Wednesday, April 8, 2015

A to Z Challenge – G – Cult Classics: Galaxy Quest, Ginger Snaps, Guns N Roses, and More! Plus the Scavenger Hunt is On…

Today my tour stop is with author David Powers King as I help him out with one of the characters from his book, Woven!



A to Z Challenge – Cult Classics – G
Movies-Music-Sci-fi Book-Bloggers-Dragon Term





Movies –

Ginger Snaps
A small, low budget film with a unique twist on the werewolf theme. This 2000 film won several awards and spawned two sequels.

Galaxy Quest
The perfect parody of Star Trek and its fans, done with love and humor. This 1999 film starred Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver and won both Hugo and Nebula awards.



Music –


Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
This album put them on the map and almost a year after its release. Topping the charts in 1988, this album went eighteen-times Platinum and was ranked as one of the best albums ever by many.


Science Fiction Book –


Gateway by Frederik Pohl
Serialized in Galaxy before being published as a book in 1977. It won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula, and John W. Campbell Memorial Award.




Bloggers –

GB Miller at Father Nature’s Corner
You want an author with snark and attitude? One with a twisted sense of humor and not afraid to tell it like it is? Then GB is your guy.

Deniz Bevan at Girdle of Melian
Want to know what it’s like to live in Switzerland? Want to follow an author’s account of life abroad, writing, blogging, and everything in between? Then Deniz is that author! (She also made Mini-Alex's awesome scarf!)

Dragon of the Stars Term –

Graham –
The father of Aden, Graham Pendar is a Duke and the owner of numerous processing plants that turn sea kelp into food, energy, and Ceteroll. He has hopes his son will one day follow in his footsteps in business and perhaps become a member of the Council.

Dragon of the Stars is out now!
Check out the site What Are the Kargrandes? for clues as to how they tie into the story.

And there is a Scavenger Hunt! An autographed copy of the book, bookmarks and swag, and $20.00 iTunes gift cards to the winner. Just visit the sites below and leave a comment – where do you think Mini-Alex is in the photo? Open until midnight April 11 – winner announced here April 13. 
Now go!


Ninja News

Truedessa, who is participating in the Scavenger Hunt, posted the most amazing science fiction poem for Dragon of the Stars. She’s an awesome person, so please check it out. Thanks, Truedessa – that rocked my world.

Released last week:
A Body at Bunco, Myrtle Clover #8
By Elizabeth Spann Craig

Shannon Lawrence’s short story, Know Thy Neighbor, was just published in Under the Bed Magazine, Volume 3, Number 7






Fan of either movie? (We have to get out of here before those creatures kill Guy!) Like old school Guns ‘n’ Roses? Following those awesome bloggers? Did you read Truedessa’s poem? And have you found all of the Mini-Alexes yet?

Don’t forget to visit David Powers King!

115 comments:

Annalisa Crawford said...

Yeah, Guns n Roses and Galaxy Quest! Brilliant, both of them. Does this mean I'm cool?

Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

Elephant's Child said...

Back to dinosaur status today. Nix on the movies, very vague memories of Guns n Roses and no to the book. Off to visit some of the featured blogs. Thank you (and them in advance) for expanding my world.

Unknown said...

Wednesday 8th April 2015

Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for visiting my Piggy-post (Gris) for 'G'. Yes, Wilbur is exactly what I mean by a Cuddle-pig (kelgris).
Best wishes,
Anna

nashvillecats2 said...

I love Guns n Roses, also again some good books.
Hope your book is going well.

Yvonne.

Clare said...

Now I want to watch Ginger Snaps. Great movie! :D

Rhonda Albom said...

Many years ago, when I was single and lived in San Francisco, I was out clubbing with friends and the band from Guns and Roses came in for a drink.

Jennifer Hawes said...

Guns and Roses!!
I think one of my kids called Ginger Snap the other day ;)

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Alex, you must be one tired Ninja... I hope April 7th will be one that goes down as a great day...

Ginger Snaps and Galaxy Quest... both the surprise joys in films.

Take Care, have a great day!

Jeremy

Dani said...

Oh yes, I really like Ginger Snaps! GnR is one of my faves!!

ediFanoB said...

I hope you have had a great day yesterday.

Guns N Roses was/is not my taste. I prefer other bands.

