At The Writers Digest 2022 Conference

I spent the weekend at the 2022 Writers Digest Conference in New York City, one of my favorite places in the world, and I had a wonderful time! Not only did I learn a great deal about the world of writing and publishing at numerous excellent sessions, but I also attended the Pitch Slam session.  I like to refer to this event as speed dating with literary agents! For one hour, many writers attempt to find and speak with agents, whom they think will fit their projects well. I was fortunate and was able to meet with six agents, and I had requests from 4, ranging from a full manuscript to 10 pages. I will certainly get that work to them this week, and we will see what will happen.

I also have to thank my wonderful father-in-law for his kindness and hospitality in allowing me to spend the weekend at his house in Staten Island. 

One of the benefits of this trip for me was taking the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan and back every day. This may seem small, but I love boats and ships, and I am like a little kid in enjoying the ride!

 

 

Also, it may seem ordinary to those who make this trip on the Ferry often, but I was able to see Lady Liberty!

 

If you are a writer and have the opportunity to attend this yearly conference, I recommend it!

It’s Time For The 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

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

A New Poem by Robert Fillman

I am very honored and pleased to announce that my friend and extraordinary poet, Robert Fillman has a new poem out. He will also have a new book of poetry, House Bird, out in 2022.

The poem appears in Sheila-Na-Gig online.

CONFIDENCE MAN

I am very honored and pleased to announce that my friend and extraordinary poet, Robert Fillman has a new poem out.

After tossing my duffel bag

on the bench, I cinch the drawstring

to my sweatpants. And that is when

I remember the locker room

at the college: the sting of bleach,

the rhythm of slamming metal

doors, guys stepping out of showers

in towels, that long wall of white

urinals, each man evenly

spaced, holding himself, head down, not

saying a word, the loud whooshing

spray from a flush, my big brother

stretching beside me in his loose

tank-top and knee-length tennis shorts.

I hear him snickering as he

elbows me in the ribs while I

bend at the hips, Hey, here he comes,

‘Naked Guy,’ and I look to see

his thick head of white hair, still wet,

that seemed to brag to us younger

guys, his whole body glistening

as he strides out from the shower

like some minor god. How I’d kill

to have such courage, every inch

exposed, my eyes trying not to

linger on his shape, the brown age-

spots, trying not to think about

how those wrinkles and slack skin lines

are more vivid, more distinctive

with every tense step, every slap

of foot against ceramic tile—

Robert Fillman

Robert Fillman is the author of the chapbook November Weather Spell (Main Street Rag, 2019). His poems have appeared in The Hollins Critic, Paterson Literary Review, Poet Lore, Salamander, Spoon River Poetry Review, Tar River Poetry, Valparaiso Poetry Review,and others. His criticism has appeared in ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment, The College Language Association Journal, and The Explicator. He currently teaches at Kutztown University, where he is a member of the English and Professional Writing departments. His debut full-length collection, House Bird, will be published by Terrapin Books in 2022. www.robertfillman.com

Here is the cover of his upcoming book:

Please Help Me at #PitMad on 12/2/2021

Please!

Hello everyone! This may sound like an odd request, but tomorrow, December 2, 2021, I am participating in #PitMad on Twitter, a day long event in which authors tweet a pitch for a book to agents.

If any of you have Twitter, please consider retweeting my pinned tweet, which I will put up tomorrow morning around 8 a.m. EST.

My Twitter handle is @French_C1955

This is also important– DO NOT LIKE THE PITCH–that is for agents to let writers know they are interested in your work.

My pitch will look something like this:

THE FIFTH SEASON X PARABLE OF THE SOWER In a world decimated by climate change, now like the dark ages, 16-yr-old Lignne wants to be the first female graduate in the only school in the kingdom, but treachery from a psychopath threaten her success and life. #A #PitMad #F

Thank you!!!

A Call For Help for #PitDark

Please!

Hello everyone! This may sound like an odd request, but on Thursday 10/14/2021 I am participating in #PitDark on Twitter, a day long event in which authors tweet a pitch for a book to agents.

If any of you have Twitter, please consider retweeting my pinned tweet, which I will put up tomorrow morning.

My Twitter handle is @French_C1955

This is also important–do not like the pitch–that is for agents to let writers know they are interested in your work.

The tweet will be for my novel The Ameriad: The Monastery of Knowledge.  I will have the tweet up at 8 A. M. EST.

It will look something like this:

THE FIFTH SEASON X PARABLE OF THE SOWER Lignne knows who she is, what she wants, and faces likely death. Climate disaster puts Earth into dark ages; she wants to be the first female graduate in the Monastery, but murderous treachery threaten her success and life. #A #PitDark #PA

Again, thank you to all!

Happy Birthday to Stephen King!

I want to wish a happy birthday to one of the great American writers–Stephen King! 

Stephen King is not only a prolific writer, having created 63 works of fiction and 5 of nonfiction, all of which have become best seller, but also he is finally being recognized as one of the great American writers.

Stephen King, one of the most important and best American writers, continues to receive acknowledgement of his work on extremely visible and important stages.  On September 10, 2015 President Obama presented Mr. King with a National Medal in the Arts.

 

Mr. King also was garnered the 2003 lifetime achievement award from the National Book Awards.

I am both a beginning novelist and an experienced educator, with a Ph.D. in English Literature. I am not saying that to be an egoist; rather, I want to show that there are those in the academic world who consider Mr. King to be an extraordinary writer.

Mr. King has, for many years, demonstrated his talent for telling deeply powerful stories with moving themes and unforgettable characters.  Some of his work stands as among the best novels written.  Hearts In Atlantis and The Stand are, in my opinion, masterpieces of literature.

 

Once again, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Stephen King!

Please Help Me on #PitMad On Thursday 6/3/2021

Please!

Hello everyone! This may sound like an odd request, but tomorrow I am participating in #PitMad on Twitter, a day long event in which authors tweet a pitch for a book to agents.

If any of you have Twitter, please consider retweeting my pinned tweet, which I will put up tomorrow morning around 8 a.m. EST.

My Twitter handle is @French_C1955

This is also important– DO NOT LIKE THE PITCH–that is for agents to let writers know they are interested in your work.

The tweet will be for my horror novel The Curse Of The Demon Mine. 

It will look something like this:

It x Stranger Things x The Magicians

In 1957 S. Dakota teens Dancer, Micah, and James fight a monster threatening their beloved teacher. To save him, and the magical realm, they must defeat homicidal bullies and supernatural threats, controlled by the creature. #PitMad #YA #DF

Again, thank you to all!

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

Promote Your Books On My Blog!

I usually do a once a month post in which I ask authors to promote their books along with everyone else who joins the party. I will continue to do that, but I also want to open my blog up to authors to do posts in which they can promote their book(s). Here, they can write a post to help spread the word about their writing; it could be a piece about the book, an interview with a character, or an author interview. The possibilities are wide.

This option will not exist only for this month. I want authors to know that they are free to submit a guest post about their book(s) whenever they wish. I ask that it be sent to be as a Word.doc to frenchc1955@yahoo.com.

Be sure to include photos of the book, banners, and links to where your work can be purchased if you have these.

Then I ask anyone who reads these posts to reblog them, post them to Twitter, and other social media so we can get the word about these books to as many people as possible.

To all the authors reading this: Promote Yourself!