# Experienced Professional Proofreader Going Independent



## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

My name is Margaret Dean and I've worked as a freelance proofreader for professional publishing houses for the past thirty years. Now I'm bringing my expertise to the independent publishing market.

I'll go over your work with an experienced eye; I'll catch typos, correct spelling and punctuation errors, iron out grammar and usage glitches, and do whatever else is needed to give it the professional, literate polish it deserves.

All varieties of fiction welcome short of full-on erotica (romance-level sex scenes are fine); I'm a longtime SF & fantasy reader and won't boggle at alien terminology or invented languages. I can also handle non-fiction written for general audiences.

•	Rates: $.35 per 100 words, with a $50.00 minimum, for a two-week turnaround. Rush rates (1 week turnaround or less) $.50 per 100 words.

•	Software: Microsoft Word Track Changes

•	Contact Information: Email me at [email protected]

Special Introductory Offer: If you're an author I've never worked with before, you'll get 10% off the first job I receive from you.

Check out my profile at LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-r-dean/>


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## Gennita Low (Dec 13, 2012)

Can you PM me and tell me which trad author/book you've edited? Esp. in the romance genre. I'm a hybrid author and know a number of authors' works so it'd help me decide if your style would work for me. 

Thank you.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Finished the first pass on my first job gained through this list, and will be ready for another by next Tuesday (after Mythcon!).


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I am now back from Mythcon and ready to take on more work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ten percent discount for the first ten customers is still in effect!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week:  I am (apparently) one of the few people left alive who knows how to conjugate "lie" and "lay" properly.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #2:  I majored in French at college, so I can read and correct French excerpts as well as English.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Someone who can correct French is a big sell. I still have an acquaintance who STILL laughs at a very basic error I made in a French curse in one of my novels, THE OPENING LINE!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #3:  If you're writing a Regency romance, or other historical fiction set in Great Britain, and want to have your titles of nobility and forms of address correct, I can do that too.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #4:  I have an OED and I know how to use it!


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## Scarlett_R (Sep 30, 2011)

Hey Marg- I'd be interested in talking to you about some of your work- can you email me at: contact (at) scarlettrugers (dot) come with some of your work and history?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #5:  Language in general is one of my interests, so I enjoy and support creative uses of it.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I am ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ten percent discount for first ten KBoards customers is still in effect!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #6:  As an Anglophile American with an interest in language, I can handle either British or American spelling and diction ... and make sure that whichever you choose is consistent.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I just sent back a job and am ready for more work (yes, even over the holidays!).  Ten percent early-customer discount is still in effect!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A joyous holiday to all, and a happy and productive New Year!


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## amdonehere (May 1, 2015)

Margaret just helped me with my new novel. This is the first time I've worked with her, and I can't say enough good things about her work. She was truly meticulous down to the tiniest missed/erroneous punctuation. My novel is 300+ pages long Word MS length. I initially thought I could do the proofreading myself, but now I know, there is no possible way I could've caught all those errors. A fresh pair of eyes is necessary, and it's even better if that pair of eyes belongs to Margaret.

She also caught some tiny inconsistencies which helped a lot, even though my story had gone through content edit and copy edit. Her suggestions for how to make proofreading revisions helped greatly to put finishing touches to my book and made it more refined and polished. I love how she was able to just suggest one or two words and suddenly, the sentence sounds so much smoother and clearer.

Strongly recommended, and if our schedules match up, I hope she can help me with my next books.


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## ggwynter (Nov 15, 2015)

Hi Margaret! I'm new to kboards and just came across this thread. Do you have a website I can check out? Also, have you proofread fiction, specifically romance? Thanks!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

ggwynter said:


> Hi Margaret! I'm new to kboards and just came across this thread. Do you have a website I can check out? Also, have you proofread fiction, specifically romance? Thanks!


I don't have a professional website, no ... that's not my area of expertise. I'm very good at keeping up-to-date on my email, however; you can find my email address in the initial post in this thread.

Yes, in my career I have proofread primarily fiction, which has included a _lot_ of romances of all varieties (contemporary, historical, paranormal, comedy, suspense... you name it).


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I am ready for more work.


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## Anonymously Anonymous (Sep 25, 2015)

Math is not my strong suit.

So on a 100,000 word manuscript, you charge $350?


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## P.A. Woodburn (May 22, 2010)

margdean56 said:


> Quality of the Week: I am (apparently) one of the few people left alive who knows how to conjugate "lie" and "lay" properly.


Me too.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Anonymously Anonymous said:


> Math is not my strong suit.
> 
> So on a 100,000 word manuscript, you charge $350?


That's right. (Math is not my strong suit either, hence my not fiddling with fractions-of-cents-per-word! And thank God for the calculator function.  )


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## Anonymously Anonymous (Sep 25, 2015)

> And thank God for the calculator function.


Indeed.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ten percent discount for the first ten customers is still in effect (fortunately the calculator function can do that, too)!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One of the things I find I like about the independent, electronic market is that I can work with authors all over the world, with no worries about shipping large stacks of paper about!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #7:  I'm good at deadlines.  In thirty years of proofreading, I can only recall a couple of times when some unexpected circumstance caused me to return a job a day or two late.  If there's a due date, the job will be back on that date.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

AlexaKang said:


> I initially thought I could do the proofreading myself, but now I know, there is no possible way I could've caught all those errors. A fresh pair of eyes is necessary...


I'm thankful to Alexa for the full testimonial (above), but I thought this bit was especially worth quoting. I know that if I were preparing my own work for publication, I would get a professional proofreader to go over it for me, despite the fact that I _am_ a professional proofreader.