Galaxy Quest was a good one.

Truedessa said...

Good Morning Alex,

Thanks for the smile, I wasn't expecting the shout out for the poem. It was my pleasure to write it for your release and you are most welcome.

I remember watching Galaxy Quest. I thought I would see Guardians of the Galaxy today. That was one of my favorite movies this past year.

Guns N Roses - one has to like a band with a name like that..some great music from those guys.

Jackie said...

Love that Guns N Roses album! I haven't heard of Ginger Snaps, but since it's about werewolves, I need to check that out!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Seriously, are you on with all your musical choices? Nice! I did finally revisit your Kargrandes site. Very intriguing.

Elise Fallson said...

Graham is a great name. It's also my son's name. ;)

Hart Johnson said...

Love Guns n Roses. And I've never heard of Ginger Snaps but that looks pretty good.

Cherdo said...

Axel Rose always gets on my nerves; I don't know why.

Galaxy Quest is a guaranteed favorite at our house. Brilliant plot.

Ginger Snaps is an underdog!

Bob/Sally said...

I haven't watched Galaxy Quest in forever. That may be the next flick I dig up to watch with my son - we just did Maximum Overdrive, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is on tap this week.

TBM said...

Yeah for Ginger Snaps. Such a fun, cheesy flick and I'm surprised that I knew one of the cult films. Usually, I'm not cool enough.

Matthew MacNish said...

Gingersnaps? Never heard of it, but it sounds cool!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Truedessa is a fabulous poet.
Happy Thursday, Alex. Keep soaring.
xo

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Annalisa, you were cool anyway.

Yvonne, that's cool!

Rhonda, wow!

Jeremy, I am a bit beat, but still all of April to go.

Edi, it was great, and thanks again for hosting!

Truedessa, I really appreciated your poem. And I can watch Guardians over and over.

Sheri, I try!

Elise, really? I scored.

Cherdo, he got on a lot of people's nerves.

Bob, sounds like Galaxy Quest is in order.

TBM, you are cool enough.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I remember Guns and Roses, though I wasn't a big fan of theirs.

Charles Gramlich said...

I thought no one else in the world knew about Ginger Snaps. I really liked that movie.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Nope, never heard of Gingersnaps. Funny name for a werewolf movie. And I see Galaxy Quest promoted on Netflix all the time. I might have to watch that one. :)

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Lots of great choices. However, I've not read the book.

Anonymous said...

I've actually never heard of Ginger Snaps.

Liesel K. Hill said...

You know, I saw Galaxy Qwest years ago, when it first came out, I think. And I don't think I really appreciated it. Maybe I didn't get that it was a spoof or something. I think I'd like it a lot better if I watched it again now. I'll have to do that. :D

Al Penwasser said...

I haven't seen Galaxy Quest, although I bet I'd love it!

Arlee Bird said...

I still haven't seen Galaxy Quest and I'm not sure I ever finished watching Ginger Snaps. I do read GB's blog however.

I'm pretty dense sometimes and yesterday it took a little while to figure out what was happening with the scavenger hunt. Maybe I was too absorbed in getting through blogs. That was a clever idea.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Wrote By Rote

Jay Noel said...

Funny how Galaxy Quest became such a huge hit AFTER its theatrical release. Same with Appetite For Destruction. Gives us artists some hope if things don't take off right away.

Trisha said...

Classic Gunners album!

Nice featured bloggers! ;)

Aaand I remember Ginger Snaps, but I can't believe it was made as recently as 2000! For some reason I thought of it as older.

Liz Blocker said...

I LOVE GALAXY QUEST!!!

Alex, I've said it about fifty times already, but I'm so sorry I never got on you list for this release tour. I stink. I did give you a shout-out on my blog today - a small way to make up for it!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Charles, I was surprised how good it was.

LG, you've never seen it? You have to watch it!

Liesel, give it another shot. Now you know what to expect.

Karen, happy but beat!

Al, you would dig it.

Thanks, Lee!

Jay, exactly.

Liz, no worries! And thanks.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Elizabeth comes up with the best names for her books! I'll check out those bloggers!
Play off the Page

Unknown said...

Reading your lists makes me feel very old, but I persevere, try to keep up :0)

Tamara Narayan said...

