Monday, October 1, 2012

The Ninja Returns, Ninja News, Book Release & Giveaway from CM Brown, Cover Reveal of The Magic Wakes, Movie Review, and From Where Do You Hail?

Back from vacation – did you miss me? Think I’ve taken more vacation in the past three months than in the last two years. It’s use it or lose it though – and right now, I could take off for two months straight. (Which would really freak out my boss!)

Ninja News Overload!

Thanks to everyone who visited Lee for my Sharktopus: A Love Story. Hope it gave you a chuckle.

Don’t forget this Wednesday is the monthly posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

Brinda Berry posted the cover art for The Wild at Heart Anthologies, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. This project which will benefit the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) in Arkansas. Go check out the covers, both of which feature tigers, at Brinda’s site. And tell her congratulations, as she has a story in Volume 2!

Sean McLachlan’s next book from Osprey Publishing, The Last Ride of the James-Younger Gang: Jesse James and the Northfield Raid 1876, comes out October 23. Illustrated with period photos and color artwork, it is available for preorder now. Congratulations, Sean!

The third book in Michael Abayomi’s fantasy series, Guardians & The Lost Paradise, came out last week – The Gathering. Congratulations, Michael!

Roland Yeomans is hosting a Trick or Treat Ghost of a Chance contest! Stop by his site for details. Major points if you can score him a date with Olivia Wilde.

Anne R. Allen’s blog (with posts from Ruth Harris as well) was named one of the Top 50 Blogs for Writers by Tribal Messenger Daily. Posting every Sunday, Anne and Ruth offer awesome tips and advice for authors and writers. Congratulations, ladies!

The hosts of the A to Z Blog are looking for guest posts! Visit our blog for details. I’m still doing Special Challenge Participant Features every other Wednesday, so let me know if you’re interested in an interview as well.

New Book Release and Giveaway!

He Came For Mine, Book 2 In The Protector Series by C.M. Brown
Young Adult/Paranormal

“Desperate to save the life of a child he never knew he had, Sebastian returns to Earth to find Jazz in the arms of another man…”

For the next two weeks Carolyn is holding a Rafflecopter Draw on her Blog, to celebrate the release of Book Two in the Protector Series, He Came For Mine, and one full year of Blogging!
Prizes will include:
One $20 AUD (Australian Dollars) Amazon Gift Card
One free eBook of Book Two in The Protector Series, He Came For Mine!
One free book cover illustration by Rebekah Romani

Also, during the two week launch, Book One, in The Protector Series, He Came For Me, will be free as an eBook on Smashwords. Just use the code RF83E.

Congratulations, Carolyn!

Special Cover Reveal!

Coming Feb 19th, 2013 from WiDo Publishing:

The Magic Wakes by Charity Bradford

“Talia has a secret, one that will save her world and yet rip it apart. Only she can decide if the price is worth it…”

Find Charity and her upcoming book at: Blog, Website, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Congratulations, Charity!


Movie Review

Looper review will be up Wednesday. In the meantime, I finally caught this one on NetFlix:

The Raid Redemption
From Indonesia, this film has the same concept as Dredd – cops trapped in high-rise apartment building by drug lord. The similarities end there, though. The difference is in style, plot, and execution. Set in modern-day Jakarta, this one focuses on stick and knife fighting, with more twists and surprises. Its relentless action will leave you breathless. I enjoyed Dredd, but overall, this is a better film.


From Where Do You Hail?

I know there is a large concentration of writers and authors who hail from Utah. While it might appear to be the writing mecca of the world, I know there are writers and authors from all over the world. (I can think of at least a dozen I could get to in six-seven hours, including Matthew, Elizabeth, Diane, Ella, Sheila, and Rusty.) So, sound off! Name your state if in the USA or country.

Did I miss anything else while on vacation? Ready for the IWSG on Wednesday? Excited about the new releases and contests? Seen The Raid Redemption? And from where do you hail?

Oh, and can anyone help me score a date with Olivia Wilde? (For Roland, of course!)

175 comments:

mooderino said...

I give The Raid instant classic status. You cannot deny it's awesomess (because if you try it will beat the crap out of you).

mood
Moody Writing

VikLit said...

I am in the UK!

A-Z Challenge looks like it was interesting - assume this runs every year?

Glad you had a good vacation!

Unknown said...

Welcome back Alex, hope you had a great vacation! Greetings from Norway :)

Tonja Drecker said...

Yep, we missed you. Welcome back - and wow, you had a lot to come back with, didn't you?

Sean McLachlan said...

