Whether you're submitting to an agent, preparing for self-publishing, or handing off your work to a book formatter, a clean, professional manuscript makes all the difference. Polished Pages walks you through a step-by-step checklist to tidy up your MS Word document—removing hidden formatting, fixing punctuation inconsistencies, standardizing styles, and resolving the quirks that build up over years of writing.

Written with beginners in mind, this guide demystifies the technical side of Microsoft Word with clear instructions, helpful shortcuts, and practical tips. You’ll learn how to navigate formatting marks, apply Word’s built-in styles, use Find and Replace like a pro, and prep your manuscript for smooth conversion to both print and digital formats. No overwhelm. No jargon. Just clean, professional pages ready to impress.

Wendy Spurlin is an editor, author, and writing coach who has spent over 40 years helping writers prepare their work for publication—with a special talent for making complex tech topics easy to understand.

All this pumpkin wants is to escape his patch, but when a mischievous mouse jinn offers him three magical wishes, he learns the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side! From a bumpy truck ride to a spooky Halloween porch, the pumpkin's wishes take him on an unexpected, and often hilarious, journey. Will he ever find happiness, or is he too bitter for even a Thanksgiving pie?

A whimsical tale about learning to appreciate what you have, The Pumpkin and the Jinn is a charming story with a twist, reminding readers young and old that true happiness comes from within.