Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Anthology Winners! Plus January Movie Preview, Warcraft Review, and Ninja News

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 today are Eva @ Lillicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner!


Prompt question for today - What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

Today is the big day – the announcement of the IWSG Anthology Contest 2016 winners!

First, thanks to my awesome IWSG Admins for reading all of the entries - Lynda Young, L. Diane Wolfe, Michelle Wallace, Chrys Fey, Susan Gourley, Joylene Nowell Butler and Joy Campbell.

Then a big thanks to this year’s official judges: author Elizabeth S. Craig, author Richard Harland, senior editor Laura Maisano, author Russell C. Connor, literary agent Dawn Frederick, author Ion Newcombe, and author Lynn Tincher.

And now, the winners of the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest – Hero Lost:

Tyrean Martinson – Of Words and Swords
L. Nahay – Breath Between Seconds
Roland Yeomans - Sometimes They Come Back
Elizabeth Seckman - Mind Body Soul
Olga Godim - Captain Bulat
Ellen Jacobson - The Silvering
Erika Beebe - The Wheat Witch
Yvonne Ventresca – The Art of Remaining Bitter
Sean McLachlan - The Witch Bottle
Sarah Foster - The Last Dragon
Renee Cheung - Memoirs of a Forgotten Knight

And the grand prize winner:

Jen Stanton Chandler - The Mysteries of Death and Life

Congratulations to the winners and all who entered – we had a record number of entries this year. Look for the anthology, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life, late spring.

Movie Review – Warcraft

It’s actually one of the better video game to movie adaptations, but that’s not saying much.
It did have really good effects.
Unfortunately, some of the actors weren’t up to the task – they weren’t capable of being really good fantasy actors.
At two hours, it also runs a little long.
Overall, entertaining but forgettable.
Worth a NetFlix rental if you have nothing better to do.


Ninja News

The RiffTrax: Live MST3K Reunion is now available for download and on DVD/Blu-ray!
You can pick it up at their site or at Amazon.

We watched it again over the holidays and laughed just as hard as the first time. This is definitely the best RiffTrax: Live show you will ever see. Don’t miss it!



New Releases:


Howlin' Wolf Records: Six Strings - Season 2 Issue 1 [2017]
It's a highlight of the best soundtrack/score music and some of those we lost. Goodbye 2016, Hello... 2017
And all our favorite things; FILMS, MUSIC, BOOKS, ETC.
Get your free issue today!

Sold by J.L. Campbell
Find it on Amazon

A Bit of a Twist anthology
Including Happily Ever After by Loni Townsend
Find it on Amazon




January Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for January! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

6 –

Underworld: Blood Wars
Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) fights to end the eternal war between the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her.
Director: Anna Foerster
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver
If you’re not already committed to werewolves fighting vampires ad nauseam, this won’t change your mind. But Kate still looks gorgeous.

A Monster Calls
A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness. Director: J.A. Bayona
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson
This was supposed to come out last year – never a good sign.





13 –

Sleepless
A cop with a connection to the criminal underworld scours a nightclub in search of his kidnapped son.
Director: Baran bo Odar
Stars: Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, David Harbour, Jamie Foxx
I like Foxx, but a January release might make one sleepy…




20 –

xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.
Director: D.J. Caruso
Stars: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu
XXX is back! Not that I remember the first one. Plus it was Diesel, then Ice Cube, now Diesel again…so confusing.




27 –

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began - The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Ruby Rose, Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Iain Glen
The Final Chapter…unless it makes money.


What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard? Excited for the next IWSG anthology? Seen Warcraft? Picked up the MST3K Reunion show? Did you have a good holiday break and Christmas? And what movies excite you this month?

152 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - welcome back to the blogging world and 2017 - all the best for the coming year and thanks for all you do. Congratulations to the winners and that's great the anthology will be out in the Spring. Particular congratulations to Jen on winning ..

Howlin Wolf Records sounds a great resume ... we did lose lots of amazing people in 2016 ...

Good luck to all those authors with new books this year ... cheers and have very happy months ahead to one and all - Hilary

Pat Garcia said...

Good Morning Alex,
Congratulations to all the participants who have made it into the anthology. I read the submission titles and it sounds like it is going to be a great anthology. I'm looking forward to its release.

Many thanks to you and your entire team for an outstanding 2016. I appreciate the work, time, and effort you all put into IWSG.

All the best for 2017.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia

Sarah Foster said...

Congrats to all of the anthology winners! And thanks to you and all of the IWSG admins and the judges for reading the entries! I'm super excited and can't wait to read everyone else's stories!

nashvillecats2 said...

Happy New Year Alex and welcome back:
Congrats to all anthology winners and look forward to reading them in the future,
Enjoyed all your news and rewiews.

