Monday, August 26, 2013

Jeremy and George McFarland and George Takei! Plus The World’s End Movie Review, Science Fiction Music Trivia, and Ninja News

I have a guest post today at Jess’s Real Writer site, discussing how to maintain author momentum online. Please check it out!

Today I welcome one of my very best friends, the awesome Retro Man, Jeremy Hawkins. He’s going to tell you stories about interviews with two Georges…

Celebrity Story – George Takei ending. Spanky!

I will try to keep this short, I was doing a show gosh 20 years this year and I got the honor to talk with a Hollywood icon his name was George McFarland. To you he is better known as Spanky from the Our Gang/The Little Rascals in the 1930’s and it’s kind of a sad tale. He was getting resurgence for his appearance on the last few episodes of the final season of “NBC’s Cheers”. Spanky was visiting a local movie theater in town where I was at the time good friends with the manager and he said just to be there and stay out of the way. I arrived early and sat with George in the manager’s office for about two hours before the shoot and him being on stage to talk with fans. Awkward at first we started to talk about his work over the years and it was like talking with a friend, even though for me he was an icon. He shared that with me all the goodness he followed in his life and we talked little about the Rascals. I told him that I had a crush on Darla Hood and he agreed that they all did. It was one of those moments I am glad to have happened and that I was there to chat.

Time goes on and we shook hands, he hit the stage and we got our interview as the evening went quick. After the show he signed a few autographs told a few more stories and we all were on our way. We began to edit the footage and heard the sad news that he had passed away a few months later… our footage of what was he doing now, sadly turned into a tribute to him and his career.

Sorry it was a sad ending to a great experience, I was thrilled to have that as a good memory… almost forgot to tell you my question I told George Takei that made him laugh. Well please follow the next date on the tour and I promise to tell you after I share my next encounter with this Vader guy. Last have you joined the giveaway or checked out my book? Maybe you should… I wave my Jedi hand…

It's a four book series 40 pages each and it is the art/design from things I had designed over the years. It's a mish-mash of things that I had seen in my head... and some are future designs that will become shirts. Places I wanted to go artistically as you travel from where I was to where I am now. Is it great journey! Titles came from the idea of time "12:34, 35, 36 and 37” seems that is when my best ideas came to me... day or night. It's funny I never considered myself a "writer" just a man who likes to paint a canvas if it be words or my art/design.

Buy his books on Amazon.

And there are some AWESOME giveaways during this tour! Visit the It’s Time page on Jeremy’s site for the full list – Books, t-shirts, CDs, etc. – some of it autographed. Check it out. And congratulations, Jeremy!!


Ninja News

M. Pax revealed the cover art for her October release, The Backworlds IV.

For two years Craze’s dear friend, Lepsi, has been missing. The murmurings of a haunted spaceship might be a message and may mean his old pal isn’t dead. The possibility spurs Craze and Captain Talos into space to uncharted worlds. Searching an unfamiliar region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Meanwhile, Rainly remains on Pardeep Station as acting planetlord, dealing with the discovery of her man's dark and brutal past. Alone and questioning her judgment, her introspection unlocks more than heartache. Latent protocols in her cybernetics activate, forcing her to face a sinister secret of her own.

Most awesome cover yet, Mary!

Cathrina Constantine’s latest, Wickedly They Come, is now available!

Haunting visions, unusual strength, and special paranormal talents are the norm for Seeley and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Jordan…

Congratulations, Cathrina!


Lisa Regan is celebrating! Her novel, Finding Claire Fletcher, won Best Heroine for Claire Fletcher, and it came in as runner up in Best Novel in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards for 2013. Congratulations, Lisa!

And the link for my Taking the World by Storm party for CassaStorm was down for a while last week. (Linky Tools owner Brent said someone entered an apostrophe, which is what caused the meltdown.) If you missed it, go HERE.

Movie Review

The World’s End
From the gang who brought you Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz – five friends attempt to hit twelve pubs in one night twenty years after their first failed attempt. Add a science fiction twist and you have the set up for a wild ride.
There was a lot going on in this movie and I want to watch it again to see what I missed.
Pegg and Frost play against type. Pegg is a shallow, underachieving jerk, wired to the hilt, and determined to reach the twelfth pub, The World’s End. (Ironically, the real Pegg doesn’t drink!)
It wasn’t as funny as I’d hoped (although I know I missed a few things during moments of rapid fire dialogue), and the movie suffers from overhype. That said, it has some great funny moments. It also has some philosophical elements, with the twelve pubs representing the Twelve Step Program. By the end, the film definitely had a Hitchhiker vibe to it.
If you’re a fan of British comedy, especially from Edgar Wright, you’ll enjoy it! Recommended.