Thanks for the shout out about my book!
I'm originally from Toronto, Canada, and now live in Santander on the north coast of Spain. For about three months of the year I live in Oxford, England, and I travel for much of the rest of the year. I don't live anywhere full time!

Anonymous said...

I like the sound of The Raid Redemption... will have to check it out. Watched Looper this weekend... really liked the concept and ending... can't wait to see what you thought of it.

Unknown said...

Hope you enjoyed your vacation Alex!
Thanks so much for the shout out, it is greatly appreciated.
Congrats to Brinda, Sean, Michael and Charity on their Book and Cover Art releases and to Anne for receiving her Top 50 Award!
PS I hail from Australia!

Author A.O. Peart said...

Happy to hear your vacation was great.

Congrats to everyone with new books, cover reveals, etc.

Old Kitty said...

*Hides head back in bucket*.

I didn't even know you'd gone on vacation....

*Tries to get all of body into bucket*

:-)

take care
x

M.J. Fifield said...

New Hampshire, USA...

Do you have a vacation hangover? I find I sometimes have those when I get back to work after time off.

Charity Bradford said...

Woot! Lots of news, congrats on CM Brown's new book.

I'm from North Carolina (at least for now;). I love it here and don't ever want to move, but if hubby goes, I will too.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Glad you're using your vacation time, Alex. You definitely don't want to lose it!

I'm from NC. :) I think there are a few of us here!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Moody, not denying it!!!!

Vik, next year will be its fourth year. Hope you can join us.

T. Drecker, yes - so much!

Sean, but where you do live is awesome. And you're welcome.

TF, I will let you know Wednesday.

Carolyn, you are most welcome!

Kitty, get out of that bucket...

MJ, it was tough to get up this morning...

Charity, guess there are a few of us here then!

Elizabeth, yes there are!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Glad you had a good vacation. Definitely use it and don't lose it.

Wow! Lots of great news. Congrats to everyone. And I'm from Michigan.

Unknown said...

Alex, welcome back... I am standing right behind you. You may ask yourself where that is, I say anywhere you are. muhaha!

I haven't seen the Raid, though I can saw I just watched all the Puppet Masters [9]films...

Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
Howlin' Wolf Records: On-Line Magazine

Melissa said...

Heck, do it. Make your boss sweat. :P

Ready for the IWSG on Wednesday?
Absolutely! Thanks to you, I look forward to first Wednesdays every month. :)

Excited about the new releases and contests?
You bet! Congrats all around!

And from where do you hail?
Houston, Texas - born and raised.

(And, before you ask... I own a pair of boots, but not a horse. :P)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Yes Alex you were missed but one needs a break now and then. Welcome back and don't work too hard.

Yvonne.

Brinda said...

I DID think everyone else was from Utah. I'm so happy to know it's an illusion.

Thanks so much for the shoutout. You, of course, rock.

Congrats to Sean, Michael, Roland, Anne, Carolyn, and Charity. That's all great!!

Am I the only one from Arkansas? No. DL Hammons is my hometown writer friend.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, Dredd has the same concept as The Raid, not the other way around. :) I was literally blown away by the film's intensity and frenetic action scenes. It was creatively-shot, hugely entertaining, merciless and pretty much perfect. I gave it a perfect 10, and it's still my favorite movie of 2012 so far. Just brilliant!

By the way, did you watch Resident Evil Retribution? If not, check out my review of it, and.... save yourself, if you know what I mean. :)

Unknown said...

I really like the look of the Raid; looks like it's pretty action packed. And as many know, I hail from the dark wilds of Wales :)

Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom

Laura Pauling said...

I'm in Northern New England. And I look at your movie reviews just to see what's out! We have a hard time finding movies anymore we even want to watch.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Natalie, not losing it!

Jeremy, there's nine Puppet Masters movies???

Melissa, what about a cowboy hat?

Brinda, you're welcome, and yes, DL is from Arkansas.

Jamie, you would dig it.

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

Wow! Cool to see Sean is from Toronto (Trawna) and now is much cosier and warmer in Spain!
Me? I'm still here in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada where the fall colours are just starting to get gorgeous and winter is hanging on the horizon.

AuthorAlden said...

I've heard tons of great things about The Raid Redemption. I actually have it, but I haven't made it around to watching it yet. I only recently made the realization that the plot of the Dredd movie sounded like a similar concept (still haven't made it out to that one either). Interesting!

I'm from Florida, by the way!

J.W.

Ellie Garratt said...

The cover for The Magic Wakes is stunning. I love the premise as well.

I'm from Devon, United Kingdom. The writing mecca in the UK seems to be Bournemouth.

kjmckendry said...

