Friday, November 4, 2011

The Ninja News… and More!

Guest post!

I’m honored to have a guest post this afternoon at TL Conway’s site giving a convincing argument that NaNo Novels Can Rock!

Thanks again to Lynda at W.I.P. It for allowing me to talk about writer support on her blog this week!

New Books!

Elizabeth S. Craig’s new book came out on Tuesday - Hickory Smoked Homicide.

Donna Shield’s book, The Swan Cove Murders, comes out November 9.



Groups!

Charity Bradford’sBirth of a Novel Blog Chain is available for those not officially participating in NaNo. (And she’s looking for guests.)

Sommer Leigh’s group is for those officially participating in NaNo.
(You’re covered either way!)



Giveaways and Awards!

Lydia Kang is hosting an awesome 1000 followers giveaway.

Karen is hosting the Best Awards Show Ever Blog Awards. Nominate your favorite today.

The 411 Movie Awards are still in the nomination stage. I’ve been nominated for Best Science Fiction Blog and Best Blog Post (for the Worst Movies Ever Blogfest.) But, it’s only the top five nominated blogs who go on to the voting stage! George at Cinemarvellous! had been nominated for Gold and Best Design and Melissa at Melissa’s Imaginarium for Sexiest Female Blogger, so don’t forget these awesome bloggers when casting your nomination.



Fests and Opportunities!

The A to Z Challenge blog is up, so be sure to follow to get all the news on this awesome challenge for next April.

Dave Wrote This is hosting The Noughties Blogfest on November 14.

And Draven at Another Slightly Scary Story is looking for short scary stories or guest posts.


To wrap it up, this week’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group! posts were amazing and so heartfelt. You guys are awesome in the way you supported one another. Which I appreciate, because try as I might, this Ninja can’t be everywhere…

And yes, now I understand the obsession of checking Amazon rankings. I can’t help it - it’s freaking me out!

Don’t forget to visit TL Conway’s site this afternoon for NaNo Novels Can Rock!

That’s the Ninja News. I’m your host, Ninja Captain Alex…

Whew! Did I miss anything? Any movies this weekend? How is Nano coming along? (And since so many of you are writing, I just might take Monday off. But be back Wednesday for an awesome guest post from another Ninja!)

103 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are going to try to see that Hugh Jackman movie today (forget the title) but it's the one where he trains the robots. My husband wants to see it; I'd like to see Hugh Jackman. ;-) Have a great weekend!

Anne Gallagher said...

How do you keep up with all this stuff? I barely know it's Friday.

I guess that's why they call you Captain Alex.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Liz, Real Steel! Heard it's fun,

Anne, this Ninja gets around.

Donna Shields said...

It must be your Ninja mind keeping up with everyone.

Thank you for the mention.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Wow! So much going on I have to read this again.
Happy weekend!

Ciara said...

Wow, you do it all! I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your break on Monday.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Awesome that you were nominated best blog. Congrats!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Donna, you're welcome.

Thanks and everyone have a great weekend.

Marta Szemik said...

Good morning. Great Wrap up Alex! I need my coffee then I'll start scrolling through everything again :)

Old Kitty said...

My head just exploded with all these hip n happ'ning things!! YAYYAYAYYAY!

big hugs! Off I go to vote for the Cap'n!

Take care
x

Old Kitty said...

ERm... ok... my grey cells are greyer and older - you;ve been NOMINATED and the voting is not yet happening.

I need coffee.

And hugs!

Take care
x

A Daft Scots Lass said...

My noughties blogfest is already written.

Isis Rushdan said...

I hope to have time to see The Three Musketeers this weekend. Lots going on, not so sure I'll make it to the cinema, but I'm going to try.

Enjoy your down day on Mon!

Will Burke said...

Wow, this really is the hub of All Things Wonderful, isn't it? I'll look forward to another Melody Hill review, but I won't read any untill I've posted mine, just so I'm not influenced. I am enjoying the album, though, and "On the other side" keeps getting stuck in my head!