I think the main reason a writer can't effectively proof their own work is this: If you're the writer, you know what is supposed to be there ... so that's what you tend to see, whether or not it actually _is_ there. That's why you need a fresh pair of eyes belonging to a person who doesn't start out intimately familiar with the work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks to Maggie, Paul, Sarah, Alexa, Anita, and especially Trisha, I am now past the first-ten-customers milestone. On we go... Having just sent back my latest job, I am ready for more work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

As I'm heading off tomorrow to see my younger son graduate college, I'll be unavailable for about a week (since I am _not_ taking my laptop along). I'll post again when I get back.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Back from getting my younger son graduated (_summa cum laude_, no less!) and ready for more work.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Congrats to your son!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Quality of the Week #8:  Writing in English when it's not your first language? I can find and iron out the subtle little quirks that betray that ... so no one will ever know.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

_Not_ taking a summer vacation this year, apart from a few days in August. Creativity -- and thus, proofreading -- knows no season!


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## RayBright (Nov 6, 2012)

Let me take advantage of your 10% discount, please. Let me know if I made the cut, and how to proceed.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ray, the 10% discount has run out, I'm afraid. More details in private email.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Don't tell me people only love me for my discount....


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Actually, I have _more_ time for proofreading in the summer, with other activities being on hiatus. Do other people find this to be true about their writing projects?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back my latest job (a couple of days early, actually), I am ready for more work -- with the proviso that I'll need to schedule around Mythcon (August 4th - 8th).


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm back from Mythcon and ready for more work!


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## P.A. Woodburn (May 22, 2010)

I'm writing a thriller almost ready for editing. I think it will be about 65,000 words. Are you willing to edit in Scrivener?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

P.A. Woodburn said:


> I'm writing a thriller almost ready for editing. I think it will be about 65,000 words. Are you willing to edit in Scrivener?


I'd love to work on your thriller, but I'm afraid I don't have Scrivener available. MS Word with Track Changes is what my computer has.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Side note -- I'm going to be getting an actual Kindle for my upcoming 60th birthday. Previously I've just had the software on my laptop.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back my latest job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having a Kindle of my own now, I should be more aware of the formatting shifts and what will and will not continue to be important in correcting texts.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Still learning...

The resumption, after summer break, of the interfaith Bible study class I'm in reminds me that I'm in the process of (slowly) learning Biblical Hebrew. This doesn't mean that I can actually proofread Hebrew texts (even _with_ vowel markings), but it does mean I can recognize the letters and some individual words.

Never stop learning!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A propos of the last message, L'Shanah Tovah to all those on the board who celebrate Rosh Hashanah!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

With fall well under way (at least in the northern hemisphere), seems to me like this is a good time for authors who want to have their work ready for holiday sales to be thinking about that final polish...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One drawback I've found to reading books on my Kindle: When I'm reading a paper book and find a typo or other error, I can grab a pencil and make a correction (assuming I own the book, of course!). If there's a way to do that on the Kindle, I haven't discovered it. 

Why yes, I am a trifle compulsive. That's why I make such a good proofreader.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Halloween to all, and best of luck to all who are about to embark on NaNoWriMo!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

For the holidays, I'm premiering a new introductory discount offer: 10% off the price of the first job I receive from an author I've never worked with before.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I'm ready for more work. 

To clarify the new introductory discount: ANY author I've never worked with before will get a 10% discount on the first job they send to me.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

So, half a month on ... how did people do with NaNoWriMo?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Whichever winter holiday you celebrate, may it be a happy, peaceful and shining one!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Something that's come to mind recently: KBoards, in its Yellow Pages, doesn't distinguish between the different stages of editing a work. I suspect it's for that reason that over the past couple of years I've been sent works that seem to me to be first drafts. Now, far be it from me to discourage people from sending me jobs, but a copyeditor/proofreader is most useful when working on a manuscript at a later stage. Think of it as the paint job on a car. You wouldn't send a car out on the road unpainted, but neither do you send it out to be painted before you have all the parts assembled into a working automobile.

Just something to keep in mind...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Not that I haven't _done_ content editing, but that was in a fan-fiction setting, not professionally -- and not to a deadline. Copyediting/proofreading is what I would call my professional bag of tricks.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

...though, as I said at the outset, far be it from me to discourage people from sending me work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping! (And Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.)


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The last time he called, my younger son, who's a grad student in chemistry at the University of Michigan, told me that he is now the lab's designated proofreader. I guess it runs in the family!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping! It's spring!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having recently sent back a job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping! (And who remembers the book, _The Story About Ping_?)


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A glorious Fourth to all ... and here's to freedom of expression!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm back from Mythcon and ready for more work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## Kyle Alexander Romines (Aug 31, 2017)

Margaret did a fantastic job proofreading my latest novel. She found dozens of mistakes--including a few particularly embarrassing ones--that my editor missed completely. Not only were her services very affordable, she was also fast--I received my draft in two week's time. Highly recommended!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks for the recommendation, Kyle! In return I should say that _Bride_ was a very interesting read!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Easter, everybody -- or Passover, or whatever holiday you celebrate instead!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ping!


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Apologies, margdean56! It looks like we neglected to add our vendor rules to your thread. I'm sure you're well versed in this stuff after all this time, but here goes anyway ...

You're welcome to promote your business and website here in the Writers' Cafe.

