Happy Halloween!

 

Goblins and ghouls, spirits and fools, things that go bump in the night.  Things that raise hair are looming out there to bestow upon you quite a fright.  So do watch your back if the downed branches crack, and a rustling comes from the leaves.  And always beware, for there’s evil out there on the night of All Hallows Eve...

With that, I hope you all enjoy this macabre Sunday!

Remember, if you are out trick-or-treating, don’t get close to strangers. Those masks people wear are not always that far from who they really are inside.

Don’t forget to check out the Official James Fenix Fan Page, and don’t be afraid to drop off a comment sometime.

Until next time,

James Fenix

Halloween Is On Its Way, Are You Ready For It?

 

Hello everyone, this is your favorite author, James Fenix.

With the upcoming holiday (or show I say hallow-day ;D ) I thought it would be fun to explore the roots of Halloween a little further. As many of you may know, the holiday originated in Celtic territories (such as modern day Ireland and Scotland) and it was celebrated by Pagan Druids (pagan tribes). Slowly, the practice of this holiday began to spread across Europe, and then most of the world. Though it is a very well-known celebration, there are countries where this holiday is banned.

If you want to learn more about the history of Halloween please visit www.halloween.com, there you will find everything you need to know about Halloween. From history to safety tips. Yes, safety tips. It may be a lot of fun going out there in costumes, but always remember that just like this holiday has its dark side, so do other people. Sometimes the masks strangers wear are not that different from the way their soul looks.

Remember to be careful, don’t let your children run free, it does not matter if you know the neighborhood. Please, try not to eat too much candy (but don’t tell your dentist I said that, they love the business they get after this day; I would hate to their job away from them).

If you have any comments or questions remember you may submit them via the Official James Fenix Facebook Fan Page. If I am not in time to post another note before Halloween, I hope you all a happy treat-or-tricking, and remember, be safe.

Until next time,

 

James Fenix

Last Day of Midterms

 

Hello everyone,

Tomorrow will be a grandiose day! The last day of midterms for the 2010 Fall term… finally I get to rest (I hope…). This week I have zero energy, I’m typing in a somnambulistic fashion. I feel for those of you that still have essays coming up, I wish you all luck.

I’ll discuss Halloween (if I have time and energy) next week,

Until then,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

10/10/10 – Feel Lucky?

 

Hello everyone, enjoying October?

I don’t have a lot to report this week other than I’ve started working on Project 2, and though I have been terribly busy studying for Midterms, I’ve found the time to get lost in my imagination.

I am contemplating going on the road to do research for this project, so watch out, I might be coming to your town!

I would like you remind you and welcome you to drop me a message, give me a topic you would like me to discuss, comment – don’t be shy!

Remember to visit the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook and follow me there. My twitter account has not been set up yet, but expect it in the following weeks. The creation of the website has been delayed, until after my midterms (darn those midterms), once the website is set up I will add more information about Feather Spade and Project 2.

I will be back next week,

James Fenix

Welcome To October!

 

We are getting closer and closer to Halloween! According to my online representative and co-founding leader of the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society, we are:

“29 DAYS, 2 HOURS, 23 MINUTES, 45 SECONDS”

He’s very eager about it – as should we all be.

Announcements – regarding the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society

Today is the first official day of the Fenix Organization and we are very excited about it. The handbooks have been passed on to the current members. I encourage you to join the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society! If you can’t then at least register at the website (link at the end of this week’s blog), or join the Forums - Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society.

Literary-wise, I don’t have much to report. I have been taking my English and Creative Writing classes very seriously, I do this all for the sake of the book’s quality and for your sake as well, you want to read this book; I’m the only one that can publish this book.

Until next week, this is your author,

 

James Fenix

Sanctuary - Saints of Fenix

And Into Libra…

 

Anyone acquainted with the Zodiac? No, not the killer. I’m talking about Astrology, the study of the stars. Yes, I study astrology in my spare time. I like to think that the positioning of the stars do play a role in how we are, but only to a certain point. Who we are is up to us, not our genes or parents, but us. The reason why this week’s blog is called “Into Libra” is because starting September 23rd, we will be entering the house of Libra, the seventh zodiac sign.