Yvonne.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year, Twinny! Congratulations to all the Anthology winners. I picked up the first one, and I'm sure this one will be just as good. Hope your holidays were awesome. Thanks for letting me co-host this month. It's been a while. I was having withdrawals...

Heather R. Holden said...

Laughed too hard at the "unless it makes money" comment. Too true. XD

And many congrats to the winners! Sounds like such an intriguing anthology, based on those story titles alone...

Laura Clipson said...

Congratulations to all the winners! Can't wait to read the anthology :)

kaykuala said...

Hi, Alex! Nice to see you back. Had been relatively quiet the past week or so. Congrats to all the winners who made it into the anthology. Should be great reading this coming Spring! 2017 would be a good year looking into the enthusiasm of those who missed you going into the new year! Great!

Hank

Cathrina Constantine said...

Congratulations to all the winners!!!!

Happy New Year Alex!

The Cynical Sailor said...

I'm still in shock seeing my name on the list of winners and in such amazing and talented company! Many thanks to you, the admin team and the judges for all of the time and effort put into this contest. I would have never written a short story before, let alone entered it into a contest without the encouragement of you and the rest of the IWSG community. This is an wonderful group :-)

Cheers - Ellen

The Angry Lurker said...

Totally agree about Warcraft!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

So many good stories--it was tough to choose between them! Congratulations to the winners..they did a fantastic job. I was honored to be part of the selection process.

The January films don't seem very exciting this year. :(

Jennifer Hawes said...

Congrats to all the winners! I'm just so glad the holidays are over and I'm back home sleeping in my own bed. And the kids are back to school today;-) On to editing.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Congrats to all of the anthology winners!

I wrote about adverbs for my IWSG post.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Well so many films coming out this year, some look like complete stinkers. I am getting a little burned out on "Super Hero" films, not that I won't see them... just like "ugh" get them right. As for those you mentioned sequels... Kate looks amazing, leather and well I am in... though it looks like the last story line is lost...

Resident Evil, sadly I gave up on... it's become a mess, consider me a pass. XXX what, did we need another one? I think he needs to stick to the FF and I am GROOT films... and sadly I am baby groot, better not get in the way of it being an awesome film. Too cute, blah...

Well color me intrigued and congrats to the winners and upcoming releases... and thank you for the shout out, did you see your page inside the pages.... thank you.

Jeremy

ps. I think this is more than I have written in a long time...

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to the winners of the contest! Checked out your list of new releases and none really appealed to me. I'm hoping to see the new Star Wars movie, though.

Happy New Year, Alex! Hope you have a fantastic year.

Unknown said...

You never gave us the rule you wish you'd never heard...

Congrats to the winners of the anthology contest! Congrats to J.L. and Loni for their new releases!

Thanks so much for the film reviews and previews. I'm very excited about the Underworld and Resident Evil movies! Love those!

Erika Beebe said...

Thank you for the time and hours focused on the contest. Congrats to everyone who submitted work and who were also selected. I am honored. I never saw Warcraft but I did see XXX. It was ok. The last Resident Evil movie reminds me of the third Alien movie. I loved those.
Happy New Year :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Happy to be back, Hilary!

Thanks, Pat.

Sarah, congratulations on making the anthology.

Eva, thanks for co-hosting.

Heather, it is very true...

Ellen, glad you entered!

Elizabeth, the January films rarely are...

Jeremy, you're welcome. And that is longer than your blog post today.

Lexa, I felt my post was long enough.

Erika, congratulations on making it!

Cherie Colyer said...

Warcraft isn't on my to-see list. I haven't heard anything great about it to spark my curiosity. I am excited about the new Underworld. I hope it's better than the last one. And will probably see xXx when it comes out on DVD.

Congrats to the winners of the contest!
All the best in 2017.

L.G. Keltner said...

Congratulations to the winners! I can't wait to read the anthology.

I watched the RiffTrax Live MST3K Reunion show the other day, and I loved it!

Tamara Narayan said...

I'll save my excitement for The Dark Tower and It. And the new anthology. Should be a great one!

Dean K Miller said...

Congrats to all the anthology winners and those who entered. Nicely done!

Many years ago it came out that it wasn't wrong to start a sentence with the word "And." So . . . pretty much every (other?) sentence I used started with "And." Such a nice connective word. I didn't have to think much, just "and" everything together and the story flows, right?

I got over pretty quick, with the help of a red pencil-wielding reading!

All the best in 2017 and beyond.

Christine Danek said...

Congrats to the winners! Sounds like it was a wonderful contest.
Happy New year, Alex! Thanks for the warm welcome back on my blog. I'm aiming to blog more this year.
There are too many rules that I wished I never heard. It can mess up the process of writing.
I did see Rouge One-- so amazing.
Glad to be back. I plan to join in the fun more often.