Music Trivia!

How about a little rock/metal science fiction?

Here are the lyrics – can you name the song, the band, or both?

1 – “Strange shapes light up the night, I’ve never seen ‘em though I hope I might, Don’t ask if they are real, The men in black their lips are sealed.”

2 – “People of the earth can you hear me? Came a voice from the sky on that magical night, And in the colors of a thousand sunsets, They traveled through the world on a silvery light.”

3 – “An ill wind comes arising, Across the cities of the plain, There’s no swimming in the heavy water, No singing in the acid rain, Red alert, red alert.”

4 – “Foreign life forms inventory, Suspended state of cryogenics, Selective amnesia’s the story, Believed foretold but who’d expect, The military intelligence.”

5 – “He was turned to steel in the great magnetic field, When he travelled time for the future of mankind.”

What do you think of Jeremy’s adventure with the Georges? Have you entered his giveaway or picked up his cool books? Think Mary and Cathrina’s covers rock? Anyone else see The World’s End? And do you know any of the trivia…?

My next post will be this Thursday and I’ll be preparing you for the upcoming September movies!
 
Be sure to visit Real Writer for tips on maintaining momentum!

154 comments:

Tonja Drecker said...

Wow, so many awesome covers - gosh, my TBR list is growing to monumental sizes. The story about George definitely made me stop and think. It's those moments and experiences which mark us for life.

Rhonda Albom said...

What great week for covers. I loved Georges story until the sad ending. As for your songs, #3 I think is Rush, I don't know the others.

Laura Clipson said...

Those covers are great! I saw The World's End a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it! I love that they played different characters than they usually do, it was like they swapped.

Unknown said...

The Worlds End sound fabulous! I used to love a good pub crawl and my favourite place to go was Edinburgh. This movie will bring back memories of a misspent youth :)

Mark Koopmans said...

Mary's cover is *awesome* and nice story, Jeremy:)

I have no idea who Spanky was, but he *definitely* sounds like a character I could enjoy an adult beverage with, at perchance a certain bar in Bahstan.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

M. Pax novel looks awesome and World's End might be a nice comedy to go see.

Old Kitty said...

Awwww no idea who Spanky is but Jeremy's encounter with George who played him sounds lovely and yes, truly memorable! Yay!

Pass on all these songs - the lyrics are so complex and more than one syllable each! What happened to lalalalla- doo wop-wop, yeah,yeah,yeah type songs?!!LOL!

Hoorah for the World's End! Take care
x

Misha Gerrick said...

Such a sad story about George McFarland.

Heading over to check out your guest post, Alex.

Yolanda Renée said...

Wow talk about lots going on! Congratulations - M Pax, Cathrina, Lisa, and Jeremy - how cool is that but sad too!

And you Alex for CassaStorm!

The World's End sounds like something my hubby and the boys would like, which means I'll see it when it comes out on video.

Definitely checking out Real Writer! Happy Monday!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rhonda, very good!

Laura, I liked the change in characters as well.

Anne, Edinburgh is just a great place to go anyway!

Mark and Kitty, you don't know who Spanky was????

Brinda said...

Jeremy's story is so cool. I loved Little Rascals.

On the Linky...an apostrophe caused a meltdown? Whoa!

Brian Miller said...

yep was afraid that one was going to be overhyped....that is a very cool cover m pax....def sad on george...i like takei as well...sulu rocks! happy monday!

J.L. Murphey said...

The Georges rock!

mshatch said...

Ack! I know non of those lyrics! Congrats to Lisa - I've been wanting to read her book :)

Melissa said...

Too cool, Jeremy. My husband would eat that up. He loves meeting celebrities. Good luck with your book tour.

Neat cover, Mary.

Same to you, Cathrina.

Woot! Way to go, Lisa! :D

Any word on September's IWSG? You mentioned possible changes...something special. Did I miss an announcement? LOL

M.J. Fifield said...

