Chair s chatter. #worldbookday. Volume 21 Number 1 April 2014

Transcription

1 Volume 21 Number 1 April 2014 Chair s chatter #worldbookday World Book and Copyright Day ( World Book Day ) Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1995, World Book and Copyright Day (also known as the International Day of the Book and World Book Day) aims to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. It also represents an attempt to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. ( Most countries celebrate World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April every year. In the UK and Ireland, however, it was decided after long deliberation to celebrate the day earlier in the year, to ensure that it fell outside school terms and religious holidays and to avoid overlap with various charities activities. This year, the date chosen was 6 March. The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by a bookseller in Catalonia, Spain, in honour of the author Miguel de Cervantes, who had died on that day in The bookseller began to offer a rose to his customers for every book they bought, and others in the profession soon followed suit. The source of this new custom was the popular ancient celebration of Saint George s Day in Catalonia held on 23 April since the fifteenth century and associated with roses and the giving thereof. Since 1923, Catalans in general have exchanged books and roses as presents. Even though lovers feature rather prominently on the day, friends, family members and colleagues also exchange gifts of books and roses. ( According to the United Nations website, a major reason why UNESCO chose the date is that 23 April is a symbolic date for world literature because it is the date of birth or death of prominent authors such as Shakespeare, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. ( Philosophy and activities When UNESCO met for its annual general conference in Paris in 1995, it concentrated on the UN s theme for the year, which had been declared the Year for Tolerance. By establishing a day to celebrate books, authors and the laws that protect them, the delegates wanted to carry the message of tolerance into the future. By extension, World Book Day highlights the connection between better literacy and tolerance; between global literature and tolerance (hence UNESCO s emphasis on the translation of works into other languages in 2012); and between great writing and enhanced understanding of other viewpoints among nations and individuals. By establishing a day to celebrate books, authors and the laws that protect them, the delegates wanted to carry the message of tolerance into the future. All over the world, governments and organisations make reading resources available to adults, children, parents and teachers at this time of year. Activities of numerous kinds are held to promote reading and the cultural aspects of books. They include relay readings of books and plays; the distribution of bookmarks; the announcement of the winners of literary competitions; events to promote the understanding of laws on copyright; and actions to protect authors intellectual property. ( > page 1 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

2 < / 1 Each year a poster is designed and distributed around the world. It features images designed to encourage people, particularly children, to read books and appreciate literature. There is also a logo for World Book and Copyright Day. This shows a circle, representing the world, and two books, one of which is open. ( com/holidays/un/world-book-day) Many events emphasise international cooperation or friendships between countries. Every second year, the UNESCO Prize for Children s and Young People s Literature in the Service of Tolerance is awarded. Many institutions place a firm emphasis on the global dimension of the celebration. ( An example is Think Global (the Development Education Association), which promotes, among other things, books with global themes that encourage young people to think about global issues requiring international solutions. (think-global.org.uk/) The event s global dimension is further emphasised by the fact that every year, UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions select a World Book Capital for the year. The city of Port Harcourt (Nigeria) was chosen as the capital for According to the selection committee responsible for the choice, this was on account of the quality of its programme, in particular its focus on youth and the impact it will have on improving Nigeria s culture of books, reading, writing and publishing to improve literacy rates. ( bookday/) The programme s extensive public participation and aim of developing reading for all were particularly praised by UNESCO. ( named_world_book_capital_2014/#.uzwsn1edfqi) The naming of one of our South African cities or towns as World Book Capital in the future would surely be a meaningful step forward for literacy in our country. A new emphasis A new emphasis, based on the possibilities and challenges offered by new technologies, has come to the fore in UNESCO s approach in the last couple of years. In keeping with recent developments in the world of books and publishing, the director-general of the organisation, Irina Bokova, had the following to say about World Book Day 2014: Books are not immune from a world of change, embodied in the advent of digital formats and the transition to open licensing for knowledge-sharing. This means more uncertainty but also new opportunity including for innovative business models in the world of publishing. Change is raising sharp questions about the definition of the book and the meaning of authorship in the digital era. UNESCO is leading from the front in the new debates about the dematerialization of books and the rights of authors. Port Harcourt is the 14th city to be designated World Book Capital. It follows Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Yerevan (2012) and Bangkok (2013). (For more on the criteria for selection of the World Book Capital, the candidates for 2015, etc, please visit this address: en.unesco.org/world-book-capital-city.) By championing copyright and open access, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge. We work across the board from [our] Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning, and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources. For instance, in partnership with Nokia and Worldreader, UNESCO is striving to harness mobile technology to support literacy. ( For further details on UNESCO s new (23 April) publication, Reading in the Mobile Era, and earlier publications relating to literacy and modern technologies, please see the organisation s website. > page 2 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

3 < / 2 World Book Day events in South Africa The Centre for the Book and municipalities countrywide The South African National Library s Centre for the Book which is the library s outreach unit and has as its mission to promote easy access to books for every citizen and a culture of reading, writing and publishing in all local languages is responsible for coordinating World Book Day celebrations in our country. Municipal services throughout South Africa are tasked with organising events at libraries and other venues in order to celebrate the day. The aims of the centre s celebrations are to: 1) raise awareness about the importance of reading; 2) reach out and give people access to books; 3) educate people to care for and about their library facilities; 4) celebrate books. Outreach activities include a nationwide poster campaign, during which some posters are distributed each year. They also feature a door-to-door reading campaign, which happens on 22 April. This year, the campaign took place in Kuruman, Northern Cape. ( ntent&view=article&id=53&itemid=41) Launch of the Nal ibali Children s Literacy Charter Nal ibali, the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, chose 23 April 2014 to launch its Children s Literacy charter at Constitution Hill. The charter, available free of charge in all 11 official South African languages as a download ( is a celebration of and guide to the range of literacy experiences all children should have to best enable them to learn to read and write. (From invitation to event) It is also a guide for adults, who are their children s first teachers, to do what they can to put the conditions and resources in place to ensure all children have equal access to their right to become fully literate citizens. ( , 11 April 2014) The charter comprises 11 rights. These were based on sound evidence from research, input received from the South African public, fellow literacy organisations and experts as well as from the children, reading club facilitators and volunteers who attend Nal ibali Reading Clubs across the country. (Ibid) Carole Bloch, director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (a driving partner in the Nal ibali campaign) opened the proceedings. This was followed by a story enacted by Chris van Wyk, well-known writer and storyteller, and a talk by writer and human rights activist, Elinor Sisulu. Children from schools in the area attended what was a very joyous event. For details on the impressive Nal ibali campaign, or to access children s stories in a range of South African languages and tips on reading and writing with children, visit Children took pride of place at the launch of the charter. Shown addressing them are Carole Bloch and Chris van Wyk. Images courtesy of Nal ibali / page 3 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