Nick Wilford said...

Congrats to all the winners! Based on that line-up, this should be another great one. Seems like those game adaptations are hit and miss. Hope you have a great 2017.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to all of the winners! I'm looking forward to reading this collection of stories. Thanks for all your work in keeping this great community of writers together. Best wishes for a fabulous 2017.

Lynn La Vita said...

Announcing the 2016 IWSG Anthology winners is a fantastic way to start the new year! Special thanks to the team that made this happen, especially our fearless leader Alex.

May 2017 be filled with inspiration and creativity. We're already off to a great start.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Happy 2017 Alex!

Congrats to all the anthology contributors and to Jen Stanton Chandler for the winning entry! Best of luck!

I knew you'd be happy with Kate being back in a black. If it ain't broke...

We finally got to see the remake of Magnificent 7. It had it's moments. Did they really have to kill Matt Bomer off in the first few minutes? Grumble, grumble. I guess that's why they gave me Mr. Pratt for the rest. He was awesome.

Did you go see Passengers?

I got the family a GC to go to the movies over the break, but we never made it. :)

I'm just glad all my TV shows are coming back on. :)

Have a great week, Alex!
Heather

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Happy New Year, Alex!

Haven't been paying too much attention to upcoming movies. Looking forward more to some stuff on TV. We recently binge-watched The Night Of - dark and gritty but so excellent.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Weren't the entries outstanding this year! It was an honour participating. Happy New Year, Alex!

Nicola said...

Happy new year, Alex. I hope you and your wife enjoyed a lovely Christmas and I wish you both a wonderful 2017.

Congratulations to all that entered the anthology competition and special claps for all the winners!

Pat Hatt said...

Congrats to all the winners. I skipped Warcraft, sounds like a wise choice. I think all the sequels this month are ones where we can barely remember the first, or the 5th.

Unknown said...

Congrats to the winners!

Warcraft- I watched this a little while back, I agree about graphics and thought it was a decent adaptation- I was even looking forward to seeing it because I was WOW lover a few years back and enjoyed the game tremendously. Personally they did a good job, but not enough I want to own it.

I'm looking forward to the new Underworld and resident Evil movies.
I watched Finding Dori and The Accountant with the family this week.

Finding Dori was super cute and a lot funnier than I expected it to be, but these days they are getting better at doing a second version of kid movies.

The Accountant was surprisingly really good. I'm not going to say I'm a huge Ben Alfeck fan, but I do think he did a great job playing this part. The story was smooth, the only thing is some of the twists were foreseeable early in the movie and at least one I didn't catch until they were about ready to reveal it- in all I'd give it 4 stars.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Happy New Year, Alex. Congrats to all the lucky winners. Looking forward to reading the anthology. I hope to take part in the next IWSG anthology contest.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

At least the tree monster sounds interesting even if the movie is a little late with being released...
Congratulations to all the anthology winners.

mshatch said...

There's a lot of rules I don't always follow, like using sentence fragments, writing what I know, telling vs showing. The trick is to know when to break those rules...Congrats to the anthology winners and Happy New Year :)

Christine Rains said...

Congratulations to the anthology winners! I have no interest in seeing Warcraft. I'd much rather fill my night with MST3K! Have a great week, Alex. :)

Bob/Sally said...

Happy new year, Alex!

I love the Resident Evil and Underworld franchises. At some point, Selene and Alice need a crossover flick to end it all. :)

Unknown said...

Congratulations to the winners!

I'm going to shamefully admit I went to see Warcraft just because Travis Fimmel was in it. I'd never played the game and didn't know anything about the world, so as you can imagine, I was a bit lost. ;) I thought it was fun, though.

Jen said...

Happy New Year! The holidays were great for us but I'm glad to be slowly getting back into "normal" mode. I think after this weekend I'll feel a bit more like myself. It takes me a while to acclimate to changes (LOL!)

I'm super excited to read all the stories in the Anthology and, again, I'm honored and humbled to be a part of it!

Actually, "A Monster Calls" looks intriguing. I saw a brief preview during Christmas and looked the story up. I found the book it's based off of and I'm going to order it. I know nothing more about the story than what you've written here and that excites me. I'm spending the new year reading books I know nothing about! So far it's been interesting...

Cheers and Happy New Year!
Jen

Crystal Collier said...

Yay for all of the winners!! So much awesomeness. Can't wait to read the anthology. Serious epicness happening there.

Underworld... I may have jumped out of my seat and cheered when I saw the first trailer. CAN'T WAIT. That's probably the move of the year for me. --And I'm laughing about Resident Evil too. Wasn't the last one the FINAL one?

Tonja Drecker said...

