Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, June Movie Preview, Heroes of PHENOMENA, and New Releases!

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

My awesome co-hosts for the June 4 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo, Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner!

I finished my manuscript!

Despite the fact I’ve been on vacation since last Friday, I finished. I had plenty of down time to just relax, and I managed to pound out the last few pages.

I began this project feeling a bit unsure. It’s still space opera but different from my Cassa series. There was also one aspect I wasn’t sure I could pull off. (How do you describe something no human has ever experienced?) But fortunately, it occurred at a very exciting point in the story, and I think I succeeded. I also have some sub-plots and scenes to add, and I’ll begin that process next week.

But the first draft is basically done!

Be sure to visit other IWSG members.

Heroes of PHENOMENA!

Available on Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords

From the amazing writer who put it all together, Samantha Redstreake Geary: 
“Welcome to Heroes of Phenomena, with my favorite composer gang over in Hollywood and leaders of the film music advertising industry, audiomachine! As part of a global, cross-industry promotional project for audiomachine’s upcoming public release, PHENOMENA—by celebrated composer, Paul Dinletir—we’re introducing a groundbreaking campaign to encourage the next generation of authors, artists & musicians! With each download of the upcoming FREE PHENOMENA companion ebook, audiomachine will make a donation to the LA Youth Orchestra. The ebook will also feature a dedicated YOUTH section, showcasing the talents of aspiring artists and authors from the gifted students of Elevate’s Life & Art Studios!”

I was honored to be asked to contribute to this book, and my story, CassaFate, is inspired by the song Drakon's Empire.

PHENOMENA available now from ITunes, Amazon, and CD Baby


Ninja News!

New releases:

No Free Will (Book 10 of A Shot in the Light) by Hart Johnson
And as a bonus A Shot in the Light, Parts I-IV is only 99 cents through June 13.

Don’t Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein

Played by Liz Fichera

Another New Life by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
Find it on Amazon

Champion in Flight by Tyrean Martinson
Find it on Amazon and Smashwords

Coming soon -  
Secrets of Honor by Carol Kilgore







June Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for June! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

6 –


Edge of Tomorrow
A soldier fighting in a war with aliens finds himself caught in a time loop of his last day in the battle, though he becomes better skilled along the way.
Director: Doug Liman
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Tom Cruise dies repeatedly at the hands of a machine gun-toting groundhog!
(So far reviews have been great, so I will be seeing this Friday.)


13 –

How to Train Your Dragon 2
It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
Director: Dean DeBlois
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill
The first ended with a metal foot and leg for Hiccup – is it possible this will end with his head on a stick?
(Perfect reviews for this one – won’t miss it!)

22 Jump Street
After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.
Directors: Phil Lord | Christopher Miller
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Dave Franco
Because there were so many unanswered questions in 21 Jump Street…
(The previews do have their funny moments.)

27 –

Transformers: Age of Extinction
An automobile mechanic and his daughter make a discovery that brings down the Autobots and Decepticons - and a paranoid government official - on them.
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci
Wahlberg transforms into… the same character he’s played in countless other films.
(Hey, at least it’s not LaBeouf!)

Glad to be back – did you miss me? Downloading PHENOMENA and Heroes of PHENOMENA? Excited about the new releases? What’s your writing insecurity today? And what movies will you be seeing in June…?

215 comments:

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Unknown said...

yay for finishing the MS! Good luck with revisions!

Jeff Hargett said...

A great big pat on the back to you at completing the first draft, Alex! Hearing this and reading the Ninja News is encouraging.

Stephanie Faris said...

I thought I'd commented on this but I don't see it. Maybe you've reached your limit!

Congrats on finishing your manuscript despite being on vacation. That is an awesome feeling. Hope you celebrated.

Unknown said...

Wow, congratulations! That is awesome :D

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Karen, I know! I lied.

Kitty!!! Always makes me smile to see your comments. Hope Hiccup keeps his body parts for this one.

Stephanie, after two hundred comments, the comment box starts listing them on a new page, so you might have commented!

Donna B. said...

Congratulations on finishing your manuscript! I will look forward to your reviews…ROCK ON ALEX!

ediFanoB said...

Congratulations on finishing your first draft.

Of course I missed you!

Today I returned to the blogosphere after my break.

Seems I missed a lot in the past weeks.

Anonymous said...

Way to go on finishing your first draft, Alex. I always call mine the "sloppy copy" -- plenty to clean up later, but at least the main plot points are there.

Cassie Mae said...

Congrats on finishing!!!!! Wahoo!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Edi, glad you're back!!

Milo, I'm going to remember that expression.

Nicole said...

Awesome news about finishing your MS! I love seeing more space opera out there. :)

Looking forward to How to Train Your Dragon 2!

Tammy Theriault said...

congrats on finishing! I'm looking forward to jump street!! the first was hilarious :D

Cate Masters said...

Congrats on completing a first draft! Always a great feeling. :)

Really looking forward to the second Dragon movie!

Emily Blunt does have a fierceness I've never seen in her before. Looking forward to that one too.

Cate Masters said...

Congrats on completing a first draft! Always a great feeling. :)

Really looking forward to the second Dragon movie!

Emily Blunt does have a fierceness I've never seen in her before. Looking forward to that one too.

Pat Tillett said...

Thanks for all the info Alex. I'm glad to hear that Tom Cruise will be playing somebody besides himself in a movie. The premise is familiar, but the trailers and everything I've heard about the movie is positive. It's a go for me!

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