I’m really excited to announce that Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg won 2nd place in the “Show-Me” Book Awards category at the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference on Saturday night.

Any Missouri Writers’ Guild member can enter their adult or children’s book that was published the year before in this category, and they are all judged together. That’s why I’m so excited about winning 2nd place because it was ALL the books entered–not categorized by genre or age.

The photo above shows many of the winners that night–the Missouri Writers’ Guild holds several contests for published and unpublished work (articles, essays, books, poetry, humor, etc.) at their annual conference. Any member, chapter member, or attendee can enter some of these categories. I also won 2nd place in the President’s Contest Best Article of the Year for an article on beginning teachers that I wrote for Teachers of Vision magazine in 2012.

If you’ve never checked out the Missouri Writers’ Guild, then you can do that here: http://www.missouriwritersguild.org. ANYONE can join–you actually don’t have to live in Missouri, but you do have to have published at least one thing–this includes a book, an article, a poem, etc.

If you’ve never checked out FINDING MY PLACE, it’s now an award winner, so what are you waiting for? To find all the places it’s on sale (including Amazon and an indie bookstore), go to this link: http://margodill.com/blog/buy-finding-my-place/. FINDING MY PLACE takes place during the Civil War during the Siege of Vicksburg (Mississippi) in 1863 and focuses on one 13-year-old girl who lives with her brother and sister in a cave while bombs fly around them.

Thanks to everyone who has been offering their congratulations in person, through e-mail, and on social media.

This past weekend, I was at the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference in St. Louis, MO. (By the way, FINDING MY PLACE won an award–but more on that on Wednesday. . . ) One of the sessions I attended was Lela Davidson’s “Search Engine Optimization.” I’m lucky enough to know Lela from the year before, when I met her at the 2012 MWG conference with her hilarious parenting book, Blacklisted from the PTA. Since we (luckily!) live in a world where when you meet someone at a conference and then can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter afterwards, Lela and I became fast friends. I featured her on my blog when her second book came out, Who Peed On My Yoga Mat?, and then she also contacted me for her newest book, which is a way to HELP authors with SEO on their websites and blogs–Sexy, Smart, and Search Engine-Friendly: Get Found Online Without Losing Your Mind or Wasting Your Time .

Before I talk about the book, I’ll say this. If you are ever at a conference where Lela is speaking, go hear her talk. She’s energetic and spunky and has a knack for explaining this complicated subject of SEO to us right-brained, creative types. As she said many times in her talk, “Computers are stupid.” We can figure out how to drive traffic to our blogs, so people will buy our books or read what we have to say about teaching or comment on our home school lesson plans or whatever. We are smarter than those computers! Basically, it’s figuring out keywords that people type into Google (because as Lela says–NO OTHER SEARCH ENGINE MATTERS!) to find what you are selling. In her case, people type words, such as “funny books for moms” or “funny books for women.” So when she creates fresh content on her blog, she needs to make sure those word are used. When she tags her photos, she needs to make sure those words are used–and they need to be used organically. You don’t want a photo of a fireman rescuing a baby from a burning building and then label it “funny books for moms.” She also presented a few great tools that we can use to see how people are getting to our blogs.

I know, I know what you are thinking. This is great, Margo. You had this super weekend, got to hang out with cool writer people like Lela, and learned ways to drive traffic to your blog, but how does that help us? We are moms, teachers, writers, home-schoolers, writing coaches, librarians. . . and we are busy. So get on with it!

Lela has written a book, only about 70 pages long and only $9.99, available in both PDF format or for a Kindle. The book, Smart, Sexy, and Search Engine Friendly, goes over this material she presented in her talk, shows you how to use SEO to your advantage, and goes more in-depth than she was able to do in an hour presentation. In the book, she discusses DISCOVERABILITY (people need to find you online!), why you need to learn how to sell your products/services, thinking like your customer, how search engines work, and how to learn how to USE Google to your advantage.

