read those two news magazine phrases and note that, in each phrase, one word is utterly superfluous.  One word in each example only adds clutter to a clear and simple phrase.  Why didn’t we read, simply, “Megan Fox teams with…” and “SPEEDING SECURITY”?

Once a reader begins to recognize these intrusive modifiers, he or she begins to stumble over each offending modifier.  They absolutely don’t belong.  Further,
the student of writing can learn to avoid their use by simply reading enough examples of the flaw and indulging in a few practice exercises.

Kindly read the following quotes and note how easily you can identify the intruders.

“Amazon also rents out space on huge computer servers….”
 The Daily Item (newspaper), 4/22/11, p. A4

“Zuroff narrowed down the list of possible suspects….”
          David Rising (AP), The Daily Item, 10/2/14

“Count them up!”
          2015 mailing from the American Automobile Association

“Out where?”  “Down where?”  “Up where?”  You should have been asking those questions.  If you were asking those queries, you are about ready to eliminate the mutant modifiers from your own writing, unless you haven’t been using them.  Some writers likely rarely use them; naturally writing uncluttered sentences intentionally or by nature.

Try these additional examples:

“AGING: CAN WE SLOW IT DOWN?”
Cover blurb.  DISCOVER magazine, 12/84

“Words to Watch Out For”
Article title,  George F. Will, Newsweek, 11/25/85

“We will do everything possible to help clear up the matter promptly.”
Correspondence, Donald Cameron, RCA Music Service, undated

“Light Up Your Holiday”
Songbook title, The Express (newspaper), Lock Haven, PA, 12/21/2000

“I was a graduate English student… and I had packed up quite a few boxes….”
Robert E. Curtis, READER’S DIGEST, 4/99

“I went straight to Washington and dropped off a job application….”
Jack Anderson, PEACE, WAR, AND POLITICS, p. 59

“Woolley opened up the usual trenches in the mound of Ur….”
C. W. Ceram, GODS, GRAVES AND SCHOLARS, p. 309

“They would soon be fed, and then they would be tied up for the night.”
Louis L’Amour, THE WARRIOR’S PATH, p. 416

“whittled down the cost by cutting out all but the essential items.”
OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY, 1980, p. 794

Yes, the Oxford lexicographers might have omitted two mutant modifiers and left us with a briefer and crisper dictionary entry.

“The Helenes had opened up a trade route….”
Will Durant, THE LIFE OF GREECE, 1939, p. 234

“Did this 16th century psychic map out the future of this century?”
Michael A. Snyder (undocumented source)

“Instead, the dinosaurs may have dug nests, and spaced themselves out
carefully to avoid crushing the next generation.  The next day the desert
skies opened up and dumped a surprise rain on Auca Mahuevo.  Three of
Coria’s technicians rushed out to the egg quarry….”
Thomas Hayden, NEWSWEEK, 7/12/99, p. 45

“We all know how that’s worked out.”
The Week, 5/26/06, p.14

“He also wanted to capture Leningrad and join up with the Finns….”
William Shirer, The Rise and fall of the Third Reich,
           New York, 1960, p. 857

“Halder copied it out word for word….” (ibid., p. 857)

“To back up his photographs….”
Elizabeth Winthrop, Smithsonian, 9/06, p. 20

“In an effort to bolster up the confession….”
Ralph Roeder, The Man of the Renaissance,
TIME Reading Program, Special Edition, 1966, p.121

“How do you soften up militants….”
Lisa Beyer, Time, 8/7/06, p.27

Honestly, I don’t look for these examples.  They simply trip me as I’m reading, breaking my line of thought and causing minor frustration pains.  Their frequency is surprising.  The ones offered here are just a representative sample of those which I’ve noticed and/or collected in the past few decades.  From all kinds of sources, I’ve read about soil being packed down, something being used up, plans being mapped out, an industry being built up, a paper being written out, verses being copied out, allegations being checked out, trees being cut down and piled up, funds being freed up and a problem continuing on!

Of course, information might be written up or down or out, with up being the most overworked of the mutant modifiers.  It is thoughtlessly added to almost any imaginable verb.