I have a couple of announcements relating to the paranormal society, I urge you to join, the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society. I’m currently editing the content in the handbook for the group, and soon it will be distributed to its current members; after that, it’ll just be a short time before you may be able to join! Wouldn’t that be great? Working in your favorite author’s paranormal group?

The website has been finished, and it is 98% complete. There will be a couple of announcements some time this week, and that would be about it. When it comes to the applications to the public, they will not be released until the handbook has been approved by the senior members.

What about Feather Spade?

Still nothing, I am sending some more letters as October kicks into the calendar. I am doing everything I can with the little spare time I have, to promote the book and try to sell it to editors and agents. You have to remember that publishing is not something that happens overnight. It’s a process that takes a long time. How long? I don’t know, might be month, days, years… trust me, I’m not thrilled about it either.

As I wait for an agent to contact me, I’m starting an unforeseen project! Yes, I’m just as surprised as you are. I’ll keep you posted on that one as well.

I would like to hear from you all more often, please don’t be shy about sending in messages, whether they are comments here or just comments you paste on to the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook. I would like to hear from YOU and what you want me to discuss, later in this blog. Remember that this is where you come to get my perspective on things, well I want to give you my perspective on things you are interested in.

Until next week, I’m James Fenix, your author, remember to tell your friends about this blog and also click “Like” on the Official James Fenix Fan Page! (Yes, I’m still working on the website ;D).

Until next week!

Three Steps to Write an Essay

 

Don’t you just hate when a teacher asks you for a “five paragraph” essay? Or an essay with so many “words.” Limitations do not help your essay, so what makes a good essay? First, you have to think about how you relate to the essay prompt – stop thinking about what your teacher is asking for. No self respecting teacher will limit you to a certain amount of words, sentences, or paragraphs, but also remember that an essay can NOT be one long~ paragraph.

Remember to plan, always plan. Always. There are three stages to writing. And no, writing is not the most important one of them. The stages are:

• Pre-writing: planning is pivotal for the essay. You must first come up with a thesis statement, that is, in your own words, summarizing what you will be talking about throughout the essay, in other words, explaining your argument in one sentence. From the thesis statement you will start to gather ideas, you will list all the ideas, the things that you think relate to the prompt of the essay. You don’t have time to waste so just list all those ideas in a separate sheet of paper.
  
  After you are done listing those ideas, you will group them. Get the ones that may relate to each other; now with a cluster of ideas forming a group, which you will now proceed to organize logically. Once you are done organizing your group in the order in which you will discuss them in your essay, you will come up with a topic sentence which summarizes the paragraph; from that topic sentence you will have to find details which support that topic sentence (which in turn supports the thesis statement).
  
  The introduction of the essay must include the thesis statement; it must also sustain the attention of the audience. Your teacher might say that the thesis statement must grab the reader’s attention, but… if they’re reading your essay —even if it is the first sentence — that means you already have their attention, you just have to keep it.
  
  The conclusion of an essay must be clear, if the essay was very long you might want to point out the things that were discussed throughout the essay, but in essence, the conclusion must have a sense of closure. What does that mean? It means your audience should know that this is the end of your argument without you having to spell T-H-E E-N-D at the end of the paper.
  
  
• Writing: Ironically enough, this is the least important of all. Now that you have the structure of the essay planned out – remember that you don’t have time to be sitting around doing nothing, you might be timed to write this essay! – just write! Write as fast as you can, forget about errors for now, just write the body of the essay as fast as you can! Hurry before time’s up and you fail because you couldn’t finish!
  
  
• Revising: This is just as important as the pre-writing stage. I told you to write as fast as you could, to forget about errors along your ruthless path to finish this essay as quickly as possible. Now then, it’s time to go back and correct those mistakes. Yes, you still have to proof read your essay, and no it wouldn’t be easier to proof read as you write, you are being timed, you don’t have time. Leave revising for last.

 

So there you have it, three simple steps that will help you organize your ideas, help you make your essays more “anatomically” correct. And next time your teacher sets forth a limitation of words, lines, or paragraphs, just remember, they’re only human.

Until next week, this is your writer, James Fenix, reminding you to tell your friends about this blog! Remember to “like” the official James Fenix fan page! Also remember, if there’s a topic you want me to discuss, please comment in this space or leave your comments in the Facebook page, I will get all the messages you send there, trust me.

Until next week!