Now that you have an official thread, you'll want to add your listing to our Yellow Pages, found here: http://www.kboards.com/yp/. The listing is free to KB members and is completely self-service; you can add and edit your listing from the page. More information on our Yellow Pages listing can be found here.

In your thread here, we ask that the same basic rules be followed as we have for authors in the Book Bazaar: you may have this one thread about your service and must post to it rather than start a new thread each time. New threads about the service will be removed. Please bookmark this thread so that you can find it again when you want to post.

You may not make back-to-back posts to the thread within seven days. If someone responds (as I'm doing with this post), you may reply to them, but otherwise you must wait seven days. Any pattern of posting designed to artificially bump your thread to the top of the forum is prohibited. Please note that very short or (one- or two-word) posts with no meaningful information are discouraged and may be deleted at the moderators' discretion.

Lastly, your posts and images will need to meet our "forum decorum" guidelines, which is the case for every member.

You may find that members ask searching questions -- about how your service works, for example, or what they will get for their money, or whether your service adheres to Amazon's terms of service. Such "vetting" is a common here and can be rigorous.

Note that members are allowed to provide civil and honest feedback about your service in this thread. This feedback may include criticisms as well as kudos. You may respond to criticism in a civil manner, but name-calling, badgering, accusations of lying, and other breaches of forum decorum can lead to loss of vendor posting privileges.

Any and all disputes between you and your clients should be handled off-site.

Thanks,
Becca
KBoards Moderator

_(Note that this welcome does not constitute an endorsement or vetting of a service by KBoards. Members should do due diligence when considering using a service.)_


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks, Becca! Are you trying to suggest (among other things) that I come up with something a little more robust than "Ping!" every seven days?


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

margdean56 said:


> Thanks, Becca! Are you trying to suggest (among other things) that I come up with something a little more robust than "Ping!" every seven days?


Lol. As the daughter of an old submariner, "ping" is near and dear, but ideally ...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Okay, observation: A writer writing in English for whom English is not their birth-tongue will sometimes betray this through their use of prepositions -- one of the most arbitrary and idiosyncratic parts of speech in a language. Discuss.

Also (of course), I can fix that for you.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Example: "Reply" as a transitive verb takes "to"; one doesn't just "reply a message", one must "_reply to_ a message". However, as an intransitive verb, it does not take "to." "He spoke to her and she replied."


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Halloween, everyone? And is anyone going to be participating in National Novel-Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starting tomorrow?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

How big does a "closet" have to be before it's more properly described as a "dressing room"? If a wheelchair can maneuver inside it, how many of you would still call that a "closet"? Inquiring minds want to know.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Since I'm going to be in transit a week from now and not online, I'll take this opportunity to express my thanks for KBoards and all the varied custom it's brought me.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Some equipment problems have kept me offline for a bit, but I'm back -- and juggling two jobs at the moment. But my schedule should be clear in a week or two.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One down, one to go!


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## Kyle Alexander Romines (Aug 31, 2017)

Margaret just proofread my latest release. This was my second time using Margaret's services, and just like before, she did an outstanding job and saved me from making several embarrassing mistakes. She is fast, efficient, and very affordable. I highly recommend her services.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks for the rec, Kyle! And I'm interested to see the cover of _Bride_ in your post.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Greetings of the season to all, whatever you celebrate!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Best wishes to everyone for the coming year!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

For those who celebrate it, two more "days of Christmas" to go; tomorrow is Epiphany.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Query: What kind of description do you miss most in a novel (or other work of fiction) if it isn't there? Characters? Setting? Action?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Conversely, from the writer's point of view, what do you initially perceive about a scene as you write it--the characters' words, their feelings, their physical movements, the setting? What do you have to consciously think about, go back and fill in?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

On the other hand, Becca, what _is_ the good of a more "robust" post if nobody replies to it? What's the advantage over "Ping!"?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Does 28,000 words or thereabouts count as a "book" by any reasonable measure?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And if it doesn't, and it's nonfiction, what would you call it? An essay? An article?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I was away over the weekend, so "ping day" gets bumped to Monday now.


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## Kyle Alexander Romines (Aug 31, 2017)

Margaret just finished proofreading a book for me, and I owe her a big thank you. She saved me from making several very potential genre-related mistakes. She went above and beyond the role of a proofreader and even suggested some additional resources to improve my writing. Her pricing is very affordable, she has great availability, and she is extremely good at what she does. Highly recommended!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks for the recommendation, Kyle! I always enjoy working with you.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Good food values. It's been a long time since I read (much less proofread) a new book with good food values. I mean, smoothies? Really?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I just received an offer from an outfit called Relay Publishers to join their team of freelancers. I'm considering this favorably, but don't imagine I'll abandon my KBoards customers on that account!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Still waiting on Relay Publishers, but in the meantime I'm expecting a job in soon from one of my regulars. I don't see any reason why I couldn't handle both.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've just been discussing with the HR person at Relay Publishers how the line between proofreading and copyediting has blurred so much with the advent of e-publishing. It used to be easy to tell the difference because the copyeditor marked up a different stack of paper than I did; she was working on the author's ms. while I was marking up the page proofs. These days...?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Supposed to Google-chat with Relay Publishers this evening (coordinating times is tricky when I'm in New Mexico and she's in Australia)! We'll see how it goes...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Have signed up with Relay Publishers, but the first job I've been assigned isn't due to arrive till August. No worries -- that just means I'll be through with all my planned trips for the summer.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I know some readers tend to go on about how they dislike large chunks of description, but really -- writers need to use _some_. Otherwise you have faceless people talking to each other in a void, and how engaging is that likely to be?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Wishing a joyous holiday to all, whichever one you celebrate at this time of year.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

In this Information Age of ours, there's really no excuse for setting a story in a real place while at the same time betraying complete ignorance of what the place is like. Not only is there Google Maps, but most places will have websites!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Coming up on Mother's Day, I'm reminded that since my own mother passed away early last year, I may now be the _only_ person of my acquaintance who still knows how to conjugate "lie" and "lay."