4 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group Contents Chair s chatter 1 Footnote summit 5 Computer tips for editors 6 Surviving as a freelancer 7 n Dief aan die kers book review 8 Gauteng networking brunch 9 B is vir byvoeglike naamwoorde en bywoorde 10 Getting down to the nitty-gritty 12 Fundraiser for mentoring scheme award 13 Falling even deeper into a comma 14 Who s your colleague anyway? 17 Nuwe Afrikaanse boek nou beskikbaar HAT 19 #outandabout Forthcoming Branch events Gauteng Branch Saturday, 31 May Nitty-gritty practical editing workshop: Aspects of consistency 1. EES-Siyakha Conference Centre, Parktown. Saturday, 7 June Branch AGM, Jacana Publishers, Melville. Western Cape Branch Saturday, 31 May Xhosa nitty-gritty practical editing workshop, to be presented by Faith Saliwa-Mogale, Western Cape manager of PanSALB. Saturday, 7 June Branch AGM at the Centre for the Book. Friday Sunday, June South African Book Fair. Saturday, 21 June English nitty-gritty practical editing workshop presented by Alex Potter. National Events Wednesday & Thursday, 14 & 15 May Franschhoek fiction editing workshop. Saturday, 28 June National AGM at the Centre for the Book. ISSN PO Box 1847, North Riding peg@editors.org.za Website: Views expressed are not necessarily shared by the editors or the publishers. Editor: Alison M Downie Subeditors and proofreaders: Ruth Nicola, Marita Botha, Isabelle Delvare, Ken McGillivray, Alison M Downie, Corné Janse van Rensburg Layout: Lesley Price, Ispiral@mweb.co.za PEG administration, website support and egroup coordination Administrator Ellyn Barry ellynbarry@telkomsa.net Webmaster Sukaina Walji sukaina@littlegreycells.com Egroup coordinator Kim Rasmussen tzar42@gmail.com PEG national executive Chair and national events convenor Isabelle Delvare idelvare@gmail.com Vice-chair and membership status secretary Barbara Op't Hof-de Wet lingolizzy@gmail.com Treasurer Graham Townshend treasurer@editors.org.za Mentoring scheme coordinator Irene Stotko stotko@worldonline.co.za Publications coordinator Alison M Downie sticklersinc@gmail.com Communications coordinator Sukaina Walji sukaina@littlegreycells.com Accreditation Norman Blight nhblight@iafrica.com Gauteng Branch chair Jenny de Wet jen.dewet@yahoo.com Western Cape Branch chair Cornelius Janse van Rensburg cm.jansevanrensburg@gmail.com... For other portfolios of the Gauteng and the Western Cape Branches, visit our website at page 4 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

5 #digitalprogress Footnote summit By Corné Janse van Rensburg The inaugural Footnote Summit took place at the Cape Town Lodge, Cape Town, on 6 November The summit is billed as a conference for publishers, corporations, content providers and suppliers to the publishing industry. At this conference, different business models are discussed, connecting different types of publishing content. Digital publishing and the reach of digital products is explored. The summit is a conference for publishers, corporations, content providers and suppliers to the publishing industry. It seems to be the trend that conferences on e-publishing precede large book fairs across the world: Digital Book World ( takes place in New York City before BookExpo America (BEA); the Digital Minds conference precedes the London Book Fair; and CONTEC Frankfurt is held before the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Footnote Summit aims to fill the existing gap in the South African market. This year s summit, scheduled to take place on 12 June, precedes the South African Book Fair, which will be held from 13 to 15 June. The 2013 Footnote Summit started promptly with a welcome address by Wesley Lynch, CEO and founder of Snapplify ( a leading global digital publishing solution that enables publishers to sell and distribute their content by cellphone and over the Internet. The first speaker was Malcolm Seegers, the digital publisher at Macmillan South Africa ( The title of his presentation was: The need for a digital reading platform for the academic industry (and all publishers) and the criteria for this to be implemented successfully. Speaking from the viewpoint of Macmillan s focus on education (school, college and university), Malcolm explained the advantages and disadvantages of selling digital media on the digital rights management (DRM) platform. Arthur Atwell, CEO and founder of Paperight ( discussed the following five tough truths about selling to publishers: 1. People like you; organisations don t; 2. The right person is rarely the right person (the person you initially speak with); 3. Most people don t speak XML; 4. Anchored numbers (specific targets) are sticky; 5. Risk and regret loom large. Chris Borain, commercial director at the Daily Maverick ( stood in for Styli Charalambous, publisher of the online newspaper. He spoke about six ways in which technology is changing journalism. He considered consumers, marketing, deliverables, barriers to entry, paywalls, and how and if it is possible to make a profit. Making the most of monetising your mobile content in Africa with ad placements was the theme of Nicolle Harding, country manager at Buzzcity ( She spoke briefly about the current use of cellphones (90%) and the growth of cellphone ownership and usage (600%) in Africa; a money-model for mobile devices; and the interesting link between radio and the use of mobile devices. The last speaker at the summit was Brent Meder, art director at the Cape Media Corporation ( who spoke about launching South Africa s first interactive digital magazine using Adobe DPS in November Brent stressed that the Internet is not equal to digital advertising; that trades peoples are not interested in others advertisements; and that the quality of digital advertisements is of prime importance. The Footnote Summit ended with a question-and-answer session during which the audience had the opportunity to ask the speakers questions and vice versa. For more information about the next Footnote Summit on 12 June 2014, visit John P Wheeler, vice-president strategy and emerging technologies at SPI Global ( addressed the conference goers just before the networking lunch. The title of his presentation was: The digital future is now discussing trends in the market place, and tablet and mobile penetration, along with strategies for manufacturing content in a digital first (or digital only) methodology. His presentation can be viewed at watch?v=qxwzuadnjx0#t=21. page 5 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