Rusty Carl said...

I don't know if I'll see a movie this weekend, probably not. My Nano is going slower than I thought it would. Mostly because I chucked my outline about 10 words in to the story. I must be doing it wrong.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Awesome stuff, Alex. So much good news that it will make my Friday even better.

Tonja said...

I think I slept all week - can't believe it's Friday. Off to your guest post (the link isn't right but easy enough to figure out).

Jessica Bell said...

I think I'll take April off blogging next year :o) PS: I get ya on the Amazon thing ... lol

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kitty, you can still nominate me! The blogs with the most nominations in each category go on to the voting stage.

Will, it wasn't my normal fare, but I was really impressed.

Rusty, you changed horses, didn't you?

Tonja, sorry, I fixed it.

Jessica, you can relate...

Lisa said...

I wonder when you chose Ninja, you knew you were going to be this efficient and quick!

Matthew MacNish said...

Wow. You are seriously the busiest dude in the world.

Unknown said...

I think i am with Anne on this one, how do you keep up? Great work! :)

Sommer Leigh said...

Thanks for the shout out! The NaNoers on my list are doing awesome!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm keeping on task with NaNo, and I'm super happy you did a post about how NaNo rocks. This is my first year and so far I'm keeping pace and loving it. We'll see how it goes at the end of the month!

Bossy Betty said...

Love keeping up with you and the news, Alex. Such energy! Can I have some of what you are having? Please?

Jules said...

Man Captain, the warp drive is near overload! I thought this was suppose to be a slow month. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Charity Bradford said...

Yay! Thanks for the shout out Alex. I hope you have a great weekend.

TL Conway said...

Thanks for the mention and for the great guest post!

No movie plans for me this weekend. Instead, I have a hot date with my NaNo novel. I'm seeing pots of coffee, sweatpants, and lots of snack food in my future.

Oh yeah, and laundry. Stupid chores... :)

Carol Kilgore said...

You covered lots here.
Happy Weekend!

~Sia McKye~ said...

Lord have mercy, Alex. You're like the energizer bunny.

I'll have to check out your guest blog.

Have a good weekend!

Sia McKye's Thoughts...OVER COFFEE

RaShelle Workman said...

Congrats on the nominations! You know I'll be voting for you. =D

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sommer, you are welcome!

Betty, you may have some Ninja energy

Charity, you're welcome.

TL, thank you!

RaShelle, thank you!

And I just keep track of stuff...

Margo Kelly said...

Great links! thanks.

Laila Knight said...

Tons of great links as always. I'll have to sign up for one. We just had a death in the family so I haven't been able to make it through all the insecure writers. Have a great weekend, Alex. I might not post till midweek either. :)

mooderino said...

Excellent roundup. Ever consider starting your own youtube channel for writers?

mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
The Funnily Enough

Mark said...

NanoWritign that works, sound encouraging! Thanks again for pushing the Insecure Writer's Group along, it's really blossoming into something cool:)

Donna K. Weaver said...

That A to Z challenge is an amazing experience. I learned tons when I did it this year, including how to prepare posts early and schedule them for later release.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I read somewhere that if Alex takes a day off, a ninja chops the head off of a kitten. Seeing as you are the ninja master...all that blood is on your hands.

Tara Tyler said...

have a great wknd, super ninja!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Laila, I am so sorry! Prayers for your family.

Moody, that is an idea!

Mark, I'm just amazed at it's growth.

Michael, but it's just Tawney Kittaen, so it's all right.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I'll have to catch up on some of the links. Congratulations again on your nomination! We might see Tower Heist this weekend. Julie

Christine Rains said...

Thanks for the news and the links. And congratulations on winning a signed postcard from Cherie Reich. NaNo is going well so far. I need to get off Blogger, though!

Helena said...