Congrats to the winners-can't wait to read everything!
No interest in seeing Warcraft here or any other movie. Guess, I'm going to play hibernating bear on that scene this month.
Have a blessed New Year!

Arlee Bird said...

I don't pay too much attention to writing rules in one sense, though many have been ingrained in me through my education so they must be rules that makes sense. Don't know that there's any writing rule that I wish I'd never heard.

Sounds like some lousy movies coming up this month, but film doesn't really impact my life much. Now while my wife is on vacation we've been binging on older movies mostly from the forties and fifties.

Congrats on the anthology. Sounds like a good line up of winners.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Jemi Fraser said...

Congrats to the anthology winners! One of these days I really have to try writing shorts!!
Looking forward to reading it!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

LG, wasn't it awesome???

Dean, funny!

Christine, glad to have you back with us.

Nick, mostly miss.

Thanks, Lee!

Heather! No, didn't see Passengers. Reviews were lukewarm, so we skipped it.

Joylene, there were so many good ones.

Kane, I was surprised and impressed by The Accountant.

Rachna, hope you do!

Christine, wise choice!

Bob, that would be epic.

Megan, at least you enjoyed it.

Crystal, despite reviews, I'll be seeing Underworld.

Jemi, you should!

Yolanda Renée said...

Congratulations to all the winners! So cool!

Wow, not much in the movie arena this time. Definitely don't like tear jerkers, but Kate and Vampires - that one I'll see!

Happy 2017!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations to the winners. Looks like a great anthology is coming our way.

Jennifer Lane said...

Congratulations to all entrants and to the winners!

I'm on vacation this week and saw Manchester by the Sea (total bawl-fest that I loved) and La La Land (pretty good).

Nicki Elson said...

Meh, none of these upcoming movies interest me - so as you'll see, I skipped down to the Rogue One review. Loved it, even with a band of obnoxious punk-ass kids in the row in front of me.

Congrats to the anthology winners! And impressive group of authors. Looking forward to the release.

Happy new year!

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

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the anthology. That's quite a project and an important step for those who won a place in it!
Happy New Year!

Sandra Cox said...

Congratulations to the winners of the anthology! Hats off to each of you.

Joanne said...

welcome back and all the best for 2017. You've kicked it off with a bang. Lots of goodies in the IWSG world. Rules...I'm always breaking them and probably not in a good way. I actually got a huge English Usage book for Christmas - perhaps that can steer me in the right direction.
Meanwhile, this is the time of year to catch films with Oscar buzz. La La Land - thumbs up. Manchester by the Sea was stunning. I want to see Jackie for Natalie's performance. Etc. Etc. The flicks you listed..I agree with your snark. Take care!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I love Vin Diesel, so I want to see XXX.

Congrats to all the anthology winners.

stephen Hayes said...

The writing rule I heard over and over so much I got tired of hearing it remains true: Show us instead of telling us!

Unknown said...

Congrats to all the anthology winners. Thanks for hosting this wonderful group, Alex. Happy New Year.

H. R. Sinclair said...

The Final Chapter…unless it makes money.- ain't that the truth!

Congrats to the anthology winners!

Chrys Fey said...

A big, huge CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!!!

I am a big fan of Vin Diesel, Underworld, and Resident Evil, so this year is shaping up to be a great movie year for me. :)

Gwen Gardner said...

Congratulations to the anthology winners! So proud to know these writers and wishing them the best.

Happy New Year, Alex! I hope you have a wonderful year, full of health, happiness and lots of love!

N. R. Williams said...

Congratulations to the winners of the anthology contest.
Nancy

Loni Townsend said...

I'm excited for the IWSG anthology. There's quite a few authors I recognize on the list and have been wanting to read their work. This will be a good opportunity to get them all in one! And thanks for mentioning A Bit of a Twist! I appreciate that. <3

Patricia Stoltey said...

I've come to believe all writing rules should be learned and then ignored. It's important to know these things, but we should not box ourselves in -- it's like putting a straightjacket on creativity and imagination.

None of those movies appeal to me this month. I'm watching the Homeland series via DVD and The Crown on streaming Netflex, so I'm happy with that. And dare I admit I enjoyed the first episode of Celebrity Apprentice with Arnold as the boss? I was totally entertained!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Welcome back and happy, productive, safe and healthy 2017 to you and yours, Alex. Congratulations, Roland! Congratulations to all the other winners too (Roland's the only winner I know - as of yet). Smiles.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

As Elizabeth Spann Craig wrote -- I am not thrilled with the promise of any of the January films which is probably why they were released now, right? I am more than thrilled to be picked among so many good writers! Congratulations to all the other contest winners, especially Jen Chandler. May your Holidays have been healing and happy!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I forgot to mention there is one January release I am looking forward to: Kedi --

This Turkish documentary, the debut feature for director Ceyda Torun, turns the cameras on a group of stray cats as they amble around their customary haunts in Istanbul.