6 #savingyoutime Computer tips for editors By Melanie Law Gauteng members of PEG will remember the superb and very informative MS Word for editors workshop presented by member Melanie Law towards the end of last year. Subsequently, we asked Melanie to consider contributing to PEGboard on IT-related issues, which she kindly agreed to. In this first of a new series of articles, she discusses time-saving techniques. In the last 40 years, the role of the professional editor has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when editing was done solely on paper and the only tools required to do a good job were a bright-red pen and a trusted dictionary. Advances in technology mean that it is now vital for editors to be able to work with electronic documents in word-processing programs. Despite the many benefits that come with the advances in technology, learning how to use them can be daunting. I can recall a number of occasions when, after hours of work, my computer unilaterally resolved not to save my changes, or when the decidedly evil device thought it would be fun to completely re-do the formatting on a particularly long document. I have learnt the hard way that basic computer skills are a necessity for any good editor, and now use several tricks and techniques to make the process of editing more efficient. Needless to say, the number of days on which I contemplate murdering my computer has now been substantially reduced. In this first article on computer tips for editors, I discuss four of the more useful tips and techniques that are beneficial to editors. F&R Find and Replace Find and Replace is a wonderfully powerful tool that most word processors have on offer. I often use this tool to find all instances of a piece of text and change them quickly, which is particularly handy when ensuring consistency or making global changes to a document. The key to using Find and Replace effectively is to carefully and accurately delimit what it is you are searching for. To do this, I always consider the distinctive features of the piece of text I am looking at. Does it have a particular formatting characteristic? Does it have surrounding punctuation? To open the Find and Replace tool, simply press the Ctrl and F buttons on your keyboard. A dialogue box will open automatically, providing you with the options to find and/or replace pieces of text. Selecting the More button at the bottom left-hand corner of the dialogue box opens up additional options for narrowing down the search, which is very helpful when the text you are looking at has unique formatting features. For example, if you want to replace the word hat with beanie, then you should instruct the tool to look for the word hat followed by a space. Otherwise, you may inadvertently change all instances in which the sequence of letters 'hat' appears, and you may end up changing that to tbeanie. AC AutoCorrect AutoCorrect is another very useful tool I often use. This tool can be annoying, but learning how it works, and how to customise it to suit my needs, has really helped me when I edit. AutoCorrect allows you to change the way your word processor corrects or formats text as you type. There is a default list of options, but this can be changed to suit your needs. The most useful advantage of this tool is that it allows you to instruct your wordprocessing program to automatically insert a piece of text when you press a series of keys. This is very useful when you have to retype long strings of recurring text or long, difficult words. For example, if I need to insert statement of income and expenditure many times in a text, I can instruct MS Word to insert this for me after I press the letters sir. To add an item to the AutoCorrect list, select the Office button in MS Word and then choose Word options or Options. A dialogue box will open up from which you must select the Proofing button, followed by AutoCorrect options. A new dialogue box will now open up. In the Replace box, type the code or sequence of keystrokes that will activate the AutoCorrect insertion, and in the With box, type the word, phrase or piece of text that should appear. Then save the change. In the example above, I would type sir in the Replace box and statement of income and expenditure in the With box. Special characters There are many occasions when I have stared at my keyboard trying to figure out how to insert a special character (like the degree symbol or an em-dash). Many symbols are not included on a standard keyboard, but MS Word does have a tool that allows you to insert a great many symbols and equations. > page 6 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

7 < / 6 The more time you spend exploring the various tools and buttons in a program, the more likely you are to learn about, and master, their uses. ¾ If you need to insert a special character, select the Insert tab from the main ribbon and then click on the Symbol or the Equation button which appears in the far left-hand corner of the Insert menu. The Symbol button gives you access to symbols that are not on your keyboard, while the Equation option allows you to insert mathematical structures and symbols. Word even allows you to add a symbol to the AutoCorrect list from the Symbol dialogue box. Most importantly The most important advice I can give is to take some time every week to play around with your word-processing program. The more time you spend exploring the various tools and buttons in a program, the more likely you are to learn about, and master, their uses. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. #tipsforfreelancers Surviving as a freelancer By Julia Smuts On Saturday, 18 January 2014, Cape Town PEGgers were treated to a very informative and encouraging workshop on this topic by our erstwhile national and local PEG chairperson, John Linnegar, who now spends several months of the year in Antwerp, Belgium, where he teaches and pursues doctoral studies. The function was held in the committee room of the Centre for the Book, an impressive old-world building in the heart of the Mother City, right across from the Company s Gardens. The day s events covered a wide range of many of the practical issues that freelance editors and translators face every day. After completing a brief SWOT analysis for themselves, the participants shared with the rest of the attendees how they saw their own strengths and weaknesses a very comforting exercise, particularly for the less experienced among us. We then went on to hear from John about how to grapple with the niceties of running a freelance business: from choosing a suitable work space, equipment and furnishings to dealing with publishers, students and other clients; marketing our services; calculating rates for a variety of services; and invoicing. John guides Cape Town members through the minefield of surviving as a freelance editor After a delicious finger lunch, served in the colonnaded semi-circular foyer, research books were given to two lucky participants whose names were drawn by John. The afternoon discussion turned to working with self-publishing authors and finally to dealing with tax-related issues. Having set the eager editing audience on a firm footing for the year ahead, John was thanked warmly and wished well in his endeavours abroad. We left the cool interior of the Centre for the Book, the new home of the Cape Town branch of PEG, and braved the blazing heat of the midsummer s afternoon and the world outside. page 7 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

8 #nuwewoordeboek n Dief aan die kers: Skelm woorde deur die eeue Outeur: Anton F Prinsloo Resensent: Annamarie Mostert Hierdie woordeboek vind aanklank by taalpraktisyns se speurvernuf; speurvernuf wat hulle telkens aan die dag moet lê om hulle van veranderende woordbetekenisse te vergewis. Dr. Anton Prinsloo wend hierdie speurvernuf kundig aan in sy keuring, verklaring en beskrywing van ongeveer n duisend Afrikaanse woorde waarvan die oorspronklike betekenisse deur die eeue heen bykans ongemerk, maar verstommend verander het. Vandaar die gepaste titel van hierdie woordeboek, n Dief aan die kers: Skelm woorde deur die eeue. In die voorteks werp Prinsloo meer lig op die betekenis van die ou Afrikaanse uitdrukking daar is n dief aan die kers in sy oorspronklike konteks, sowel as in die konteks van hierdie uitsonderlike woordeboek. Hierdie uitdrukking verwys oorspronklik na kerswas wat skeef aan die een kant van n kers afloop; die dief sou dan die was skelm-skelm aan een kant van die kers steel. In hierdie woordeboek word tyd die woorddief wat die woordbetekenisse deur die eeue heen omvorm. Prinsloo verduidelik in die voorteks ( Hoe werk die boek? ) die werkswyse wat gevolg is om die betekenisverwisseling van die woorde vas te pen. Hiervolgens word die vetgedrukte trefwoord gevolg deur sy hedendaagse woordeboekdefinisie in kursief gedruk waarna n beskrywing van die woord se veranderende betekenisse volg. Dit is juis in die keuse en beskrywing van trefwoorde waarvan die betekenis erg prettig (en skelm) deur die tyd skeefgetrek is dat Prinsloo se kenmerkende sin vir humor sterk na vore kom. Wie sou byvoorbeeld kon vermoed dat die betekenis van die elegante bolla, die Franse chignon, verwant is aan die Engelse chain? Prinsloo bied die leser die volgende beskrywing van hierdie woord se geskiedenis: Hierdie krul hare aan die agterkop was van die 13de eeu af gewild onder dames. Uit n sekere hoek het dit gelyk soos n ketting-skakel waarmee die aandag van die mans hopelik gebind sou word. Dit sou voorts ook nie help om n patrollie soldate uit te stuur om die woorddief te vang nie, want die woord patrollie is self n skelm woord aldus die volgende inskrywing: patrollie groep soldate of polisie wat verkenningswerk doen Volgens die Franse was die patrouille n nagwaak. Hulle sê maar net so omdat hulle te deftig is om te erken dat dit n skelm woord is: patrolleer het deur die modder aanstruikel beteken. Die outeur kniehalter ook nie die leser met gekompliseerde grammatikale verduidelikings van woorde se herkoms wat in die tale van die antieke wêreld skuil nie; hy verkies om die kernbetekenis van die woord slegs uit die werkwoord toe te lig. Die herkoms van die woord avontuur wat vandag omskryf word as n voorval, opwindende gebeurtenis word byvoorbeeld só beskryf: Volgens die Romeine was n avontuur iets wat n mens nie sou kon vermy nie en wat gaan kom. Aventura het iets wat gaan gebeur beteken (uit ad om + venire kom ). Vervolgens word die naspeur van hierdie woordeboek se uitsonderlike versameling etimologieë n onvergeetlike ervaring wat die oorspronklike én die moderne gebruik van die woord avontuur kombineer dit word n onvermydelik opwindende gebeurtenis. Die keurige tipografiese versorging van die sagtebanduitgawe, uitgegee deur Pharos Woordeboeke, dra ook daartoe by dat die alfabeties geordende trefwoorde maklik nageslaan kan word. > page 8 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