I remember Deniz well from last year's challenge. GB sounds like fun. I'll have to stop over and see what these two are up to.

I also mentioned you and your scavenger hunt in my blog today. Kudos for a creative way to debut your book.

Cherie Colyer said...

I'm starting to realize just how many movies I haven't seen. GNR was one of my favorite bands, though.

Congrats on you new release!

kjmckendry said...

I love Guns and Roses! Brings back the good ole' days!
I have to get out and search for Mini-Alex!

Leovi said...

Awesome, wonderful album by Guns N Roses !!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Not familiar with the movies or much else. :) I watched Rebel Without a Cause the other night. Bet you don't know that one.
I'm looking for the Ninjas. What fun.

Chrys Fey said...

Ginger Snaps...I liked that one. And you can't talk about cult classics without mentioned Guns N Roses. Good one!

Carrie-Anne said...

Galaxy Quest is a really fun movie, just the way a parody should be done. Someday I'd like to find a vinyl copy of Appetite for Destruction.

Julie Flanders said...

Loved Guns N Roses. And I didn't know about Shannon's story - that's fantastic! Off to congratulate her now.

jaybird said...

No way I can track down all of the Mini-Alexs yet. I am on the hunt though.

Good ole Guns-n-Roses. Just thinking about that band brings back some serious memories. Big, giant-haired memories.

Galaxy Quest has one of my favorite quotes of all time to use on my kids- "never give up never surrender"

S. L. Hennessy said...

I LOVE Galaxy Quest (so much fun), but I'm not sure I've ever read Gateway before. Guns n Roses!!

Fundy Blue said...

Hi Alex! I'll bet you're glad that it's today with all the excitement of yesterday behind you, so you can at least catch your breath! I'm still waiting for the UPS man to ring; maybe this morning! Galaxy Quest has to be one of my favorite all-time movies ever! Brilliant! If I'm in need of a good laugh, GQ is the movie for me! I thought that the lead up to your book release and the fun scavenger hunt yesterday was creative and fun. You didn't choose a hardcore, monetizing approach, and I liked that! Too much commercialism and self-promotion turns me off! And I'm enjoying the DOST Terms ~ They pique my curiosity in a subtle way. I hope that you'll count my attempts to get to the Helena Mini-Alex as a comment, because I'm still locked out! That way you won't have to add an email to your long list. Have a good one!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Carole, don't feel old!

Tamara, thank you! I tried to do something different.

Beverly, I have seen that one!

Carrie-Anne, I'm sure they are still out there.

Jaybird, dig that quote!

Fundy, if Galaxy Quest is on, I always start watching. Glad you liked the scavenger hunt and I forgot to send you the link. Too much going on yesterday!

Mark Koopmans said...

Hey, I've heard of that Dave guy (but none of the movies, as usual!!)

Gotta go check him out, and hope you got some rest last evening :)

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Appetite for Destruction one of my favorite albums. I saw Guns and Roses in concert...they opened for Aerosmith. That was once in a lifetime ticket!

cleemckenzie said...

The rock I live under seems to have blocked out the movies, but the music got through. I was never much in Guns and Roses, however.

Bevimus said...

"Never give up, never surrender!"
"Oh, it's always about YOU, isn't it?!?"
"Whoever wrote this episode should die!"
I could quote Galaxy Quest all day long- one of my favorite movie of all time!

Never saw Ginger Snaps but I've heard many good things.

And yes, I loved Truedessa's poem.

Pat Hatt said...

Galaxy Quest is a great one. Seen ginger snaps but barely remember it. Can't go wrong with guns and roses. Truedessa did a great poem indeed

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Thanks so much for the release mention!

Believe it or not, "Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction" was one of my favorite albums in high school. :) But I'll admit I liked the more radio-friendly stuff on the album.

Sarah Foster said...

I've heard of both movies but haven't seen either of them.

HeatherD76 said...

I love Galaxy Quest! The hubby and I are always quoting it. So sad.

Guns N' Roses is a favorite too. Both my kids love the music I grew up with, so they have yet to torture me with their music choices.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Like Heather, I love Galaxy Quest. Never Surrender! Never Give Up! :-)

I've always been tempted to watch Ginger Snaps. One day.

mail4rosey said...

I liked Appetite for Destruction. :)

L.G. Keltner said...