Of course we missed you! Hope you had a great time.

The ninja army is sooo talented! Congrats to everyone.

Originally I'm from Michigan, but have lived in Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, California and now Ohio.

Unknown said...

Wow! So many great things happening in the writer's world! About IWSG, gosh, where do I begin? I promise to keep it brief. Born in Chicago, but moved to Texas when I was two. Been here ever since. Got the hat, boots, horses (sold the cows), chickens, and farmland to go along with it. No, I don't own an oil well. I wish.

Laura Eno said...

Welcome back! Congrats to C.M., Brinda, Sean, Michael on the book launches...whew! Lots going on here.
I'm born and raised Californian but living in Florida at the moment.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That is a lot of news.

Originally from Oregon, now living in N. Carolina.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Looking forward to the Looper review. Saw Cabin in the Woods over the weekend. My review? Ick. But maybe I missed something...

Originally from NY, now in Florida! :)

Christine Rains said...

Lots going on! I've been seeing Carolyn around a lot today. I've never heard of The Raid Redemption. Must add it to my TBW list! Have a good week. :)

Tonja said...

Ohio. It's hard to find support for writers here. Maybe I should move to Utah. :)

BTW, I need to retract a previous comment. I saw Wrath of the Titans this weekend - worst movie ever.

Juliana Haygert said...

Welcome back, Alex!
Lots of great news! Writing ninjas are taking the world ;)

I'm from Brazil, but I live in Connecticut.

Cindy said...

Hope you had a nice vacation. Gee, I have to get something ready for insecure Wednesday.

I'm from Michigan. :)

N. R. Williams said...

Hi Alex
I'm from Colorado but have lived in two other states. Thanks for all the great links. Looking forward to Wednesday.
Nancy

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Nine and the Tenth on the way... the first three go together, the rest are all over the road. I will be having a giveaway soon for the box set of nine, thanks to the new sponsor...

Karen Lange said...

Wow, lots happening this week! Thanks for the info.

Since you asked...I was born in Lancaster, PA, grew up near Cape May, NJ, and moved to north central KY 8 years ago. How about you? Have you always lived where you are now?

Hope you had a good vacation!

LynnRush said...

OH my word, that was a packed post. Awesome things happening in the writing world. LOVE IT!

I hail from Fargo, ND. Yep, FARGO. Just like the movie! But I only lived there a year. Then I was raised in Minnesota. Yes, there's a twang there, too! LOL. :)

Krista McLaughlin said...

Hope you enjoyed your vacation! :)

I'm from Iowa. Yep, that joke about being in heaven, but it's Iowa. Yep. :)

I will definitely make a point not to forget this IWSG!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

wow - The Magic Wakes is an awesome cover! Congrats to Charity!

Commenting from up in Northern Ontario Canada

Gossip_Grl said...

Welcome back from the vacation. With the fall season here and the leaves changing now is a nice time for getting away. Glad you are back!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

George, sorry I missed your comment earlier. I just meant they were the same idea, not that Dredd had it first. And will check out your review.

Cathy, wish I was there!

JW, watch Raid Redemption first.

Ellie, noted!

Kathy, if I listed everywhere I've lived, the list would be really long...

Candilynn, that's funny!

Laura, one coast to the other!

Madeline, the bloody ick was the best part.

Tonja, I can send you to movies far worse than that! And quite a few people have said Ohio this morning.

Cindy, no pressure!

Karen, I'm a military brat - I've lived in numerous states and foreign countries.

Lynn, be proud of your twang!

Bish Denham said...

I wondered why Texas seems so empty...they're all in Utah!

Carol Kilgore said...

TEXAS! It's a whole other country :)
And congrats to Anne R. Allen - well deserving of the award.

Charles Gramlich said...

Originally from Arkansas, but now live in Louisiana, southern part.

Nancy Thompson said...

Definitely missed you. Wow, so much going on around here! I am ready for the IWSG. Already written & scheduled for post. Oh my gosh, Looper sounds like my kind of film. Can't wait to see it. As for where I hail, I'm about as far from you as you can get & still be in the contiguous US. Seattle, WA. (though San Francisco CA is my home town.)

Jay Noel said...

Sounds like The Raid is a movie I would love. I will check it out.

There's been some interesting articles as to why there's so many speculative fiction authors that hail from Utah.

I'm in St. Louis, Missouri (smack dab in the middle).

vic caswell said...

yay for ALL the news!
KANSAS! whooo!

Bossy Betty said...

California checking in here.

Thanks for all the updates!

Theresa Milstein said...

Lots going on here, as usual.

