Frankie Forklift and Friends

Frankie Forklift and Friends is a children’s book that revolves around the main character Frankie – This is a series of books that will use the material handling industry as its inspiration for storylines and characters - Each book will tell a story about Frankie’s adventures in a warehouse and will introduce additional characters along the way.  

 All the characters come from Frank Clark’s 25 years experience in the Forklift truck/material handling industry.  His inspiration though, came from his four and half year-old twin boys.  At night before they would go to bed, Frank would make up different stories.  One of those stories had to do with Frankie Forklift.  On the weekend, Frank would sometimes bring them up to the warehouse where there were lots of forklifts and they would point at one and call it Frankie...One night, one of his boys asked if he could read them a book about Frankie.  Frankie Forklift and Friends was born. 

Frankie’s First Day at Work is about Frankie going to work on his first day and about how excited he is to work with his new friend Tony.  He meets a friend from warehouse school, Petee Pallet and is also introduced to a new friend named Sally Shrinkwrapper.  There are several indirect lessons taught such as, brush your teeth,  pick up your toys, to direct lessons taught like “When you try to finish your work too fast, you make mistakes.  Slow down and do it right the first time” and “always ask your friends for help”.

The Second book of Frankie Forklift and Friends is called Frankie Unloads His First Truck and will focus on Frankie being afraid of the dark and also trying new things.

It is our goal to introduce the material handling industry to kids while using these unique characters like Frankie Forklift to teach simple life lessons.

Frankie Forklift and Friends may be purchased at Frankieforklift.com - $13.95

Free Downloadable Coloring Pages for Kids are also available.  24 Pages of Artwork and Storyline

Publisher – Wimmer Books, Memphis TN – Copyright 2015

Limited Copies Available – 2^nd Printing available January 24^th.

https://youtu.be/yo3hyfHJzVk  Check out this You Tube video

 

India, Seriously? By Terry Trautman

India, Seriously??

 

That was my response when we received the invitation.  We travel a fair amount and we certainly have in 2015 but India?  My dear wife said, “You’ll have to admit that it’ll be really different.”  No, I didn’t have to admit that at all, I was totally certain of it.  Well, it wasn’t on our bucket list and it was occurring at a busy time of the year (mid-November), but India?  The invitation came from our niece, Amy, a financial professional working and living in Charlotte, NC.  She met, fell in love with and became engaged to a fine young man from Hyderabad,   India.  Karunya Vishnu followed by a five syllable last name has lived in the United States for fourteen years and earned a master’s degree in computer science engineering from the University of Kentucky following an engineering degree earned in India.  It would be a Hindu wedding in India followed by a Christian wedding in Miami in January.  Some people have more than one wedding anniversary but not many have them in the same marriage. 

OK, we’ve got our passports, let’s go!  Not so fast.  Going to India isn’t just accomplished with a well-worn passport.  We also will need visas and shots and pills.  The visa is a requirement, the shots and pills highly recommended.  Ergo we received shots for Hepatitis A and Typhoid along with pills for Malaria.  We received lots of advice about the water not being potable which included not eating anything that is washed with tap water and don’t even think about rinsing your toothbrush from the tap!  Also, if the cap of the bottled water at the restaurant has been unsealed, don’t drink it.  It may have been refilled with tap water.  OK, armed with shots, pills, visas and way too much advice away we went.  We drove to Chicago for a flight to London, spent a night there and then on to Hyderabad leaving Thursday, November 5^th and arriving at the crack of dawn in Hyderabad Saturday, the 7^th.  

A relative of Karunya works at the airport and whisked us through customs bypassing the lines of travelers with great efficiency, well almost.  We were with my wife’s brother and wife (parents of the bride) and I was the fourth of us four to get processed in.  Part of that process is that each of them had their thumbs (both thumbs) scanned for print identification.  I was last and noticed that they forgot to scan my thumbs.  Hey, wait, didn’t you forget to print me??  No, it turns out.  Visitors over 70 are not printed.  I don’t even want to know why….

What follows is not going to be a “we did this”, “we did that” chronology  of our trip.  We experienced an incredible two weeks of sights, of sounds, of dining, of observations of life in India that will certainly go down as not just memorable  but as an unbelievable array of learning experiences.  That’s what I would like to share with you more so than the Taj Mahal, (yes we saw it and yes it is majestic) or many of the other artifacts and evidences of Indian culture and history we visited.

The first interesting tidbit is that India is ten AND A HALF hours ahead    of the United States.  I have no earthly idea why the extra half hour.  India is all on one time zone as it is about one-third the width of the United States.  The big difference is that while it is one-third the size of the United States it has four-times the population!  In a word the cities are crowded but more on that later.

