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Posts Tagged ‘A Few Words About Words’

Beaufort Titles I Will Read in 2023

Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

Hello, readers! My name is Beau Henry, and I am one of Beafort’s newest interns. As a new intern, I’m very excited to dig a bit deeper into Beaufort’s incredible list. Aside from the bestsellers like If I Did it and I Shall Live, I’m hoping to explore some frontlist titles in genres I’m not as familiar with. As someone who has mostly been interested in literary fiction, I’m hoping to get a better grasp on genres such as romance, mystery, and science fiction and to expand my reading habits. The following books are a few that I’m very excited to explore.

On top of an excellent title, the plot’s labyrinthine twists and turns look fascinating, and the sardonic humor in the narrative voice is endearing. The layers to the relationships within the novel and the warped Americana at the center of the novel are very much in line with my interests.

The tragedy of the plot is deeply layered, and the criminal conspiracy that pushes the narrative forward is appealing. I love when books have the capability to draw you in with carefully crafted narrative turns, and Hidden Falls certainly does that. The austerity of the main character’s voice adds additional weight to the themes in the novel.

As a huge grammar nerd, I am always on the lookout for new books about grammar and language. Grammar is fascinating because it allows you to view language as equations where there are right answers and wrong answers. While art is subjective, grammar is not, and I find that to be very reassuring.

As someone who finds expansive, maximalist novels to be very exciting, this historical fiction novel is intriguing. The parallels between family connections and lives marred by tragedy across decades is incredible, and I’m hoping to find out how Probert pulls off a narrative with such a vast scope.

While these four are at the top of my list, I’m looking forward to seeing the new titles that Beaufort has in store for this year!

Until next time,

Beau Henry

Congratulations to our 2021 Foreword INDIES Finalists!

Friday, March 18th, 2022

The 2021 Foreword INDIES Finalists were announced this week, and we are thrilled to announce that two of our titles were honored in the competition!

A Few Words About Words

A Few Words About Words is one of the finalists in the Humor category! The Adult Nonfiction Humor category honors books that present a multitude of topics in a comical or satirical manner. Such books may use wit to comment on society and other traditionally serious issues such as the economy, politics, and family life.

Spawned from the widely-circulated and beloved newsletter of the same name, Joe Diorio’s A Few Words About Words blends quick-witted anecdotes from more than 30 years of newsletter entries that highlight the common, uncommon, and surprising grammar mistakes most English speakers make.

Click here to learn more about A Few Words About Words.

The Image

The Image is one of the finalists in the Religious category! The Adult Religious Fiction category honors books that are faith-based. In these works, ideas of God or religion play a significant role in plot, character development, and outcome.

Steven Faulkner’s The Image is a profound and compelling collection of linked short stories about faith, hope, belonging, and the search for meaning within a holy land.

Click here to learn more about The Image.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT WORDS News!

Monday, August 16th, 2021

Joe Diorio interviewed on Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb

Joe Diorio is the author of the new book A Few Words About Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar.

Q: What inspired you to write A Few Words About Words?

A: The book traces its roots to a compilation of my monthly email newsletter of the same name. Each issue is only about 700 words or so. I had been writing the newsletter on and off for nearly 30 years and figured I may have enough material for a book.

More important, though, is that I wanted to reach a broader audience (The newsletter had a readership of about 5,000 at the time; it’s up to about 7,000 now. You can subscribe at my website – Joe Diorio Writer, editor. – Words on paper. That’s me. (joedioriowritereditor.com)) and I thought having a book could create opportunities to share a message to a bigger audience.

In my case the message is that yes, I’m bad at English grammar, but with work and perseverance I – and anyone for that matter – can become proficient. I decided to inject humor into the book to make it unique.

There seem to be plenty of books about overcoming educational deficiencies. Tara Westover’s Educated comes immediately to mind, and I don’t want to replicate that. I wanted to create something that tells readers that yes, writing can be hard sometimes. But writing can also be fun.

To read the rest of the interview, click here.

To learn more about A Few Words About Words, click here.

To learn more about Joe Diorio, click here.

A Few Words About Words

2022 IABC MUSIC CITY GOLD PEN AWARD WINNER

HONORED AS A NOTABLE 100 BOOK IN THE 2021 SHELF UNBOUND BEST INDIE BOOK COMPETITION

FINALIST FOR THE 2021 FOREWORD INDIES AWARDS

Penned by a writer who had to teach himself the rules of English grammar, A Few Words About Words offers an easy and accessible approach to understanding and using the English language.

In a world dominated by countless print media and social media outlets, written communication is king. Writing “your” when you mean “you’re” and “there” when you mean “they’re” can make the difference between getting or not getting new business. A missing comma can result in a PR catastrophe, and a well-written line can be remembered for generations.

And yet, many native speakers struggle with the English language.

Spawned from the widely-circulated and beloved newsletter of the same name, Joe Diorio’s A Few Words About Words blends quick-witted anecdotes from more than 30 years of newsletter entries that highlight the common, uncommon, and surprising grammar mistakes most English speakers make. The result is a digestible, all-encompassing look at English grammar.

For anyone who has ever wondered whether “also” should follow or precede the verb; if there’s a difference between ‘preventive’ or ‘preventative’; or whether the Oxford comma is as important as everyone says it is, A Few Words About Words provides relief for many common grammar anxieties.

Humorous, enlightening, and completely comprehensible, A Few Words About Words will be the go-to grammar guide you pick up and can’t put down.

About: Joe Diorio

Paperback: $16.95 (ISBN: 9780825309472)

E-book $9.99 (ISBN: 9780825308512)

Writing/Grammar & Punctuation

250 pages

Order Here:

Joe Diorio

Joe Diorio has been a writer all his life. As a grade schooler he wrote and illustrated his own comic books, in high school he was a stringer for a local weekly newspaper, in college he was a reporter and editorial writer for the school newspaper, and later he worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, corporate speech writer, and as a public relations professional for agencies and colleges.

“I have one marketable skill; I can write a simple declarative sentence. Since I use the dictionary, I almost always spell everything correctly. That’s trite, but it sums up what I do and how I have made a career out of the written word,” he says.

He’s written about computers, consumer electronics (Remember the mini CD player from Sony? No, you don’t. No one does.), PET/CT scanners, and shipping containers for rolls of stainless steel. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

He’s most proud of his newsletter, A Few Words About Words, which is a layman’s look at language. One reader said that, after reading Joe’s newsletter, they miss William Safire a bit less. True or not, he likes that comparison.

Joe and his wife, Susan, live in Nashville, Tennessee.

A Few Words About Words