Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Ninja News, Movie Trivia, Wednesday Movie Quote, and the Secondary Characters Blogfest!


Ninja News

Helping Oklahoma-
Shelly Arkon is donating all royalties from her book, Secondhand Shoes, to the Red Cross for the next three months. Visit her site for purchase links.
EJ Wesley posted a lot of links to places you can donate to help as well.

Marcy at Maine Words signed a deal with WiDo Publishing for her book Paradise. Congratulations, Marcy!

Jeffrey Beesler’s next book will be out soon and he revealed the cover art for Optical Osmosis yesterday. It rocks, Jeffrey!



Karen Lange just signed a book deal with Helping Hands Press for her homeschoolers book. Congratulations, Karen!

To celebrate the release of her second novel, Aberration on June 6, 2013, Lisa Regan is hosting The Aberration Blog Hop: Finding the Most Aberrant Characters. Prizes are involved!

Roland Yeomans’ book, The Bear with Two Shadows, is now available as an audio book! Congratulations, Roland! Now we can hear Hibbs in stereo…

Don’t forget the Get Healthy Bloghop next Wednesday, hosted by Stephen Tremp, L. Diane Wolfe, Michael Di Gesu, and myself!

Wednesday Movie Quote

Post your favorite here or play along on your own blog.

Today’s genre is sports movies.

Mine comes from Major League. (Censored for obvious reasons!)

Coach - “Nice catch, Hayes. Don’t ever f_____ do it again.”

Next week – apocalyptic films!


Movie Trivia!

Because I haven’t done any trivia since the Challenge.

Name the director:

1 – Goodfellas – 1990

2 – Empire of the Sun – 1987

3 – The Fifth Element – 1997

4 – Unforgiven – 1992

5 – Contact - 1997

Answers on Friday!

Secondary Characters Blogfest

Hosted by Rachel Schieffelbein and (several co-hosts) in celebration of her upcoming book, Secondary Characters. (Available May 28.)

I had several ideas for great secondary characters, including Lt. D’Agosta from Preston and Child’s Agent Pendergast series. But I decided to go with the best secondary characters ever created:


The cast of Serenity/Firefly!

The cast revolves around Mal. The show is all about him, his ship, his past, and the side he chose during the war. And what a great bunch of secondary characters:
Zoe – Second in command and a devoted, level-headed fighter.
Wash – Skilled pilot and comic relief.
Inara – Companion and romantic tension.
Kaylee – Mechanic and the sweet soul of the crew.
Jayne – Hired gun who is blunt and looking out for number one.
Simon – Skilled doctor and overprotective brother of River.
River – Child prodigy and just a bit unstable.
Book – Shepherd and the moral compass of the crew.
Throw them all together with a captain who aims to misbehave and you have one heck of a show!
And one more time for the record – curse you, FOX!

Excited about all the cool book news? Ready for the Get Healthy Blogfest? (Or in desperate need?) What’s your favorite sports movie quote? Know any of the directors? And who is your favorite secondary character?

I have something really cool planned for Friday!

155 comments:

Mark Koopmans said...

My favorite sports quote:

"And Mike Trout with the LA Angels has just hit for the cycle - the youngest player in AL history!"

-- Mark Koopmans to his wife, circa 9 p.m. Tuesday evening :)

RaveAir said...

My heart is allways bleeding when somebody mention Firefly/Serenity. :(

mooderino said...

I don't know what Optical Osmosis means but that's an amazing cover.

mood

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Good pick on the secondary characters! Stoopid Fox!!!

Yay to Jeff and Karen and to everyone else! So many great things happening on the blogsphere!

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Only saw the movie but Serenity had a great cast there so the series must have been something. I see that you're doing this blogfest too Alex. Jeffrey's cover is amaze-balls! Congrats Shelly and EJ for your efforts during the crisis. Congrats Macy on the book deal and Roland with his new ebook. Will check out Lisa's bloghop. Enjoy your day Alex.

Mel Chesley said...

"Pain is temporary, glory is forever and chicks dig scars." That's my favorite quote from "The Replacements". ;)

Rhonda Albom said...

Wonderful to see so many new books. It is exciting. Sadly, I can't think of any sports quotes or any of the directors.