Next, I was surprised by the use of the English language.  I knew there was a large British influence

historically but I didn’t realize how predominate the English language still is.  Basically it can be boiled down to this.  The visual language is English; British English e.g. “color” is spelled “colour” but the aural language is native.  Nearly all of the advertising signs and billboards are English.  The newspapers are English.  But when we turn on the TV, it is native and when the natives speak with each other instead of to us it is native.  I say native on purpose.  India has over twenty languages and, we’re told, over 400 dialects!  That’s dialects, not accents.  The overall national language is Hindu.  In Hyderabad, it is a language called Telegu.  The Telegu alphabet has 54 characters and none that you’d recognize.  The Hindu alphabet is similarly large with unique    characters that are different from Telegu characters. 

The currency is rupees and the rate is about 65 rupees to a dollar.  We soon learned that a quick way to determine dollar value is to add a half to the rupee amount and back up two decimal places.  For example, 500 rupees is about $7.50. 

In the USA most of us natives dress similarly.  A Catholic dresses like a Baptist who dresses like a Methodist who dresses like a Lutheran.  About the only dress demarcation among us is either Amish or Mennonite.  In India, religion is much more identifiable by what people wear.  We would see women in saris (which I think may be the most beautiful clothing ever invented for women to wear) to black burkhas or Abiah’s with only the eyes visible, to some with blue jeans and western dress.  Other than a couple of very obvious tourists, I didn’t see a single pair of women’s shorts.  Even men could be identified by dress from the turbaned Sikhs to men in white gowns and fez toppers.  Once in a great while (and thanks to Karunya) I did see the occasional shorts on men.  Most men though wear sports shirts and slacks.  By the way, Hyderabad is on about the same latitude as Mexico City,

For sure we enjoyed how friendly and engaging everyone was.  We did stand out and proof of that was that during our entire first week in India the only blonde haired women I saw was my wife.  Several times native Indians would come up to us and ask us where we were from and several other times we were asked to pose with families for photos with their families.  One couple wanted to friend us on Facebook.

Another likeable trait was a unique head movement that puzzled us at first.  When talking with natives and family members of the groom, there was often a bit of a disconcerting head nod.  It is neither a ‘yes’ nod or a ‘no’ shake.  I can best describe it as a slight nod in which the left ear nods toward the left shoulder followed by the right ear nodding toward the right shoulder then repeated much like our nods.   Maybe the best one word description would be a wobble of the head.  We found out that it means affirmation or “I enjoy what you are telling me”.  It takes a little practice but it’s a nice and friendly gesture.

Well, I’m just getting started.  Wait until you hear about driving (in our case being driven; don’t even think about driving yourself), an unforgettable elephant ride, getting to the Taj Mahal via camel power, dining Indian style and most of all the wedding itself in which we found out that we were not only guests, we were participants in native dress!

Note:  Look for India, part 2 and part 3 in future issues of  Pen It! Magazine

 

Terry Trautman is a native of Columbus, IN, graduated from Columbus High School in 1956 and Valparaiso University in 1960 with a business and accounting degree.  In 1971 he graduated from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University with an MBA in Business Administration.  His career path included Irwin Management Co., Cummins Engine Co. and U.S. Bancorp where he served in various financial management positions.

 He is blissfully retired and enjoys an active life currently as Treasurer of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and First Lutheran Church both in Columbus.  He and his wife, Linda, sing in both choirs.  His hobbies include photography, scale modeling, traveling, reading, painting and drawing, a love/hate relationship with the game of golf and, more recently, writing.  He is the author of “My Columbus was Different from Yours”, a collection stories about growing up in Columbus, IN in the late 40s and early 50s.

 

 

 

Mr. Editor’s Freelance Editing Services

Mr. Editor’s Freelance Editing Services

Brian Dawson, M. Ed.
dawbria@gmail.com

Editing and Proofreading Rates:  Rather than charge our clients an hourly rate, we’ve found over the years that most people prefer to know exactly what our editing and design services will cost before committing to use them. An hourly rate is meaningless if you do not know how many pages per hour an editor or proofreader can read or if he or she will do so consistently. One editor might read twenty pages an hour; another editor might read fifteen pages an hour. Both will produce a quality product, but one will take longer to complete your project. We’ve heard horror stories from authors and students who had been presented with a bill far in excess of what was originally budgeted.

Instead, we charge by the page. The established industry standard for a “page” is 250 words. (To figure out your exact page count, divide your word count by 250.) Because a page is defined as 250 words, you do not have to worry about whether or not your manuscript is in the right font or type size before you submit it to us. You can send it to our office “as is” and we will be able to edit it for you.