The best thing about Lela’s book is that YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT; and at the same time, you will be smiling and laughing because she is funny. She suggests you use tools that are out there and FREE, such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool and Google Analytics. She also gives you “assignments” or “your turn” exercises, where you do for your site what she has done for hers!

So, in a nutshell, this is a book that all bloggers should definitely check out–no matter what you are selling or doing. I plan to implement these strategies this week–it won’t take me too long to use the tools I already have signed up for in a useful way and drive traffic to my blog. There has to be people out there looking for historical fiction for kids, fiction set in the south, six plus one traits of writing instruction, USING books with kids, or even–editing help for a book. Or what about WOW! and the teaching that I do. . .see, I must get busy. So, check out Lela’s book here: http://leladavidson.com/sexy-smart-search-engine-freindly/.

*Concept book on counting and the beach/ocean life
*Little boy as the main character
*Rating: 1, 2, 3, By the Sea (Kane Miller books) is a cute picture book with a lot going on–there’s counting, there’s the ocean/beach habitat, and there’s a rhyme/text pattern too. This will be a favorite with children AND parents/teachers. Cute dog in it, too–that’s what my daughter loves.

Short, short summary: The boy (narrator), his mom, and dog Max set out for a trip to the beach: “Mommy, me, and Max make three… biking, hiking by the sea.” Then they go on to rent ONE umbrella, put TWO towels down on the beach, see THREE jellyfish! in the ocean while swimming, and so on. Each page has it’s own pattern with -ing words and rhyme. Take five’s page for example, “Seagulls fly and seagulls dive, squawking, flocking. We spy five.” The book also is a full day at the beach, ending when it’s time to go home because the sun is setting, so there’s a conclusion of a whole day spent at the beach, instead of just a counting book. I really enjoyed this and can see multiple uses at home and in a preschool classroom!

To purchase 1, 2, 3 By the Sea or other Kane Miller books, please go here: http://new.myubam.com/p/2082

So, what do I do with this book?

1. If you are doing a unit on the beach/ocean, this is a must for your library. The illustrations alone will introduce students to a world they may have never been able to visit, depending on where you live. You can always do a KWL chart with students as part of your unit and/or before you read this book. (K–what do students Know before the study/reading? W–what do they wonder? L–what did they learn AFTER the book has been read?)

2. Because of the rhyme and text pattern and large numbers, students can read the numbers with you or do some echo reading. This helps our early readers READ! This is a great book for developing early reading skills.

3. Make a list of animals the boy, his mom, and Max meet on their journey at the beach. Then add to the list animals that children know live in this habitat. Then ask each student to choose an animal, write a sentence about it, and then draw a picture to go with it. You can hang these in the classroom as part of your ocean study.

This originally appeared on a great blog by Anne E. Johnson, JESTER HARLEY’S MANUSCRIPT PAGE, where she reveals her own writing as well as highlights several fiction authors in all genres! Check it out here: http://anneejohnson.blogspot.com/

When I do school visits, I often talk to students about “potato ideas.” These are ideas that are not the first ones to come to you when thinking about what to write. These are ideas that grow in your brain and you have to dig out and on to paper. These are the ideas that create publishable stories—ones that readers want to read. (Hopefully!)

When deciding to write a historical fiction novel for 9 to 12 year olds set during the Civil War, I had to do some serious digging for a potato idea. I wanted to write historical fiction that teachers and home school parents could use with children—these were the books I liked to use with students when I taught fourth and fifth grade. But do you know how many Civil War books there are for this age group? Too many to count.

Then I read a tiny paragraph in a fifth-grade social studies book about some citizens in Vicksburg, Mississippi who did not want the Yankee army to capture their city, and so they were under siege for 47 days. They lived in caves and even ate rats to survive. What determination! The potato was starting to grow in my mind—although it was still just a baby red.

After reading and researching Civil War books for this age group, I realized many are set in the North or told from the point of view of a Yankee soldier. The children are usually drummers in the army or pretending to be older so they can be a soldier—and most are boys. So, what could I do to really change things up? I could create a female main character and make her Southern. And she would have nothing to do with fighting in the army—she’s a citizen, trying to survive a 47-day siege. Okay, now the potato was starting to get big enough to bake and serve with a ribeye steak.

