Edward J. Branley’s Author Bio

Branley author bios

Author Bios for Edward J. Branley

2-line bio:

Edward Branley is a writer, teacher, & historian. He is author of 6 books on New Orleans, two YA novels, as well as two Urban Fantasy novels, all set in New Orleans. . www.elysianfieldspress.com/branley

Short Bio:

Edward Branley is a writer, teacher, historian, and computer nerd. He earned a degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans. He is author of 6 books on the history of New Orleans. Branley has also published two YA novels, Dragon’s Danger and Dragon’s Discovery, and two Urban Fantasy novels, Hidden Talents and Trusted Talents. He lives in New Orleans. www.elysianfieldspress.com/branley

Medium Bio:

Edward Branley is a writer, teacher, historian, and computer nerd. He graduated from Brother Martin High School, in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood, and received a degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans. Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. He’s also published two YA novels, Dragon’s Danger and Dragon’s Discovery, and two Urban Fantasy novels, Hidden Talents and Trusted Talents. Branley grew up reading sword-and-sorcery stories, and now spends a lot of time wandering around New Orleans, looking for Teleport Gateways, wondering where Magickal duels were held. He lives in New Orleans, with his wife. Connect with him at www.elysianfieldspress.com/branley

Long Bio:

Edward Branley is a writer, teacher, historian, and computer nerd. He earned a degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans. Branley is the author of six books on the history of New Orleans. Like the boys in his YA novels, Dragon’s Danger, and Dragon’s Discovery, he attended Brother Martin High School, in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood, graduating in 1976. Branley grew up reading sword-and-sorcery stories and a lot of “hard” Science Fiction.

Teaching is Branley’s passion and vocation. He taught at a Catholic high school in New Orleans after graduation from UNO, then moved to teaching adult continuing education for teachers. Now he teaches computer classes on high-end topics such as Converged Computing Environments, High-Availability, and Enterprise Storage Management. This work has enabled him to travel all across the United States, as well as Asia, and extensively in Europe. When he’s wandering around any city, he’s usually looking for Teleport Gateways, and wondering where Magickal duels were held.

Edward is a streetcar/trolley/bus enthusiast, which is why the subject of his first nonfiction book was the Canal Street streetcar line in New Orleans. He rode buses from his suburban New Orleans home to his school in Gentilly, which helped him get to know more about the city and its people.

Another of Branley’s interests is cemeteries. When he wanted to learn how to take better photographs, a friend suggested shooting the above-ground tombs in New Orleans’ cemeteries at different times of the day. Exploring these “cities of the dead” enhanced Edward’s knowledge about the families that contributed to the gumbo that is New Orleans’ story through the years.

Branley’s technical skills have always melded with his passion for the past. He’s been “online” in one form or another since working with DEC minicomputer and mainframe systems in the 1970s, then modem-based social services such as CompuServe and Genie in the 1980s, followed by Electronic Bulletin Board Systems in the 1990s.

He wrote his first article about the World Wide Web for a computer publication in 1996. Participating in online forums and chats gave Edward the chance to talk to others who loved Science Fiction/Fantasy stories as much as he did. He discovered various authors suggested by friends, who influenced his own writing style. Back in the “pre-Web” days,

Edward was active in several “newsgroups” for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, and was a member of an email list for fans who had an interest in Tolkien’s “elvish” languages. During the early 1990s, Branley also was an active Role-Playing Gamer. While he enjoyed the occasional afternoon playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, he was most serious about the “far future” RPG, Traveller, with its spaceships, mercenaries, and world-building.

Branley lives with his wife, and Amber, the cat who allows them to live in their suburban New Orleans home. He has two grown sons who are always just a text message or a phone call away. Connect with Edward at www.elysianfieldspress/branley

Speaker Introduction

History Engagements:

Edward Branley is, first and foremost, a teacher. He earned a BA in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans, and taught Social Studies at Redeemer High School in New Orleans, before moving on to computer consulting and training full-time. He rode public transit to and from Brother Martin High School, in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood, for five years, which exposed him to different neighborhoods and people in New Orleans.

His passion for streetcars began when he got caught in the door of one on the St. Charles line, coming home from an extracurricular event at De La Salle High School in the 1970s. Edward is the author of six books on the history of New Orleans, as well as two Young Adult novels, Dragon’s Danger, and two Urban Fantasy novels, Hidden Talents. And Trusted Talents. His history books cover subjects from streetcars to Jazz music. In addition to his books, Edward is the “History Blogger” for GoNOLA dot com, and shares other observations on his blog, NOLAHistoryGuy dot com.

Edward’s computer training business has taken him all over the United States, as well as to Japan and Singapore, and extensively across Europe. Even though he teaches classes on various high-end computer subjects such as Enterprise Storage Management, he always makes time to explore the cities he’s in, from Apache country in Cochise County, Arizona, to HMS Victory in Portsmouth, UK, to the Harajuku fashion neighborhood in Tokyo.

When he isn’t wandering around the city’s cemeteries, camera in hand, or writing and people-watching in local coffee shops, He is likely working on his Linux and Windows servers, tweaking the software that runs his websites, or observing the happenings on social media. Let’s give a warm welcome to Edward Branley.

 

5 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Edward:

  • Edward learned how to take photographs with an SLR camera by taking photos in cemeteries at different times of the day.
  • Edward is a model railroad enthusiast, working in “N-Scale”
  • Edward refereed soccer when his boys were younger. Because he’d been a high school teacher, he was almost immediately drafted to referee the older kids.
  • Edward prefers to drive small cars. His son’s choice of the trombone for school band put a damper on that preference.
  • Edward loves to take pictures of the cats in Mid-City New Orleans.