Turnaround time on most projects is five to ten business days (not counting weekends) from the date we receive your document. We can also accept some rush jobs (turnaround time less than five days), but please be aware that there may be an extra charge for this service.

All of our rates are quoted in U.S. dollars, and there is a minimum charge of $35.00 per job. The following rates apply to electronic editing of Microsoft Word documents (using the track changes feature) and hard copy manuscripts. If your document is in a PDF format and you require the editor to mark the electronic file, there will be an additional charge, as the editing process takes much longer to complete with the PDF editing tools available. Prices do not include return postage for printed manuscripts. Please anticipate an additional fee for any applicable courier charges. However, most work can be handled through the Internet. Let us know if you have a DropBox / Google Drive or similar account that you would like to use. We can tailor our work process to suit your needs.

Express Proofreading Service:  If your book or manuscript is already polished and only needs a final read for minor lapses or typos, we can offer you low rates and a quick turnaround time. We specifically created this service for the author whose manuscript has already been reviewed by another editor or proofreader and is in the final draft stage. This is the service to request if you are about to go to press, upload your file to the Internet, or otherwise distribute it to your readers.

$2.25/page (page = 250 words) when marking hard copy (printout)

$2.00/page for corrected electronic copy (MS Word file)

Basic Proofreading Service:  Our basic service includes proofing for spelling mistakes, typos, punctuation problems, capitalization errors, and awkward grammar. If your manuscript has been peer reviewed, workshopped by a writers’ group, or has gone through several drafts to get it to finally say just what you want, this might be the service for you.

$3.25/page (page = 250 words) when marking hard copy (printout)

$2.95/page for corrected electronic copy (MS Word file)

Extended Proofreading / Line-by-Line Copyediting Service:  This is our most requested service. Extended proofreading / line-by-line copyediting includes everything that comes with our basic service package. In addition, we will help you with the overall structure of your manuscript. Is your writing clear? Does it make sense? Is your word choice appropriate? Are there any redundancies or inconsistencies in the plot or narration? Are your characters or situations believable? During the editing process, we will leave you comments and questions in the margin of the document that address these issues and more.

$4.25/page (page = 250 words) when marking hard copy (printout)

$3.95/page for corrected electronic copy (MS Word)

Deep Editing / Rewriting Service:  If your text needs an extensive rewrite or a more aggressive edit, we can help you overhaul it. (Please note, this service is rarely needed. The line-by-line copyediting service is usually adequate at addressing most issues.)  $12.00/page (page = 250 words) when marking hard copy (printout),  $10.00/page for corrected electronic copy (MS Word)

Payments for Services:  Preferred payments are through Google Wallet. 

Money orders are also welcome.   We can accept personal checks, but the check must clear before work on a project begins. 

Arrangements can be made to work on your manuscript in stages if you would prefer not to submit a large project all at once.

 

We request a deposit of fifty percent to begin with the balance due upon completion.

We also offer a five percent discount if you pay your entire invoice at the time you engage  our services!

 

 

 

Featured Author Oct/Nov 2015 Emma Shade

A Well-Written Autobiography (from creativewriting-prompts.com)

AutoBiography Format  (from creativewriting-prompts.com)

 

1. Title .Write your title or your prospective title in underlined bold font across the top of your word processing document. Remember that you can come back and refine or change your title at any time, the perfect title will probably only surface at the end of the writing  process.

 

2. Dedication. You might have already decided who you would like to dedicate your work to before you start. Someone who has inspired you to become who you are today, maybe someone who has encouraged you to take the initiative or simply a special person that you would like to mention who has made a significant impact on your life. It is best to leave the dedication until last as working through your autobiography will trigger many memories; you can include a dedication to more than one person.

 

3. Table of Contents. Finished writing? Compile your table of contents and index.

 

4. Acknowledgements. This is the place to thank everyone who has helped you compile your autobiography from start to finish. Keep a simple list as you work through the various chapters so that you don’t forget to mention anyone. Come back and wrap it up when you are finished to show your gratitude and appreciation in a few carefully crafted words.

 

5. Foreword. The foreword is the place to jot down your reasons for writing the autobiography; what you hope to achieve from it and what you hope others will benefit by reading it. It is a good idea to write down some brief thoughts in this section before you start to help keep you focused throughout the writing process.

 

6. Introduction. Your introduction needs to grab attention, create interest and keep them  reading.

 

7. Body. Create a series of chronological headings and sub headings in your autobiography outline. Write the autobiography based on locations if you have been stationed at many different places throughout your life. Write about one specific event that has been the turning point in your life. Use other common threads to link your body together in an interesting fashion. Include one or two relevant subheadings under each point. Expand your list with all the relevant material you can remember under each section, include names, dates, experiences etc.