I'd be interested in doing an interview!

Michael Abayomi said...

Still haven't seen Dredd, or The Raid for that matter. But I've heard nothing but good things about both movies. Can't wait to read your Looper review on Wednesday.

And thanks, for the shout out, Alex.

Theresa Milstein said...

I forgot to mention where I live--Arlington, Massachusetts!

Elise Fallson said...

Thanks for the news and congrats to Carolyn and her book release and to Charity for her book reveal! See you Wednesday! I hail from France. (:

Sherry Ellis said...

Welcome back! Glad you had a nice vacation. Wow - lots of ninja news. Great things happening out there.

From where to I hail? Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes - Utah does seem to have a lot of writers!

Suze said...

Yes! We missed you. :)

Land of Enchantment.

Jo said...

Well I am from Canada, but I'm not a writer, although I blog regularly. In fact I had got the impression that there were a large bunch of writers who hail from Australia. I have read many of their books and enjoyed them all.

Jen said...

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed your vacation. Anytime I can get away, I do! It's not nearly as often as I'd like, however...

I'm in Georgia! Most of the writers/bloggers I meet online are either up north or out west though I can think of 2 who are here with me in the Peach State!

Cheers,
Jen

Cassie Mae said...

Holy crapola! That's a lot of news and congrats!!!!

Um, I'm a Utahn, so I guess not very original!

Cate Masters said...

Congrats to Carolyn! She's actually my guest at TBR today, if anyone wants to come over and say hello: http://tbrtheblog.blogspot.com.
Congrats to all on the great news! And welcome back, Alex. The blog world isn't the same without you. :)
I'm in central Pennsylvania, where many many writers live as well. I suspect we're hiding everywhere.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Bish, that's funny!

Charles, so from really hot to really even hotter?

Nancy, you are a long ways away!

Jay, you would really appreciate that movie.

Vic, quite a few from Kansas.

Karen, you've been reminded!

Theresa, noted!!!

Michael, you're welcome.

Sherry, lots from Ohio as well.

Thanks, Suze - and New Mexico!

Jo, there are quite a few from Australia.

Jen, several of you are in Georgia.

Cate, the writers need to come out!

Budd said...

I loved the Raid: redemption. I was exhausted after watching it. non stop action.

Summer Ross said...

Charity's cover looks Brilliant!

I 'hail' from Wyoming- and no we all don't ride round on horses and yes we know what cars are. (LOL)

I saw Lawless over the weekend with my manlyman. It's pretty decent. I personally found the ending funny even thought it was serious. The movie has a lot of serious in it and the actors did a good job holding their own.

A.J. Walker said...

Indonesia made some crazy horror films back in the 1970s and 80s. Look them up if you get a chance!

Emily R. King said...

I'm loving Charity's cover! This is the first time I've seen it. Purty!

Leovi said...

The Raid Redemption seems entertaining, strikes me as being of Indonesia.

Carrie-Anne said...

I was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Albany, NY, where I'm living again now. I also lived in the Berkshires for six years.

Has the IWSG master list been moved? When I click on the tab for it at the top of the page, there's a message saying the page doesn't exist.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I love the cover to Charity's book. I will check out Lee's schedule on the A to Z blog and see if I can come up with a guest post for him that he could work into at some point. Thanks for the heads up.

Tara Tyler said...

congrats to so many! how do you know?
and that movie sounds intense! i'm curious!

love charity's cover!

from plymouth, ma to florida to atlanta to detroit now ohio =)

Arlee Bird said...

Though I live in California, I think my heart is in East Tennessee. And yes, I've got my #IWSG post ready to go, but I'm feeling that I'm getting repetitious at times. I guess that sounds insecure in itself.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Budd, yes! The action was relentless.

Summer, I missed it in theaters but will catch on NetFlix. Now, do you own a cowboy hat?

AJ, I will!

Leovi, it was great!

Carrie-Anne, I will go investigate!

Michael, I think Tina is the one heading that up.

Tara, another from Ohio! And I warned all of you I would be lurking...

Lee, you might have your next post now!

Mel Kinnel (@TizMellyMel) said...

Welcome back! Wow! That was a lot of info.

I was born and raised in Virginia but have lived in Maryland the last sixteen years.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Yes, Alex, I missed you lots. Was wondering where you had disappeared to. This year has been quite a vacationfull one for you ;)

Jennie Bennett said...

I already wrote my IWSG post for this month so I won't forget! And yes, I live in Utah, lol :)

cleemckenzie said...

Jam packed with news as always. You keep my list growing.

As to where I crouch writing stories . . . that would be California. Are you six hours away from my state?