Definitely looking forward to seeing The World's End. Loved the first two films they did in this trilogy, can't wait to see how it ends.

And I don't know any of those song lyrics.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!
Love all the new covers!

Huntress said...

I'll check out Jeremy's site and his question for 'Sulu'.

Bought M. Pax's Backworlds, an excellent read. I'm certainly ready for another helping.

Congrats to Cathrina and Lisa!

Love Simon Pegg! "Shaun" was my very first zombie movie.

I'm no good at song lyrics. After all, I sang "bathroom on the right" instead of "bad moon on the rise" for years.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I wasn't originally planning on seeing The World’s End but after your review I think I will!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I don't recognize any of the lyrics, but the meltdown just proves the power of correct (or maybe incorrect) punctuation.

Unknown said...

Love the covers, Mary and Cathrina!!

Unknown said...

Great story Jeremy. You must have met a lot of people in your life. Can't wait to read about Vader!

Thanks for the review of The World's End, Alex. I already planned on seeing it this makes me want to even more. I love everything British, especially Pegg.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Brian, it was still good.

Melissa, you didn't miss it - will announce changes on the next IWSG post day.

CD, that's funny!

Optimistic, go enjoy.

mooderino said...

World's End looks pretty good, although I already wish I hadn't seem the trailer. Feel like I know a lot of what's going to happen.

mood

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Hmm, I don't know any of those song lyrics. I am looking forward to lots of Fall movies, though.

Heading over to check out the post about momentum....

Jo said...

Loved the cover. Sounds like a good story too. Otherwise, today, your blog left me totally behind.

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

That's so cool that you got to meet him, Jeremy. Sounds like he was an interesting guy. :)

Unknown said...

Wow. There are some really amazing books out right now. Congrats to everyone!

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Thank you all so far, I hope you all know that meeting the Georges was a true great experience in my life and travel.

It was a true sad encounter to meet someone as iconic in film history, if wish he would have aloud me to take a photo or two... we had talked so much of life and goals while we both snacked on a giant hoagie.

I might have to share up some history for people who don't know of him or the work on the little rascals. Her is a video of when he just started out in his career.. he is maybe two years old in 1930s.

Baby Spanky:
http://youtu.be/3rdo04SwLxw

Here is his Cheers appearance:
http://youtu.be/SPB8f6pJgjw

A Beer for the Shower said...

Mary's cover is awesome. I love it.

Also, this may be 'nerd sacrilege,' but I've found that a lot of Simon Pegg's movies as of late suffer from overhype. Like Paul, which had a few funny bits, but for the most part was just okay. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying they aren't the nonstop fall on the floor laughfests that people keep claiming them to be.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare the onslaught of angry nerds coming to burn down my house...

Pat Hatt said...

Umm #1 Take me away, #2 children of the sun, #3 Rush? then don't know and don't know. Movies I can get, music only sorta.

I also find most of Pegg's movies suffer from overhype. I enjoy them I guess but nothing i really want to watch again.

Jemi Fraser said...

What a sad ending to the George story - sounds like he was a great guy.

Jay Noel said...

I had a big time crush on Darla too!

Mary Pax's cover is fantastic. I agree, it's the best yet.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Congrats to everyone on their good news.

And I think The World's End is my kind of movie. I'm looking forward to seeing it. I like those offbeat British films. :)


Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

David, you'll enjoy it!

Moody, some of it will still surprise you.

Jeremy, I'm surprised people don't know the Little Rascals.

Brandon and Bryan, this one definitely wasn't as funny as the others. Haven't seen Paul though.

Pat, very good with the answers!

Summer Ross said...

The covers do Rock. Book covers are always my favorite part of releases.
No idea about the trivia. LOL
Headed over to check out your guest post.
~Summer

Bish Denham said...

I'm lost on the songs.... The covers rock! I'm excited about Mary's latest installment as I've enjoyed the other stories.

Charles Gramlich said...

I never watched the Little Rascals. Did watch Cheers. Didn't know about the connection though.

jaybird said...

That's a lot of info to process. Amazing covers and best of luck to everyone.

Looking forward to seeing Thursday post Alex!!

Gwen Gardner said...

That darn Apostrophe. It's always causing problems being where it shouldn't!

Thanks for the news, Alex :D

L. Diane Wolfe said...

At least you got to spend some time with George, Jeremy.