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I got phone calls from both of my sons yesterday for Mother's Day, conversations which naturally included, "And what have you been reading lately?" Yes, I reared two reading young men, and proud of it.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

If I started using "Ping!" again, would anybody really notice?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Remembering the fallen on this Memorial Day weekend.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Well! June is here, and it looks like a rather tempestuous early summer here in northern New Mexico. We had a brief hailstorm yesterday.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Addressing a long-deferred problem today.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I have me a brand-new set of hearing aids! Not that this really affects my proofreading, which is done on the computer and involves the eyes, not the ears. But I look forward to a better quality of life in general.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Even with hearing aids, I don't think I'll get into audiobooks, though. The fact is that I can read a good deal faster than I can listen, and don't generally take long car trips.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm going to be traveling this week, so new jobs had probably better wait until a week from today. A glorious Fourth to all who celebrate it!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Back from my eldest son's wedding in Maryland, and ready to take on more work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Having just sent back a job, I'm ready for more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm going to be heading out to the Mythopoeic Society Conference on Friday, so I'd probably better not take on any more jobs until I get back from that (August 5). After that I'll be good to go!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm back from a great Mythcon, and ready to take on more work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Relay Publishers should be coming through with my first job for them near the end of the month. Sounds interesting...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I wonder what will happen when I hit 200 posts.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got my first assignment from Relay Publishers. It doesn't look as if if will be too onerous; I could certainly juggle it with another job.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Labor Day weekend is over, and it's time to get back to work!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Sending good thoughts and prayers to anyone affected by Hurricane Dorian!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Okay, I decided it's Relay's job to figure out how to get my money to me. I still wonder if that nice lady at Wells Fargo will ever get the call back with the info about fees for direct deposit from the UK. You wouldn't think that would be such a hard question...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And it worked. Not quite as fast as PayPal, but without the fees; and still a lot faster than mailing paper checks around.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

That's right, it is Tuesday, isn't it? It's been a busy day.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Wow! It's suddenly fall, weather-wise.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Today would have been my dad's 94th birthday. It's also the eleventh anniversary of my arrival in Santa Fe.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Is anybody planning to participate in NaNoWriMo next month?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Well! I have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving this year, so will be absent/offline from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Now that I've had a few years experience proofreading electronically, I bopped off an email to Hachette the other day to see if they'd be interested in rejoining my client list. Worst that can happen is they'll say no (or ignore me completely, which is also possible).


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The nice thing about freelance electronic copyediting and proofreading is that I can keep at it as long as I can use my laptop -- even when staying home with a bad cold (and conjunctivitis   ) the way I've been for the past week or so. Better now, though!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Working on my second job for Relay. These are tending to be short-ish novels (60,000 words or thereabouts), so not too difficult.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Sent off the second Relay job, and I'll be heading out tomorrow for Maryland to visit my elder son and his wife over Thanksgiving. Back on Monday!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I'm back from my Thanksgiving trip and ready to take on more work.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

...and into Christmas mode now...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Christmas is now sorted, apart from the singing I'll still need to do as a church chorister. Keeps me busy!


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## D. A. J. F. (Mar 29, 2019)

I like that you sing in your church.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

We have a great music program, thanks mostly to our stellar choir director!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and a joyous holiday to those who celebrate different ones this time of year!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy New Year!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Anyone who's interested might check out my refurbished LinkedIn profile here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-dean-9289042b/


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Would those clients who've very kindly posted recommendations here on my thread, mind if I copied them over onto my LinkedIn account? That would be helpful.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks to Kyle for the recommendation on LinkedIn!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've had several jobs this month, happily. It would be nice to be able to keep that up.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Early spring, huh? I'm looking out the window at a couple of inches of snow, with a little still coming down.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

That last batch of snow was _almost_ all gone and now ... new batch! Oh well, this is Santa Fe, and All Moisture Is Good.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

How would my current clients feel about referring me to other writers you know, who might need a proofreader for their latest work? I would be happy to offer a discount on _your_ next book if a new client tells me "Kyle referred me to you."


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Oh, it's such a relief to get my ears cleaned out!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

On the advice of my employment coach, I've fiddled with my LinkedIn URL: it's now <https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-r-dean/>. Check it out!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One of my LinkedIn contacts suggested ditching KBoards, but I'm not going to do that!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

In these pestilential times, I find I'm just as glad to have a profession that can be carried out entirely online.

The coronavirus pandemic should not stop writers from writing; in fact, it may give them an opportunity to concentrate on their work.

It certainly won't keep readers from buying and reading books. How better to spend your time when you're self-quarantined?

And it won't keep proofreaders from receiving electronic documents, marking them up with Track Changes, and emailing the edited ms. back to the writer. Or getting paid through PayPal, either, if it comes to that!

Stay healthy, everyone, and we'll get through this.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I currently have four, count them, four copyediting/proofreading jobs on deck at this very moment. Too much of a good thing? No way! Since I'm supposed to stay home anyway....