Johanna Garth said...

Welcome back Alex and I'm from Oregon.

Suzanne Furness said...

Welcome back, hope you had a fabulous break, Alex. I'm all the way from the UK. Congrats to all the new releases this week.

Rusty Carl said...

I'm an East Tennessee fella. Except for the allergies, I love the place.

I think I lost my last Netflix disk - that movie wasn't streaming, was it? I'd been wanting to see that movie. And I'm avoiding Looper spoilers until I can get out to see it. It was a rough weekend.

Andrew Leon said...

Xenon, if you have to know. But I can't tell you where that is or aliens would come and steal your brain.
It's good with eggs.

My post is ready.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Alex, welcome back! Hope you had fun. Hope we get to hear all about it!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Good to have you back, Alex. THE RAID was made before DREDD. When I saw the plot for DREDD, I was disappointed that they had lifted it from THE RAID. The ending of END OF WATCH was a lift from THE RAID as well. Hollywood loves to lift as in ARMAGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT.

No one has succeeded in setting me up with Olivia Wilde. And I had such hopes! :-)

Jeff Hargett said...

NC boy here. (And loved the play-by-play recount!)

ediFanoB said...

Off course I missed you!

Holidays are necessary to relax and recharge.

But holidays are also useful to do thing more intense.

I would like to have more holidays and I know what I would do during this time ...

LynNerdKelley said...

Don't let those vacation days go to waste, Alex. HOpe you had a great time.

Wow, lots of good news listed here. Congrats to everyone. Love that cover for The Magic Wakes.

I tweeted about The Last Ride of the James-Younger Gang, added the hashtag #LightonHistory. Haley Whitehall is a big Civil War and history buff and writes Light on History online newsletter and blog. She might be interested in interviewing Sean.

Sending a shoutout for all the other SoCal writers! There's a ton of us in this area!

SC Author said...

I live in the Chicago area :) That move sounds pretty cool though; I'm trying to remember something that was compared to Dredd. It was something I was excited for. Sigh. This will bug me.

Jeff Beesler said...

I hail from the greater Seattle Area, west of the Emerald City actually. Sorry, no falling houses or munchkins in my neck of the woods!

Maurice Mitchell said...

I did see Raid in Netflix and thought it looked a lot like Dredd. I only saw a few minutes though, so I couldn't say if it was any good.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I'm from Chicago. Glad you had a nice break! Congrats to everyone, and I'll have to catch up with some of these interesting bloggers! Julie

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Can't help with the date thing. Checking out some of the links you shared. Hail from Pennsylvania, the state with the most corrupt state government, I think.

Mel Chesley said...

Welcome back, you Ninja, you! I currently live in Alaska. Homer, to be exact. I have a t-shirt with Homer Simpson on it and his spit on the ground. Because I live near the Homer Spit, so there is a little arrow that points and labels Homer's Spit. Silly, I know, but all the locals love the shirt.
Nothing new with me these days. Just... chillin'. XD

nutschell said...

Thanks for all these updates ALex!

I live in Los Angeles, CA. If you're ever in the area, let me know. I can be one heck of a tour guide when I put my mind to it.

Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

jaybird said...

Welcome Back Alex! Hope you had a nice vaca.

And I hail from the Jersey Shore, please feel free to fist pump!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rachna, and I've enjoyed it!

Lee, try sixty!

Sorry, Rusty! No, Raid Redemption isn't streaming yet.

Roland, I'm still trying!

Jeff, more of us here than I thought!

Lynn, Sean will appreciate that.

Maurice, need to go back and watch all of it.

Susan, bet that isn't on the welcome sign...

Mel, that's funny.

Anonymous said...

Glad you had a good vacation. Everyone needs some down time.

I'm from Michigan.

LD Masterson said...

I'm late commenting today. Computer woes. Welcome back.

I'm originally from Boston. Go Red Sox! (well, maybe next year) Now I live in Ohio.

randi lee said...

I love a good blog. Will have to check out Ann and Ruth's!

Powdered Toast Man said...

there is always so much to take in on your blog posts. Every time I read a post I want to be a real writer, then I forget after I read a few other blogs.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I agree, it was better than Dredd. I really liked The Raid.

I'm from Houston. Good to see there are a few others from Texas as well!

M Pax said...

Hope you enjoyed your weekend off.

Congrats to everyone who has a new book out. Awesome.

Do not know Olivia, sorry Roland and Alex.

Oregon is a mecca for writers, too, my state.

Anne R. Allen said...

Thanks much for the shout-out, Alex!
As always, lots of great links and info here :-)

Katie Dunn said...