I know Billy Thorpe's Children of the Sun. Love that song.

Unknown said...

Mary's covers are always the best- so this one doesn't surprise me too much!

Mark Means said...

I think it's awesome that Jeremy got to meet Spanky MacFarland (I was scratching my head wondering who "George" was...lol). I was a little surprised to read the comments and see some people hadn't heard of him.

I'm ashamed to say I knew -none- of those lyrics and I always thought I had pretty extensive music knowledge :)

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Jay, yes I at the time didn't know she was gone... i was just a kid crushing on another kid.

Alex, I don't they are not running anywhere for along time. I know I grew up on them.

Charles, I think that was his last time on television, toured the country spreading the good word.

L. Diane, yes it was very cool, both George M. and George T.

ilima said...

What a tease about George Takei, but I really like the story about George McFarland.

J.L. Campbell said...

Hi, Alex,
Definitely will hop over to hear what you have to say.

I hope Jeremy's tour is going well. Congrats to Mary on the new cover!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Gwen, down with apostrophes!

Mark, that surprised me as well.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Jeremy! - You have great stories! Thanks for sharing them. I wouldn't mind hearing more about Haglund either!

Alex!!! - So much goodness on here today!

I know Rush when I see it. It's #3. As for the others? I'd have to do some research. I didn't recognize anything else. I'm going to lose my woman card. :)

I'll watch Simon Pegg in anything. :)

HMG

Matthew MacNish said...

Jeremy is the best! Can't wait to host him myself.

Andrew Leon said...

Unfortunately, World's End is probably going to have to wait for DVD.

Karen Baldwin said...

Thanks for your review of The World's End. I love Brit humor. And I must say, I have comment anxiety. I keep wondering if my comments are worthy.

Cherie Reich said...

Jeremy's story is so cool! What a great experience!

Unknown said...

What a rare gift that you got to meet him before he passed away. I'm sure the tribute took on deeper meaning and significance after that.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Oh your review of the World's End has got me excited to watch it.

Anonymous said...

Great story about George.

As for the music, it's not my strong suit so I won't even try.

Julie Flanders said...

Terrible tease about George Takei LOL. I used to love watching re-runs of Spanky when I was a kid, great story about Mr. McFarlane although I'm sorry it had a bad ending.

Absolutely love Mary's cover!

The Angry Lurker said...

1 – “Strange shapes light up the night, I’ve never seen ‘em though I hope I might, Don’t ask if they are real, The men in black their lips are sealed.”

2 – “People of the earth can you hear me? Came a voice from the sky on that magical night, And in the colors of a thousand sunsets, They traveled through the world on a silvery light.”

3 – “An ill wind comes arising, Across the cities of the plain, There’s no swimming in the heavy water, No singing in the acid rain, Red alert, red alert.”

4 – “Foreign life forms inventory, Suspended state of cryogenics, Selective amnesia’s the story, Believed foretold but who’d expect, The military intelligence.”

5 – “He was turned to steel in the great magnetic field, When he travelled time for the future of mankind.”


Completely stumped!

Libby said...

I'm seeing the World's End as some point, but not sure when. Good point about the 12 steps, I'll look out for it!

Tina said...

I had the pleasure of beta reading Jeremy's AMAZING books. I think he's doing a great job with the tour - something unique at each stop. Be sure to follow him around! The whole schedule is at his blog.
Tina @ Life is Good

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Heather, you rock! Not losing your card.

Leigh, they are always worthy.

Fran! I stumped you? That is a first.

I did as well, Tina - they are awesome!

Leovi said...

Very interesting book about the idea of time!

Arlee Bird said...

Great story from Jeremy.

#3 I'm guessing "Red Alert" by Rush. I tend to rarely listen to lyrics. None of these sound familiar to me.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Author A.O. Peart said...

Ah, yes. British humor has been always on top of my tickle-me-funny list :) I would love to see World's End when it is released on DVD.

Love Mary's cover. Congratulations! And congrats to everyone with new releases too.

Unknown said...

I think Jeremy is one lucky guy! How cool is that to have a chat with Spanky!

I love M.Pax's cover!!!! Congratulations to everyone who made it to The End of their story.

Chris Desson said...

