Grammar Girl: What’s your favorite word and why?

NH: “Perfidious.” It’s just sounds so good. I managed to use it in my latest book and every time I read that line it makes me smile. “Insouciance” is a close runner up – though I don’t think I’ve ever actually used it in a sentence.

GG: What’s a word you dislike? (either because it’s overused or misused)

NH: “Gotten.” As an English girl who moved to the US when I was 14 and I just can’t get used to hearing people say “gotten” as a past tense for “got.” For a longtime I thought Americans were using bad grammar, but I finally looked it up and realized it’s a perfectly valid and well accepted use of the word in the United States and Canada. Every time a copy editor tries to slip it into my books though I have to protest and change it back.

GG: What word will you always misspell?

NH: A lot of words actually, for a writer I am a surprisingly bad speller. I always used to have trouble with “dessert” vs. “desert” until I decided that I would always like to have two servings of dessert and I’d only like to walk through a hot desert once.

GG: What word (or semblance of a word) would you like to see added to the dictionary? Why?

NH: “Dagen.” This is the word that my youngest son used to say “thank you” when he was learning his first words so my family all began using it, and still do, to say thank you to each other. My husband once said “Dagen” to the lady at the grocery store as he was checking out, and now we all agree that it should be universally accepted.

GG: Any grammar pet peeves we should know about.

NH: The misuse of “your” vs. “you’re.” It’s like nails on a chalkboard.

GG: To what extent does grammar play a role in character development and voice?

NH: It plays a huge role. It can change tone, intent, it can convey hesitation, anger. It’s a powerful little tool we have up our sleeves.

GG: What grammar, wording or punctuation problem did you struggle with this week?

NH: “Lay” vs “lie” – it doesn’t matter how many times I have been told the correct way to use these words, I simply cannot do it.

GG: Are there any words that you intentionally avoid? Why?

NH: “Behoove.” This is one of those words that sounds like the opposite of its meaning and while I like the way the word sounds when I say it, it always feels as though I’m using it incorrectly. (See Grammar Girl’s “behoove” video on TikTok.)

GG: Do you have a favorite quote or passage from an author you’d like to share?

NH: “Love means constantly saying you’re sorry, and then doing better.” — Emily Henry, Happy Place

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. I’m a minimalist when it comes to commas but I really appreciate the gentle but necessary pause it brings here.

You can pick up a copy of Hotel Laguna on Amazon, Bookshop, or wherever fine books are sold.