Stay safe, everyone!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've been thinking about whether to make myself a mask to wear to the grocery store, etc. My personal circumstances being what they are, I think there's very little chance I'm infected ... but a Facebook post by a friend of mine made me realize that seeing me wear one might make _other people_ feel better. And the whole point of social isolation is that it's not just about oneself, isn't it?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The mask problem has been solved with a handkerchief and the gold elastic from my box of Christmas chocolates (in lieu of hair ties which I don't wear). And yesterday I managed to score a multi-pack of toilet paper, which should last me for a while. We can do this...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've heard a spring snowfall like we had yesterday in Santa Fe called an "onion snow", because it's supposed to be beneficial for growing onions. I'm not sure how … I should Google that.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

As it turns out, an "onion snow" is simply one that occurs around onion-planting time; there's nothing implied about its effect on the onions.


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## anotherpage (Apr 4, 2012)

You might gain more clients if you proofread the first book or x number of pages for free to prove you can proofread. 

I have hired many a proofreader who called themselves an expert only to discover they were an expert at not proofreading.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Proofreading jobs have tapered off, though I'm expecting another one from Relay in the next couple of weeks. Are people using their time at home productively, while staying safe and well? I hope so!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

anotherpage said:


> You might gain more clients if you proofread the first book or x number of pages for free to prove you can proofread.
> 
> I have hired many a proofreader who called themselves an expert only to discover they were an expert at not proofreading.


I am sorry that happened to you.

However, in my own case I have a solid resume to back up my claim to be a professional proofreader (a good deal of the information from it is reproduced in my LinkedIn profile nowadays: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-r-dean/?msgConversationId=6647251758194180096&msgOverlay=true

While I'm glad to provide a sample proofread of a chapter or so if a client requests it, doing a whole book for free is not going to happen. This is how I make my _living_; I can't afford to invest that much of my time and not get paid for it.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

My employment coach has given me a lot of good advice, but one thing I'm not sure about is that she wants me to conceal my age. For most lines of work this may be a good idea, but copyediting and proofreading? I think it's a plus that I grew up at a time when things like spelling and grammar were still regularly taught in school.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> While I'm glad to provide a sample proofread of a chapter or so if a client requests it, doing a whole book for free is not going to happen. This is how I make my _living_; I can't afford to invest that much of my time and not get paid for it.


Well, actually I did a whole book for free _once_, but that was a special case. In 2017 our church celebrated its 150th anniversary (First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe is the oldest Protestant church in New Mexico and Arizona combined), and one of the ways we commemorated that was to reissue a book about the church's history, _Not Ordered by Men_, that had been written for the 100th anniversary in 1967. For the reissue in digital form they used a scan of the original printing, and as you may know it's easy for errors to be made in the scanning process. So I volunteered to proofread the scanned book, gratis, as my contribution to my church and to the 150th anniversary celebrations.

It was interesting to read the book  and I still have my FPC-SF 150th Anniversary mug, too!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've already voted in the New Mexico primary election, by mail (absentee ballot). Participating in our democracy _and_ staying safe &#8230; it's all good!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Today is the official day of the New Mexico primary election, but I've already _done_ that (see previous post).

Instead I had one last Skype call with my employment coach, after a two-month hiatus due to the pandemic. We agreed that conditions have not changed sufficiently in the intervening time for me to start pounding the pavement for a part-time office job, and that apart from that she's done her duty by me and we can part with thanks.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Even though my schedule is fairly open, I feel it is a good idea to have at least a ballpark set of dates for proposed jobs.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Last week I met a local author while walking down my street, though it appears we are not close neighbors. I was able to use what she told me to contact her online, though!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Is a fictitious modern Middle Eastern kingdom, with no hint of Islamic cultural influence other than Arabic names, any more believable to a contemporary reader than King Handsome V of Magicland, used by Miss Manners for an illustration?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> Is a fictitious modern Middle Eastern kingdom, with no hint of Islamic cultural influence other than Arabic names, any more believable to a contemporary reader than King Handsome V of Magicland, used by Miss Manners for an illustration?


Well, evidently this isn't a matter of concern for the publishers. I guess readers of category romance don't demand the same kind of believability as, say, readers of fantasy and science fiction tend to.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

But then, I don't read category romance recreationally, though over the course of my professional career I've proofread reams of it. I _do_ read fantasy and science fiction recreationally, as well as historical mysteries from time to time, and good worldbuilding is something I value.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

For that reason, authors who seem to largely dispense with any sort of description get under my skin a bit. Do their readers really not care that the setting, or the minor characters, practically don't exist? When you're _writing_ a story, remember, the words are all you have to create the world with, to connect with and spark the reader's imagination.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Description doesn't have to be elaborate. A few telling details are enough to snap a setting or a character into focus.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Something I've wondered about the romance genre for a while now, and even more recently in the face of the Black Lives Matter movement: do people of color have their own romance lines? Because I've rarely-to-never been sent a romance to proofread where the male and female leads are something other than white. Is that because such stories don't get written at all? Or just because they're not published by the same publishers as the ones written for (or about) white people?

I do know that there is, for instance, a separate market for male/male romance (though, again, I myself have never been sent one), because I have an e-friend who writes these. So I could perfectly well believe that there is a separate market for "romance between people of color". I've just never run across any.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

After posting the question I posed last week on Facebook as well, I actually got a useful answer from my daughter-in-law, who knows more about the romance field than I do. The link she sent me to an article in the Guardian told me all about it:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/04/fifty-shades-of-white-romance-novels-racism-ritas-rwa?fbclid=IwAR1jIie8Vu1NWPBsl5yB10b6ItUdBTX1ZmkUPM902_pUaPuCWcrSDFevd1o


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I do like having a daughter-in-law.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> I do like having a daughter-in-law.