I love British humor. And yes, it does take multiple view to catch everything. It's too bad the movie felt over-hyped. I hate when this happens, because it does put a damper on it. Comedies are quick to come out on Bluray/ DVD so the hype should dissipate. Perhaps, it will be funnier by then.

Great post as usual, Alex. :)

Maurice Mitchell said...

I love your awesome celebrity encounter stories Jeremy! So sad that he died right when his career was coming back. I saw Mary's cover and it's the best book cover I've seen all year. The reviews of "World's End have all been good, so I'll have to see it sometime Alex. Thanks for hosting the tour Man.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Mark... many don't know his real name, that may have made people scratch their heads.

Ilima... Tease for sure, how else am I to get folks to follow the tour?

J.L.... Me too, thank you!

Heather... did I mention the Dean Haglund thing too or are you reading my mind?

Matthew... thank you, hopefully it goes "SWELL", yes I am the word bringing it back.

Cherie... it was one that I hold dear to my heart.

Julie... It had, I think later on things I could have asked him.

Joshua... thank you... me too on the music I try to sing them in my head.

Julie... tease maybe? I enjoyed them as they were like the little stoogies.

Tina... you are the best, you make me feel like a floating butterfly, but sting like a bee!

Arlee... thank you... I got the Rush one.. there is always at least one. :)

Jenn... sad thing is most of the cool stuff was off camera. there was a good two hours of swapping stories.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I was in love with Spanky, especially when he was little. He was really cute. I knew that most all of Our Gang had tragic endings, way too early. Very sad. Glad for Jeremy that he got a chance to meet George McFarland.

Have a good week, Alex.

xoRobyn

Mark said...

Wowe, how do you get to interview such cool people? That alone is worth writing about:)

Robin said...

It would be a strange feeling to know that you were one of the last people to interview someone before they passed... strange and an honor. We don't always recognize the blessings we get in this life when they are happening.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

As Robin said: Jeremy's tale of Spanky reminds us to cherish each exchange with the people in our lives -- for each one could be the last.

Jeremy, you are a tease, withholding your question again!

Alex, I am heading for your interview!

Sherry Ellis said...

Love M. Pax's cover! I'll go check out Real Writer's tips.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Such a bad time for me to take a breather! But I knew I could come here and get all caught up. So excited for Lisa. Mary and Cathrina's covers rock, and what a great story. I was a Little Rascal fan too. Though it did make me feel like my life was boring!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Lee, right band.

Christine, I'll probably enjoy it more the second time when I catch more of the jokes.

Robin, well said.

DiscConnected said...

Good trivia quiz...I got 4 out of 5.

1) Blue Oyster Cult-Take Me Away (three men in black gave me the answer)

2) Billy Thorpe-Children Of The Sun (can you believe I was playing that one as I read your blog? Otherwise I'd have never got it-just got a couple of his catalog reissues and have been listening to him a lot)

3)Rush-Distant Early Warning (I knew it was rush but had to look at the CD's for the title-is that cheating?)

4) I do not know this one....guessing here...Hawkwind?

5) Black Sabbath-Iron Man


LC

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Maurice... it's just neat that this came about, I would love to share my footage on my now defunct 8mm camera.

Robyn... I think he was one of the few good surviving rascal... outside of Robert Blake who played Mickey.

Make... I had been working on a tv show that allowed me to pal up with some of the greatest people.

Robin... I did think about that, it was sort of moving that our personal conversation is not documented in some way other than what I can recall.

Roland... true! Trust me, it was an honor and pleasure... tease what tease. I forgot where I actually respond to it.

Elizabeth... we all had interesting childhoods, some like myself found myself in trouble a lot.

Christine Rains said...

A sad ending, Jeremy, but at least it was a wonderful experience.

Yay for all the cover reveals! And I really do want to see World's End. I love Pegg. My TV thrill of the weekend was watching the new Syfy show, Heroes of Cosplay. Who knew how serious that business could be?!

Jess said...

Yay for Mary!! The cover is amazing!! Don't know any of those songs, but the lyrics sound cool so I'll look them up :)

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Congrats to all the new releasees (is that even a word?) Now on to check out your guest post. I always enjoy reading your guest posts.

Katherines Corner said...

I really loved reading George's story. Great covers too my friend xo

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Larry, very good! I knew you'd nail most of them. And what are the odds Children of the Sun would be playing at the same time?