Congrats to all new releases, cover reveals, etc! I'll add them to my TBR list=)
I'm from Indiana. I lived in Texas for a few years, but then moved back to my Hoosier roots=)

Jai Joshi said...

Congrats to Charity on the cover reveal!

Jai

Cherie Reich said...

I know what you mean about having an abundance of vacation time. I'm still trying to figure out how to take at least 8 days off before the end of the year, or I'll lose them.

And I'm from Virginia. :)

Helena said...

Thanks for the heads-up on the new books and movie. The stick and knife fighting sounds good to me, though I've never seen Judge Dredd.

I'm from Colorado -- Denver, to be specific.

Jemi Fraser said...

Glad you're getting that vacation time in!! :)

I'm from Northern Ontario, Canada, eh! :)

Gwen Gardner said...

Lot of great news, Alex. Congrats to everybody on their accomplishments.

I'm living in Colorado (from San Diego)

Livia Peterson said...

I missed you so much...glad to have ya back! I'm so looking forward to my first IWSG post! It's gonna be exciting!

Great Ninja news and thanks! I live in the midwest and the state is near Illinois.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nutschell, I've seen your photos - you would make an awesome tour guide.

Jaybird, that made me laugh!

LD, another from Ohio!

PTM, I motivate in small doses, huh?

SL, much better movie.

Mary, that's good to know.

Anne, you are welcome - the award was well deserved!

Cherie, you're not too far away. Take every other Friday off and then the rest around Christmas.

Livia, glad you have joined the IWSG!

Unknown said...

Wow, so much cool news! Congrats to everyone. I'm from Mexico! Well, that's where I live now anyways.

Anonymous said...

Mississippi...

I've noticed that I follow a lot of Utah writers too. :)

Tess Julia said...

I hail from a boring city in South Carolina, where the happening places are a small indoor mall and Hobby Lobby. Fortunately, we are centrally located to some very nice destinations, like Myrtle Beach or Charleston. The life saver is we do rank important enough to have our own Barnes and Nobles. Your posts are always so much fun, by the way. See you Wednesday!

Heather Murphy said...

I hope you had a good vacation. I need to start writing a post for IWSG! Yikes, time flies!
Representing Florida here

Unknown said...

Had to stop by and say hi! Greetings from the South Side of Chicago. :)

Glad you back from vacation and hopefully I will be back to the blogosphere soon. I had hoped to make the IWSG this month, but I don't think so.

Hildie McQueen said...

I could say I'm on permanent vacation since I retired from full time (out of the home work), but I am so busy that I need a vacation from this 'vacation'! So what was the question? Oh yeah, I hail from Georgia. Hey Y'all! I'm actually right on the S. Carolina border. Love it.

p.s. welcome back Alex.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Clarissa, good to hear from you!

Linda, they are everywhere.

Rose, you're not too far from me either. And thank you - I am here to amuse.

Heather, two more days...

Hi Melissa! So good to hear from you.

Hildie, you're not far from me either.

Ella said...

Gearing up for IWSG...a serendipitous
moment grabbed my attention! Congrats on getting away!
Thanks for the 'in the know news'! :D
Always fun to read!

Isis Rushdan said...

I have to hop over to Brinda's blog :).

Although I knew it was the beginning of the month, I still needed the IWSG reminder.

My hubby is looking forward to The Raid.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Welcome back! You were sorely missed!

Holy list of awesome info! Thank you!

In case you hadn't noticed...I'm from New York! No, not the city!

There is a whole-lotta real estate outside of the city that the rest of us live in! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ella, that's good!

Isis, that's why I remind everyone.

Heather, I noticed! And good to be back.

DMS said...

Welcome back! Hope you got to relax. So many wonderful things going on out there. Wow! I am looking forward to checking everything out soon!

I am from CT.
~Jess

Lisa Regan said...

Congrats to CM and Charity! Exciting stuff! I'm from Philadelphia. We appear to be woefully short on writers.

Allison said...

Ah, A-Z. Hope I have time to do that next year! I am from Canada. And no, I don't live in an igloo or drive a dogsled :)

Allison (Geek Banter)

Jo said...

Nor do I Allison. I too am from Canada.

Alex, I have just found a book especially for you "Don't Forget to Tip Your Ninja". Its here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MTB7VU/?tag=afbm-20

Thought of you immediately.

Melissa Sugar said...

Hope you enjoyed your vacation. I have been so hit or miss lately; I don't even know what your Special Challenge Participant Features is. I will look around your blog and hopefully figure it out. Thanks for all the news and updates.