I was able to get her into reading Georgette Heyer, too, which is a plus. This was actually before she and my son got formally engaged. Now they read her together--along with a good number of other authors from what I understand.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A number of recent jobs proofreading contemporary romance inspired me to compose the following clerihew:

The Navy SEAL
Is the modern romance beau ideal.
He rescues the heroine from the villain,
And in the bedroom he's thrillin'.

(So what is a "clerihew", you ask? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerihew)


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Cowboys / ranchers are also still popular, evidently.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> Cowboys / ranchers are also still popular, evidently.


As are billionaires, unsurprisingly.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Many thanks to Ryan Mullaney, author of the Treasure Huntress series, for giving me a fresh testimonial to add to my LinkedIn profile! As well as the latest installment in his series to work on.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Not only is it the autumnal equinox, it's Bilbo and Frodo's birthday. Happy Hobbit Day!


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## liamashe (Nov 6, 2016)

Just wanted to give Margaret a shout out for her excellent work on my upcoming mystery. She was on time, incredibly reasonable in her rates and attentive to every detail. I would gladly recommend her to a colleague without reservation. I'm looking forward to working with her on the next several books in the series!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Many thanks for the testimonial, Liam! I enjoyed the mystery and will look forward to working on future installments of Mafalda Marchand's adventures.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Apparently US English is the preferred spelling standard for international e-book publishers, even one nominally based in the UK. I wonder if that has more to do with the setting of the books (the ones I've worked on have usually been set in the US) or with the expected readership.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've voted! That is, I filled out my absentee ballot and dropped it off at the post office. It should actually be collected today (since yesterday was a Federal holiday).


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And indeed, my ballot was received by the county clerk's office. In New Mexico the Secretary of State's website allows you to track your ballot, which is appreciated in these times!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

*grumble grumble* I shell out the money for the latest version of Microsoft Office because they're no longer supporting my old one ... and now the new program is giving me trouble. The old one may be vulnerable but at least it still _works_.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> *grumble grumble* I shell out the money for the latest version of Microsoft Office because they're no longer supporting my old one ... and now the new program is giving me trouble. The old one may be vulnerable but at least it still _works_.


I do have to say, though, that when I went online to get help from customer service, they were able to fix my problem. The service rep's name may not really have been "Jeff Ellis", but not having English as his first language didn't prevent him knowing his business.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And the next time the problem cropped up, I was able to fix it myself.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I find that New Mexico's renewed stay-at-home order doesn't greatly affect me. The fact is that I've _been_ staying home, pretty much, since March.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One down, three to go ... and another anticipated for mid-December.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The pandemic has made me a fan of Skype and Zoom, which enable me to keep in touch with family and friends.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Two down, third one almost ready to go.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Previous three all sent out (and paid for); now happily beavering away on the fresh one.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

This seems like a good time to wish everyone who celebrates it a Merry Christmas!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Here's hoping for a Happy New Year to everyone! It's not like it'll have to work very hard to be better than 2020...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I signed up here in New Mexico to get the COVID vaccine ... eventually. I don't figure I'm particularly high-risk, so I'm fine with being a ways along in what a friend of mine calls the "jab queue", but I _do_ put getting vaccinated in the "civic duty" category, along with mask-wearing and social distancing. No matter how much I've always hated getting shots. I'm no longer seven years old, so having to be dragged, literally kicking and screaming, to the doctor's office is no longer acceptable behavior.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Though apocalyptic fiction is not a (sub)genre I read recreationally, I will admit (from proofreading more than one lately) that at least it leaves me with a feeling of, "Well, things could be worse." Yes, we're in the middle of a pandemic, but at least it's not a _zombie plague_. And yes, we're dealing with domestic terrorism, but it isn't an EMP catastrophe or a global nuclear war.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

When does proofreading morph into copyediting? Basically, when what you're working on is essentially a manuscript (even if it's in e-form) rather than a set of page proofs (ditto). At least, that's been my experience.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

It's been a whole year since my last haircut, and it isn't even quite down to my shoulders yet. Sheesh!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

With the new format, I'm not even sure if my weekly updates are bumping my thread to the top of the queue or not.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> With the new format, I'm not even sure if my weekly updates are bumping my thread to the top of the queue or not.


I'll check that out after I post this one. In the meantime, wow! Santa Fe got what looks like almost a foot of snow last night! I'm very thankful that I got my grocery shopping done yesterday.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Yes, it does appear that posting in this thread bumps it to the top of the queue, as before. Good to know.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got my taxes done this past Saturday. Despite being self-employed, I'm getting money back from both the feds and the state this year.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> Got my taxes done this past Saturday. Despite being self-employed, I'm getting money back from both the feds and the state this year.


And both the refunds have landed in my bank account. I wonder if that means the next stimulus payment will come the same way; the previous two came as paper checks.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀🍀🍀I do have some Irish ancestry, so I'm allowed ... even if a good bit of it is Protestant Irish.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Yes, the latest stimulus check _did_ land in my bank account. Way to go!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And I also seem to have gotten an extra tax refund/rebate from the state, which I didn't even know was coming.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

It appears that I'll be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID soon, but it still seems to me that there are a lot of people more at risk than I am. So though I _do_ plan to get vaccinated, I'm in no rush!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> It appears that I'll be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID soon, but it still seems to me that there are a lot of people more at risk than I am. So though I _do_ plan to get vaccinated, I'm in no rush!