Christine, I caught of few minutes of it - those people are scary dedicated.

msmariah said...

Alex-- What a touching story. Thanks for sharing. Spanky was always my favorite.

M Pax said...

Woot for Jeremy! The Georges would be interesting folks to meet.

Thanks for showing the new cover. Will pop over to see what you have to say.

Donna K. Weaver said...

That's a cool story, Alex. Can't wait to read your book to hubby!

Anonymous said...

Always so much going on at Alex's place :-) I want to see World's End!

The Words Crafter said...

Children of the sun!!!! I have that on my ipod :) Is #4 Tom Sawyer?

The book covers DO rock, congrats Ladies!

What a sad and wonderful story about George McFarland. I'm going to check out your post.

I still want to see World's End. I just love Simon Pegg :)

Lydia Kang said...

Argh, those songs are so familiar but I have no idea!

Samantha May said...

The story about the Georges is pretty sweet! I don't have a clue about the lyrics, though the first one looks mighty familiar...

The World's End preview made me think of This is the End, which just came out a few months ago. The latter is hilarious. I'm not sure if I'll see the former.

SC Author said...

The movie sounds fun! I'll think about it. Cool covers too.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mary, you're welcome!

Donna, that is cute that you read to him.

Words Crafter, you got one right. The other is right band, wrong song.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

A big congrats to Mary for her new cover! It looks awesome!!!!!!!!!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I figured I'd watched The World's End when it's on demand. M. PAX has such great covers.

Leigh Covington said...

Congrats to MPax. Great cover!

Karen Lange said...

Thanks to both of you for sharing the post! Heading over to Real Writer now!

Carrie Butler said...

Another reminder to cherish every moment and experience!

Patricia Stoltey said...

Really? One little apostrophe brought Linky Tool to its knees? It's always the little things that get you.

Crystal Collier said...

Excellent news, as always, Alex.

I love both Mary and Cathrina’s covers, and my hubby and I can't wait to see World's End. Hot Fuzz was only like the funniest movie I ever seen (next to Scott Pilgrim VS the World).

Liza said...

Nice story about Spanky. As usual I am clueless about the lyrics...

klahanie said...

Greetings human,

We are still looking for a clone. In the meantime, while my human sleeps, I'm taking over the commenting.

Nice to see the retro dude over here and tell that mixed emotions tale. It's good to see more recognition for Jeremy and I shall duly try and help in my own way, further the awareness.

Shaun of the Dead was on TV here last night. The World's End is a pub in Chelsea, London. I had a quick drink with Michael Caine in that pub. A lot of people don't know that.

Let's have a look at tips for momentum. All we need is a clone, thank you.

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!

Kirsten said...

What a great idea for a trivia quiz! (It will be hard to look those answers up on the web. ;) ) Though I know none of the answers, I'm really looking forward to seeing what those songs are. They sound awfully familiar.
I'm looking forward to your big release party!
See ya over at Real Writer. :)

Angela Brown said...

Wow...how cool he got to meet with both Georges.

Congrats all around, with a special Woot! for MPax and Craze. She puts Craze through some stuff!

And I'm going to have to watch The World's End just because I do enjoy a good movie with Pegg in it :-)

Kelly Polark said...

How can I not guess any of these songs?! Will you sing them to me then maybe I will get one right? When I just read them, I got nothin'! :)

Chuck said...

I just finished reading Lisa's book and it was fantastic! One of the best of it's kind I have ever read. Her writing style fits my reading style like hand in glove. I just picked up her second book Aberration and it has started out just as good. Just superb writing.

Ready for the CassaStorm blowout...and release!

#2 is Children of The Sun - Billy Thorpe

#3 is Distant Early Warning - Rush

#5 is Iron Man - Black Sabbath

And I probably know the others if I heard the music :)

Marta Szemik said...

Both ladies have beautiful covers. Wish I could name the trivia tune, but I can't. September will be a busy month.

Denise Covey said...

Mary's cover is super awesome, but I can't read Cathrina's title.

Ella said...

Jeremy I loved the George story-so sorry it ended on a sad note!
Great cover-visual stunning!
Congrats!

MPax I love your cover, too~ Especially the Edge!

Alex what did you think of the October mood this morning?! Geesh talk about a view of the future!
Stay cool no warm! ;D lol

T.F. Walsh said...