Ginger Snaps and Galaxy Quest are both great movies!

SpacerGuy said...

Guns and Roses sure were the biz back in the day, Galaxy Quest is a epic movie, I've watched it again and again.

stephen Hayes said...

I usually watch Galaxy Quest when it runs on TV. It never fails to make me laugh.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Appetite for Destruction was so awesome! Still love that album.

I wasn't a fan of Gingersnaps, which is a Canadian movie, but my bf the werewolf fanatic claims it's one of the best werewolf movies ever made. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Elizabeth, yes it was!

Beverly, you rock!

Elizabeth, you're welcome. My favorite songs on that album were the ones that didn't get much air time.

Heather, that's funny.

Stephen, me neither!

Birgit said...

I love Galaxy Quest and can watch this over and over again! I am not a fan of Guns and Roses-too heavy metal for my taste-on the search for the ninja!

LD Masterson said...

Great to see Dragon of the Stars so many places.

I don't remember Gingers Snaps but I absolutely love Galaxy Quest.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I'll also have to see Galaxy Quest! It's been fun finding Mini-Alex everywhere!Congrats to all the authors!

Julie

Susan Kane said...

Galaxy Quest--I laughed so hard! Why wasn't a 2nd one made?
.
Guns n Roses...absolutely

M Pax said...

Congrats on your new release! Woot woot!

I never tire of watching Galaxy Quest and Gateways is an amazing book.

Untethered Realms / MPax

Nilanjana Bose said...

Guns n Roses. !988!!That's a long time ago..makes me feel like a senior citizen...the mini-Alex hunt is awesome creative.

Best always,
Nilanjana

Anonymous said...

Galexy Quest is a movie I always see screencaps and gifs of, but I have yet to see it.

~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

Jo said...

Not much to say about any of that today. Got a Dragon of the Stars card in the mail though. Been busy this morning that's why I am so late.

Andrew Leon said...

I have one job on this ship...!

Stephanie Faris said...

I've never seen Galaxy Quest before, but I didn't realize it was a parody of Star Trek and its fans. Now I want to watch it!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I love ginger snaps but not mixed with werewolves .. I have to find and check that I've visited all your participating bloggers. Deniz certainly does a great job from Switzerland ..

Now to Trudessa's blog .. cheers and good luck with all the promotions etc .. Hilary

Tyrean Martinson said...

By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged! - Galaxy Quest - one of the best classics. :)


Stephen Tremp said...

Galaxy Quest was a fun movie and one the kids still watch. Okay, off to David's blog now.

CA Heaven said...

Yes, there are some good old Guns'n'Roses songs. My favorites are Sweet Child of Mine and November Rain (and November snow is even better) >:)

Cold As Heaven

Bish Denham said...

I haven't seen either movie, but Galaxy Quest sounds like something I'd enjoy. And, I've read Gateway, so long ago now that I've forgotten what it's about...

Intangible Hearts said...

So much to do and see. Everyone is supposed to have short blogs and no one wants to rein in their creativity--except me! LOL Woven sounds great.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan. good question!

Thanks Nilanjana!

Patricia, you need to watch it.

Jo that's cool!

Andrew - it's stupid, but I'm going to do it!

Stephanie, you will laugh so hard.

Tyrean, you know it well.

Intangible, my Challenge portion is short - very few words.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Haven't found all the mini-Alex yet. Not a Guns 'n' Roses. Going to visit Truedessa.

Lisa said...

Never heard of Ginger Snaps but now I want to see it. LOVE Galaxy Quest and have seen it numerous times. The only G & R song I like is "November Rain." Yes, I know, I'm soppy that way. Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

G. B. Miller said...

Excellent!

Thanks for the shout out. "Snark with attitude", now that I like.

Love that G'n'R album. Hands down, the best one they ever made.

I believe I saw the original Ginger Snaps and I thought it was pretty cool.

J E Oneil said...

Lots of good ones today, although that Guns and Roses album just gave me a horrible flashback to my adolescence.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Galaxy Quest is one of those films NO ONe should miss! Ginger Snaps? Never heard of it but I enjoy them as cookies.

Holy Ghost Writer said...

Galaxy Quest was a wonderful movie

Mark Means said...

Loved Galaxy Quest! A true cult classic :)

Sandra Cox said...