Rhonda @Laugh-Quotes.com

J.L. Murphey said...

"There's no crying in baseball!"
A League of Their Own

Laura Clipson said...

I've been watching Firefly recently, and I love it! You're so right about them all being amazing secondary characters. I only have a couple of episodes left, and I can't believe they cancelled it!

Old Kitty said...

"Ladies and gentlemen. England will be playing Four-Four-*bleep*-Two"

From Mike Bassett, England Manager (2001)!!

LOL!!

Oooh Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven!!

Yay! Take care
x

Unknown said...

The cover for Optical Osmosis is fantastic!
Very nice of Shelly Arkon to donate the royalties of her book to such a worthy cause.

Unknown said...

I'm not a big Sports Fan movie, but I loved 42. My favorite quote comes from another baseball movie, "Are you crying? Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball!"

Sean McLachlan said...

Looking forward to the apocalyptic film list. It's one of my favorite genres in both print and film.
Won't have time to do the Get Healthy bloghop. I'll be hiking in the Julian Alps getting healthy!

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Great luck to all who have something great to promote... to friend Roland, it's going to be great in my best Flounder voice.

Empire of the Sun was such an epic film, I remember seeing as a two-fer with the Last Emperor. It's funny to see Christian Bale as a boy, though this I believe was not his first film?

Elise Fallson said...

The cover for Optical Osmosis is excellent! And congratulations to all these authors coming out with their books and to Roland with his audio book! I wish them lots of success. (:

Rick Daley said...

Sports quote, also from Major League:

"F#%$ you, Joboo. I do it myself!"

1 – Goodfellas- Martin Scorsese

2 – Empire of the Sun- Steven Speilberg

3 – The Fifth Element- Luc Besson

4 – Unforgiven- Clint Eastwood

5 – Contact- I forge. Robert Altman, maybe?

Natalie Aguirre said...

So excited for Marcy's book news. And congrats to everyone else with their book news. There's a lot today.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Congrats to everyone with book news!

I already have my blog post scheduled for the Get Healthy Blogfest, though I may update the "after" picture.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

The only one od those movies that I know the director to is Unforgiven I think - Clint Eastwood right? I've seen all five though!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mark, that's great!

Lynda, that's right!

Sheena-kay, you need to watch the series.

Mel, good one.

JL, excellent pick.

Laura, it was a crime they cancelled it.

kitty, good one, and you are correct.

Jenn, I want to see 42.

Jeremy, I'd have to check.

Rick, great quote and you got four right.

Sandra, that's great.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Cool new books!

I don't know any of the directors. :(

Looking forward to the Get Healthy bloghop! Maybe it will inspire me. :)

Donna K. Weaver said...

Great secondary characters choice! LOVE the Firefly crew. So rich and diverse.

farawayeyes said...

Some great book news and a lot of it. Yea!

Sports movie quotes, Are you kidding me?

Only knew one of the trivia, but for me that's pretty good. 'Unforgiven' was Clint Eastwood.

Ian Anderson said...

Major League, what a flick. "Just a bit outside!" Love that one, too. My dad used to go minor league games in Denver and he would listen to the broadcast at the game. The radio guys would get bored and would make fake calls. A pop up in the stands became a "just foul" ball that would've been a homer had it stayed fair...it reminds me of Major League.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I posted my favorite secondary characters this morning.

"It's very bad to take Jobu's rum. Very bad."

Juliana Haygert said...

You're too movie savvy for me. I can't think of one single quote from sport movies ...

Ha, love your answer for the bloghop! I miss Firefly ...

Bryan Russell said...

Basically the entire script of Major League could be used. Certainly anything that Bob Uecker says: "Just a little outside..."

Annalisa Crawford said...

Great secondary characters!

jaybird said...

I'm in desperate need to Get Healthy. (I'm working on that...slowly but surely)

Great run down on those Firefly secondary characters! Big congrats to Rachel for her e-book release on the 28th.

Laura Eno said...

Congrats to everyone on all the books coming out!

Yes, a thousand curses to FOX for cancelling our good captain Mal. Such a great cast of characters. I want to be Zoe.