9 < /8 Alhoewel daar n oorvleueling van inskrywings soos adamsappel en amasone in hierdie woordeboek en in Die aap in jou koffie: Afrikaanse eponieme van A tot Z is, word elkeen van hierdie woorde se betekenisse vanuit n unieke invalshoek beskryf wat eie aan die besonderse aard van elke boek is. Vergelykenderwys handhaaf albei woordeboeke n balans tussen die taalkundige en -vermaaklikheidswaarde van die leesstof. Die lokteks agterop die boek beklemtoon die vermaaklikheidswaarde van Prinsloo se humoristiese styl deur die boek te beskryf as ligte, prettige leesstof. Hierdie jongste toevoeging tot die Afrikaanse woordeboekinventaris is n aanwins vir alle liefhebbers, taalpraktisyns en redigeerders van die Afrikaanse taal wat die naspeur van woorde se herkoms nuttig, insiggewend en vermaaklik vind. Oor die outeur Dr. Anton Prinsloo se insiggewende bydrae tot die herkoms van Afrikaanse woorde en uitdrukkings getuig van sy jarelange betrokkenheid by taalwetenskap. Hy het alreeds nege boeke gepubliseer en verskeie artikels geskryf. Dr. Prinsloo is al vir die afgelope dekade lank die skrywer van die rubriek Taalkruie wat in die Volksblad verskyn. Sy woordeboek oor kontreitaal, Annerlike Afrikaans, is bekroon met die ATKV-Sanlamtoekenning vir die beste taalkundepublikasie in Hy het in 2003 die CJ Langenhovenprys vir Taalwetenskap van die Suid- Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns ontvang. Dr. Prinsloo was Voorsitter van die Taalkommissie van die Akademie, van die Nasionale Taalliggaam vir Afrikaans en van die Komitee vir Taaladvies van die SAUK. Uitgewer: Kaapstad: Pharos Woordeboeke, 2013 Formaat: 274 bladsye; sagteband ISBN: Kleinhandelsprys: R250,00 #selfpublishing Gauteng networking brunch By Pam Makati The first PEG event in Gauteng for 2014 was the networking brunch held at the picturesque Willows Country Lodge in Pretoria on Saturday, 22 March. Isabelle Delvare opened the event with a hearty welcome and introduced the speaker for the event: David Robbins, co-owner of Porcupine Press, who addressed the members on the topic of self-publishing. Eastern-Cape born David Robbins is an author who has published many books of fiction, history, socio-political analysis and travel. He has written articles on the issues of culture, the arts and key development issues confronting the developing world. His articles have been published in leading South African newspapers as well as South African, British and American journals. David has won several awards for his journalism and other writings, including the South African Literary Award and the CNA Literary Award. He was recently shortlisted for the Via Afrika-Recht Malan prize for non-fiction. David Robbins addresses the members over a leisurely breakfast at Willows Country Lodge During his talk, David addressed the actual process of self-publishing; why one should self-publish; how to self-publish; and the challenges of self-publishing in South Africa. He talked about the pros and cons of this method and responded to questions and concerns raised by attendees regarding the challenges that writers and editors face when working within a self-publishing context. The talk was followed by Willow Lodge s delectable buffet breakfast, which David and his lovely wife, Gail, enjoyed with us. We hope to include an article on self-publishing by David in a future issue of PEGboard. David and Gail Robbins with Isabelle Delvare page 9 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

10 Deur Corné Janse van Rensberg #bepalingenbeskrywing is vir byvoeglike naamwoorde en bywoorde In PEGboard se alfabetiese reeks redigeeronderwerpe word daar in hierdie uitgawe aandag gegee aan byvoeglike naamwoorde en bywoorde. Onlangs het die volgende vrae in openbare forums opgeduik: Skryf mens privaatskool en privaatsak of privaat skool en privaat sak? Skryf mens reuse aandeel of reuse-aandeel? Skryf mens iets goed of iets goeds? Wat van aanlyn : skryf mens aanlyninkopies of aanlyn inkopies? En wat gebeur met: inkopies vind ononderbroke aanlyn plaas? Om hierdie en soortgelyke vrae te beantwoord, is dit nuttig om weer na die grammatika van byvoeglike naamwoorde en bywoorde te kyk. 1. Byvoeglike naamwoorde (b.nwe.) Wat is n byvoeglike naamwoord? n Byvoeglike naamwoord beskryf selfstandige naamwoorde (die interessante boek) en voornaamwoorde (hy is interessant) in n sin en word los van daardie woord geskryf. AWS (2009:131). Hoe pas byvoeglike naamwoorde in n sin? Die twee voorbeelde hierbo wys hoe byvoeglike naamwoorde gebruik kan word: attributief of voor die selfstandige naamwoord wat bepaal word (die interessante boek) en predikatief of deel van die predikaat, ná die selfstandige naamwoord of voornaamwoord wat bepaal word (hy is interessant). Waarom verbuig byvoeglike naamwoorde soms? a. Byvoeglike naamwoorde verbuig dikwels om n onderskeid tussen n letterlike en figuurlike gebruik (met -e) aan te dui bv. n nou pad maar noue ontkomings, ryk vriende maar ryke ervaring. b. Soms verbuig byvoeglike naamwoorde ter wille van beklemtoning bv. n stoute kind, deur die lange dae, n liewe mens (die morfeem van affek). c. Soms verskil die betekenis van die verboë vorm van die betekenis van die onverboë vorm bv. die speler het n seker drie verbrou maar n sekere mnr. Smit was hier. d. Byvoeglike naamwoorde verbuig ook om trappe van vergelyking (stellende, vergrotende en oortreffende trap) te vorm bv. helder, helderder, helderste en belese, meer belese, mees belese. (Onthou om toutologiese vorme soos meer gelukkiger en mees gelukkigste te vermy. Onthou ook dat sommige byvoeglike naamwoorde logieserwys nie trappe van vergelyking het nie bv. dood en uniek.) Wat is intensiewe (versterkte) vorme van die byvoeglike naamwoord? Voorbeelde van intensiewe vorme van die byvoeglike naamwoord is: die piepklein boek, hy is vreksuinig, my oupa is stokdoof, my plankdun vriend. (Onthou dat intensiewe vorme nie trappe van vergelyking het nie: pikdonkerder en pikdonkerste is nie moontlik nie.) Wat is die deelsgenitief (partitiewe genitief)? In uitdrukkings met iets (bv. iets goeds, iets nuuts, d.w.s. iets van die goeie, iets van die nuwe) en niks (bv. niks goeds, niks nuuts, d.w.s. niks van die goeie, niks van die nuwe), behou die byvoeglike naamwoord die fleksiemorfeem -s wat n restant van die genitiewe naamval is. Mens vind ou vorme van die byvoeglike naamwoord wat op ongewone vorme verbuig in n paar vaste uitdrukkings bv. te eniger tyd, onverrigter sake, op velerlei wyse, op heter daad. Wat is nominalisering (substantivering)? Dikwels word byvoeglike naamwoorde as selfstandige naamwoorde gebruik. Die selfstandige naamwoord word net geïmpliseer bv. die mooie sal seker die kompetisie wen, die nuwe word altyd verkies, die blinke lok mense. > page 10 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

