Please Honor Memorial Day

(https://pixabay.com)

I hope all of you have had a wonderful weekend, but I also hope you remember why this holiday, Memorial Day, exists.  The word “holiday” comes from “holy day,” and the remembrance of this day and its purpose should be sacred. It was originally known as Decoration Day after the end of the Civil War, and it was designated Memorial Day in the 20th Century.

This day is intended to honor, give thanks, and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for The United States of America.  Please honor the fallen and the wounded on this day.  I realize the day was meant originally for the dead, but I extend my wishes and  thanks to the wounded also. Regardless of political beliefs or stands on a war, these are the men and women who fought to keep us safe, and they deserve our remembrance.

They deserve our thanks and our honor.

Please keep in mind that this day is not merely the beginning of the summer season, nor is it intended to be the time of a special sale. This should be a sacred and somber time. There will be plenty of opportunity for shopping and vacationing afterwards. Please remember those who sacrificed.

(https://pixabay.com)

Bees & Blooms~

Please enjoy these beautiful photographs by Cindy Knoke!

Cindy Knoke

Where there are blooms,

there are bees.

Where there are lots of blooms,

there are lots of bees!

“The earth laughs in flowers,”

and lives because of bees.

Cheers to you from the bees and the blooms~

View original post

A Review of The Investigative Paranormal Society Cookbook by Charles F. French

Available on Amazon

 

Thank you to Robbie Cheadle for this lovely review of my little cookbook! Please be sure to visit her wonderful websites: Robbie Cheadle Books/Poems/Reviews and Robbie’s inspiration

I have read all three books in The Investigative Paranormal Society series and the cookbook is an added bonus. Each recipe is contributed by a specific character from the series and is introduced with an overview of that character’s contribution to a specific book and the series as a whole.

I enjoyed reading a little more about my favourite characters in the more relaxed and culinary setting provided by this cookbook.

The cookbook offers a wide range of recipes, all of which are reasonably simple to make and cover the full spectrum of appetizers, main course and side dishes, desserts, and even drinks. The drinks was rather a fun addition for me, and I was pleased to find some great recipes for cocktails including Helen’s Bethberg Iced Tea and Jeremy’s Mint Julep Mocktail (non alcoholic).

From the appetizers, Helen’s Grape and Walnut Side Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing grabbed my attention. I love walnuts and anything involving blue cheese. This salad is certainly a bit different and slightly sophisticated, and would certainly add to any dinner party.

The main course and side dishes range from the fun Roosevelt’s Cheeseburgers and Panfried Vegetables to the more unusual Sam’s Chicken Paprikash to Roosevelt’s Baked Beans. I am pleased to have this last recipe as homemade Baked Beans often come up in American literature and I’ve never tasted them. Now I will be able to try this dish.

The desserts all sound delicious and I am keen to try Roosevelt’s Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce and Sarah’s Irish Stout Brownies.

Overall, this book is a great introduction to the memorable characters in this terrific series and is also a useful recipe book with some delicious sounding recipes.

Available on Amazon

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Kubrick’s Monolith: The Art and Mystery of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Joe R. Frinzi: A Review

I am pleased to be able to offer a review of this extraordinary book by film scholar Mr. Joe R. Frinzi.

Joe R. Frinzi’s work, Kubrick’s Monolith: The Art and Mystery of 2001: A Space Odyssey, is an excellent book of film criticism, and it should establish Mr. Frinzi as a top level scholar on Stanley Kubrick and his seminal film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this masterful treatment, Mr. Frinzi details the creation of the film and the social and cinematic importance of this work by the auteur, Stanley Kubrick. It is deeply researched, demonstrates a masterful understanding of cinema, and confirms Mr. Frinzi as a top film scholar.

If you are interested in film, if you love science-fiction, and if you appreciate Stanley Kubrick, then this is a book you must have.

Mr. Frinzi’s work is on the level of a Ph.D. thesis.

I recommend this book to all lovers of cinema, and I give it 5 stars!

Mr. Frinzi’s book is available here: Amazon

and here: McFarland

People Watchers~

Here are more simply stunning photographs from Cindy Knoke!

Cindy Knoke

Orioles are dedicated people watchers.

It is more than an hobby for them.

It’s a lifestyle.

They never seem to take their eyes off you!

I wonder about,

what they actually think of us.

I don’t speak oriole,

but I suspect,

they’re not overly impressed.

Cheers to you from the people watching orioles~

View original post

Ideas Are Only Seeds

Please read this wonderful post from Mitch Teemley!

Mitch Teemley

Thought for the Week

“Like every book I never wrote, it is by far the best book I have ever written.” ~G.K. Chesterton

In nature,99% of seeds never germinate, and of those, owing to poor conditions, less than 1% survive. That means only about 1 in 10,000 seeds actually becomes a living plant, of which roughly 1 in 10 truly thrives. Result? About 1 out of every 100,000 seeds actually fulfills its purpose.

Ideas are the same. Only a tiny percentage of ideas are ever actually planted, watered, pruned, and patiently cared for long enough to bear a bumper crop of fruit.

That means less than 1 out of 100,000 of the world’s greatest masterpieces, scientific breakthroughs, and revolutionary inventions has ever seen the light of day. Will yours be that 1 in 100,000? Remember, ideas are only seeds.

Plant the seed.

φ

Image courtesy of SnugHug&Co

View original post

Play

Here is a wonderful post on the importance of play for children by the excellent teacher, Jennie.

A Teacher's Reflections

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.
But for children play is serious learning.
Play is really the work of childhood.”
~Mr. Rogers~

The dinosaurs are congregating.
They don’t look happy.

“They need to be fed.  They need food.
Don’t worry.  I’m getting leaves ready for them.”

“We need more cones.
We have to block off the construction site.”

“Jennie, we used every block.  Every one.
We sealed off the tower with trucks and cones.
Can you take our picture?”

This is how children figure things out.  Problem solving, working together, and critical divergent thinking are rooted in play.  Teachers step aside.  Sometimes the best learning happens when things don’t go right- when another child took some of the cones, and when the amazing tower was threatened to be knocked down.

Did I intervene?  Absolutely not.  No one was  hurt.  It was up…

View original post 89 more words

May Self-Promotion Party!

(Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com)

Hello everyone! It’s past mid-May, the weather is turning warmer, and it’s time for a self-promotion party!

Be proud of your writing!

Share your book(s) with the world!

Be your own best publicist!

To help as many as possible see your work, reblog, like, and follow others.

Available on Amazon

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Help With PitDark Tomorrow On Twitter

#PitDark

Hello to everyone! I am participating in a Twitter event tomorrow, #PitDark, in which I will attempt to entice an agent or publisher to be interested in my book. I will pitch Curse Of The Demon Mine, and I will have my tweet up at 8 a.m. EST tomorrow morning as my pinned Tweet on my profile. If you can help, please Retweet the pitch, but also do not like it. That is for agents to indicate they are interested.

For all you who have Twitter, please consider helping me!

And I thank you in advance.

Photo by Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

Update on Robert Fillman’s Poetry Reading

Hello to all! There was a mistake on  the date of Robert Fillman’s Poetry reading.

The corrected date and the flyer appears next:

Join Robert Fillman on Zoom—Thursday, June 3rd, 2021, at 6 pm EST.

Here is a link to another of Robert Fillman’s poems: The Batter

See his chapbook November Weather Spell via Main Street Rag

Please check out this opportunity to hear Robert Fillman reading his excellent poetry!