I signed up for Bloglovin' after you mentioned it. It finally looks like a winner! I *think* I got the widget on my blog right. I'll have to wait and see if someone tells me it didn't work. :/

Jeremy [Retro] said...

i was wrong, i thought it was Newsies... but it was Mio in the Land of Faraway [1987]

Al Diaz said...

Didn't get to see Firefly but Jeff was cursing Fox too when he mentioned it.
Field of Dreams quote:
Annie: What if the Voice calls while you're gone?
Ray: Take the message.
On side note, Sessin didn't mention any kids. Your subconscious betrays you.
Healthy bloghop. Desperate need. Me.

Matthew MacNish said...

Wow. The only director I know for sure is Goodfellas!

randi lee said...

She's really donating her royalties to the Red Cross? I will definitely be buying a copy then, and will most certainly spread the verd!

Looking forward to your surprise on Friday.

And PS! 3 Ups is a go! Your "Upee" is Diane Carlisle over at http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com (no rush at all, 3 Ups when you can!) :D

Suzi said...

I'd never heard of Firefly until last year some time when a friend began raving about it. She got the DVD from NetFlix. And then the name popped up several other times. I wonder why it was cancelled so quickly, so many people seemed to love it.

Robyn Campbell said...

YaY Karen! This is wonderful news for her. I'm totally thrilled. She is always willing to help everyone out in the blogosphere. Three cheers. Hip, hip, hooray! Congrads to everyone else too. What a great day.

Someone asked if we could extend #bepositive day through today. It was a great success. This is a feel great thing. I'm happy to be involved.

Firefly. Yeah.

I cannot wait for Friday. Hmm. Wonder what that is.

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS to everyone who recently had book releases. Also CONGRATS to everyone has recently signed book deals.

Sorry, don't know who any of the directors are for the movies you have listed.

shelly said...

Congrats to all the new books! And yes, all my royalties over the next three months will go to the peeps in Oklahoma. I still have my family, my house, and my day job and I'm writing more things to publish. I haven't lost anything and I'm not losing anything either.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Optimistic, you are correct.

Faraway, you got it.

Man O Clay, that's funny. And good quote.

Diane, excellent choice.

Bryan, no doubt.

Laura, hope it works for you.

Jeremy, never would've got that one.

Good quote, Al! Could've sworn I saw something about Ninja kids...

Randi Lee, cool!

Suzi, FOX never gave it a chance.

Hannah said...

Jeffrey's cover is amazing! I love it.

And of course, I love me some Firefly.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Alex!

I loved that you picked the entire crew of Serenity as your favorite secondary character! Awesome!

We must be related somewhere in time or space because I also love Preston/Child. Another of those, Hollywood should have kept their hands off their books, tales.

I forgot my movie quote on the blog. I'll have to go back and add it, but, here it is:
The Replacements. Shane Falco.
"I wish I could say something classy and inspirational, but that just wouldn't be our style. Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever. It's been an honor sharing the field of battle with you."

ilima said...

Yes, curse you FOX forever. I love every single one of those characters. Too much. I've got problems. :)

Anonymous said...

Firefly. Best TV show ever. Naturally, it was cancelled way too soon.

Michelle Gregory said...

when we watched the Firefly episodes via netflix, i never thought of one character as being more important than any other. obviously Mal holds them together, but without any one of them, the show wouldn't work. what a great cast of characters. (my favorite is Inara.)

Charles Gramlich said...

Sounds like a busy day around the blogosphere

Summer Ross said...

Firefly! Gosh I didn't even think of those I love the cast. Kaylee is my favorite.
~Summer

Jo said...

My memory is useless for character names although I too enjoy the Ice Age Movies and the Madagascar ones. All the characters.

What I am most concerned about right now is Father Dragon's over load of dwarf clones which can be laid at your door Alex.

JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

One of my favorite sports movie quotes: "You couldn't hit water if you fell out of a boat." Said to Tim Robbins by Kevin Costner in BULL DURHAM. :)

Hmm, I think Clint Eastwood directed UNFORGIVEN and Jodie Foster directed CONTACT.

Trisha said...

Wow. Yep, now I know one show I forgot all about - FIREFLY!!! It's definitely one of my favourite shows ever, if not my favourite, and you're so right about all the amazing secondary characters. I'm right there with you on the cursing as well!