11 < /10 2. Bywoorde (bwe.) Bywoorde (wat ook graadwoorde genoem word) bepaal gewoonlik n werkwoord of n byvoeglike naamwoord. Maar bywoorde kan ook ander bywoorde, voorsetsels, telwoorde, voegwoorde en hele sinne bepaal. Hy lees dikwels bywoord bepaal werkwoord 3. Punktuasie by byvoeglike naamwoorde en bywoorde Tussen twee of meer verboë byvoeglike naamwoorde word n komma gebruik bv. n ingewikkelde, spannende boek. Hy lees besonder dikwels Hy is uiters belese Hy het die boek vlak voor my gesit Daar was byna honderd boeke Hy sal dit lees, bloot omdat dit n treffer is Hy sal miskien Maandag die boek lees bywoord bepaal bywoord bywoord bepaal byvoeglike naamwoord bywoord bepaal voorsetsel bywoord bepaal telwoord bywoord bepaal voegwoord bywoord bepaal sin Tussen n bywoord en n byvoeglike naamwoord word daar nie n komma of koppelteken gebruik nie bv. n besonder spannende boek. Tussen n byvoeglike naamwoord en n kleurnaam word daar geen komma gebruik as die byvoeglike naamwoord die hele voorwerp beskryf nie bv. n dik blou boek. Bywoorde wat n hele sin bepaal en nie net n spesifieke woord nie, word bywoorde van modaliteit genoem. Ander modale bywoorde is bv. seker, werklik, regtig, tog, immers, darem, dalk, nie, kamma, sommer, mos, glo, bra. Dit is soms nuttig om die soort bywoord te bepaal om die betekenis van n sin vas te stel: Hy lees soggens bywoord van tyd n Komma word nie gebruik tussen twee byvoeglike naamwoorde wanneer die eerste byvoeglike naamwoord die hele begrip beskryf wat deur die daaropvolgende byvoeglike naamwoord en selfstandige naamwoord gevorm word nie bv. Afrikaanse literêre boeke. Hy lees buite Hy lees ononderbroke Hy lees genoeg Daarom het hy nie gelees nie Daarvoor het hy gelees bywoord van plek bywoord van wyse bywoord van graad bywoord van oorsaak bywoord van doel By saamgestelde byvoeglike naamwoorde wat uit twee byvoeglike naamwoorde bestaan waarvan die eerste deel onverbuig is en die tweede deel verbuig, word n koppelteken gebruik bv. die boek bespreek politiek-godsdienstige kwessies. bepaling van die hele sin: Hy sal dit onmoontlik regkry Hy sal dit beslis regkry Sal jy dit asseblief dadelik doen! Hy sal altemit weer probeer Hy het darem tog sy bes gedoen bywoord van modaliteit: ontkenning bevestiging wens twyfel toegewing In Afrikaans word bywoorde dikwels opgestapel: jy kan sommer nie net hier aanmekaar sit en lees nie. Sekere bywoorde kom in vaste pare met werkwoorde voor bv. ruiterlik of rondborstig erken, onteenseglik bewys, gelate aanvaar, ruimskoots vergoed, onderhoudend gesels. Onder invloed van Engelse bywoorde wat dikwels op -ly eindig (bv. primarily, dutifully ), is daar n tendens om -lik aan byvoeglike naamwoorde te voeg om bywoorde te skep. Bloedig word bloediglik, vrywillig word vrywilliglik, wettig word wettiglik. Dit moet vermy word. (In Afrikaans word -lik eerder gebruik om byvoeglike naamwoorde te vorm bv. hartlik, wonderlik.) BYWOORD BEPAAL SIN BYWOORD BEPAAL WERKWOORD BYWOORD BEPAAL BYWOORD BYWOORD BEPAAL VOORSETSEL BYWOORD BEPAAL BYVOEGLIKE NAAMWOORD BYWOORD BEPAAL TELWOORD By saamgestelde byvoeglike naamwoorde wat uit n selfstandige naamwoord en n byvoeglike naamwoord bestaan, word die dele vas geskryf bv. bloeddeurdrenkte bladsye van n spanningsroman. Gebruik n koppelteken tussen twee kleurname of ander byvoeglike naamwoorde waar en maklik gebruik sou kon word bv. swart-wit buiteblad, resep vir n soet-suur gereg. Skryf kleurname los van selfstandige naamwoorde, maar skryf eendersklinkende stofname vas aan die selfstandige naamwoord bv. silwer papier maar silwermedalje, room rok maar roomkoek. Soms het byvoeglike naamwoorde en selfstandige naamwoorde saamgesmelt om n nuwe betekeniseenheid te vorm. Onderskei dus tussen n kortbroek en n kort broek, droëvrugte en droë vrugte. AWS (2009: ). Soms is n byvoeglike naamwoord en selfstandige naamwoord se betekenis > page 11 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