But I still wasn’t ready to write. Historical writers have to do research, of course—and primary sources and visiting the place (even if it’s virtually) of your setting are essential. I was lucky to find a book STILL published, written by a woman who lived during the siege! I also visited Vicksburg (three days after the 9/11 attacks, but that’s another story) and saw the Mississippi River and its banks, the battlefield (now a national park), museums, library vertical files, and homes with damage and even an unexploded cannonball! I talked to experts on the siege; and finally, I came up with the idea for my book: Anna Green has two siblings—her mom dies during a bombing and her dad is fighting for the Confederate Army. So now she is the head of the household. What will she do? Will she be able to take care of her siblings in a cave for 47 days? Will she allow her pushy, bossy neighbor, Mrs. Franklin, to take over? Will her brother and father come home?

Once I had a potato idea AND enough research to back me up, writing the book became much easier—although it’s still one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I think sometimes as writers we are stuck when we don’t have our idea fully formed, and we need to give it some time to grow while we dig a little deeper.

To order an autographed copy of Finding My Place or discounted books for classroom/book club use, please see: http://margodill.com/blog/buy-finding-my-place/ OR e-mail me at margo (at) margodill.com. I also do workshops on writing and reading for teachers as well as children’s authors and children!

Don’t forget you can still enter to win Juanita Nobles memoir, A HERITAGE OF FAITH, by Friday. Just visit the post and click EASY ENTRY, and you are entered to win! http://margodill.com/blog/2013/04/18/a-heritage-of-faith-by-juanita-nobles/#comments

Adam Shepard is a very interesting man. That’s him to the right with a mustache that he grew as part of his list of things he wanted to do in his life. This list became a new book, One Year Lived, where Adam recounts a year of his life that he spent traveling and reading. He traveled to 17 countries on 4 continents, met The Girl, fought bulls, volunteered, was robbed, and more. Adam contacted me about featuring him on my blog and providing a really cool opportunity for my readers to get a free book between NOW and Wednesday.

Here’s what Adam said in his e-mail: “People need to travel more, not only because it is satisfying and fun and inspires purpose and provides service to a world that needs it and sparks creativity, but because we need to open up our eyes to what is really going on out there. This is vital. The bottom line is this: in this increasingly global world, it is essential that more people (young Americans, especially) step foot out of their country.

I couldn’t agree more. My life and views were changed forever when I went to Juarez to build houses. EYE-OPENING, and I hope that my children can do this someday (and earlier in their lives) too. SO I agreed to host Adam, and here we are. . .

In One Year Lived Adam tells his story honestly and with an engaging voice and with the message that: “You should live your life–you only get one. Get out and see something new!” When he set out to do this, he wasn’t unhappy or necessarily unfulfilled, but he was looking for adventure, and he found it. If you love to travel, are trying to cross off bucket list items, enjoy reading memoirs, or like to read books about interesting and helpful people, you will like One Year Lived.

Adam has a website that has a lot of resources about his book, including a FAQ section, excerpts, photos from his year-long trip, purchasing options, and a book discussion guide. To find that and more visit: http://www.oneyearlived.com.

As I mentioned, he fought bulls. . .it’s in the book, but better yet, you can see it live here:

This is Adam’s second book. His first book, Scratch Beginnings, also chronicled a year in his life. From his website: “I am going to start – almost literally from scratch – with one 8′ x 10′ tarp, a sleeping bag, an empty gym bag, $25, and the clothes on my back. Via train, I will be dropped at a random place somewhere in the southeastern United States that is not in my home state of North Carolina. I have 365 days to become free of the realities of homelessness and become a ‘regular’ member of society. After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2500 in cash, and most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business.”

Like I said, Adam is an interesting man!

If you share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, your blog, etc by Wednesday night (4/24/2013), 11:59 pm CST, I will e-mail you a link where you can download a free e-book, One Year Lived. Make sure you put how you promoted this in a comment below, so I know how many books to send, etc.

