Marshall Frank has a thorough understanding of his many fields of interest. From his early years he has pursued his interest in language, creative thought, athletics and nature.

A records researcher by profession, he lives in Northern California with his wife Karen and their two dogs, Emma Peel and Kira.

Marshall has studied several aspects of language in depth. One pursuit was to keep a journal of idiomatic and unusual phrases he gleaned from everyday conversation. He then created a thesaurus by organizing the phrases according to the concepts they express. To the benefit of scholars and the rest of us, he has started to publish his thesaurus in a series of volumes. This first one, “Finding Your Voice,” provides phrases that can replace a key verb in one’s written and spoken expressions.

Frank states, “This book is a tool for the man on the street. The emphasis is on the utility and variation of the phrases themselves rather than their history, fascinating though it is. As an example, a writer seeking alternative ways to express the action ‘to anticipate’ will find a couple of dozen phrases that do this.”

He adds, “Finding Your Voice is my remedy for the writer’s block we commonly encounter when searching for alternative ways to express a particular thought. Ideation is enhanced when each entry is viewed through the lens of one’s personal experience and memory.” This first volume covers the low-hanging fruit of phrases that can serve as verbs or actions. Subsequent volumes will address other categories of idiomatic expression, including comparators, time and space, descriptors, emotions, predictions and probability, and one just for humor and sarcasm.

Frank’s book is a powerful tool for writers, speakers and even lyricists. Keep it handy.