Nick French to Read from His Visual Movie Book on March 5

The mighty god of volcanoes has a son named Erichtheus (ir-ek-thee-uhs), but since his name is so hard to pronounce everyone calls him Eric. His dad’s Greek name is Hephaestos (hep-fes-tos), which is also too hard to say, so everyone calls him Vulcan, which is his Roman name and the origin of the word volcano. Eric’s mom is the goddess of the earth. Her name is Gaia and that’s what everyone calls her because it’s so easy to say. In ‘The Boy Who Lived in a Volcano,’ writer Nick French manages to combine Greek and Roman gods with some made-up deities to tell the story of Eric, the super god who wants to use his power for good by saving the world from natural disasters. French, a 1994 graduate of the New York Film Academy, thinks of his spiral notebook stories as visual movie books. ‘To read them is like holding a movie in your hands,’ says French, a Palisades resident who will read from the book on Saturday, March 5 at 3 p. m. on Swarthmore at Village Books. ‘They are colorful and alive with pop.’ French, 35, designs his books like story boards, picking out images in the public domain from the Internet. Often he finds an image that can lead him to a new part of the story. The Volcano book is told in three acts with attention to character development and a big, exciting finish. ‘Kids want a little more edge, action and something much more like a Pixar film,’ says French, who is single. Targeting children from 6 to 12 takes full advantage of the kids’ movie savvy and need to be entertained immediately. French has written three books so far, including the Volcano story. The first book, ‘Jimmy The Wonderdog,’ stars Jimmy, an abandoned puppy who becomes a winner in ability championships, but who faces a number of near-fatal catastrophes that challenge the heart of this champion. His most recent book, ‘A Hamster Named Elvis,’ stars Elvis, who loves to rock out, and his nemesis, the evil 8-year-old who doesn’t treat Elvis well. While French is still looking for a publisher for his stories, he is encouraged by the response to his notebooks, especially from kids. ‘This is really a promotional thing, because I want these books out there.’