Here it is on Amazon:

Get your free book while spreading the word about this good read!

This review originally appeared in The News-Gazette (Champaign, IL). I have kept it in newspaper style.

Margo Dill: Author’s debut work takes us to a new world
Sun, 04/14/2013 – 6:00am | Margo L. Dill

Imagine living in a future world where the rotation of the Earth starts to slow — no longer does it take 24 hours for the Earth to rotate, but at first, minutes longer, then hours and eventually weeks. There’s sunlight when there’s supposed to be darkness and darkness when it’s expected to be light. Gravity is affected; animals suffer first, birds falling out of the sky and whales beaching themselves, with some humans close behind, fainting and weak.

This is the premise of Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel, “The Age of Miracles.” It’s a light science fiction novel that focuses more on the characters and their problems because of the Earth’s slowing than the science of why and what happens. Walker chose to tell the story through a 23-year-old woman who is 12 when the slowing starts, so she’s looking back and retelling this time to the reader.

The voice is fantastic; Julia is a likable and realistic character. The novel is intended for adults. But because of the age of the main character and the events in the book, many young adult readers also would like this story.

Julia is the only child, and her father is an obstetrician and works overnight most of the time. She is an insightful and kind girl who has plenty of her own adolescent problems to deal with before Earth’s rotation throws everything out of whack. Her mother is fretful and opinionated; she has a crush on a boy, Seth, who doesn’t seem to know she exists; she doesn’t practice her piano, plays soccer and keeps quiet and unnoticed to avoid being teased and bullied.

The novel switches between what’s going on with the slowing in the world and how it affects big-picture issues like keeping track of time with a 24-hour system, astronauts stuck on the space station and energy supplies running low — and how the slowing affects Julia’s life. Since she is telling the story to readers more than 10 years later, she has some perspective on things that happened.

When her parents start acting out of character, she blames it on the slowing, stating that many people reacted more impulsively that year. When her best friend, Hanna, no longer pays attention to her and becomes friends with someone else, that’s also blamed on the rotation problems. Relationships are broken and behavior changes — you guessed it, mostly blamed on what was going on in the world. This is believable, because as much as we may try to deny it, outside events do affect our daily decisions, even though we aren’t facing anything as radical as this.

One of the best plotlines that Walker explores is the relationship between Seth and Julia. It’s awkward, endearing and accurate and drives the reader toward the end. This is a character-driven novel, and Walker does a good job of introducing new plot points at crucial times in the book to give Julia something new to react to, so that the reader doesn’t get bored. That’s one reason why I enjoyed this book so much — if not for the characterization, I would have been bored with the slowing in 50 pages.

This is not a disaster novel, which I’m thankful for —there’s no end of the world scene or terrible earthquake that Julia and company must survive.

They must adapt to living in a new world, one with fear and uncertainty and some disasters — but none that directly impacts her life. Some science fiction fans might be disappointed in this, but I found it refreshing.

Walker is a former editor at Simon & Schuster, and she wrote this novel in the mornings before she went to work. To find out more about the author and the book, including reading guide questions for a book club discussion, visit http://www.theageofmiraclesbook.com.

“The Age of Miracles” is a New York Times bestseller, and several reviewers from People to O: The Oprah magazine to The Kansas City Star have given it rave reviews. It’s an interesting book, one that’s perfect for discussion, and might leave you questioning: Could this really happen to us?

I’m excited to host memoir writer, avid reader, and blogger Juanita Nobles today to discuss her book, A Heritage of Faith. I met Juanita for the first time when I spoke at a writers’ group she belonged to in a community south of St. Louis. Then she took a blogging course from me through WOW! Women On Writing, and we’ve stayed in touch since. She has an amazing blog (if I do say so myself!) at http://juanitanobles.blogspot.com. Why is it amazing?