While the film indeed exposes the day-to-day goings-on of felines, each with a distinct character, what ultimately ends up on screen appears to be a rich portrait of a very ancient city full of equally interesting and distinct individuals.

I'm looking forward to exploring Istanbul in a different way — with some stray cats as my guides!

Carol Kilgore said...

Congrats to the winners of the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest! Happy 2017, Alex!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nicki, sorry about the punks.

Joanne, haven't seen any of those so far.

Loni, that's a great way to look at it.

Patricia, you just dared!

Roland, glad you made it. I think that documentary sounds perfect for you.

Happy 2017, everyone! I'm still making the rounds...

Suzanne Furness said...

Congratulations to the competition winners! Hope you had a great holiday season and Happy New Year, Alex.

Julie Flanders said...

Congratulations to all the winners! What a bunch of great writers. That anthology is sure to be a hit.
Happy New Year, Alex!!

cleemckenzie said...

Hi Alex! Here's to a perfectly wonderful 2017. It has already started off with a bang. What a great line up of anthology winners.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Hey Alex, one of your monthly co-hosts has entered the building. Happy New Year. Congrats to all winners of the IWSG Anthology Contest. I wish A Monster Calls just stuck to one of the previous releases last year. By now most mainstreamers have forgotten all about it. Sad. I have zero interest in Sleepless. Return of Xander Cage, Underworld: Blood Wars and latest Resident Evil...whatever, have my interest. Time will tell if they also get my cash.

Misha Gerrick said...

Congrats to the winners! ^_^

Doreen McGettigan said...

Happy New Year to you and best wishes for a fabulous year! Congratulations to all of the anthology winners, I am looking forward to reading all of the entries.

Elephant's Child said...

HUGE congratulations to all those whose stories will be in the anthology.
And welcome back.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sheena-kay, you always have to wonder when they delay a release like that.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

The break was great even though every one in the family had a cold at one time or another. No movies exciting me this month. The anthology is going to be great!

Mason Canyon said...

Happy New Year, Alex. Congrats to the winners in the anthology and to those with new releases. Looks like a busy month for the movies. I've just gotten around to seeing the other two XXX movies so will have to see how Diesel does in the comeback.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Happy 2017 to you, and cheers on all of those winners! Great list of people, there.

FUN FACT: I once rode in the xXx Hummer Limo, though I don't remember why. It was giant, gaudy, and not fun to ride in at all. With that said, still way better than the movie.

Chemist Ken said...

Hope you had a great holiday, Alex. Congratulations to all the anthology winners. Maybe one day I'll finally complete and submit an entry.

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Incredibly, Resident Evil is probably the most successful video game-to-movie adaptation. I mean, WoW made more money on the first outing, but let's see it get 5 sequels...

IWSG January

Stacy McKitrick said...

Rules? There are rules to writing? Haha! Guess the one (if it is one) that irks me is: write every day. It's enough to turn someone off of writing. Of course, if you love writing, you find the time and don't need to be told this stupid rule (if it is one).

I'm looking forward to the new Underworld movie. Don't know if I'll see it in the theatre or not, but will eventually own the DVD, since I have the others already.

Congrats to all the anthology winners. I wish you many sales!

Mark said...

Some great authors there, congrats to all of them! There are lots of "writing" rules I probably don't agree with. Namely, that there are rules at all. I'm mean, seriously, we're writers...it's our job to break rules:)

Andrew Leon said...

Despite the January release, A Monster Calls is still getting a lot of buzz.

J E Oneil said...

Congrats to the anthology winners. Good for them :)

Doesn't seem to be anything interesting coming out this month. Oh well, it's January.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Even though I was a World of Warcraft player, I hadn't expected much from the movie. Your description of it is spot on.

Yay to the winners of the anthology. It's a shame we couldn't put more stories into the book because there were so many awesome stories!!

Juneta key said...

congrats to anthology winners Looking forward to reading,
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit


Truedessa said...

Welcome Back Alex! I went to see Passengers over the holidays. The movie begs the question, would you do what he did? I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might be planning to see the movie.

Congrats to those who made the IWSG anthology!

Olga Godim said...

Congrats to all my fellow winners. It's a privilege to be among them. Thanks, Alex, for coming up with the idea of our own IWSG anthologies.

Lan said...

Congrats to all the contest winners! Can't wait to read the anthology when it comes out.

I was a bit iffy about the Warcraft movie when it came out so I never went to see it. Might rethink that considering you enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to all the winners.

I think I'm behind on both the Underworld and Resident Evil movies. Maybe one day I'll rent them and binge watch them.

Tyrean Martinson said...