Congrats to the authors... so many great new things happening:)

Unknown said...

Glad you enjoyed The World's End - I had a blast with it :) I'm looking forward to the DVD/Blu-Ray to see all the other movies etc. that they pay homage to :)

farawayeyes said...

Most excellent guest post. Super covers and a great review that confirmedy suspicions. As for the music trivia- ha, ha, ha.

Helena said...

As touching as Jeremy's story about George is, I'm glad he got to be with the man and chat for a long while with him before the gentleman passed away. It reminded me that I should never take for granted any of my own friendships.

The book covers are not only gorgeous, they're intimidating! I'm coming up with my own cover ideas for my next book, and it won't be anywhere near as imaginative as these two.

I'm going to try and catch World's End with a friend. Looks like fun.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Patricia, even Brent was surprised it hadn't happened before.

Crystal, it's not as funny, but you'll enjoy it.

Gary, that is very cool you had a drink with Caine.

Kirsten, you'll know at least a couple.

Kelly, you'll kick yourself when you see the answers!

Chuck, she'll be happy to hear that! And you the man - three right.

Ella, I didn't see it!

Jamie, that's it - I missed so much due to the rapid fire dialogue. I did catch the wrapper at the end!

Cathrina Constantine said...

How awesome for Jeremy to meet Spanky (I didn't know his real name either) Grand memories to hold onto!

Thanks for the shout out, Alex. And congrats to M.Pax for a cool cover, and congrats to Lisa for all her awards!!

Rusty Carl said...

World's End hit all my buttons for me. I thought it was very funny, and yes, that dialog was very rapid fire. Blink and you miss it sort of stuff. Anyway, might have been my favorite flick of the summer. Much to my surprise. I just thought it was perfect. Maybe not AS funny as I expected, but still hilarious, and a way better sci fi story than I expected. It worked on many levels for me.

Leovi said...

Wonderful Black Sabbath at 5!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Aww what a great memory--Spanky.

Lot's of great news and successes. Congrats to all.

T

Tracy Jo said...

Love the book covers! Awesome.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

I have gotten a little behind, but I wanted thank Alex and all of you for following my journey and experiences so far. It was such a great pleasure to meet this iconic normal person with an extra cool past.

I would love if you would continue on the tour with me, stop over leave a comment or two. Heck while you are there enter the giveaways... Thank you again....

Jeremy H.

New Look, New Name and Same Stuff...
[Being-Retro]

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Jeremy .. congratulations on the interview, sad he died soon after though. Then your designs and art work sound so original ... good luck with all your creativity ...

Mary's Backworld's cover looks to be a winner .. just takes you straight in ...

Cheers - as to music .. sorry I pass! Hilary

Jennifer Lane said...

Those are some SCARY covers, especially Cathrina's. How's it going getting ready for your book release?

cleemckenzie said...

It's always amazing to me how a brush with one person can become so memorable. I loved reading about Jeremy's meeting with the two Georges.

Congratulations to M Pax and Cathrina on their books.

Cassie Mae said...

I have so much to catch up on! My computer totally died on me over the weekend :(

Awesome guest post. :) I haven't seen At World's End...actually hadn't heard of it either. Man I'm out of the loop. I'll be looking forward to the Sept. movie post! And I hope you're doing well, Alex :D

RaShelle Workman said...

Enjoyed Jeremy's reminiscence of the two Georges. Hope you have a great Tuesday, Alex.

Unspoken said...

It's a amazing how people are there, and they are gone. Like wind. Like rain. If only we could grasp the fragility of each of us. His interview is a reminder how tangible and intangible we can be in a breath.

SK Anthony said...

Jeremy, I'm glad you have that memory and that you got to meet him.. BUT you are a tease! I wanna know now o_0 okay, though, I shall follow the tour :D

Love the cover, M. Pax!
And congratulations to Cathrina and Lisa ;)

Alex, I'll be back on Thursday to read about them movies <3

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cathrina, you're welcome!

Rusty, oh I definitely enjoyed it!

Leovi, very good!

Jeremy, you are always welcome here.

Jennifer, I have all guest posts ready and questions answered for next month!

Cassie, sorry about your computer.

Rachna Chhabria said...

You are sharing some awesome covers Alex. Jeremy's story on George was interesting until I read the end, it made me feel sad.

Liz Blocker said...