 

8. Conclusion. Your final thoughts. Look back on your completed works, think about what you have learnt from the experience and how it has molded and shaped you. Tie it together in an interesting fashion to provide the perfect ending.

 

9. Memorabilia. To round off a perfect autobiography and highlight special moments include some memorabilia such as pictures of family heirlooms, medals, letters, photos etc. that  capture special moments. Snippets of memorabilia can also be spread throughout the book  to add some colour and interest.

 

10. Index. Finished writing? Compile your table of contents and index.

 

Pen It! Magazine Fall Issue

As I near completion of the September/October Issue of Pen It! Magazine, I am looking for submissions from you, readers.  I'd like to have some poetry, short stories, articles, etc.  The theme, of course, is Fall or Halloween. 

This issue's Featured Author is Emma Shade.  Emma has five published books and has been a featured author at many local events. 

Here is a great poem from Deb Bowden of Nashville, Indiana:

Autumn

By Deb Bowden

Fall’s coming soon;

I tasted it today.

Sign in Libra,

October’s ways.

Magic and mystery

Steeped in with age.

Child’s world, old stage,

All joined in play.

Pumpkins all growed;

Harvest time set.

Crisp smell of apples,

Bobbin’ and wet.

Loved to be warmed;

Tummies all fed.

Soon to be nighttime,

Ghost stories in bed.

 

Our Miles With Miles by Terry Trautman

Our Miles With Miles by Terry Trautman

 

Those of you who have read my offerings in Pen It! know that I often write of experiences on the many miles of our travels whether by car, air or ship.  This too is about our  journey with miles or more correctly, Miles.   You see, Miles was our beloved golden retriever.

 She was a very sweet, mild mannered, friendly (unless you asked a squirrel) and lovable companion to have around the house.  Her favorite pastime was leading us around on the people trail in Columbus on her twice daily required (by her) walks.  We would refer to these treks as aromatherapy.  You just wondered what was going on in her mind as she sniffed her way along the trail.  “Oh, yes, that’s Brutus, but he peed a hundred feet further north yesterday.”  “Hmmmm, I missed that squirrel by only a few minutes.”  “Don’t   worry, Terry and Linda, I’m eating grass because I like it.  My stomach feels just fine.”  “Here come some strangers.  Gotta get the tail started.” 

Miles was an integral part of our lives for fourteen years.  In that time she developed some very reliable habits.  I never figured this out because the door to our pantry does not squeak or make any sound when opened.  Miles could be literally snoring and oblivious to life around her until one of us opened that door.  Zoom.  There’s Miles.  Further, she was never asleep nor more alert at our meals.  Those big brown eyes and doleful brows looked right through you with very high expectations of instant gratification for some juicy morsel that tasted soooo much better than the dry crappy stuff of her normal fare.  This is not unique with her but when seated, if your hand is hanging over the arm of the chair she invariably walked under it expecting, almost demanding a good scratch.

Miles had another talent.  She liked to write.  For years, she was the author of our annual Christmas letter and became very popular to the recipients of them.  The evidence of this was never more apparent when one year I decided to give her a sabbatical and substitute for her.  Big mistake.  The outcry was instant and clamorous.  She also wrote a nice letter to the pet dog of the people who bought our prior home.  She was quite envious that they had erected a protective fence for Sadie instead of the shock collar she wore.

But time began to take its toll, so slower of gait and deaf of ear (a blessing because she could no longer hear the doorbell), we began to notice the inevitable deterioration in her long  life.  Sadly, on March 28, 2013 we bid Miles a bittersweet adieu as we sent her to doggy heaven:

 

                                                We saw the road was getting tough

                                                 And the hills were hard to climb

                                                  So he closed your weary eyelids

                                                 And whispered “peace be thine”

 

                                                  It broke our hearts to lose you

                                                    But you never went alone

                                                 For part of us went with you

                                                 The day God called you home.

 

 

 

 

Terry Trautman is a native of Columbus, IN, graduated from Columbus High School in 1956 and Valparaiso University in 1960 with a business and accounting degree.  In 1971 he graduated from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University with an MBA in Business Administration.  His career path included Irwin Management Co., Cummins Engine Co. and U.S. Bancorp where he served in various financial management positions.

 He is blissfully retired and enjoys an active life currently as Treasurer of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and First Lutheran Church both in Columbus.  He and his wife, Linda, sing in both choirs.  His hobbies include photography, scale modeling, traveling, reading, painting and drawing, a love/hate relationship with the game of golf and, more recently, writing.  He is the author of “My Columbus was Different from Yours”, a collection stories about growing up in Columbus, IN in the late 40s and early 50s.