Have you any notion as to how long critics have been identifying the mutant modifiers? 


Some years ago, one of my sons gave me a copy of an old book on proper speech and writing.  It was entitled, Five Hundred Mistakes Corrected.  It was published in 1882 in New York.  The publisher was James Miller.  It was identified as being the thirty-second edition!  It is also related that the book was “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855….”  Unfortunately, the volume cites specific mistakes rather than offering general rules; but about one dozen of the five-hundred corrections listed offered advice on the misuse of modifiers.  Two examples follow:

Number 463 – Some persons talk of “continuing on:” in what other
                                   direction would it be possible to continue?
Number 216 – “Iron sinks down in water.”  Leave out down.   


If this awkward usage of modifiers was condemned more than one and one-half centuries ago, why is it ignored today, when the practice is so prevalent?  One might suggest four reasons: 
Careful writers likely avoid the practice with little thought and with only a rare slip of the pen or the word processor. 
There is the tendency to become less formal in our writing.     
It is obviously difficult to excise, from our writing, intrusions which are
rather prevalent in our speech.
The problem seems to be overlooked in our teaching of writing.

Not only is the problem overlooked; but some of the extraneous modifiers might even appear on the pages of the very publications which are devoted to the writing craft!  Here are several annoying sentence fragments culled from the last place where one should expect to find them.

“I started out, some time back….”
            John M. Wilson, Writer’s Digest, 8/85, p. 68

“The days of just adding nudity or raunchy language to spice up original cable programming…”
John M. Wilson, Writer’s Digest, 1-85, p.67

“If this is acceptable to you, please make up a rough outline…”
John Wood, Senior Editor, Modern Maturity, private correspondence,
12/13/84

“When the technical problems are cleared up, your story will merit…”
Reading Report form, used by Manuscripts, a literary service in Dayton, Washington.


“Cleared up,” indeed!  Writing may be casual; but it should never be sloppy.  Superfluous modifiers suggest sloppiness.  They suggest an aversion to concentrating while proofreading.  That’s why it’s always surprising to stumble on needless modifiers while reading pieces that deal with the craft of writing.  We even encounter mutant modifiers in such a highly-regarded book as The Elements of Style (Strunk and White, 1959) .  Even here we encounter such anomalies as
“Do not dress words up by adding…” (p 62) and “When you use metaphor, do not mix it up.” (p. 67). 

One can’t imagine the fictional spy, James Bond, being offered a mixed drink and requesting that it be “Shaken up; not stirred up.”  We can stop saddling robust verbs with worthless modifiers if we make the simplest effort.  If we remove the mutant modifiers from our own writing, teachers will begin to emphasize the change, writers will embrace the change and editors will begin to demand it.  Allow me to close this bit of writing advice with one facetious remark:  Soon, we’ll be able to say, as one of the world’s great writers once wrote, “All’s well that ends up well.”

                 § § §

So, writers, are you guilty of using this most prevalent writing flaw? I remember an old saying "that is something about which I would not put up..." Yikes! One thing that struck me, though. The phrase for James Bond has become so common in use that it is immediately recognizable as a problem. I'm not so sure this can be said for many of the examples...

Guy mentions that often we can automatically ask "where?" which I tended to do with some of the examples.  "Do not dress words up by adding..." For me, this is indeed an adverb when we say, routinely, "I'll be dressing up for the dance." Meaning that something special will be worn.  Can a modifier, "up" not come to stand in for the actual modifier of dressing formal or dressing in a gown, or dressing in a tux... When can a word "up" come to mean a substitute for a word(s)? 

To your query, "Whats up" (often pronounced as wassup) means -- How are things with you? or What are you doing? 
Its an informal way of asking the well being of someone you meet.

But I agree that the language is becoming too sloppy. The word "Whassup?" has comes into wide use and it gets actually funny, because so many will say it differently, but want to be hip in using it... Whatsup...Wassup...Sup? Some I have yet to even figure out what letters are being used... Given Guy's article...that whole mess should be eliminated anyway! Right?

Thanks so much, Guy, for getting us thinking...At my age, I admit,

I'm Still Learning!       G