TEXT to SPEECH Software – which one is right for you?

September 10, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

As writers, it’s been drilled into us to read our work out loud so that we catch our errors – something that doesn’t happen when we read silently.

If your masterpiece of prose is an magnum opus, then you know by the time you get through it, you’ll have no voice left, not to mention having a sore throat.

So, what’s the next best thing? How about Text to Speech software? Let it read your work back to you. Don’t want to disturb others in the house while your computer does the reading? Plug in a set of headphones or ear buds.

There are a number of packages out there that do this.

Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance is available for the PC and the Mac. The price varies depending on the features you want. The Home version regularly retails through the website for $99.99 but is currently on sale for $74.99. The Premium version, normally $199.99, is reduced to $149.99.

Text Aloud is available as a free download or you can purchase it and receive it by email. If you want additional voices for this software, you have to buy them. The voices that come with it, can become monotonous after while (this comes from their site). Also, there’s no mention if this is PC only or if there is a version for the Mac.

Another free text to speech program is Word Talk. It only works with Microsoft Word but it covers versions of the software from Word 97 through to Word 2013. This one is on my radar because it was developed in Scotland.

I use Natural Reader Free (not sure of the version). On their site, you can copy and paste a sample of your text into a box and hear it read back to you. Version 12 of Natural Reader Free has a number of options that make it even more seamless. Rather than have to copy and paste text from your document, it integrates add-in tool bars to Microsoft Office. Version 13 (Windows or Mac) is now available for download.

If you hit the play icon, the software will read the welcome message to you. New will let you open a new blank screen that you can copy and paste your ‘magnum opus’ or at least a chapter in. There is a floppy disk icon on the right hand side of the screen which will allow you to save your file so it will be in the software until you decide it’s time to delete it. Unfortunately, the ability to convert to MP3 format isn’t available in the Free version of the program. To be able to do that, you have to upgrade. Prices range from $69.50 to $199.50. You can see what you get in the paid versions on their Price & Order page.

Beware when downloading free software of any kind, whether it be text to speech or anything else.

What text to speech software do you use?

Grammar, Grammarly, infographic, literacy, readers, Reading

Sept 8th is INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

September 8, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

INFOGRAPHIC

Infographic courtesy of https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism-checker.

Promote literacy in your community.

Or do it on a wider scale and donate to a literacy charity.

Fun with Books
Reading is Fundamental
First Book
Pro Literacy

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Under His Skin by Stacey O’Neale ~ COVER REVEAL

September 8, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

UNDER HIS SKIN by Stacey O’Neale

Book Blurb:

Earth girls are never easy. But they’re worth it.
Bakery owner Annabelle Sparks’ business is booming ever since she won reality TV’s Cupcake Wars. The one thing deflating her happy soufflé? The extremely sexy Kaden Chance only sees her as a best friend-and Annabelle wants so much more. After waiting a year for him recognize their chemistry, she’s giving up and dating other people.

What she doesn’t know is Kaden’s heart doesn’t actually beat. He’s not human. Heck, he’s not even from Earth. To retain his intergalactic immunity, no one can ever know he is an extraterrestrial. But when Annabelle starts dating, something strange happens to Kaden’s unmoved heart: it begins to beat. Now he faces an impossible choice-tell Annabelle the truth and be deported-or lose his last chance at love.

Release Date: September 21, 2015
Pre-order Here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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For a Limited Time, you can pre-order UNDER HIS SKIN for only $0.99!!!

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BOOK PROMO ~ Seaside Nights by Melissa Foster

September 7, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Seaside Nights

by

Melissa Foster

Fall in love with Sky Lacroux and Sawyer Bass in Seaside Nights, the fifth book in the Seaside Summers series!

Sky Lacroux has finally realized her dream and opened her own tattoo shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She’s happy as can be, renting a cottage in the Seaside community while renovations to her new apartment are being completed and preparing the shop for its grand opening. The only thing missing is the one thing she longs for, and has no control over—love.

Sawyer Bass, a professional boxer, plays his guitar to escape the painful reality of his father’s failing health and a recent health warning of his own. But when he spots a stunning brunette across the room, escaping reality goes out the door—and the beautiful woman becomes the focus of his next song—and maybe even the rest of his life.

When Sawyer walks into Sky’s tattoo shop and sees the woman from the bar—Sky—the chemistry between them is instant. Sawyer is everything Sky could ever hope for in a man. He’s honest, loving, sensitive, and potently virile—but boxing goes against everything Sky believes in. The closer they become, the more she realizes that her alpha boxer is waging his own emotional battle—only the battle she thinks he’s waging isn’t the one that threatens to tear them apart.

BUY LINKS

ABOUT MELISSA FOSTER

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Authors Links:

http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter/

GIVEAWAY

The giveaway will be the previous book in the series SEASIDE SECRETS

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It’s Read A Book Day ~ #amreading

September 6, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Sept 6th is Read A Book Day

Whatever your genre, or preferred medium, curling up and reading a good book is a wonderful way to spend your time. There are loads of genres to choose from – crime, romance, paranormal, Young Adult, New Adult, non-fiction, memoirs and literary fiction. All will sweep you away into the world created by the author and give you some much needed escape from reality time.

A great place to get your reading material is at your local independent bookstore. Mine is Leeds County Books. If I find a book whilst shopping elsewhere, I take down the details and then go here and order my copy, if it isn’t already on the shelf.

I also have a great collection of e-books on my iPad in the Kindle app.

Since this is read a book day, I’m going to do a wee bit of shameless, self-promotion here. If you’re looking for a great read, check out A Shadow in the Past

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

and The Consequences Collection – an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

And for the younger readers,

Tim’s Magic Christmas

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

What are you reading today?

gardening, potatoes, tires

Tire(d) Potatoes

September 5, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

What do you do with a few old tires that aren’t fit for the road anymore? Grow potatoes in them! It works great if you have limited space and a decent number of excess rubber hoops.

Here’s a website with step-by-step instructions… Instructables.

The location we chose didn’t get as much sun as we hoped for but it was along the fence. No compost or damp earth. We started with two stacks of two tires each, added some leaves that we had used to cover other tender plants with over the winter. We added about 4 potatoes to each and pushed them down in so they were covered.

After that, if they got watered it was from the rain. We did add some potting soil to each stack later on when the leaves had compacted.

We didn’t spend extra money on seed potatoes, just planted ones we had bought that had sprouted eyes and gone soft and wrinkly… bleurgh… at least no fingers pushed their way through. That would have been beyond disgusting.

So how did our tire(d) potatoes do? Well considering the neglect and the fact it was just an experiment, better than we expected. And yes, we did plant a red potato and later than the other ones and it did the best of all, even though we only got one spud off that plant.

As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Will we try it again? You betcha! And now that we know it really does work, we’ll maintain them and hopefully get a bumper crop for next year.

And another bonus of growing the potatoes in tires – the dog stayed away and didn’t stomp on the them. Might have peed on the tires but that’s another story.