And now the New Mexico Department of Health has started sending me notices about vaccine availability in my area. Which is a good thing.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got my first Moderna jab today, with the second scheduled for 5/18.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

margdean56 said:


> Got my first Moderna jab today, with the second scheduled for 5/18.


Effects for that first jab seem to have been limited to a slight soreness in the arm, starting the day after the shot and only lasting a couple of days.

From what I hear, it's the second shot you have to worry about, as far as side effects go. But it's still a lot better than getting COVID!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Two weeks after my first Moderna vaccine shot and two weeks before my second, I tell people I'm "between jabs."


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Gah. I meant to post yesterday. My "week between" is slipping further and further, and now my next opportunity will be the day _after_ my second Moderna shot. Who knows if I'll feel up to posting that day? Double gah.

I know why I missed, though. I'd just downloaded a brand-new book by one of my favorite authors, so I was reading, not online!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Well! Effects of the second Moderna shot seem so far to be limited to the slight soreness in the arm I had with the first one. Anyway, two weeks from now I'll be officially "fully vaccinated"!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One more week to go ... and then I'll celebrate by going out to a restaurant and maybe getting my hair cut!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Already have an appointment for tomorrow with the hearing aid specialist (for cleaning and maintenance that was put off all last year). Today will be the first _in-person_ choir rehearsal for over a year ... and after that, probably the restaurant, since the rehearsal is scheduled for about the time I'm usually cooking and eating dinner.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And now I've slipped to Friday. Dang.

Anyway, ear cleaning and haircut have now been accomplished. Next up should probably be an eye appointment.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

_All yesterday _it had ... and my left hearing aid chooses the middle of a one-hour choir rehearsal to murmur "Battery" in my ear.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Eye appointment applied for (online), but not yet confirmed. So we'll see!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Eye Associates never got back to me. I may have to try something else to make an appointment ... just hope I don't have to use the telephone. I suppose I could always just drive over there and walk in!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I could visit Santa Fe Place and some of the other shopping locations at the same time. Motivating myself to actually do that, well...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

...I guess it will depend on how bored I am on a particular day.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A longer shopping list might also help.


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## Paranormal Kitty (Jun 13, 2017)

Just saw an old man whose mask covered more than his speedo.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I don't have a problem with putting masks back on as a public health measure. Belt and suspenders, that's me!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And now I've slipped to Saturday. Oops.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Amid all the extreme weather events elsewhere, Santa Fe actually seems to be having a proper monsoon season this year--knock wood!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Indian Market weekend in Santa Fe -- but I probably won't go this year. Makes no sense when I'm not likely to _buy_ anything.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Two proofreading jobs out the virtual door, two or three on the way in ... that's what we like to see!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I can juggle three, as long as they're not too long or complicated.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Finally convinced my browser to alphabetize my bookmarks list. Don't know why it wouldn't before.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Distinction between a grammatical error and a spelling error: if it's still detectable as an error when spoken, it's a grammatical/usage error (e.g. using "lay" for "lie"). If not, it's a spelling error (e.g. using "your" for "you're").


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The other day on Facebook, there was a meme circulating that asked which personal annoyance you would like to be able to magically make disappear from the world. My answer: "The greengrocer's apostrophe." Wouldn't that be lovely? And it wouldn't interfere with the ecosystem, either.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

New page ... time for a new bookmark.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Since there was some other Amazon shopping I needed to do, I went ahead and ordered a copy of _The Nature of Middle-earth_ for myself. I'm looking forward to that!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And it got here. I've just started my reading ... interesting stuff!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Yesterday I was able to download the newest Penric & Desdemona novella from Lois McMaster Bujold. I know what I'm doing with _my_ free time today!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

_Knot of Shadows _was excellent, as usual--and nice and spooky (in a way) for the season. I'll be reading it again soon.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Just as good--if not better--the second time around!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Also appropriate for the time of year, the LordPeter list is reading _The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club_ for November and December.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And now I'm back around (I think) to Monday again.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Yow! Tuesday already!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One out of three current jobs out the virtual door. Two to go ... and expecting another mid-month.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Three out, two in!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've decided to raise my rates at the turn of the year. I'll edit the beginning message of this thread, and my yellow pages entry (if I can find it) accordingly, at the appropriate time.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Well, not only did I get my Covid booster shot yesterday (still part of Fortress Moderna) at the vaccine clinic held by our church (FPC Santa Fe); the event rated a front-page story in this morning's Santa Fe New Mexican, and I got quoted! How about that?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I tried several times over several days to edit my initial post in this thread to reflect my new rates, but every single time I got a "server error -- try again later" message. What is going on here??

In any case, the new rates as of January 2022 are: $0.40 per 100 words for my regular two-week turnaround time, and $0.60 per 100 words for rush rate (one-week turnaround time or less).

The Yellow Pages seem to have disappeared entirely.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Tried again to edit that first post by using _this_ bookmark and jumping up to it ... but no luck.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Contacting the management produced only the unhelpful information that a poster is only allowed a certain number of edits per day. Since I haven't otherwise edited the initial post for _months_, I don't think that's the problem!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And a return message pointing this out to them has produced no reply. Do we still have a moderator we can contact on this board?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

A new month starting, and the new year's jobs are beginning to come in (after a post-holiday lull). No complaints about the new rates yet...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

It does seem (she says cautiously) that the January lull was just post-holiday exhaustion and not the beginning of a trend.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I now seem to have made more than 300 posts. It's disappointing that KBoards is no longer matching famous authors with post volume. I would have liked to know who I am by this time.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Twosday!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy St. David's Day to those who celebrate it!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

After an unseasonably warm spell here in Santa Fe, we are now getting more snow.