12 < / 11 minder akkuraat as n samestelling van twee selfstandige naamwoorde. SAAZ (2011:716): S.nw. + s.nw. administrasiegebou administrasiekoste strategiekonsultant strategiebeplanning weerverskynsel gestremdevereniging grondwetkenner Eerder as b.nw. + s.nw. administratiewe gebou administratiewe koste strategiese konsultant strategiese beplanning weerkundige verskynsel gestremde vereniging grondwetlike kenner Byvoeglike naamwoorde wat van eiename afgelei is, word aanvanklik gewoonlik met n hoofletter geskryf. Mettertyd word die byvoeglike naamwoord as n afleiding beskou en dan met n kleinletter geskryf bv. Calvinistiese gestremdheid, maar chauvinistiese begaafdheid. AWS 9.19 (2009:53 54) 4. Antwoorde In die lig van die bespreking hierbo, skryf ons dus privaat skool en privaat sak en nie privaatskool en privaatsak nie; ons skryf reuse-aandeel en nie reuse aandeel nie; ons skryf iets goeds en nie iets goed nie; ons skryf aanlyn inkopies en nie aanlyninkopies nie. En in die sin: inkopies vind ononderbroke aanlyn plaas is aanlyn n bywoord van wyse ( n voorbeeld van funksiewisseling in Afrikaans). 5. Waar kan ek nog hulp kry? AWS 2009:558 en elders by hoof- en kleinletters, koppeltekens, skryfwyse los en vas. SAAZ 2011: (par ), (par ). HAT T&F 2013:25 26 en vir punktuasie #nittygrittyworkshops Getting down to the nitty-gritty By Kristina Davidson On a sunny Saturday morning in February, I joined 24 other PEG/ LAMP members for the first in a series of nitty-gritty practical workshops organised by PEG Cape Town. Facilitated by Peter Merrington, the workshop s aim was to give participants the opportunity to learn and apply practical editing skills to different types of texts. Peter Merrington was an amusing and engaging facilitator who provided us with a wide variety of texts for the editing exercises, ranging from an in-house newsletter to scenes from a novel set in Cape Town. As I have never edited (and have no plans to edit) fiction, I particularly enjoyed the fiction examples. For me, the best part of the workshop was the exchange of ideas and discussion about how we would have edited the various texts. I was, as always, amazed at the richness and variety of work that editors do. Having said that, I think that the learning could have been greater if a summary of the main issues in the text had been provided after each exercise, as time did not allow for very detailed discussion of all the texts. For future workshops, I would recommend a tighter structure, in order to reduce the time spent going off at a tangent, which was interesting, but meant that the workshop ran over time. Of course, this may be wishful thinking, as, in my experience, any gathering of editors involves a lot of talking. Controlling a group of opinionated editors is not easy, and I think overall Peter did an excellent job! The time and structure issues are but minor quibbles. The nitty-gritty workshops are a fantastic initiative. I not only learned from the general discussion based on the texts, but was also reassured by the realisation that other editors would have made the same or similar changes as I. (I doubt that I am the only PEG member to question my ability to edit, especially new or different texts, such as fiction.) The nitty-gritty workshops are a fantastic initiative. Congratulations to the PEG Cape Town Committee for their hard work and effort in putting together these workshops. In particular, thank you to Corné van Rensburg for his hard work and to Peter Merrington for being willing to be the first facilitator. I hope that other experienced PEG members will show the same willingness to step up to the plate and share their wealth of knowledge with members. page 12 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

13 #beinittowinit Fundraiser for mentoring scheme award By Irene Stotko The prestigious Derrick Hurlin Mentoring Award was set up in 2012 to recognise excellence in mentoring. It is dedicated to the memory of Derrick Hurlin, a great PEG mentor, whose family kindly donated a floating trophy towards the award. Every year we offer the Derrick Hurlin Award to the most deserving mentor on the PEG Mentoring Scheme. A monetary contribution has accompanied the trophy. Since we are a little low on funds, we are running a raffle this year at all PEG events to fund the award. Alison Downie, Joan Fairhurst and Irene Stotko started selling raffle tickets for R10 each at the Gauteng brunch on Saturday, 22 March and quickly sold 25 tickets. Book hampers Two copies of the following two titles from Cambridge University Press thanks to Isabelle Delvare: Butcher, Judith, Drake, Caroline & Leach, Maureen, Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Authors and Publishers, Mackenzie, Janet, The Editor s Companion, One copy of each title from Tafelberg Publishers, donated by Marion Boers: Bredenhann, Douwleen, Living without Liesl, Dommisse, Ebbe, Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff: First Baronet of De Grendel, Mouton, Jannie, and then they fired me, as told to Carié Maas, Maas, Deon, Witboy in Africa: Diary of a Troublemaker, Van der Vyfer, Marita, Just Dessert, Dear, Pharos Afrikaans English, English Afrikaans Dictionary, Von Meck, Anoeschka, My name is Vaselinetjie, translated from the Afrikaans by Elsa Silke, More titles will be added to the hampers during the year as we approach more publishers. You will stand to WIN one of two covetable hampers of books and stationery, of the sort bound to appeal to all true editors. Draws will take place during the PEG Conference in October, at the main event in Johannesburg and a linked event in Cape Town. Please continue to support this competition. Irene Stotko selling raffle tickets for the Derrick Hurlin Mentoring Award. The winners will be drawn at PEG s 21st anniversary celebrations in October. page 13 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

14 #commasense Falling even deeper into a comma By Lin Aecer #part2 Welcome to Part 2 of the article on comma use and abuse, Part 1 of which appeared in the December 2013 issue of PEGboard. In this third in a series of grammar articles, I consider a further clutch of troublesome aspects of sentence construction involving the use of the comma. By now, some of you may be agreeing with copy editor and writer Jonathon Owen that, strictly speaking, grammar refers to the structural rules of language, namely morphology, phonology and syntax, not to punctuation or usage. But I view punctuation as a kind of adhesive that holds authors words and thoughts together; it also replaces the pauses, intonations and emphases of the spoken word where text on a page would otherwise be mute. As such, in the opinion of this and other writers, punctuation is an equal partner with grammar in sentence construction and the clear communication of ideas and information. The comma problems included in this article, based on their proclivity to put text editors to the test, are: when and where to use a comma or commas in conjunction with however, moreover, etc; when and where to use a comma or commas in conjunction with that is, namely and for example/for instance ; a single comma used with parenthetic expressions, instead of a pair of commas; the comma associated with sentence adverbs; the comma that signals a sentence inversion; and when (or when not) to use commas in adjective strings. Quotable quotes Too many commas make writing choppy; too few create misunderstanding. (Venolia 14) With words such as however and moreover Words such as however and moreover are usually followed by a comma when used at the opening of a sentence or are preceded and followed by a comma when used in the middle of a sentence. Placed at the end of a sentence, they should be preceded by a comma: However, it is always possible to apply this recognition from an unprivileged social condition. Vollenhoven, moreover, does not regard Empedocles philosophy of change and constancy as an attempt at integration. They do harbour some problematic internal incoherence, however. When they are used to introduce a clause, they must be preceded by a semi-colon, not a comma (see below) (Manning Murphy 144). I will be at the meeting; however, I am likely to be late. You were insolent; moreover, your conduct was tantamount to insubordination. In conjunction with that is, namely, etc When and where should you used a comma or commas in conjunction with that is, namely and for example/for instance? According to New Hart s Rules (at 72), a comma is generally required after that is : Societal norms, that is, the norms set by society as a whole, are ignored at one s peril. Depending on the structure of a sentence as a whole, a comma may or may not be used after namely and for example or for instance : The theoretical owners of the firm, namely the shareholders, are nevertheless to be consulted. Alcoholic beverages for example, beer, whisky, brandy and gin were also available at the party. Single commas with parenthetic expressions Parenthetic expressions can be viewed as interruptions to the main idea expressed in a sentence. This means that the interruption must be bracketed off with a pair of commas to make the sentence construction and the author s > page 14 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