Congrats on the nomination! I knew some guys who were training for Ninja Warrior competitions -- kinda scary guys. But you're a very good Ninja too.

Golden Eagle said...

Thanks for all the links!

Congratulations on being nominated!

NaNo's going well . . . I'm not as far along as I'd like to be, but hopefully I'll write a lot over the weekend.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Boy are you ever a busy beaver over here. All this fascinatin' info is makin' my head spin.

Congratulations on the nomee, best of luck to ya.

God bless and have a wonderful weekend Man!!!

Suze said...

I so want to do the A-Z! I just missed it last year and I've been looking forward to participating this time! :) :)

Jo Schaffer said...

Just watched an amazing Korean film on Netflix called- Castaway on the Moon. So good.

Lydia Kang said...

Thank you, host Ninja Captain Alex! Wow, that's a long title. HNCA. That works, sort of. :D

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

How do you keep up with everything Alex? and comment on people's blogs.

Have a great week-end.
Yvonne.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I can't imagine you missed anything, Alex. Good luck with NaNo and thanks for the never-ending supply of brownies.
xoRobyn

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Julie, let me know wha thou think do Tower Heist.

Helena, I'm not that scary.

Nezzy, you as well! So much energy.

Thanks, guys. Trying to keep up!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I really enjoy Insecure Day. There are so many great blogs to visit I spend three days trying to get to as many as I can. Can't wait for A to Z.

Jemi Fraser said...

That's a LOT! between nano and report cards, I haven't been very active in the bloggy-verse this week. Hopefully better next week :)

Anonymous said...

You're always on top of everything going on... love the new places I discover through your blog... nice one:)

Arlee Bird said...

That's a lot of links. Thanks for the A to Z plug.


Lee
Wrote By Rote

Unknown said...

Thanks for the awesome linkage! Checked out your post at TL's blog and it was very inspiring. You are so wonderful at encouraging others.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That's a lot of events! Best wishes to all releasing books. I know Elizabeth and Donna and wish them the best!

I'll start Nano this weekend. I'm a notoriously slow starter but I'm built for endurance and sprint for the finish.

Leovi said...

Congratulations on the nomination, I hope to see you in the voting phase.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, I know - I haven't visited all of them either.

Melissa, thank you.

Stephen, it's not too late.

Unspoken said...

Alex! How in the world do you keep up with all this stuff? I am stunned here regularly!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Hickory Smoked Homicide's cover looks incredible.

Thanks for the shout out, Alex. I hope that your incredible army will support all of us during the voting. :)

Karen Lange said...

Lots of great links! Thanks!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Thanks for all the links, especially the A to Z! I'll be heading over.

alexia said...

Whew, lots of stuff going on! Makes my head spin a bit. I can totally see myself getting obsessed with Amazon rankings when I get published... scary :)

Enid Wilson said...

Awesome stuff, Alex. I need to get back to things.

My Darcy Vibrates…

Author A.O. Peart said...

Great links, Alex. Thank you for sharing them.

As for the movies, I have "Blue", the first from the Three Colors trilogy movie by Krzysztof Kieslowski - I need to watch it tomorrow. Here is the link http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Blue/60025677?trkid=1660

Leovi said...

Donna's book promises to be very well.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

She rights, I'm just a Ninja! Been slacking this weekend though.

George, I hope they do as well!

Alexia, I never used to look either.

Angela, I'll check it out.

Unknown said...

Awesome!! Thanks, Alex. Off to read your guest post!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

You are truly a rocking ninja legend. Thanks again for your fantastic guest post.

TerryLynnJohnson said...

Holy Ninja! You are amazing to keep up with everything!

tip of the day - step away from the Amazon rankings!!!

Jennie Bailey said...

NaNo novels CAN rock! Love that - and needed the encouragement from that. I'm only a little over 10,000 words in. I am LOVING it!

Civil War Horror (Sean McLachlan) said...

