https://youtu.be/j_nbzyYtI2U
I had the pleasure of speaking about teaching media literacy for kids with the folks at Propwatch.org. Unfortunately, as you can see above, the video is no longer available. However, I highly recommend checking them out. You might also want to check out my books about Fake News and Propaganda and Seeing Through Internet Hoaxes. Both are available from booksellers, or you can contact me directly.
It is time to announce another book. The STEM of Airplanes was released by Cavendish Square Press on August 15 and joins a fairly lengthy list of other books I have written for them.
Here’s the blurb:
When the Wright brothers made their first flight, they stayed aloft for less than thirty seconds. Thanks to evolving technology, people can now travel in modern aircraft to far-flung continents in the span of a day. Airplanes have opened up the world for both leisure and business, and flight has forever changed warfare and continues to redefine it. This exciting book explores how the imaginative minds of early inventors first lifted people skyward and how continued technological innovation has allowed us to travel farther, faster. It includes accessible content about science, engineering, and math, and attention-grabbing topics including jet fighters and space flight.
Aimed at grades 2- 5, I hope your budding scientists enjoy it!
I am proud to announce that my second collaboration with my husband Nic Brown The B-Movie Cookbook: The 1960s is now available. A fun read for movie fans and foodies alike, The B-Movie Cookbook: The 1960s features 12 classic B-movies from the 1960s, each accompanied by trivia and recipes. Among those films included are Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (complete with a festive array of green food), the Peter Cushing classic Night Creatures (with some traditional Kent dishes), and even a dose of Elvis with Clambake (accompanied by the requisite seafood).
To tell you a little about us both and how the book came into existence:
I am originally from the coastal town of Ramsgate, Kent. While I was teaching in Japan, I met my future husband, Nic and we have spent the last 19 years living in Lexington, Kentucky. I am a writer and author of several local history books as well as nearly a dozen educational readers for children. In addition to his day job for a Japanese automotive company, Nic writes werewolf novels in his spare time and hosts a podcast about B-movies.
When we first met, our taste in movies was very different. I had developed my grandmother’s love of early Westerns and Fred Astaire musicals, while he preferred his westerns with more of a Sergio Leone touch. Over the years, we have enjoyed introducing each other to our favourite films, both broadening our horizons. For some time, we wanted to do a project together but couldn’t quite decide what. That changed when we were watching 1950s classic The Blob and it occurred to me how much the titular monster resembled a large blancmange! And so we decided to do a cookbook with a difference. We chose 15 monster movies from the 1950s. Nic wrote about the films themselves and I created menus to accompany each one. Some dishes were based on those mentioned in the film; others were inspired by them. The result was The B-Movie Cookbook: The 1950s.
I seem to remember telling Nic upon completion “Never again!” Creating the dishes, testing them, photographing them, and so on was exhausting. But never say never. Within a few years we decided to do a sequel, and this one is all the more special to us because actress Beverly Washburn, star of cult 1960s film Spider Baby was gracious enough to speak with us at length, and share recipes and personal stills with the other cast members. We were delighted to be able to include that as a special segment of the cookbook.
We decided to self-publish both of the cookbooks because they are targeted to such a niche audience, and we wanted to just have fun with the process. We hope people enjoy catching up on some old favourites, discovering a new delight, and that they have some good food while they’re watching!
The B-Movie Cookbook: The 1960s and The B-Movie Cookbook: The 1950s are both available from Amazon. Or, if you would like a signed copy, head over to www.bmoviecookbook.com.