First of all, she has a ton of author interviews and giveaways lined up between now and October! Plus she reads and reviews so many books–it puts me to shame. Many of the books she reviews have a Christian theme. If you are looking for inspirational fiction, you should check out the reviews on Juanita’s blog. She also has her son guest blog for her, and she shares stories from her life and her memoir–like last week when she wrote about camping in the snake pit (rattlesnakes!) with her children. (Okay, I know you are all clicking on that link now to check out Juanita’s blog, but wait and read this interview and enter to win her book first!)

A Heritage of Faith is the story of both her husband’s family and hers. Married when Juanita was 19 and still married today (58 years!), the book focuses on how they served churches and took care of their family. She discusses a deep depression she had as a young mother, moving because of her husband’s job as a preacher, one of her son’s being gay, and her daughter’s struggle with infertility and finally adopting and then having a baby of her own. She shares happy times and sad times and all through the stories of her life–Juanita is a storyteller! To read more about this book, including a sample, go to this link: http://juanitanobles.blogspot.com/p/a-heritage-of-faith.html . TO WIN A COPY, PLEASE FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW THE INTERVIEW WITH JUANITA!

Margo: Juanita, welcome to Read These Books and Use Them. You’ve had a very interesting life, as a pastor’s wife, mother of four children, grandmother to eight children, and you recently had a great grandchild join the mix. Right? So, why did you want to write A Heritage of Faith?

Juanita: Once we are gone, so are our stories and those of our parents, the ones they told us. I wanted our children and grandchildren to have these stories to remember us and the ones who came before us.

Margo: That is so lovely! I made a scrapbook with all my grandma’s old photos before she passed away, so we would know whom everyone was in the photos! Your book starts out more about your husband than you, so it’s not a “true” memoir, then? Or what would you call it?

Juanita: This is a family story. The two of us became one when we married, and I wanted our children and others to know about both of us. It’s actually “our life”. My husband is the more prominent one, since he was the pastor of all those churches, so I could not leave his stories out. Besides, his stories were really good. I heard them time and again, as he preached. He would tell a story of something that happened in his life, and bring home a spiritual message. I thought, “When my husband is gone and people come to tell me and our children how wonderful he was, what a great pastor he was, and how much they loved him, he won’t be able to hear them. I want him to know now as people read this book, how much he is loved, and he can celebrate during his lifetime what people think of him.”

Margo: What a wonderful gift! Who is the perfect audience for this book?

Juanita: People who like to read about real people, their victories and losses. I have read many stories about people I didn’t know and have been blessed by the reading. It is a true account of raising a family, moving and serving twelve different churches in three states, funny things that happened in those churches, and heartfelt sorrow that sometimes came. One of our sons is gay, and one of our daughters experienced infertility for years. We had common problems, and my book tells how the problems were solved.

Margo: Since I like to share with people what they can learn or use from a book, what do you think people can learn or use from yours?

Juanita: If people want to read about a preacher’s family, the good and the bad, they would enjoy my book. Most of the stories are humorous; others tell about people we met through the years; and others relate experiences we all have and how we either solved them or learned to live with them. It’s just a light-hearted series of stories about one family.

Margo: You have sprinkled Bible verses throughout your book. How did you pick which ones and decide where to put them?

Juanita: I chose verses that related to the particular story that came before it. For example, there is a story about when my husband bought his first car. His family had no money, so they went to a friend who they thought could loan them $200 to buy the Model-A Ford. After the man agreed, my husband’s father said, “Don’t you want me to sign something saying you’ll get your money back?” The man replied, “I know you and I know you do what you say. If you say I’ll get my money back, your word is good enough for me.” The verse I used for that story is Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” Because of my father-in-law’s good name in the community, he was able to borrow money, no questions asked. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, that’s the way business was done.

Margo: Cool story! Besides this book, what else have you written or are working on now?