Tobi Summers said...

Haha, I love that you just included the entire cast. I still haven't seen the end of the series, but I love Simon and River. And Wash and Zoe.

Cassie Mae said...

Still haven't seen Firefly. *hides in shame*

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

I need to see Firefly! I've heard so many wonderful things about it. I gotta' figure out how to get my hands on it. :)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

What Shelly is doing is so awesome! Kudos to her. I've heard of other authors doing similar things.

And public CONGRATULATIONS to Marcy. I've already congratulated her privately. She was my first ever CP. I read PARADISE way back when; so glad she stuck with it.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hey Alex,

Wow, happy to see Marcy get a contract... CONGRATS MARCY!!!!! So cool!

Yup all geared up for next Wednesday. Should be a VERY exciting and "Pumped up" day. LOL.

How sweet of Shelly to donate her royalties... I am always so impressed how our fellow Americans jump in and help others in times of disaster.

I remember how much all us Floridians did( at the time I was one) during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.... Although it was many years ago, I will never forget it and all the help that was given by the WHOLE country! IT was the first of major disasters that had hit our country in years. So it's memorable.

Congrats to Karen in signing her novel!

And YAY for Lisa's release on June 6th!

So much going on... I can hardly keep up!

LynnRush said...

Ohhh, Serenity! Great movie (show)

Oh man. Name the directors? I suck that that. But I love a couple of the movies you listed. The Fifth Element!!! Oh my gosh, LOVE LOVE LOVE that movie.

Unknown said...

I'm looking forward to the Get Healthy blogfest!

Pat Hatt said...

Already know major league is a fav, as "Sarrano is going to need a rocket up is *** to catch that one" haha

Secondary characters do make or break a show, Firefly was a big one, Stargate SG1 was another i can think of with Maybourne and Bra'tac and the like. 24 is a great example too.

Jack said...

I love seeing new covers, they always give me inspiration.

I can't wait to start Firefly!! I've caught up on Doctor Who, so it is that much closer to viewing.

Jennie Bennett said...

I still need to watch Firefly. I know, bad nerd, bad! haha :)

Mike said...

Wow you covered a lot in this post! Nice picks for the bloghop. Sports quote "If you build it they will come" Field of Dreams

DMS said...

Shelly is doing an amazing thing! My heart goes out to everyone who has faced tragedy.

Congrats to Jeff, Karen, Roland, and Lisa!

I can't think of any sports movie quotes- but I always liked Wayne Gretsky's quote- You miss 100% of the shots you never take.

~Jess

Suze said...

That was very nice of Shelly. Hats off.

I can't believe I don't know the directors of any of those films off the top of my head -- especially Contact!

I love that you censored the line. You are a gentleman, sir Alex. I know it's inconsistent because I'm a fan of the word for my own personal, private use but I still love seeing someone with such an enormous following stick to their guns.

Mark Means said...

Not only do I still hold a grudge against Fox for cancelling Firefly, but I'm still mad at them for cancelling The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.!! I have to wonder what goes through their heads, sometimes :)

I'm looking forward to the Healthy blog hop and what you have planned for Friday!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yay for Firefly secondary characters - they rock!
Awesome news as usual - congrats to all!
My favorite secondary character - would have to be Valentine from Ender's Game (the book).

Roland D. Yeomans said...

What made FIREFLY so great that each character had depth. For me there were no true secondary characters -- each was a full-blown person in their own right with their own riveting backstory.

My Stetson's off to Shelly for her gracious act. :-)

Nancy Thompson said...

I'm definitely doing Lisa's Aberration blog hop. I think I'm doing the Get Healthy one, too. Oy, my life's a blur!

JJ said...

Shelly Arkon is super!

Andrew Leon said...

I've got nothing today.

Leovi said...

I join in solidarity with Oklahoma!

Lisa Regan said...

Thanks for mentioning the blog hop! I really appreciate it!

I don't know if this counts:
"There's no crying in baseball!" from A League of Their Own.

Sadly, I don't know any of the directors.

Cherie Reich said...

Firefly had awesome secondary characters!

Jeff Beesler said...

Thanks for sharing my cover, Alex! And Shelly donating her royalties to help out Oklahoma is awesome!