15 < / 14 meaning quite clear. (Alternatively, if the writer intended to stress the bracketed-off words, or even to under-state them, he or she might have used a pair of dashes or parentheses (brackets), respectively, instead.) The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time is to cycle. My brother you will be pleased to hear, is now in perfect health. A good test of whether a pair of commas is needed is to visualise the commas as parentheses: Would I ever use only one parenthesis in a sentence? Your answer to this question will indicate that a second comma must surely be added to the sentence and so the two sentences above should have been punctuated as follows: The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to cycle. My brother, you will be pleased to hear, is now in perfect health. Quotable quotes The comma is probably the hardest of all punctuation marks to master. Not only is it the most flexible, not only are its uses the most varied, but it also carries few rules and has been used (and not used) by great authors in many different ways. (Lukeman 32 33) It is a rule of Afrikaans sentence construction that a sentence containing two main (or finite) verbs must have the clauses in which they occur bracketed off with a comma: Sommige mense wat Engels probeer aanleer, vind dat hulle dit maklik kan bemeester. As a result of linguistic interference, this rule is often erroneously applied by writers of English in South Africa (and, by the way, in the Netherlands and Belgium too): Some people who try to learn English, find that they are able to master it easily. Glaring gaps and inequities in health, persist both within and between countries, causing difficulties in achieving the required health advances equitably. The problem here is that the subject of the verb find is now separated from its subject some people by punctuation, which makes no sense in English sentence construction. Similarly, gaps and inequities has been separated from the verb persist. (By the way, in the first example, who try to learn English is a defining relative clause, so in any event it would not be bracketed off from people. As a result, there is no grammatical justification for the comma after English in any case.) The correct equivalent of the Afrikaans should be: Some people who try to learn English find that they are able to master it easily. The correct rendering of the second sentence would be: Glaring gaps and inequities in health persist both within and between countries, causing difficulties in achieving the required health advances equitably. Sentence adverbs or conjunctions and commas Sentence adverbs and conjunctions are important connectors (or linking or transitional words or phrases) between sentences and paragraphs. They help the reader to follow a writer s argumentation. When a sentence begins with an adverb or an adverbial phrase or clause, it is customary (and often clearer, especially to non-native speakers of English) to terminate the sentence adverb with a comma to separate it from the main sentence (usually the main idea being expressed): Consequently, we re unable to conclude that our findings are due only to one variable. In the summer, the family often spends a few weeks at the seaside. South African skipper Graeme Smith was confident he could beat any team in the World Cup. After all, he had some of the finest Twenty20 players to win matches for him. According to Strauss (2009:89), movement is something original in a functional sense. As if that were not enough, we still had to fight our way through heavy traffic to get to our appointment. Note that, in each case, the main point or thought of the sentence begins immediately after the comma. Commas that signal sentence inversions Often an author will invert the main and subordinate ideas in a sentence to give one idea more prominence and therefore greater emphasis at the beginning of a sentence. When this is done, the two inverted parts of the sentence must be connected by a comma, as in these examples: Although he tried his best to win gold at the Winter Olympics, Stanislav had to settle for silver. Owing to bad health, James had to retire prematurely. Not one for being in the limelight, she surprised us all by appearing at the charity event. In each sentence, the words in italics are the main idea being expressed but are being given less emphasis by being placed towards the end of each sentence. > page 15 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

16 < / 15 Commas in adjective strings Where and when to place commas between adjectives in strings that precede a noun is often a source of confusion to authors and editors alike. Gowers (at 249) writes that where a series of adjectives precedes a noun, it is a matter of taste whether there are commas between them or not, but his view is largely unhelpful to text editors who need firm guidance. Quotable quotes... stops have two kinds of duty. One is to show the construction of sentences the grammatical duty. The other is to introduce nuances into the meaning the rhetorical duty. (Gowers 239) Knowing the following simple rule should help with making a decision about the insertion of commas (New Hart s Rules 70). There are two classes of adjective: qualitative (tall, happy, serious, green [colour]) and classifying (German, green [enviro-friendly]). A characteristic of qualitative adjectives is that they can be used in the comparative and superlative forms (taller, happiest) and be modified by a word such as very; classifying adjectives cannot (more German?; less geometric?). Usually, if a string comprises the same class of adjective, the adjectives must be separated by commas; however, a comma should not be inserted between adjectives from different classes: A tall, elegant German gentleman approached me. A silly, verbose, pompous letter. A verbose, pompous official letter. What s noticeable about the first and third examples is that the final adjective (German, official) is one that describes the species of the noun (ie classifying), so it must be regarded as part of the noun and therefore not be preceded by a comma. In general, by their nature, classifying adjectives should be positioned between qualitative adjectives and nouns, as with Persian below: A large Persian rug A Persian large rug No comma is needed to separate two or more classifying adjectives where they relate to different classifying systems: annual economic growth Together, both parts of this article on comma use and abuse have, I hope, clarified some of the more troublesome problems involving comma usage in English; I trust that, taken together, they will enable you to improve texts with greater self-assurance. Should you have any other aspects of comma usage you d like to have covered in PEGboard, please them to the editor. Bibliography GM Carey, Mind the Stop: A Brief Guide to Punctuation with a Note on Proof-correction (Cambridge University Press, 1939) Marion Field, Improve your Punctuation and Grammar 2nd ed. (Howtobooks, 2007) Sir Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words (Pelican, 1968) John Linnegar, Engleish, our Engleish: Common Errors in South African English and How to Solve Them (Pharos, 2009) New Hart s Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors (Oxford University Press, 2005) Noah Lukeman, The Art of Punctuation (Oxford University Press, 2007) Janet Mackenzie, The Editor s Companion 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2011) Elizabeth Manning Murphy, Working Words (Canberra Society of Editors, 2011) Patricia T O Conner, Woe is I. The Grammarphobe s Guide to Better English in Plain English 2nd ed. (Riverhead, 2010) Jonathon Owen, 12 Mistakes nearly everyone who writes about grammar mistakes makes (accessed 2 December 2013) HB Treble and GH Vallins, An ABC of English Usage (Oxford University Press, 1973) William Strunk Jr and EB White, The Elements of Style (Penguin, 2000) Jan Venolia, Write Right: A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style 3rd ed. (Ten Speed Press, 1995) page 16 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

17 #talentonourdoorstep Who s your colleague anyway? By Alison M Downie PEG is truly full of the most interesting people. The variety of talent and experience among our members is quite remarkable, even though we are sometimes unaware of the accomplishments of our fellow PEGgers. One of the most rewarding aspects of attending PEG workshops is the opportunity to network and get to know other members a little better. At the rates negotiation workshop held in Gauteng in 2013, it came to light that Elaine Dodge, one of our relatively new members, had just recently published her first book, Harcourt s Mountain. In this, the first article in this series, we chat to Elaine about her book, and what led her to change careers in such dramatic fashion. The synopsis Spring, 1867 the western frontier of British Columbia hardly seems a likely place for romance. Filthy, terrified and confused, Hope Booker is waiting to be sold off from the bride ship. Luke Harcourt happens upon the sale. It s not love at first sight, but he feels compelled to save her from a life of slavery and prostitution. To allay her fears of being raped by him, Luke promises never to touch her. Despite being a man of his word, however, he quickly finds it almost impossible to keep his pledge. Battling their growing attraction to each other, Luke and Hope must learn to live together in the forests of the wild and almost unexplored mountains. They face white water, wolves and dangerous people of various kinds. Eventually, they are no longer able to deny their feelings for each other, but their happy-ever-after is shattered when a corrupt land baron forces Luke s hand. Enraged at the man s actions, Luke rides into town, and disappears. Alone and pregnant, Hope faces the prospect of the worst winter in ten years. The trauma of fighting off a hungry grizzly brings on labour, but the baby is stuck. Luke, meanwhile, wakes up on a ship bound for South America, captained by a revengeful sadist who means to murder him. Luke s chances of survival are slim. Can he stay alive and make it back to Hope in time? What the reviewers are saying With nothing else to do, he studied the women on deck. He couldn t believe any right-minded female would willingly put herself into this kind of situation Adventure and romance all in one! Elaine Dodge sure knows how to keep one captivated in her story of Luke and Hope. As they overcome their challenges, their love stands strong and irrevocable. I fear I am now suffering from withdrawal symptoms. This can't be the end, I have to know how their adventure continues. Di Pienaar, Amazon reviewer I just finished this book and I loved it. It is set in British Columbia in Luke Harcourt is the main character in this story and I have > page 17 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