Melissa Sugar
I hail from Louisiana.

Morgan said...

UTAH!!!!!

There are so many of us... it's weird... must be in the water... ;)

Anonymous said...

I have an idea for IWSG and I will be ready.

It was fantastic reading about the book news and looking at the cool covers.

Lydia Kang said...

For Roland, of course! Because Kate would be upset if she found out...

Unknown said...

Welcome back! I will be ready for Wednesday...though I still need to think of something. I hail from sunny southern California!

Tammy Theriault said...

I'm out here in the northwest of Washington state living on beautiful Whidbey Island and saying hmmm... there's a list of books to consider!

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm from South Africa... and no, the lions, tigers, leopards, elephants DO NOT roam about freely in the streets! LOL.
I have a cousin in North Carolina, in Raleigh (I think that's the name of the town... she may have moved though...)

RaveAir said...

I didn't noticed that you were vacation. I hope you enjoyed much!

Greetings from Hungary! ;)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Lisa, there's a few of you.

Jo, funny! I will check it out.

Morgan, or the mountain air.

Lydia, of course.

Michelle, Raleigh is the capital!

Susan Fields said...

Sorry, I can't help you with Olivia! I hail from Missouri, not exactly a writing mecca. :)

Angela Brown said...

Hey Alex!

I hail from Central Texas. Yeah, I've noticed quite a few blogger/writer buds are located in the Utah area :-)

I'm ready for IWSG and am excited to see Charity's book cover for her novel. Very exciting times!

Julie Flanders said...

Hope you enjoyed your time off, Alex!

I'm from Ohio. Off to check out all the exciting Ninja news now. :)

Ciara said...

Headed to Brinda's now. I've been gone a lot lately, too. I hope you had a great vacay. All these great new covers and new releases look awesome. Go C.M. Brown!!!

Nick Wilford said...

Congrats to Charity. That's a very cool cover. And to Carolyn - I'll be featuring her this week too! Their books sound great!

I hail from the south of England and now resident in Scotland. I never met any writers, but from blogging I at least know they exist!

Unknown said...

Love Anne's blog! A 'howdy' from Texas. :-)

David P. King said...

I will finally be joining your insecure writer' group this month. It's time to let my inhibitions out, yo. As always, awesome news, sir. :)

Hart Johnson said...

I'm amazed how you keep track of everything. Lots of good stuff going on!

Jack said...

Welcome back! I don't think you missed anything over your holiday. No Alien invasions, at least, none I was told about.

New releases are always great!

And, I hail from Wyoming. The Winter Wasteland.

Allons-y!

D.G. Hudson said...

Roland should get his own date with Olivia, 'blind dates' or setups never work out well.

I now hail from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. My roots are in the South, however, with all of my relatives. (I like living in the cooler climes in the north.)

Congrats to those with books launching!

Anonymous said...

I hail from Calgary, Canada but now live in South Devon UK.

As always there's lots of intriguing new publications out that you've highlighted. I like the sound of 'He Came For Mine, Book 2'.
I've posted mi IWSG already :O)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Julie, lots of you from Ohio!

Ciara, sorry your reasons weren't as fun as mine.

Nick, I know there's a few of you there!

David! Glad you are on board.

Hart, Ninja skills.

Jack, so an alien invasion might've occurred...?

DG, that's funny!

Madeleine, that's great!

Southpaw said...

I tend to hail from the corner - best place to grab the attention of a cabbie.

Such great news today. I'm so happy to hear that Anne R. Allen got that award. It was well deserved.

(Oh, and the New England area.)

Anonymous said...

A date with Olivia Wilde... that is the dream!

I've been a real slacker about visiting other IWSG bloggers, hopefully I can rectify that this week. I've got something special planned for this month's post, which I'm working on now.

Also, I'm originally from Connecticut but I moved to New Jersey abut 7-8 years ago.

Hope you had a great vacation!

Patricia Stoltey said...

I live in Northern Colorado, Alex, another state favored by writers.

Leovi said...

Very interesting Anne R. Allen's blog.

Kelly Polark said...

Welcome back, Alex!

I live in Illinois! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Holly - funny!!!

Insomniac, can't wait to see your post tomorrow then!

PK HREZO said...

Coming at ya from FLA!

Glad you reminded me about IWSG tomorrow!!

Tina said...

I'm from Colorado.
Man, I'm dizzy from all the books to choose from, but of course I won't turn down a free book! Though I have yet to load a smashwords onto my kindle...tech issues galore...
I'm finally going to be brave and show the world how insecure I am. Is there a linky tomorrow? I'm working on my post now.
Tina @ Life is Good
http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/

Cally Jackson said...