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the news, Alex. It's great to hear about the authors with new deals and a new audio release.

I think Goodfellas was directed by Scorcese, but even though I've seen the rest, I don't know the directors...

Brinda said...

That cover for Bessler's book is fantastic. And of course you'd post secondary characters from Firefly. lol

Elizabeth Seckman said...

What a generous thing for Shelley to do.

I've never seen Firefly.

But I think I am signed up for all the hops. I think. I confuse easily.

Rusty Carl said...

Is it Wednesday already? I don't even know what day it is anymore. Great cover for Jeffrey's book. I mean. Wow.

Jenny S. Morris said...

I almost listed Firefly characters. And now I realize I didn't list any Chuck characters. Man, John Casey is one of the best secondary characters. (He's played by the same guy that plays Jayne.)

Emily R. King said...

Cast of Firefly. AWESOME!

Johanna Garth said...

Did I tell you, you inspired me to watch Firefly. Really enjoying it!

And, yes, excited for healthy tips :)

Anonymous said...

Great pick for Secondary Characters. Just one thing: River, a BIT unstable. Only a bit, eh? ;)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Good quote, Heather! And Hollywood slaughtered The Relic. Pendergast wasn't even in the film!

Michelle, that's why it would be sad if he did another movie - two of the characters are dead.

Jo, he did know what might happen...

Madeline, good quote, and you got one right.

Sherie, that's cool.

Michael, I am ready for next Wednesday!

Pat, good quote and both Stargate SG1 or Atlantis had great cast members.

Karen, you'll discover some of my secrets next Friday...

Mike, that was another quote I was thinking of using.

Jess, the real ones are always the best.

Suze, no way I could use that word. I almost left off the 'f.'

Mark, you're right - double curse on FOX!

Nancy, join us!

Lisa, you're welcome, and good quote.

Jeffrey, you're welcome.

Lexa, you are correct.

Anonymous said...

Definitely looking forward to the Get Healthy blog hop. I've been walking almost every single day and avoiding my scale. Plus I've been eating healthier. It will be interesting to see what happens when I finally reveal the numbers to myself and write a blog post about putting them out of your mind to get healthier and feel better.

OK is so sad. Lots of prayers for those folks.

Nice cover, Jeffrey.

Suzanne Furness said...

Thanks for the reminder about the Get Healthy Bloghop next week. Things have been super busy in my world this last week or so and I had forgotten!

Sending thoughts and prayers to those effected by the tornado.

Unknown said...

The Oklahoma tragedy is heartbreaking.

Congrats to Roland. :)

SK Anthony said...

"If you build it they will come"~ Field of Dreams ;)

Great cover, Jeffrey!
Congrats to Karen, Lisa and Roland!

baygirl32 said...

something really cool for friday - wish I was cool LOL

The Angry Lurker said...

1 – Goodfellas – 1990 Martin Scorcese

2 – Empire of the Sun – 1987

3 – The Fifth Element – 1997 Luc Besson

4 – Unforgiven – 1992 Clint Eastwood

5 – Contact - 1997

Brandon Ax said...

So much to comment on here. Guess I will go with my favorite quote from a sports movie.

I don't even think I need to say what movie it is from.

"There's no crying in baseball."

Maurice Mitchell said...

Congrats to Jeffrey, Karen and Roland! That's a great way to support a really devastating tragedy. I'll never forget when that weathermanbroke into tears. It's a truly time for them, but they'll come back stronger.

Susan Kane said...

Every time I watch Castle, I think of Firefly and feel that loss. Stupid FOX!

The only director I can think of is Eastwood for Forgiven, and that may not be right.

Birgit said...

Oh Me oh My-Martin Scorcese fr Goodfellas. Steven Spielberg for Empire of the Sun and Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven. Do not know the other 2(I know the films which are great but can't recall the director. I know Jodie Foster was in Contact but she did not direct it

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Can't think of a quote, but I love baseball movies!

Alex, I did get the questions. Thank you!!!

Mary Montague Sikes

Intangible Hearts said...

Okay, I hope I'm right but #4 is Clint Eastwood!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Johanna, glad you are enjoying the series.

Patricia, only a bit!