Juanita: I have contributed to several magazines and newspapers. My work in included in three anthologies: Love is a Verb by Gary Chapman and James Stuart Bell; Grandmother, Mother, and Me compiled by Donna Goodrich; and Celebrating Christmas, edited by Donna Goodrich. I have written another book, but have not found an agent or publisher for it. This is a book of stories from the Bible about lesser-known people. What happened to Cain after he killed his brother Abel? Then there was Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses, who helped Moses lead the people through the wilderness. We all know about Jacob, but what about his brother Esau? My book tells you something about him. Tamar, daughter-in-law of Judah, son of Jacob, was a desperate woman. She was a widow twice and she wanted a son. So she seduced her father-in-law. Her son with Judah was one of the ancestors of Jesus. Amazing, isn’t it? Another character was Joseph, the husband of Mary. The Bible tells very little about him, yet he had a very important task, that of bringing up the Son of God along with his wife, Mary. There are 45 stories in the book. Each of them can be read in about fifteen minutes.

Margo: WOW! That sounds awesome. I would really love to read that. Where can people connect with you?

Juanita: On my blog (http://juanitanobles.blogspot.com) or you can write me at mjnobles (at) charter (dot) net.

Margo: Anything else you’d like to add?

Juanita: I did not study to be a writer, but all my life I’ve had a desire to write. After I retired from teaching school, I began to think, “My husband tells such wonderful stories. Someone should write these down.” And so I began. I joined a writers’ group, then attended a writers’ conference, and began to realize how much I had to learn. I wrote every day. I submitted, submitted, submitted. And then I began to get a few acceptances. If you want to write, you must submit, and you need to know where to send your work. Get a book called Writers’ Market and go for it. I also have Christian Writers’ Market, and I use both of them. One of the leaders at a writers’ conference said, “You have to read books about writing if you want to be a writer.” So I have begun a library about how to write, and have found some very helpful books.

Margo: Thanks, Juanita! That is great, great advice! Best of luck to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m so thankful for libraries and librarians. And this week, it’s National Library Week! Since my book Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg has been published, I’ve been invited by librarians to speak at two different schools in St. Charles County this year–at Discovery Ridge Elementary School in Wentzville and All Saints School in St. Peters. I’ve also been in the library of countless schools in Rockwood to do my presentation with a Smartboard, and am so thankful to see all the wonderful books and projects in these school libraries.

On a personal note, my family uses our library every week. My two-year-old daughter loves to go the library to get books, movies, and magazines. I find several of the books I review at the library, and my husband loves getting his movies there for free and requests audio book after audio book for his commute. Then my stepson is a huge graphic novel/comic book reader, and he finds some good ones there. Without the library, we would be spending a lot more money AND have a lot less entertainment!

National Library Week (April 14 to 20) is a chance to remember the libraries in our communities. Do you have your library card? You can get one this week! Is there a librarian that always helps you find what you need for your classroom or your child’s home school projects? Write her a thank you note this week. Do you stay home with your little ones? Libraries have a ton of programs for kids that are usually free. Stop in at your library this week and check out what yours has to offer.

As a writer and reader, I would be devastated to live in a community with no library. So, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to libraries and librarians for the service you provide!

To check out more information about libraries and National Library Week, then please go to this website: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

*Picture book, funny, contemporary for preschoolers through second graders
*Two dogs as main characters
*Rating: I liked this book, but I thought the author/illustrator could have done even more with the ending or the costume. I hear it’s a sequel, and that the first one is actually better and the reason why this one is selling so well. Children who are dog lovers, like my daughter, will love Zorro Gets an Outfit.

Short, short summary: Zorro and Mr. Bud (two dogs) cannot wait for their walk. But then their owner puts a ridiculous outfit on Zorro! Zorro is not happy (these illustrations by Carter Goodrich, by the way, are priceless!), and the other animals, such as Slim the cat, make fun of him on the walk. Once at the park, Mr. Bud tries to cheer up his buddy, but it doesn’t work until another dog in an outfit shows up. This dog, Dash, is fast and positive and friendly. They all race, and Mr. Bud comes in last. Zorro wonders if it’s because he doesn’t have an outfit. . .

So what do I do with this book?

1. Zorro learns to make the best out of a situation that at first has him down in the dumps. This can be a good lesson for children to be optimistic or see the positive side. Discuss with them how Zorro does this.