In Santa Fe, this is a Good Thing.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Beware the Ides of March!


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## travelinged (Apr 6, 2014)

Even before the Ides of March, Maragaret has done lovely work for me! If you are looking for reliable, quality editing, she provides it.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

travelinged said:


> Even before the Ides of March, Margaret has done lovely work for me! If you are looking for reliable, quality editing, she provides it.


Thanks for the testimonial, Ed! I've enjoyed working with you.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Also thanks to Kyle Romines, who while he has been concentrating on his medical studies lately rather than writing more books, has in the meantime been sending other writers my way. I just received a second installment from one of these.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Actually it appears that another work from Kyle Romines is in the pipeline!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ooh, today's the U.S. release day for the latest Rivers of London novel by Ben Aaronovitch. I know what _I'm_ reading today!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And _now_ what am I gonna read?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Another one in the pipe from my friend Frank, too!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Two-week turnaround is standard. One week or less will cost you extra!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

...but I don't need _more_ than two weeks. Really.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Starting the switchover to summer conditions...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I _know_ I registered for the next in-person Mythcon. I _must_ have!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

And so I did. All straightened out now, and my name on the list!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Whew! _Big_ job pushed out the door. I can take a short breather before tackling the next in the pipeline -- and get out and vote!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Has it really been only a week since the NM primary? Seems longer, somehow.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Solstice -- whichever one you happen to be experiencing today!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Thankfully, the seasonal monsoon rains have arrived in New Mexico along with summer.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Remembering my late brother on his birthday.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

You want detailed commentary on a category romance I proofread _last year_? Seriously? My memory doesn't retain them that long.

Except for the Fire Ant. The Fire Ant, I remember forever!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

The Fire Ant, by the way, was a bull bred for bull-riding (at rodeos) in a contemporary romance I proofread years ago. Small but feisty, he obviously had a more distinctive personality than any of the human characters in the book.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Heading off to the (in-person! at last!) Mythopoeic Society Conference this weekend. You could say I get to ease back into Mythcon-going, since this year it's in Albuquerque, only a little over an hour's drive away.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Oops! I've slipped to Wednesday...

It was a good Mythcon, though.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

So it doesn't look like I'll have any work until I get back from my trip to Maryland at the end of the month.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Ah, one of my jobs came in early! I should be able to do the first pass before I head off for Maryland, and the second pass after I get back--with fresher eyes.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I got a rainbow for my birthday yesterday!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got back yesterday from a trip to Maryland to visit my son and daughter-in-law. Had a very nice time, learned a new game ("Wingspan") and got a new bird (yellow-throated vireo). And the actual travel went astonishingly smoothly, given all the recent news stories about flight delays and cancellations.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Yep, that's a cataract in my right eye. The good news is, Eye Associates was able to make an appointment for me with their eye surgeon on the spot. For November, admittedly, but well...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I don't know why that rock squirrel keeps peering through the window. It's not getting in.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Though a tabletop roleplayer from way back, I've never been tempted to try computer RPGs. My latest proofreading job suggests that was a good decision. I always found combat to be _the_ most tedious part of any roleplaying game, and "LitRPG" seems to confirm that its (presumable) model consists of practically nothing else.

On the other hand, there are demonstrably many, many people who enjoy computer RPGs, so they may very well enjoy this sort of book, too!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

You know, if you cut down on the heroine's angsty reflections even by half, you could streamline the book enormously!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Or how about limiting her to one paragraph of agonizing at a time?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

What does it say about a universe's tech level when they have interstellar travel but nobody seems to have computers, and everyone seems to fight _either_ with psionic powers _or_ swords and daggers, and nobody has guns? Maybe this was all explained in Book 1, before I came on board...


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## Marseille France or Bust (Sep 25, 2012)

margdean56 said:


> Remembering my late brother on his birthday.


May he rest in peace.


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## Marseille France or Bust (Sep 25, 2012)

Do you proof screenplays and television show pilots?


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Marseille France or Bust said:


> Do you proof screenplays and television show pilots?


I don't have any experience with those formats, no. The only bits of TV script I've ever seen were the excerpts David Gerrold included in his book _The Trouble with Tribbles_.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got my latest COVID booster shot today. This was shot number five ... and the first to be Pfizer rather than Moderna. Changing them up is supposed to be beneficial, actually, from what I understand.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I probably should have asked the nice young man at the Verizon store how to navigate the multiple-use keys on the new phone they sent me ... but I didn't really notice them till later!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Got my voting done early yesterday (along with some other errands), since next Tuesday I'll have an eye appointment. Quick and easy at the county building!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

New Mexico re-elected our governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and I helped!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

From the weather here in Santa Fe, you'd think it was already winter.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow for those who celebrate it!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Well, we didn't get any snow after all.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Whoof! I'll have to defer my second proofreading chunk till tonight, but that's one out the (virtual) door!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

One week until my first cataract surgery...


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Surgery went well, they say, but the eye is still dilated so vision is still a bit blurry.


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Cataract surgery and the day-after follow-up visit went well, but today's follow-up had to be rescheduled since the doctor wasn't in. I find this out _after_ driving to their southside location in the cold rain. Well, it's my own fault for never answering my phone!


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

I've _told_ these people that voice-phone is not the way to contact me, but will they listen? _Nooooooooo!_


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## margdean56 (Jun 27, 2015)

Second cataract surgery went well, confirmed by the follow-up appointment today.


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