MJ, hope the results are great.

SK, that's a popular one.

Fran, you got three.

Brandon, good one. And I try to post a variety so there's something for everyone.

Susan, at least someone recognized Fillion's talent.

Birgit, you got three.

Glad you got the questions, Mary!

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I think my favorite sports movie quote is "Show me the money."

Luanne G. Smith said...

I'll go with "show me the money" as well.

And congrats to Marcy and Lisa !!! two of my favs. :))

kjmckendry said...

Favorite sports movie quote: "Toepick!"

Arlee Bird said...

Cool that Roland's got an audiobook. I like to listen to them on long trips.

Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog

Christine Rains said...

Tons of great news this week. And you picked a kick butt bunch of secondary characters. Thumbs up!

Gabriel C. Taylor said...

I shed a tear every time I think of how badly FOX handled Firefly. Each time I introduce the show to some one (and show the episodes in the correct order, unlike FOX who aired them completely NOT in order), they always ask the same thing, "Why would anyone in their right mind cancel this show?"
Still, we Browncoats got one heck of an amazing movie so I guess we can't complain too loudly.

M Pax said...

I'll never argue about praise for Firefly. :D

Congrats to Jeff, Marcy, Roland, and Lisa!

Lisa Gail Green said...

Wow so much information!! I think Joss Whedon really does have awesome characters! Great example. Oh and not a big sports movie enthusiast.

Brian Miller said...

nice...the cover art of optical osmosis looks really cool....firefly was def a sleeper of a series...hmm need to think on the secondary characters...i rather like the ones in revolution right now....

Helena said...

I've only seen snippets of Firefly episodes, but judging by all its rabid fans it must have been a great series.

In only go two of the directors in your trivia quiz: Martin Scorcese and Steven Spielberg.

Anonymous said...

Your blog always cheers me up, Thanks for all the different things to read about.

Yvonne.

Laura S. said...

My favorite secondary character is Grandma Mazur from the Stephanie Plum books! I want to be like her when I grow up. :)

Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

Trivia answers:
And no, I'm not cheating, though I want to.
1. Goodfellas is Martin Scorcese.
2. Empire of the Sun is Steven Spielberg.
4. Unforgiven is Clint Eastwood.
The rest, I dunno... *heads off to cheat*

Michelle Wallace said...

Optical Osmosis - what a cool sounding title!
I'm looking forward to "something cool planned on Friday"...

Nas said...

Congratulations to Jeff and Karen and to everyone else! So many great things happening on the blogsphere!

Nas

The Words Crafter said...

Shoeless Joe Jackson: Watch out for in your ear.

I love Firefly!!!! Zoe kicks booty :)

Lots of writers to congratulate, wow! I'm looking into Second Hand Shoes. Great gesture on Shelly's part!

I'm going to be paying lots of attention to the blog hop. I need to get in gear!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Desert, you are correct!

Michael, good one.

Kathy - funny!

Gabriel, it was just a crime.

Helena, you are correct.

Cathy, you got it.

klahanie said...

Alex,

I have visited a number of those blogs you have mentioned and there altruism, we hope, shall provide a modicum of comfort for those impacted in Oklahoma. Kudos to them.

I've seen Roland's book featured on Wendy's site in New Zealand and Roland will know, like you, I've shared the awareness around.

Arggghhhh! Blog hops! Okay, I feel slightly better....

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I might know one of the directors and I'll add my 'Curse you Fox' for Firefly.

Chuck said...

Oklahoma was horrible...only three hours north of me and right on the heels of some tragedy to the southwest of us in Granbury, TX and the huge explosion of the fertilizer plant in West, TX about an hour south of us. Just amazing that there in no time to recover from one thing and another even more devastating hits.


Well I think #1 was our friend Marty Scorcese (sic) and number 4 is Clint Eastwood...the rest I don't know.

Tina said...