Heading over to Truedessa's.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

First off congratulations on the release of your new book Alex.

Ginger Snaps is a movie I need to watch one day. Heard all kinds of things about it. Cool my last name Graham is in the book! Yay!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, there were a lot of them...

Lisa, my wife digs that song.

GB, you are welcome! And the sequels to Ginger Snaps weren't quite as good.

Sheena-kay, it is!

Donna McDine said...

Yet again, you bring back fond memories...Guns N' Roses!

Loved GalaxyGuest too!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats to Elizabeth.

Galaxy Quest is so funny.

Liz A. said...

Never seen Ginger Snaps but I liked Galaxy Quest. I never could get into Guns N Roses. Something about Axl Rose bothers me...

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Guns and Roses; Galaxy Quest; Ginger Snaps was neat; and mini Alex is in a car seat in your wife's car!

Unknown said...

It's amazing how many singles came out of that one album by Guns 'N' Roses. That was easily the pinnacle of their career.

Mason T. Matchak said...

Ah, yes, Galaxy Quest - the greatest Star Trek movie, much like John Scalzi's Redshirts is the greatest Star Trek novel. ^_^ It take some serious skill to create something that's both parody and homage at the same time.

And man, I remember when Guns'n'Roses were edgy and dangerous. I'm old.

Ella said...

I have to go play some Guns n' Roses now~ Great G, Captain cool!

Helena said...

I LOVE Galaxy Quest! It is indeed the perfect Star Trek parody and even after all these years still holds up well.

Nick Wilford said...

I saw Trudessa's poem! Such a lovely thing to do.

Galaxy Quest always raises a chuckle and I love some Gunners. I did quite well on your references this time!

Tammy Theriault said...

I love the old guns n roses omg! Use to listen to them on my Walkman on long road trips!

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Me and my family love Galaxy Quest! You're pretty clever to use your characters' names or something from your novels for this A to Z thing. Smart!


Elizabeth Mueller
AtoZ 2015
My Little Pony

Shannon Lawrence said...

Gasp. I recognize that magazine cover. Thank you for sharing, Alex!

I love Galaxy Quest and Ginger Snaps. I haven't seen the GS sequel, and I've heard mixed reviews, but I need to watch it one of these days.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I missed posting your scavenger hunt to my blog, but shared it on Facebook. Fun idea!

Unknown said...

I've never seen Ginger Snaps, but might check it out now. I loved Galaxy Quest. I grew up in a Star Trek house. My mother and sister even went to a convention together :) Leonard Nimoy passing was a sad day. On a happier note, I bought your book and I'm excited to read!

You can find me here:
ClarabelleRant

Unknown said...

I've seen Galaxy Quest. It was quite amusing, lol. Awesome poem by the way. It's so creative. :)

RaveAir said...

Congrats on your new book!

I've seen the Galaxy Quest. It was funny movie, but I can't recall anything about it.

Dean K Miller said...

Missed Galaxy Quest back then, will be hunting it out this weekend!

Mina Burrows said...

I remember Galaxy Quest. I liked it.

Deniz Bevan said...

Aww, thank you for the feature, Alex!
I love Guns 'n' Roses. I had that album on tape, then on CD, along with all the other tapes of their albums I had to replace!

randi lee said...

I actually just re-watched Galaxy Quest on Netflix the other day...don't laugh, that movie's a riot!!

J Lenni Dorner said...

Guns and Roses - the album you've listed is the first "decent" music my brother got into. (No more wheels on the bus going round and round? YAY!!!)

Shell Flower said...

Hitchhikers Guide and Handmaids Tale are two of the best books EVER. For such different reasons, yet both really challenge the status quo and where it is headed. The political climate in Handmaids Tale is chillingly true today. I hope your book release is going well.

Rachna Chhabria said...

I love Guns 'n' Roses. I have to watch Ginger Snap now.

The Happy Whisk said...

Galaxy Quest, seriously one of the BEST MOVIES, EVARRRR!

Michelle Wallace said...

Life has thrown me a small curve-ball... nothing major... and now I'm trying to play catch-up.
Here goes-----------
Off to David's blog now.

Toi Thomas said...

I never saw Ginger Snaps, but really liked Galaxy Quest. Appetite For Destruction is pretty epic.