The Other Side of Midnight in Amazon's top 100

The Other Side of Midnight (pub Mar 2011) has quietly moved up in Amazon's ratings and sits in the top 100 in two categories, Family Relationships and Grief. The non-fiction work discusses how one (as well as those around him/her) deals with the illness after being diagnosed with bipolar. This is a personal account of my adult daughter's struggle after learning her years of various ailments came under one large umbrella. Treatable, but not curable, the stigma one attaches to self becomes a daily mountain of mixed emotions about life's upside-down world. Through faith, love of others, and knowledge of the illness, a person can live with bipolar. There are certainly worse illnesses. Many go on in life to become even more successful once their world has been set on the right track. I am so pleased that others have found my offering worthwhile and have often stated if only one person finds relief from their emotional turmoil through my words of encouragement, then I have accomplished what I was led to do. Any readers who have experienced this malady personally or know of others who have are welcome to share their words from within.

Available on Amazon (Sherry Lane), Smashwords, Nook, Apple, Sony, and other e-book sites. Also available in print through Amazon and CreateSpace. A trailer video can be viewed on You Tube. See my website for links. http://sherryboardman.com

Why Scottish Dialect?

A few queries have been received regarding the use of Scottish dialect in my time travel historical romance, Portal to Loch Doon, with possibly the same results for my upcoming time travel Mistress of the Keep. I say a few, meaning only five or six out of 1700 sales. When I began writing the book, it really was not my intention to use it. However, once the story began to unfold, how could I not? Even a visit today to some areas of Ireland, Wales, or Scotland, one strains to understand the language. Although I've endeavored to temper some of the words/terms, I have not strayed too far from the translator used. To most, it makes the story more believable when thinking of traveling several centuries back in time to another part of the world. Why would their language suddenly become American?  During my visit to England, I felt like a foreigner (and was). Even the English language spoken there was difficult to decipher at times. Alas, Americans have certainly butchered the king's English and continue to do so by writing less formally.

As authors continue to write to please their audiences, I do not believe we should completely abandon the art of authentic writing. Historical events are thoroughly scrutinized by readers. Why should they be so picky about a few phrases with thau, cood, Ah'll, hae, etc. After all, reading is not only for pleasure, but another avenue for learning. Put the shoe on the other foot. How do you think those who speak other languages feel when trying to read some of the material published in the U.S.? I love the flavor of the dialect written and find myself using some of the words in daily conversations when working on that type of writing. However, I will heed the pleadings of some and temper future dialogues...somewhat. If you would like to view examples of what I've discussed, see them in the sample offered on Amazon's Portal to Loch Doon, http://www.amazon.com/Portal-Travel-Historical-Romance-ebook/dp/B0058KS2NO. (I think it allows you to get that far into the book.) And have fun with it.

Cheers to all.

A Book for Mother's Day

The perfect gift for Mom to escape her day-to-day hectic schedule is an e-Book delivered directly to her tablet or PC. Easy shopping for you, too. Wishing all you Moms a special Mother's Day. http://sherryboardman.com