Blog Tour – Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 2

Thank you so much to Jennie Fitzkee for conducting this interview for my blog tour!

A Teacher's Reflections

I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Charles French, a distinguished educator and author.  His new book, Gallows Hill, is a thriller and the second in his exciting series.  The first book, Maledicus, is a riveting page-turner deep into history and speculative fiction, that follows paranormal investigating by three main characters.  Frankly, that barely scratches the surface of mystery and darkness.  Without further ado, let’s meet the author:

I know you are partial to classical literature, particularly Shakespeare.  And, you teach English Literature courses at Muhlenberg College.  How has that influenced you and your writing?

I have loved Shakespeare most of my life. I was first entranced by his work as a high school student, when I saw a traveling professional production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was amazed not only by the language but also by the physicality of the play and the images of…

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The Changing Seasons – March 2018

This post features truly beautiful art!

Art Expedition

It´s time again for the wonderful challenge The Changing Seasons, invented byMax atCardinal Guzmanand now hosted by my dear friend Su atZimmerbitch.

Although Spring officially started this month, March decided not to take any notice of it and it was bitterly cold here throughout.

On one of my walks I decided to take advantage of the still barren trees and took a few photos from their spindly branches reaching into the clear skies.

With some editing magic (Snapseed) these following two images of the same photo came to life:

Barren branches take 1 (March 2018)

Barren Branches take 2 (March 2018)

I couldn´t decide which one I like more, so I posted them both. 😉 Do you have a preference?

You might have noticed that I posted quite a lot of water color paintings this month, mostly birds – this is mainly due to me…

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A Reading of Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 2 by Charles F. French at Lehigh University Linderman Library

Join us for an evening with the Investigative Paranormal Society

Please join us as Charles French reads from his latest book, Gallows Hill.  This is the second installment in French’s Investigative Paranormal Society series.

When: 6:30 Thursday, March 29th

Where: Scheler Humanities Forum (Linderman 200)

The Same Sun Shines For Us All~

This is a deeply powerful and important post from Cindy Knoke.

Sunset in the open ocean off Peru.
This post is in honor of the innocent victims of gun violence in our country and their families. I honor the children who are leading our country away from the path of despair and gun violence.
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6. New International Version).

I salute and stand in solidarity with our student leaders today, and everyday, and all who support the will of the people for safety, sanity, and gun regulation.

The same sun sets for us all,

over the peaceful sea.

Mother Nature’s silent symphony,

a promise of enduring hope,

and lasting peace.

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Tolkien Reading Day: the hope of hobbits

This is a wonderful post, especially on National Tolkien Reading Day, about the hope that exists in Tolkien’s writings.

Anna Smol: A Single Leaf

March 25, the downfall of Sauron, is the date chosen by the Tolkien Society to celebrate Tolkien Reading Day.  This year’s theme is “Home and Hearth: the many ways of being a Hobbit.”  Around the world different groups will be holding events celebrating Tolkien’s work — see the Tolkien Society page for reports from some of them — or individuals will simply be reading their favorite passages at home. Check out the #TolkienReadingDay hashtag on Twitter or Instagram to see what people are reading today.

One of the ways of being a hobbit is to love songs, often songs celebrating simple homely pleasures:  “Sing hey! for the bath at close of day,” “Ho! Ho! Ho! to the bottle I go,” “Upon the hearth the fire is red,” or songs that are just meant to be fun, such as the “ridiculous song” Frodo sings at the Prancing Pony, “There is…

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Critical Thinking: The 5 Factors that Earn 5 Star Reviews!

This is an excellent post from K.D. Dowdall!

Pen & Paper

An excerpt from: Paul Goat Allen | March 12, 2018, Writer’s Digest. Paul Goat Allen has worked as a genre fiction book critic and written thousands of reviews for companies like BarnesandNoble.com, Publishers Weekly, the Chicago Tribune and Kirkus Reviews.

Novelists live and die by reviews yet uncovering what garners a gushing ovation or blistering takedown is often a mystery. A professional critic lays out what it takes to earn five-star book reviews. For two decades I’d been working as a freelance genre fiction book critic for outlets such as BarnesandNoble.com, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and the Chicago Tribune. After sharing my credentials with the group, some of the writers began telling stories about mediocre or bad reviews they’d received at different points in their careers from one or more of the companies I’d listed.

As a reviewer, not much has changed since then. I enjoy all genres and have…

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In the Words of a Child, an Art Masterpiece

This is a wonderful post on the imagination and perception of a child.

A Teacher's Reflections

The children have started painting in earnest, and studying both art and techniques.  All this work and joy is in preparation for our annual Art Show.  Much more on that to come.

I want to share a funny story this week.  In the mind and eyes of a child:

Alex:  “Can I see that painting again?”

Me:  “Which one?”

Alex:  “The yeller that was lost.”

The yeller that was lost?

Of course!  “The Scream”,  by Edvard Munch.  The figure is screaming, or yelling.  And, we had talked about how it was lost or stolen, and finally found.

Alex remembered.  He loved the intrigue of the art subject, and he really wanted to paint those swirls.

He is doing an excellent job, having returned to his work three times so far.

I’ll forever call that masterpiece “The yeller that was lost.”

Jennie

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The Underground Library Society: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Poster

Here is another blog post from one of my students.

Sam Steinberg's Blog

Along with the rest of my English 02 class at Lehigh University, I have entered the Underground Library Society.  This group is based on the “Book People,” in Fahrenheit 451, who make it their mission to memorize and literally become a book so that the rest of mankind can benefit from their knowledge.  The first task of the group is to design a poster consisting of our group name/logo, the title the book we chose, a statement of encouragement to read our book, and an appealing design.  I have chosen to present Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  I chose this book as it is a mystery/fantasy and opens people’s eyes to another world and its possibilities.  Personally, I think it’d be pretty cool to run through walls and find something missing with the flick of a wand.  I plan on designing my poster with a cool portrayal of…

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ULS Poster Part Two

Here is another post from one of my students that I would like to share!

Blog Tour – Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 2 – by Charles F. French – Interview with Character Sam Sadlowski

Thank you so much to Heather Tasker for helping me with my blog tour by doing this post!

Lame Girl's Guide to...

Interview With Sam Sadlowski

Hello everyone! Today I am interviewing Mr. Sam Sadlowski, a retired homicide detective, art lover, and the protagonist in Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 2 by Charles F. French.

Thank you very much for this interview, Mr. Sadlowski.

Sam: You’re welcome, and please, call me Sam. You can probably tell I’m not a very formal sort of guy.

Certainly. Would you like anything to drink? Coffee?

Sam: That would be fine. I take it black, and thanks.

You’re welcome. So, I heard you’re a fan of art… Would you mind if I asked you some questions about that?

Sam: Certainly.

How long have you been interested in art?

Sam: Well, pretty much, all my life. I was always taken with looking at paintings, and when I was in High School, I realized that I loved art. I enjoyed looking at any kind of…

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