I don't know any of those lyrics. I think it's time to expand my music horizons...

In other news, thanks for the great covers, news, and reviews!

Michelle Wallace said...

Congrats to all the authors mentioned above... lots of awesome news!

Stephen Tremp said...

I got all excited as I nailed the first three: Blue Oyster Cult, Billy Squire, and Rush. The hit the wall on the last two. I'll have too Google them then give my self an "Oops I could have had a V-8) head slap.

Ciara said...

So many awesome covers! I'm so excited for M. Pax.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, book covers and news.

I'll check out Jeremy's Amazon page.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stephen, very good, although it's Thorpe not Squire. Close enough!

Mori Lii said...

That was a bittersweet ending. George seems like he was a good man. Despite not being born during the time the original Little Rascals was aired, I am aware of who he was.

On a sidenote, I'm surprised "A World's End" was a so-so movie. Being a huge fan of "Shaun of the Dead", I assumed it was going to be just as good, because it looked similar (just with aliens).

Al Penwasser said...

Spanky....he ended up much better than Alfalfa, huh?

Carrie-Anne said...

Those are great covers! I always love finding covers that don't go along with the 5 or so current cover trends. It really helps a book to stand out.

Danette said...

Sad that his interview wound up being a tribute...

Love Mary's cover!

The movie sounds fun. I heard about it the other day but I doubt I'll see it until it's released on DVD so I bet I'll enjoy it more (it being free and all).
cheers!

Nick Wilford said...

Great storytelling from Jeremy if bittersweet.

I'm chuffed for Lisa as she really deserved to do well in the ebook awards. FCF is excellent!

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Jack said...

Very cool your friend got to meet George McFarland. He sounds like he was a very nice man.

M. Pax has a new book! That makes me happy.

World's End is on my to be watched list. I mostly want to see it because I've heard Pegg and Frost are very funny together - and Martin Freeman's expressions are always brilliant.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Panda, it was really good. I have to watch it again as I think I missed a lot of the jokes.

Jack, Pegg and Frost are awesome together.

Deniz Bevan said...

Love M's cover! Aww, who am I kidding, this whole post is so much fun. Off to visit your guest post!

Unknown said...

That was a great guest post on momentum. It's a lot of work to get it, as you said, and even harder to regain once you lose it. I love Mary's new cover; they keep getting better and better! I failed on trivia this week...I know none of them.

Catherine Stine said...

Love the orange focal point of M Pax's cover. And I do love the words of those songs but I really suck at matching them to bands, though a few sound SOOO familiar.

ediFanoB said...

M Pax's cover is excellent.

Again a great post. Would like to have more time to discover all the mentioned books.

Susan Oloier said...

Thanks for sharing your story, Jeremy.
Song lyrics...I have no idea about those songs.

Susan Kane said...

I remember b/w The Little Rascals, and watched it, since there was little else to do on the farm in summer.

30 odd years ago, McFarlane had a radio show up in Victorville. Nice guy.

Emily R. King said...

I don't think I know ANY of the answers to those lyrics. *hangs head in shame*

Adrienne Reiter said...

Yes, the covers do rock. Rock on!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Michael.

Edi, so would I!

Susan, you met him?

PK HREZO said...

I recognize none of those songs. Interesting tho! Now I'm curious...
Cool post, Jeremy. Off to his blog to check out the tour ...

T.F. Walsh said...

I love the Cornetto trilogy, even if The World's End was a bit slow to kick off, it was fun:)

Lisa Regan said...

Sorry I've been out of the blogosphere working on my next book but THANK YOU SO MUCH for the shout-out! I really appreciate it! :)

randi lee said...

Hey Alex! I agree about World's End--it wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be, but it was still an entertaining Saturday night. I also like the fact that Simon Pegg was the one to play the "cooky" character, since he always plays the "serious/straight guy" character.

LynNerdKelley said...

Got my blog post pretty much ready to go. Will emai you with a question I have. I didn't see the answer in your posts. Wow, Alex, your book launch is finally here. What a awesome launch you have planned! Have a blast. You deserve it.

Soylent Green is one of those movies you never forget about. I haven't seen it in years but plan to watch it with hubby again next week.

My vote for the best sci-fi movie ever would be for Wool, but it's not a movie yet, so hands down I have to vote for The Hunger Games, one of my all time fave books/book series.