Ninja News, Polar Night by Julie Flanders, My Favorite Martian Blogfest, and Alien Movie Trivia

Today is the My Favorite Martian Blogfest!

It is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring a man who had a vision and a dream.

Ninja News

In two weeks, I will finally announce the subject of my next blogfest. So, keep saving March 18 – it will be a fun and easy blogfest for everyone!

Started a year ago by Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius, Vine Leaves just put out its fifth issue! They are taking submissions and hiring as well. Check it out on Jessica’s SITE.

Don’t forget the contest Tim Knight is hosting at HeroPress. The "Design-a-Monster" competition runs until January 31 and is in celebration of his six-year blogging anniversary. There are some cool prizes involved (including copies of my book) so check out the details HERE.

Are you persistent? Do you have the right attitude? Then read what Milo James Foster at In Media Res had to say on Sunday:
"Beneath the Surface" was the first short story I submitted for publication, way back in the summer of 2009, and it's been on a long journey ever since. Rejected 24 times over the past three years, held for consideration by the likes of Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, and NewMyths, it finally found a place to call home in the new Arcane anthology.
This story never would have been published if I'd given up after the first, fifth, or fifteenth rejection. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Believe in yourself. Believe in your work. Cool stuff will happen. Every rejection letter is just a permission slip to send your story where it really belongs!

Teresa at Fangirl Next Door sent me this – it’s a podcast interview with Jeff Heimbuch, author of It’s Kind of a Cute Story. The book is about Rolly Crump, one of the original Disney imaginers, and one of the last people alive today that worked directly with Walt himself. Listen to it HERE

Cover Reveal

Polar Night by Julie Flanders
Available February 7 from Ink Smith Publishing

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Find Julie here – blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

My Favorite Martian Blogfest

Hosted by several bloggers, including Maurice and Nigel at The Geek Twins,, Just a Dash of Geek, and Liesel at Musings on Fantasia - post about your favorite alien!

I’m going to be a rebel and select two! Ninjas are just sly that way…

Ronon Dex from Stargate Atlantis
He is a Satedan and his home world was destroyed by the Wraith. He became a Runner and eventually joined Sheppard’s Atlantis Expedition team.
Ronon is proficient with weapons, a warrior, and a bit unpredictable sometimes. In other words, he is just badass! I’d want him on my team for sure.

T’Pol from Enterprise
She was the first Vulcan officer to serve long-term on a human vessel. She started as an observer on the Enterprise and then requested an extension. Eventually she resigned from the Vulcan High Command and accepted a position from Starfleet.
T’Pol is incredibly smart, ice cold, and smoking hot. I’d want her on my team as well.
(And yes, mostly because she is smoking hot!)

Visit the hosts for a list of participants or to join the geeky alien fun!

Who is YOUR favorite alien?

Alien Movie Trivia

And in honor of our alien blogfest, some quotes from films featuring aliens.

1 – "Yes, she knows it’s a multi-pass!"

2 – "Look, I have one job on this lousy ship. It’s stupid, but I’m going to do it, okay?"

3 – "What the hell are you?"

4 – "Somebody in this camp ain’t what he appears to be. Right now that may be one or two of us. By spring, it could be all of us."

5 – "I hope you’re not going to take your skin off, because I really like skin on a woman."

Entering Tim’s contest or submitting to just ONE more magazine now? Excited for Julie’s book? Who is YOUR favorite alien? And know any of the movie quotes?