I'm definitely excited about the next IWSG anthology. :)
We had a great holiday break and we saw two movies - Rogue 1 and Assassin's Creed, plus, we revisted The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. :)
Happy IWSG day, Alex!
And, congrats to all the anthology writers!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to the anthology winners!

Happy New Year, Alex!

Liza said...

Happy New Year, Alex! Congratulations to the anthology winners. The titles sound awesome and I'm intrigued!

Leslie S. Rose said...

Hooray - Hooray for all the anthology winners. I feel a page turner coming on. All the best in 2017, Alex. XO

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, bummer.

Mason, not sure I ever saw the second one.

Brandon and Bryan, that's really sad...

Ken, you need to!

CD, it's series that never ends.

Stacy, I don't write every day. Unless blog comments count.

Lynda, at least it was watchable. And I know - so many good ones.

Truedessa, go ahead and spoil it for me.

Olga, it took the whole team to make it happen.

Lan, just leave your brain at the door.

Tyrean, sorry we forgot you this morning!

Denise Covey said...

Wow! Congrats to the IWSG anthology winners! Especially to Jen Chandler. How awesome!! Can't wait to read it!!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2017, Alex!

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Congrats, winners!

I didn't see the second XXX, but I remember the first and am surprised they made a second. lol Still might see the third, though, now that Vin is back.

Charles Gramlich said...

I've got a piece in that Bit of a Twist antho as well. It looks like I'm in good company although I've not had a chance to read all the stories.

Birgit said...

First, Happy New Year Alex..I hope you and your wife had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. Congrats to the winner and everyone who participated in this writing venture. Why can't there be a never ending sentence? I mean, in the German language, the word itself can be 5 miles long:) I bought my hubby the Resident Evil trilogy so he would love to see this final one. Me? I really want to see La La Land.

mail4rosey said...

I think we saw all of the kids' movies out this past few weeks. Sing (good), Moana (good), and Fantastic Beasts (pretty good). :)

Happy New Year, and congrats to all those winners!

Diane Burton said...

Lots going on in 2017. I think I'll pass on those movies. LOL Hope you have a great year!

VR Barkowski said...

Welcome back, Alex, and congratulations to all the Anthology Contest winners!

I don’t go to the movies much, usually only once a year. In 2017, I’m holding out for A Dog’s Purpose, because I’m a sucker a good canine (or feline) movie, and they’re so rare.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!


Nilanjana Bose said...

Happy New Year to you!

So pleased to see quite a few familiar names on the anthology winners list. Congrats to the winners. Looking forward to reading it all.

Liz A. said...

Ah, January movies. When the good December movies are still out, so the studios don't really try...

As for writing rules... In school, I hated having to write complete sentences and not being allowed to start sentences with conjunctions. So, I gleefully break those rules all the time in my own writing.

farawayeyes said...

Congratulations to all who made it into the 'Hero Lost' anthology, I'm sure it will be awesome. Looking forward to reading each and every one.

I appreciate your movie reviews, you have saved me from some dogs, but there just ain't nothing here today that piques my interest.

Empty Nest Insider said...

Great news about the IWSG Anthology. Congratulations to all of the wonderful authors who were chosen to be a part of "Hero Lost!" Happy New Year to you and your wife! I know this didn't make your list, but we're going to try to see "Fences" this weekend. Thanks for hosting another wonderful IWSG, Alex!

Julie

Cynthia said...

Congratulations to the winners of the anthology, and a big round of applause to the admins, judges and organizers who helped to manage this contest.

Lidy said...

Seen Warcraft and didn't think it was too bad. Never played the game or a fan of games so had low expectations.
And there's another Underworld movie coming out? I'd watch it if Selene's werewolf lover has a larger role in the movie. Their daughter too.
Not sure if I'll watch Return of Xander Cage. I was so hoping that xXx trilogy would feature a female xXx since they killed off Xander Cage in the 2nd movie.
Don't do zombie very well so would not see the new Resident Evil movie.
But as far as January movies go, the one movie I'm looking forward most to watching is Hidden Figures.
Happy 2017!

Jessica Therrien said...

I was wondering about the warcraft movie. Good to know! And congrats to all the winners!!

dolorah said...

Congrats to all the winners. Hope this year is good to you Alex.

Fundy Blue said...

Happy New Year, Alex! It's good to see you back after your break. I had a lovely Christmas ~ My husband surprised me with a trip to Calgary to spend Christmas with my side of the family. It was the best Christmas gift ever! I hope that you and your wife had a happy Christmas together with your loved ones. I can't wait to get my hands on this year's anthology! It's a wonderful opportunity that the IWSG gives to its members! I finally saw "Rogue One" in Calgary ~ with my brother from Kuwait sitting next to me. A bunch of my family went together, and it was a blast. I absolutely loved the movie, although it was hard to see characters I was attached to die. I'll have to get around to some more IWSG posts tomorrow. I made it home to Denver, but we landed in a snowstorm. It's made for a long evening, and I'll be housebound tomorrow. Never a dull moment. All the best to you, my friend!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Yay for me!! Is that appropriate? Well, whatever...I'm excited. :) I shall brag on Friday.

