Blog Post 3:Maledicus Reaction

Here is one of my students’ blog on my book: Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book I.

Bryce Erdman's Blog

I have to admit, coming into this class I was worried about the focus on gothic and horror. I have never been a fan of horror movies and books, and I was not looking forward to reading them. However, I am very glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maledicus. For me it was one of those books that forces you to keep turning the page, and that was for a few reasons.

The most important of these reasons was the characters. Each and every character got a thorough background which helped me connect with them. Each member of the Investigative Paranormal Society (IPS) has a very tragic background. From traumatizing wartime experiences to equally traumatizing experiences at home, it is hard not to root for the success and well being of the IPS. The same is true for Helena and her late mother and father. Overall, the…

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Thank You To All Medical Professionals

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Today is National Doctors’ Day, and I want to thank physicians for all they do and are doing to help us in this pandemic.

I also want to  extend the day to thank all of the other health care professionals, from nurses, aides, technicians, emts, and to anyone else I may have forgotten to include.

You are our contemporary heroes.

I humbly thank you.

Charles F. French

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Keep On Writing!

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Hello to all the writers out there!

This is a difficult and very trying time in which we all find ourselves. One thing you can be sure of, in this period of great uncertainty, is that you are writers.

Believe in yourselves!

Believe in your writing!

Keep writing!

 

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Why Britain’s Footpaths are important

Here is an excellent post from John Bainbridge!

Walking the Old Ways

The paths will still be there when we can walk properly again. And congratulations to the “Don’t Lose Your Way” Team at The Ramblers who have now completed the first stage of their important campaign to get lost paths back on the map. Well done to everyone who participated. The piece below is from my forthcoming book – a revised and expanded new edition of The Compleat Trespasser, out in May.

We all use paths to access the countryside, whether we consider ourselves ramblers or just use them as somewhere to walk the dog. Or sometimes as a short-cut, the easiest way to get from one place to another. We may well notice our surroundings, the places we walk through, but how many of us consider just why the path is there, why it even exists?

People in this country are fortunate to have a splendid network of public…

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10 Books That Influenced Me

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After doing a post about the 10 most influential books to literature,  I wanted to create a post about the 10 books I consider the most influential books to  me.  I am open to all suggestions.

Hamlet. William Shakespeare.

The Iliad. Homer.

Le Morte d’ Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory.

The Lord Of The Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien.

Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury.

The Stand. Stephen King.

The Shadow of the Wind. Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes.

Frankenstein. Mary Shelley.

Dracula.  Bram Stoker.

What are some of the most influential books for you?

10 Most Influential Books

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I recently had a request from a man who is my cousin but much more–my brother–about what books I consider to be the most influential, in terms of literature.

As a professor, I could not simply answer without considering several possibilities. Today I will post what I consider to be the ten most influential texts to the world of literature. Of course, this is my opinion and open to debate.

Here they are, in no particular order:

The Collected Works of Shakespeare. William Shakespeare.

The Illiad and The Odyssey. Homer.

The Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer.

Le Morte d’ Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory.

Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes.

Frankenstein. Mary Shelley.

To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee.

Beloved. Toni Morrison.

Moby Dick. Herman Melville.

1984. George Orwell.

What do you think of this selection?

In another post,  I will offer ten books that have been personally influential.

Quotations From Ray Bradbury

https://en.wikipedia.org

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

 

“You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”

 

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”

 

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

 

Let’s Do A Shameless Self-Promotion Saturday!

Shout Out!

I found this idea for a Shameless Self-Promotion Saturday on Twitter, and I think it is an excellent one. So, today, shout out your book to the world! Give information about the book and where it can be found. Then be sure to reblog and share on other social media so as many people as possible can read out about it.

Remember, writers–we need to be our best promoters and publicists!

Here is information about my new book Get The Draft Done! Helping Writers Finish Their First Draft:

Many writers suffer from the inability to finish a first draft for a variety of reasons, and this problem can prevent them from finishing the crucial initial draft of a book.Through a series of practical suggestions and exercises, this book will help writers get the draft done!

amazon link

 

Now tell us about your book!

Quotations from F. D. R.

The following quotations are from Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

 

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

 

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.”

 

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”

 

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

Here is a wonderful post from the extraordinary teacher, Jennie! For those of you teaching young children at home, not to mention, older kids, this is valuable educational resource!

A Teacher's Reflections

It happened quickly.  Schools closed for two weeks.  Teachers went in on Friday to do a deep cleaning, from surfaces to toys, even markers and the cover of every book.  Over the weekend the closings of public places skyrocketed.  On Monday schools were mandated to close for three weeks.

As a teacher, I need to reach out to children and teach.  But how?  There is little for them to do outside of home.  And then it struck me.

I can read to them online!

Surely there was a way to do that.  I had read aloud the book The Poet’s Dog on my blog.  Maybe YouTube would work for the children?  I watched a tutorial on how to set this up.  On one hand my heart was pounding with excitement, and on the other hand I was filled with terror.  This non-techy person was on the end of the 10…

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