I'm from Australia.

I'm so excited to finally see the cover for The Magic Wakes. It looks awesome. Hooray for Charity! And the mini blurb is fantastic too. Definitely makes you want to know more. :-)

L.G. Keltner said...

I'm from small town Iowa. I lived in Des Moines while I was in college, but I spent most of my life in towns with fewer than 1,000 people.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pk, there are a lot of you from the sunny state!

Tina! Glad you are joining us. You can sign up under the tabbed page above.

LG, that is small...

Komal Kant said...

Hope your vacation was fab, Alex!

Congratulations to Carolyn on the release of her new book! It's all so exciting!

I'm from Australia. :)

Rick said...

Of course we missed you, Alex! Great to have you back.

Karen Baldwin said...

Hey! Welcome back. OK, this is how insecure I am. When I didn't see your comments on my blog last week, I thought, "Oh no! Alex doesn't like me anymore! I'm NOTHING in the blogosphere now." I wasn't blogging much myself and missed that you were going on vacation.

Anonymous said...

Florida, but only until I get back to snow country.
BTW, the day is tuesday, the time is 20:06 and I'm just checking in to see how much time you allow for insecurity.

klahanie said...

Hi Alex,
Yes, it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star! You were on vacation? Hope it was really nice. I'm always puzzled by humans who ask another human if they are "going anywhere nice?".
I've been talking to my human Gary's son and he is going to check out your movie reviews. He goes to loads of movies. Should be interesting what he thinks.
Gary was born in London, England, lived in Vancouver, Canada and now lives back in Leek, England. Yes, he has a Canadian accent and a lot of folks in England ask him what part of the States he's from. It makes for an interesting conversation after that....
Gary said it was good to interact with you and Lee over at his site.
Are you ready for the 'A to Z Alphabark Challenge'?
Pawsitive and pawesome wishes, Penny!

Intangible Hearts said...

I'm from way south in California. Almost Mexico my busy friend. You are a wealth of information, no wonder you needed a vacation or two.

Mina Burrows said...

Hope you enjoyed some time off. I don't know how you do it.

SoFlo in the house. Tumba la casa!

Mark Koopmans said...

Aloha!

I hail from Oirland, but live in Hawaii.

Go figure :)

Welcome back A/C. Did you visit D/C?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Leigh, I still like you!!!!

Kelly, feel free to be insecure from now through tomorrow! And if you like snow, then you are uber cool.

Penny, bring on that Alphabark Challenge! Canadian accent in England? Tell Gary he's lucky he didn't live here in the South...

Desert, just keeping up with my friends!

Mark, if I had, then it would've rocked!

mshatch said...

looking forward to your Looper review and I hail from Maine where Summer is way too short.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I hail from Sydney Australia and yup I'm ready for the IWSG post today--well, it's today for me, but I'll wait a bit before I post it to make sure it's today for everyone ;)

dolorah said...

Welcome back :) I get a week's vacation all next week. I'm not going anywhere - except a little extra time to tour the blogs.

My IWSG post is fighting me all the way.

Oh, and I'm from northern California.

.....dhole

Raquel Byrnes said...

Gorgeous covers! I am from Southern California...woot woot!

Callie Leuck said...

I was starting to wonder about the Utah thing. What's that about? Maybe I should move to Utah.

I'm from Indiana, but currently I live in Virginia.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

I'm from Jamaica. The Raid Redemption sounds great and I'm always looking for a great giveaway. Charity's book cover is sick! Awesome cover and congrats on your book coming out in 2013 Charity. I want to see Looper so bad!!

Tamara said...

Wow. Great post! I'll definitely be checking out Ruth Allen's blog, that's good info. to have, so thanks for the link!

Lots of awesome books coming out.

I am actually from GA right now (six years here) but I will always consider myself a PA girl, as I lived in the suburbs of Philly for about twenty years. I miss it!!

Unknown said...

South Africa!

And Charity's cover is so pretty :-)

TL Conway said...

This is hilarious since I was JUST telling my friend the other day that it seems like an astonishingly large number of authors live in Utah!

I'm reppin' Minnesota. Yah, you betcha'.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Callie and TL, there are a lot of writers there. Scary, huh?

Ali Cross said...

UTAH!!! But I'm a Canadian citizen and call Nova Scotia, Canada "HOME". :)

Nicole said...

I hail from Wisconsin, and I offer everyone virtual cheese, brats and beer. ;)

Sean McLachlan’s book and "He Came for Mine" both sound awesome. Congrats to the authors!