Not really pumped to see any of those movies. I think I'd wait for them to come out on DVD.

Rhonda Albom said...

Welcome back Alex, and happy new year. Congrats to all the winners. And as for your prompt, for me, it's a simple rule, the oxford comment. I tend to skip it on the first draft of everything.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to all the winners!

Happy New Year, Alex! I hope you rung it in better than I did. I fell asleep at about 11:45. I really tried to stay up but just couldn't do it this year.

I'm not excited about any upcoming movies aside from Dark Tower and now I have to wait until the summer. Total bummer. I did watch Mike and Dave (Or Dave and Mike) Need Wedding Dates two nights ago and laughed like crazy. Crude humor, but still hilarious!

Stephanie Faris said...

YAY!!! I recognize a lot of those names. Congrats to all the winners but most importantly, congrats to you guys for having a record number of entries. There's no better marker of the IWSG's success than that. I can't wait to read the anthology. Gotta support my friends!!!

I thought of you during the holiday--family dragged me to see the new Star Wars. I was pretty much lost the whole time, but it was entertaining. I just had no idea what any of it meant. I'd heard somewhere (maybe you?) that it was a prequel to the 1977 movie, but I didn't know enough to realize they were doing all that chasing around for the plans Princess Leia had at the beginning of that movie.

Yvonne Ventresca said...

I wish I never heard, "you should write everyday," because I don't and its a guilt-producing suggestion.

Excited to be part of the anthology!

Sandra Cox said...

Good morning, Alex.

Congrats to J.L. and Loni.

Bish Denham said...

Congratulations to the anthology winners!

Except for A Monster Calls, none of the movies appeal to me...

Happy New Year, Alex. May it be a good one for all of us.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Congratulations to Jen! What a great line-up of authors/winners!

Tonja said...

Awesome that you did a fiction contest!

Tess Julia said...

Love your posts! Always insightful about movies that are worth my time.

Blue Grumpster said...

I was so looking forward to A Monster Calls, but I guess you're right... the delay is not a good sign. Plus... the monster's probably gonna be some kind of metaphor or so. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Congrats to all the anthology winners - love seeing so many bloggers that I know on the list :-)

I'm not really interested in any of the films coming up soon, but I've seen Rogue One twice, and I'm on Wonder Woman countdown now :-)

Happy New Year, Alex

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Alex,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!


Hope you enjoyed your holidays......

A great list of new releases.... all the best to them!!!

AND YAY for the Anthology winners!!!! Congrats JEN!!!! AWESOME! And to all those AMAZING writers who have been chosen.... I am SO PROUD of them!!!!!! Looking forward to reading my copy!!!!!

Hope all is well!


The best in 2017!!!

Murees Dupè said...

Hello Alex. Happy 2017. Wishing you and your family an amazing 2017 ahead. Congrats to the winners and the authors with new releases.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Denise, Jen's story was great.

Deb, I never saw the second one either.

Birgit, why not!

Liz, you nailed it about January movies.

Julie, I just didn't feel like being depressed.

Lidy, not sure we get either in the new Underworld.

Fundy, that's a great Christmas present! Glad you got to see Rogue One and yeah, bittersweet ending knowing everyone was going to die.

Elizabeth, go ahead and brag!

Elsie, we made it to 12:05.

Stephanie, that was it! It led right into the first Star Wars.

Yvonne, I don't write every day. Glad you're part of it.

Tonja, we're doing one every year.

Blue, I'm sure it's still good but also depressing.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

Thanks for the January movie previews. I love Kate Beckinsale and her vampire film Blood Wars will be a major draw for me. I also dig Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson and I have already watched a gazillion TV spots promoting A Monster Calls. It looks like another picture that I will want to see.

Thanks, good buddy!

Ray Rousell said...

Not sure why but I quite fancy A Monster Calls. Have a great 2017 Alex!

Magic Love Crow said...

Happy New Year Alex!
Congrats to all the winners!
I never realized "A Monster Calls" was suppose to come out last year, very interesting!
Thanks for all the information!!!

Elizabeth said...

Congrats to the anthology winners and those with new releases!

I hope you had a good Christmas and time off! I had a very pleasant Christmas. I'm sad it's over, though. It seems like it came and went so fast this year.

Carrie-Anne said...

Happy New Year, and congratulations to the winners! I went to two Chanukah parties this year, one on New Year's Eve, but I was otherwise alone for the holiday. On my secular birthday, I went to the 35-cent matinée showing of A Christmas Story at my favorite indie theatre, and had a really good time.