I'd add more than "curse" you to Fox, but I've been debating profanity with Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out...so I'll leave it as an "I second that!" One of the best shows ever created. A modern day Star Trek for pete's sake! Motley crew (c'mon, you know the crew of Star Trek isn't exactly right up there with "completely sane and functioning on all cylinders"), a new planet every episode, danger, intrigue, smuggling, pirates, revenge...wait, that's a different movie...romantic tension, a moral compass, another moral compass with a slightly different set of points, River's character never fully allowed to hit "functioning on at least a few cylinders..."
Ok, I need to write my own post about Firefly.
Yeah for Shelly. I'm about 1/2 way through Secondhand Shoes and it's a great, light, funny yet suspenseful read so far. Bad bad guys and good good guys...what more do you want? Oh yeah, ghosts that have an interesting appetite any engineer would appreciate...
Movie quote: "Shut the door. This is the hardest job a manager has to do."
Tina @ Life is Good

Sherry Ellis said...

Wow, lots of great ninja news! That's so nice of Shelly to donate her royalties to Red Cross!

Jemi Fraser said...

Curse you Fox indeed!! River's always been my favourite - she rocks!!

Off to congratulate Marcy!

Unknown said...

I applaud Shelly for donating proceeds of her books sales to a good cause. Way to be, girl!

So much good news of book releases and publishing deals. Awesome, guys!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie Empire of the Sun. Brilliant film for sure! Thanks for reminding me of it. Will have to borrow it from the 'rents next time I visit them. :)

Leigh Covington said...

I haven't seen Firefly. Apparently, I need to get with it. And I should be able to come up with a sports quote, but I've got nothing!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Gary, he will appreciate it.

Chuck, you're in the middle of it all. And you're correct on the directors.

Tina, you should write your own Firefly post! That was awesome.

Erin L. Funk said...

I'll echo that curse on Fox and agree that Firefly had one of the most well-rounded casts on TV. There wasn't a single character on that show I didn't enjoy watching. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner somewhere and mumble the lyrics to the Ballad of Serenity...

A Beer for the Shower said...

I am my own secondary character in the story that is my life.

On a brighter note, thanks to your Monday post I went to go see Star Trek Monday night, and... totally worth it. It. Was. Awesome.

Patricia Stoltey said...

A Get Healthy blogfest sounds like a really good idea. We poor sedentary writers need all the help we can get.

Jai Joshi said...

I know that Unforgiven was directed by Clint Eastwood but can't remember the others.

A great secondary character is Ron Weasley! But my favourite is Spock.

Jai

Anonymous said...

I love all the great book news!

Congratulations to Marcie and great luck with Paradise!

Congratulations to Jeffery and the release of Optical Osmosis. I love the cover!

Congratulations to Karen and her book deal for her homeschoolers book, wishing her all the best!

And congratulations to Lisa on the release of Aberration and Roland on the audio book of The Bear with Two Shadows!

Also, massive best wishes to Shelly, donating 3 months of royalties from Secondhand Shoes.

What a busy month!

Author A.O. Peart said...

What a beautiful idea with donating to such a good cause, Shelly. I love the title of your book and would like to read it. Not that I wear secondhand shoes, but the book sparked my interest for some reason!

Congratulations to all that have new releases out.

Okay, I will take a stab at the movie stuff this time: Martin Scorcese - Goodfellas. Steven Spielberg - Empire of the Sun and Clint Eastwood - Unforgiven.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Am excited about the Get Healthy Blogfest.

Wow, there are so many new books releasing.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to the authors on their new releases... how very exciting:)

Unknown said...

My favorite sports film quote:

"There is no crying in baseball!"

from A League of Their Own

Tara Tyler said...

love your 2nd character choices! serenity now! i need to watch some reruns this wknd!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Erin, I'll get you some tissue.

Brandon and Bryan, glad you enjoyed it!

Jai, you are correct.

Angela, you got three!

Samantha, classic line.

Huntress said...

Congrats to Marcy, my co-conspirator and critiquer at Unicorn Bell. She is one of my bestest friends and one of the first in this crazy writerly world. I always knew you'd do it. This is only the beginning.

YowZa, Jeffrey! *double arm pump*

And a big Shout Out to Lisa, Karen, and Roland.

Anonymous said...

Curse you, Fox, indeed!

My favorite Jayne line:

Hey! What you two think you're doing? Fightin' at a time like this? You'll use up all the air.

Unknown said...

I am so ready for the get healthy blogfest! (Is this the point I should mention I haven't run in a week?)

Jen said...

