Resources

Resources

The-Conjugation.com–Fantastic site. Has a database of verbs – you type in the verb, it gives all the forms. Also has French and Spanish conjugation if you need it.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary–This is the free edition. You can also subscribe for the most current edition, as well as the unabridged, medical, and foreign language dictionaries. MW is the dictionary recommended by Chicago Manual of Style.

Chicago Manual of Style–The online version of the Chicago Manual of Style. Requires a yearly subscription. The plus side is that it’s searchable and you can access it from any computer; it also has both the 15th and 16th editions available. On the other hand, for the same price you can get the hardbound edition and that’s a one-time cost. Essential style guide for fiction.

Consumer Affairs Comparison of Password Managers–If you’re like me, you have dozens of sites you log onto, and Internet security is a huge deal. Password managers can make your life easier… but which one? Check out a list of the top ten solutions, a free resource from Consumer Affairs.

Dictionary.com–Free Online Dictionary

Thesaurus.com–Free Online Thesaurus

Streetlight Graphics–Cover design, maps, illustrations, formatting, logos, and business cards

KBoards Writers’ Cafe–Great community of Kindle users with an active and helpful author’s lounge. Just an all-around great hang-out.

Canva–Free online graphics-creation tool. You can create posters, marketing graphics, brochures, business cards–you name it.

Inspiration for Writers–Sandy Tritt, an all-around nice person, has helpfully posted a lot of free articles and tips on writing.

Reference books

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Productivity and Business Tools

Here are my go-to programs for behind-the-scenes stuff.

FastMail–Email is critical. We all use it, and we transfer sensitive information daily. This is especially important when you work with intellectual property. Gmail and Yahoo! openly admit to data mining your emails. And I realize they’re free services, only–nothing in life is free. You’re paying for it with your information. If you want your email to be private and secure, I can’t recommend FastMail enough. It’s a robust service that’s reasonably priced and your information is yours. An added bonus is the ability to use your domain name. Win-win!

Smartsheet–I have fallen in love with Smartsheet. It’s similar to Excel in that it’s a collection of spreadsheets that you can create and organize however you want. BUT–you can share entire sheets with people or just individual rows. You can attach files and conversations to rows, etc., and there’s a calendar view and Gantt chart layout. You can also ask for updates on an item with a couple of clicks. It’s super for any sort of project management, especially if you need to collaborate with multiple people. Give it a try for your next book 🙂

17Hats–I just started using 17Hats. While it’s not ideal for invoicing and accounting (I’ll be sticking with Freshbooks), it’s fantastic for project management. Absolutely amazing!

Mailchimp–Great for sending out e-mail announcements. Easy to get up and running and very customizable.

Dropbox–Great file storage as it allows you to seamlessly transfer work to different computers. Different file versions are saved automatically and this saves your files off of your hard drive so you have backups. If you’re not a member yet, you can use my signup link and get 500 free MB of storage.

Services Directories