Hickory Smoked Homicide? Mmmm. . .I love barbeque.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

There's so much here, if you missed anything dn't tink anyone would spot it.

Maurice Mitchell said...

I am so excited about the A-Z challenge blog. These news posts are great for catching up! BTW we gave you a "Pied Piper" award! Head over to http://geektwins.blogspot.com/2011/11/friends-friday-catch-cassafire-blog.html to pick it up.

LynnRush said...

I really enjoyed the Insecure Writer's Support Group posts as well.

This is a great post. Thanks for sharing, ALEX. Have a SUPER Week.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Lynda, thank YOU!

Terry, is that a warning of something bad...?

Jennie, keep on rocking.

Maurice, thank you!

Emily R. King said...

I haven't reached the point when I'm checking Amazon ratings. In fact, I never even thought of it. Tells you how far away I am from being published. *sigh* I wish I had your problems! :D

Mark said...

Really getting into the insecure writers group, ti just keeps growing:)

Pat Tillett said...

Alex, your energy and ability juggle so many plates is amazing...

Julie Dao said...

Ok, I really gotta check out this insecure writer's support group. I really need it. And congrats again on climbing the Amazon charts - don't worry too much about it ;) Thanks for the updates, Ninja Captain!

Nicki Elson said...

I'm exhausted just reading this list!

Cindy said...

I noticed your book moving up. Congrats!

Julie Musil said...

I'm off to check out your guest post :D

Jemi Fraser said...

So many awesome links! So little time... NaNo and report cards are eating my life right now!! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

ER, you will some day - just believe!

Mark, yes it does!

Pat, fortunately I really know how to juggle.

Julie, please join us.

Cindy, thanks!

Jemi, don't get eaten alive.

Susan Fields said...

That is a lot of news! Congrats on your nominations!

Unknown said...

I think far too many people make far too big a deal about the quality of NaNo projects. To be clear, I've never attempted it, but I don't see why drafting something for NaNo would be much different than drafting in any other time; which is to say it's all going to a little rough around the edges.

It's always the work you do after drafting that's going to make a story sparkle or not. Just my thoughts ...

Great Ninja work Alex!

EJ

Talli Roland said...

I'm with Anne - how on earth do you keep up with everything going on? Crazy! Ha, welcome to the crazy world of Amazon rankings!

Talli Roland said...

I'm with Anne - how on earth do you keep up with everything going on? Crazy! Ha, welcome to the crazy world of Amazon rankings!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Susan.

AJ, exactly. Any manuscript requires preparation and then a lot of cleanup.

Talli, it is crazy! I keep watching it bounce up and down.

Luna said...

Wow! You are my go-to person for what's going on in the blogging world.

See you Wednesday!

Unspoken said...

It makes me tired to imagine compiling all these links :)!

Dave said...

Thanks for plugging The Noughties Blogfest again, Alex.

See you on the 14th of November.

Dave
Dave Wrote This

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jamie and She Writes, I just make note of cool stuff as I find it...

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

I need to check out the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. That sounds awesome!

Christopher Hudson said...

Chris no know ... what NaNo?

Brinda said...

Yes, checking the Amazon ratings is the bane of my existence.

Kittie Howard said...

Thanks for the great info, Alex. I don't know what we'd do without you!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Elisabeth, please join us!

Christopher - National Novel Writing Month, which is November.

Thanks, Kittie!

Unknown said...

Thanks for telling everyone about the blog and submissions. I know everyone is busy with NaNoWriMo right now. I'm going to go check out all these links.

For now, I am letting NaNoWriMo take everyone's time and not doing many slightly scary stories. Great post again.

nutschell said...

Wow the A-Z challenge is up already? Holy bananas! I bet there'll be at least 2000 entries this year! wonder how i'll manage to visit all these awesome blogs.

nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

TerryLynnJohnson said...

what a party this is! I'm checking out these blogs!