2. This book also brings up how children might need to speak up if something is happening to them that they don’t like. This is hard for Zorro to do, but children could speak for him. Ask them what he could say to his owner. He might say, “Why do I have to wear this outfit? I don’t like it.” etc. Also, discuss with them how he comes to like it, and maybe pretend his owner said HE HAD to wear it, like it was a pair of glasses or braces, etc.

3. Besides the message, this is a fun-loving dog book. You can even do a KWL chart about dogs before reading this book or the first one. What do kids know about what dogs like to do? What do they wonder? What did they learn? They might also want to share their own pets and their favorite activities. To extend the lesson, have children draw and write about a pet or an animal and the favorite activity.

This originally appeared in my Sunday book column in The News-Gazette (http://www.news-gazette.com). I have left it in newspaper style.

Author examines the language of U.S. leaders
Sun, 03/17/2013 – 10:00am | Margo L. Dill

With our 24/7 media world, as soon as the president of the United States utters a new word, phrase or saying, it’s broadcast over TV news stations, posted on Internet sites and tweeted to the Twitterverse. George W. Bush and Barack Obama have both been scrutinized for their use of slang or odd word choice (“Jedi Mind Meld,” anyone?) in recent years.

But believe it or not, presidents have been coining terms (and being scrutinized about it) since George Washington.

Author Paul Dickson, who has written more than 55 books and hundreds of magazine articles, tackles the subject of the presidents’ speech in his new, fascinating and entertaining book, “Words from the White House: Words and Phrases Coined or Popularized by America’s Presidents.”

The quote that opens the book is from a well-respected writer (and president), Thomas Jefferson: “Necessity obliges us to neologize.” Neologize means to make up new words or create different definitions for existing words.

Jefferson did it when he coined “Anglophobia” in 1793 (in a letter to James Madison), which is the fear or dread of England and its people. Another example in more recent years: Obama used the term, “Sputnik moment,” to mean “a point where people realize that they are threatened or challenged and have to redouble their efforts to catch up.”

“Words from the White House” is divided into three parts, with an introduction. The introduction lists each president in order of office and explains some of their firsts — one of the most interesting parts of the book. High school and middle school history teachers could share these with their students; the list not only provides the presidents’ order but also what was going on in the world at that time.

For example, who was the first president to actually live in the White House? John Adams. Which president was the first to be photographed? John Quincy Adams. Who was the first to view the Pacific Ocean? Ulysses S. Grant.

Next comes Section 1, Brave New Words, which is a short chapter about presidents and their word usage, including information about Noah Webster and his first dictionary in 1806. Believe it or not, Webster had outraged critics of his dictionary for putting in the words “presidential” and “congressional.”

The middle section is the meat of Dickson’s book and truly captivating, although you would probably not sit down and read it straight through like you would a novel. Dickson arranges the presidential terms and phrases in alphabetical order and provides a definition and story for each, with the president attributed to making them up in bold print.

Readers can quickly scan the list of terms or search for their favorite president’s name to see which terms he thought up. The section is well-organized and well-researched — this is a great resource for historical fiction writers, too, who are wondering when certain terms were used first in the U.S.

Former President George W. Bush, who was often criticized for his oratory skills, is included in the book several times for words, such as “decider,” “embetter” and “misunderestimate.”

For those readers who have seen Daniel Day Lewis in the movie “Lincoln” and are interested in learning what they can about this past president, he’s also in the book several times, including one of his most famous statements, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Dickson writes, “Perhaps Abraham Lincoln’s most enduring metaphor for America, included in a speech delivered at the close of the Republication state convention that named him the candidate for the U.S. Senate … June 16, 1858.”

The third section of the book names “the neologist in chief” — not Lincoln, Obama, Jefferson or Bush, in Dickson’s opinion. It’s Theodore Roosevelt: “in this case, it is not the volume but the quality and sharpness of his constructions.” Roosevelt is credited with terms like “muckraker,” “weasel words” and “bronc.”

If you enjoy books about the English language or the presidents of the United States, then you will love “Words from the White House.” Almost any reader will find something interesting and of value in it, and it would make a great gift for a May graduate with an English, political science or history degree.