Never can we curse FOX enough for cancelling the greatest show of all time. You're the second person who has mentioned Firefly in a week to me...hmm...seems like a re-watch is in order!

Cheers! And CONGRATS to all the book deals and new releases mentioned here! Huzzah!

Jen

Ella said...

How did I miss this post?!
Wow, congrats everyone-so exciting!
Jeff's cover rocks ;D

Yes, I am ready for the Get Healthy Fest!

Hope your week rocks!

Leovi said...

I hope not to forget Get Healthy Bloghop!

Theresa Milstein said...

Wow, a lot of good things happening to our writing friends in the blogosphere. Congratulations to all of you!

Nicki Elson said...

Cannot disagree with you on Firefly. :) #1 Martin Scorcese. #2 - 5 No idea.

"You go to hell, and while you're there, why don't you grab me a juice box!" Need I even name the movie?

Unknown said...

I do have an abiding love for sports films, particularly when they are well done and preferably not baseball. I just can't get into those. My fave sports movie are Brian's Song and Miracle. But, alas I cannot think of a quote. LOL Not enough caffeine and getting over being sick.

Yay for everyone and I am looking forward to the blog fest as I need to get healthy for sure. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Debra, good one!

Jen, I know what you're doing this weekend...

Nicki, you're correct, and I had to look it up - I've never seen Kicking and Screaming.

Melissa, Brian's song is powerful.

Unknown said...

Agreed; the cast of Firefly is full of amazing secondary characters; and each of them would be worthy of their own spin off series :)

VR Barkowski said...

Another vote for "If you build it, they will come." Not a baseball fan, didn't really care for "Field of Dreams," but I still quote that line all the time. Go figure.

VR Barkowski

Julie Dao said...

I LOVE Lieutenant D'Agosta from the Pendergast series! He is highly underrated. And now you've made me want to read all of the Preston/Child books again, beginning with RELIC!

LynNerdKelley said...

I love hearing all this good news on your blog, Alex. Congrats to Karen Lange. That's great news about her book deal. And the cover for Optical Osmosis is quite striking. Congrats to all the others who have shared their good news here.

The Get Healthy Blog Hop sounds like a winner. I'll have to check it out but am too overwhelmed these days to participate. I just finished a concoction of kale, spinach, carrot, blueberries, raspberries, green formula powder, and chia seeds! And I'm munching on Roasted seaweed as I type this! Sound healthy or yucky? The seaweed's pretty tasty, actually. :)

mshatch said...

Thank you for spreading my good news! And I am so disappointed in myself for not knowing more answers to the movie trivia.
#2 is Spielberg and one of Christian Bale's early movies - possibly his first (not sure about that).
#4 Clint Eastwood directed this and won me over to his director side. What a great movie.
#5 I should know since it's one of my most favorite movies. *hangs head in shame*

Jeff Hargett said...

That's the shiniest cast of secondary characters I've seen yet! Excellent choices one and all! I knew you were a man of good taste.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jamie, now there's an idea...

VR, it stuck in your brain.

Julie, you just rock!!!

Lynn, you should join us and post that recipe.

Marcy, you're welcome! You got two right. And that was Bale's second film.

Jeff, I try!

Belle said...

I loved the characters on Firefly. It was a great ensemble. I guess my favorite secondary character was Spock on Star Trek. I did get two of the movie directors. It is wonderful Shelly Arkon is donating to the people of Oklahoma.

Anonymous said...

I need to check some of these out. I bought some bloggers' books this morning and I'd like to join some blogfests.

Vanessa Morgan said...

I love those blogfests. I should definitely start participating more often.

Carrie-Anne said...

I really like the shades of green used on the Optical Osmosis cover. It really sets a mood for what the story might be about.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to thank you for stopping by my blog! Having a big-deal author/blogger like yourself makes my blog more interesting! ;)

The Happy Whisk said...

Censored ... I F-bombed my own blog once. Just happened naturally, so I left it in. But I understand your reasons for leaving it out.

Have a groovy weekend. It's the Trailer Park Spa for us. Woohoo.

Love me some staycation time.

Unknown said...

I have yet to watch any Firefly, but I always hear how awesome it was, so it's good to find out a little more about it.