I'm hoping to see a few historical dramas at the slightly more expensive local indie theatre this month, Fences and Hidden Figures. I so rarely see modern movies, but those trailers definitely piqued my interest.

Toi Thomas said...

Congratulations to all the anthology winners.
I wasn't interested in Warcraft, but I may check it out now.
I had a stressful holiday, but I can't complain too much. I'm blessed overall and have a family that loves me.

J.L. Campbell said...

Thanks for the shout-out, Alex and congrats to all the winners, as well as the writers who have books out.

klahanie said...

Hey Alex,

Dude, how very nice to see you. Yes, you're not imagining this. How could I possibly overlook any mention of "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary."

Congrats to all the winners. Well done.

I've never heard of any writing rules. I just write any old way I like. That's when I actually manage to type without this stupid tennis elbow getting in the way.


A peaceful, positive 2017 to you and your loved ones.

I'm outta' here....

Gary

Unknown said...

Can't wait to read the anthology! I'm looking forward to seeing Hidden Figures at the movies. Happy*New*Year!

H.R. Bennett said...

First off: Congratulations everyone!

Second: Would it be bad to admit I'm really looking forward to that next XXX movie?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Shady, we are hitting Blood Wars this evening.

Carrie-Anne, now that would be fun to see in the theater.

Joy, you're welcome.

Gary! Always good to hear from you.

Robert, it's Vin Diesel, so why not?

alexia said...

Happy New Year! I had a lovely 10 day break from work, but alas, now back again :) Underworld is a fave, so I'll check it out, though since the first one its been down hill. A Monster Calls will only make me cry...

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Congrats to all the winning writers who are going to be featured in the next anthology. That's quite an impressive list of folks, so I'm sure it'll be another terrific book.

That book about the monster tree and the boy with the dying mother... I KNOW I read a short story along those lines this past year in an anthology. I'll have to go back and see which one it was. (Who knows? Maybe one of the IWSG author's story will make it to the big screen...)

I'll definitely watch that Vin Diesel flick. My hubby and I both enjoy them, no wonder how cheesy they may get.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!




Shari Elder said...

I'm glad to be a part of the group. Thanks for hosting and happy new year.

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm back...after all my internet woes...
The IWSG anthology entries were outstanding! So many great stories!
Happy New Year to you and yours Alex!

Sandra Cox said...

Hey Alex,
How much snow did you get? I think we got about 8.

Sherry Ellis said...

Congratulations to all the winners of the anthology contest! It probably wasn't easy picking the winners, so the stories should be terrific!

I heard, A Monster Calls, is supposed to be a very touching movie. Maybe I'll see it. I saw Moana with my kids (and Sing). I enjoyed Moana. Sing was okay. Very short!

DMS said...

Happy 2017 to you! Congrats to the anthology winners!

I have been curious about A Monster Calls because I remember a lot of the reviews I read about the book. I hope the movie turns out to be good.

Have a happy weekend!
~Jess

Mori Lii said...

Congrats to the winners :)

Originally I wanted to see A Monster Calls, but I've since changed my mind. It actually did quite well ratings wise. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a high score, but I'm no longer interested, lol.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Alexia, I had that many days off as well and it was awesome.

Susan, that would be awesome@!

Shari, glad to have you.

Michelle! Glad you're with us again.

Sandra, we got a light layer of ice and that was it. Bummer.

Sherry, it wasn't easy. And sometimes short is good.

Mori, and that's what happens when a film is delayed.

Mason T. Matchak said...

Congratulations to all the anthology winners. ^_^

I saw Warcraft when it came out, as I've been playing WoW for years. As a movie, I thought it was pretty good, though if I didn't know the video game lore behind the movie I would have been incredibly confused.

Unknown said...

Haha! Your blue commentary on the movie previews is so funny! =-) "supposed to come out last year, never a good sign." Great post as always, hope all has been well.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Happy New Year, Alex!

I had great holidays--I hope you did as well.

The writing rule I wish I'd never heard is "Write what you know." Or "You must outline." Or "If you don't have an agent snap up your book, you're not good enough."

Thankfully, I knew enough to roll my eyes and ignore them.

Stephen Tremp said...

We saw Hidden Figures over the weekend. Great film and I actually liked Kevin Costner in it. That doesn't happen very often.

Ellie Garratt said...

A massive congratulations to all the anthology winners. You rock!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Yes, I'm definitely looking forward to the anthology. That cover is fantastic!

Now that I know Chrys took notes while watching "The Impossible," that movie has moved onto my must-watch list.

Deniz Bevan said...

Congratulations to the anthology winners and to Loni and JL on their new releases!