18 < / 17 to say he is one of the most wonderful men I have ever read [about]. I couldn t put this book down and I read it in one day. If you want to read a beautiful story about two people that are getting to know each other and slowly falling in love I recommend this book. There are some pretty shady characters that really move this story along and some adventures that you just don't see coming. Hope there are more stories to come from this amazing author. Lorie Wolfenbarger, Goodreads reviewer Harcourt s Mountain by Elaine Dodge is a brilliant love story set in extreme circumstances. Luke Harcourt is one of the most honourable heroes I have ever read [about]. So honourable in fact that I would have liked to have smacked him upside the head a few times for not sharing his feelings with Hope. These star-crossed, not-quite lovers keep their distance while the reader bites their fingernails in anticipation. Hope evolves like a budding flower and watching her adapt to her new surroundings with such finesse is part of the draw to this adventure. I truly enjoyed Harcourt s Mountain by the very talented Elaine Dodge, and I give kudos to this South African native for writing about a land so far off and doing it so well. I recommend this tale to all and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Kimberly Radicy Rocha, Book Obsessed Chicks I really liked this book. It was a page turner that you wanted to keep reading. Each page had a new event or adventure. Most of the characters were [so] real that you could feel their emotions, good and bad. I loved the animals that were part of the story. The reading kept moving steadily along to the end. I laughed and cried and it brought out a lot of feelings inside of me. Looking forward to her next book. Shirl, Amazon reviewer An excerpt from Harcourt s Mountain The women were brought out of the hold into the bright sunlight till the deck was crowded with so-called brides blinking in the glare. What it must have been like below deck during the journey Harcourt shuddered to think. He d captured a few slave ships during his time in the United States Navy and this one had the same lines. He wouldn t be surprised to learn it had been built as one. It would be perfect for this cargo. What were they after all, but another type of slave? It would also explain the faint smell that emanated from it. The stench soaked its way into the very fibre of the ship. You could never get rid of it completely, unless you burnt it. A fitting end for a foul vessel, as far as he was concerned. With nothing else to do, he studied the women on deck. He couldn t believe any right-minded female would willingly put herself into this kind of situation. Their clothing was in various stages of disrepair, their hair bedraggled. They looked dirty, coarse and unkempt even less attractive than the girls at the Bright Star, if that were possible. It was obvious more than half were already whores by profession. In response to the catcalling and the whistles they pulled down their tops and shaking their shoulders let their breasts wobble and bounce around. The men cheered and pushed to get to the front. The bidding was fast and aggressive. The first woman off the ship disappeared into the mob. Harcourt doubted very much she d make it through the day without being raped by at least a dozen men. The whole enterprise sickened him. The auction took on a predictable rhythm. Harcourt leaned back against the wall, tipped his hat over his eyes, and dozed off. After a few hours, the crowd had thinned somewhat. Most of the women had been sold. There were only a dozen or so left. Harcourt stretched. He was just about to jump from his perch when a tall woman in a predictably dirty, once light grey dress, was brought forward. Perhaps it was the dress that caught his eye. It was silk, well cut and modest. It looked expensive. Harcourt s eyes narrowed. This woman was no prostitute. She d made some attempt to clean herself up and although her hair needed a wash and good brush, she had at least tried to bring some order to it. She looked intelligent and, despite the scared look in her eyes, calm. Her hands were folded in front of her. She was clearly a lady. She made no attempt to catch the eye of any man in the crowd. Instead, she looked over their heads towards the mountains. Perhaps she liked what she saw for she took a deep breath, lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. Instinctively, Harcourt knew she would be no man s whore. And, like the doctor had said, with the wrong man that would probably mean a killing. There was laughter from the men. A few coarse jokes. Harcourt glanced over at Butler. He was talking emphatically to the constable. He called over the big man from the whorehouse, indicated the woman and nodded at something the brute said. Harcourt realised no one had bid for her. He stood up on his crate. I ll take her. Everyone turned to look at him, including the woman. Butler stroked his thin moustache with his finger and thumb. He smiled. Mr. Harcourt, you know the rules. You must bid for her. How much do you offer? One hundred dollars, in gold. > page 18 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014

19 < / 18 About the author Elaine Dodge was born in Zambia, grew up in Zimbabwe and currently lives in South Africa. She trained as a designer and worked in this field for a number of years, also running her own company. A long stint in advertising followed. In the last few years Elaine has worked in the television industry, winning the odd international award. Writing was an aspect of each part of her career, but she came to realise that it wasn t enough. I love telling stories, she says. I m passionate about it, so in November 2011 I decided to wrestle the Rottweiler and put those stories on paper. I feel most alive when I m writing and delight in letting my imagination run riot. My first book, Harcourt s Mountain, signed by Tirgearr Publishing, was launched in August The reviews are now starting to come in and it has been nominated for the 2014 RONE Awards. It s so exciting! Right now, I m in the throes of writing my second novel, The Device Hunter, which is proving to be an altogether different animal to Harcourt s Mountain, both in genre and temperament! Harcourt s Mountain is available as an e-book from Amazon USA, Tirgearr Publishing, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, Nook, Sony, All Romance Books and Omnilit. Do you know a PEG member you would like to see featured in PEGboard? Contact the editor at sticklersinc@gmail.com. Nuwe Afrikaanse boek nou beskikbaar Remember, PEGgers: Die HAT is n woordeboek. Reg so ver. Die beste verklarende woordeboek in die land. Ditsem. Waarin mens die woorde van Afrikaans kan gaan opsoek en bondige, saaklike betekenisse vir hulle vind. Maar wat nou as jy meer inligting oor n bepaalde onderwerp benodig, meer as waarvoor daar in n woordeboek plek is? Of jy soek gebruiksleiding oor n bepaalde woord? Want onthou, die HAT is volgens die jongste leksikografiese metodes saamgestel, en daarom beskryf hy hoe Afrikaanse woorde en uitdrukkings tans daar uitsien, maar hy skryf nie noodwendig voor hoe hulle gebruik word, of watter een beter as die ander is nie. Siedaar, die HAT Taal- en Feitegids! Propvol feite oor Suid-Afrika en die wêreld. ( ISBN: Uitgewer: Pearson Formaat: Sagteband, 245 mm 170 mm Omvang: 784 pp Publikasiedatum: Desember 2013 Kategorie: Woordeboek/Naslaan Ongeveer R345 (R275 by Leserskring) page 19 Newsletter of the Professional Editors Group April 2014