Monday, August 17, 2015

Dragon’s Destiny! Plus Movie News, War Movie Trivia Answers, Ninja News, Box Social Winner, and Internet Questions for Everyone…

Movie News

World Wide Box Office –
Jurassic World is now number three:
1 Avatar - $2,788.0 million
2 Titanic - $2,186.8
3 Jurassic World - $1,582.4
4 Marvel's The Avengers - $1,519.6
5 Furious 7 - $1,511.7
6 Avengers: Age of Ultron - $1,398.8
Other noteables:
34 Minions - $920.3
234 Mad Max: Fury Road - $373.1
299 Ant-Man - $332.5
333 Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - $310.6

Only two movies have been number one at the box office this year for four weeks straight – Furious 7 and American Sniper.

A remake that should never be made…

Production continues to flounder on the remake of The Crow. According to the AV Club, yet another lead man departed this summer:
It was nearly four years ago that Bradley Cooper exited the project, after which the lead role was reportedly offered to notorious goths like Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy, and Channing Tatum. Since then, the project drifted from Tom Hiddleston to Luke Evans to, finally, Boardwalk Empire‘s Jack Huston. Now, Variety reports, Huston is out too, the result of a “scheduling conflict.”

My wife and I recently watched the original film. There is absolutely no reason to remake it.

There is no way to recapture the mystical quality of the film. Ever. The creator of the graphic novel, James O’Barr, wrote it as a way to deal with the death of his girlfriend due to a drunk driver. That Brandon Lee would die on the set, and while engaged to be married, amplifies the powerful emotions this film captures.

Alex Proyas, who also directed Dark City, did an amazing job with the film. It contains so much atmosphere and the effects hold up well after over twenty years. Not to mention that the soundtrack is kick-butt.

I can only hope that this project continues to be sidetracked…

Box Social Contest Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of the box social contest!

Last week, I asked you to guess which box--red, blue or brown--contained the lizard. Everyone who guessed the correct box was entered into a drawing for a free e-copy of my new book, Precious Atonement.


The lizard was in the brown box!
For the record, I accepted brown, tan, bronze, cream, gold. If you didn't say red or blue, you got added to the list. ;)

*drumroll* And the winner chosen by Random.org is... J. E. Oneil!
Congratulations, Jeanne!!! :D

Thanks to everyone who played, and a big thanks goes to Alex for hosting me. Melissa Maygrove


Ninja News

Dianne Salerni is holding a cool giveaway! Win a Transitioner’s 16 Month Calendar — complete with 8 days a week! Open until August 31.

Denise Covey and Yolanda Renee have started up Write...Edit...Publish again. This month, it’s Spectacular Settings. See their sites for details.

Charity Bradford is hosting the Bold New Worlds Contest again for high school students. See her site for details.



Liesel K. Hill is hosting a great giveaway that includes a Kindle Fire HD.

New Releases!

The Box of Souls by Tanya Miranda
Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iTunes, Smashwords, and CreateSpace
You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway.

Beyond Space Opera
Featuring Milo James Fowler


Movie Trivia Answers

War movies:

1 – Hugo Weaving, Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones 2011 – Captain America
2 – Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland 1967 – The Dirty Dozen
3 – Jude Law, Joseph Finnes, Rachel Weisz 2001 – Enemy at the Gate
4 – Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan 1995 - Braveheart
5 – Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender 2009 Inglourious Basterds

Dragon’s Destiny!

At the request of Truedessa, I have written a short story that takes place after Dragon of the Stars.

This short story is available for free to anyone who has read Dragon of the Stars! Just send me an email (alexjcavanaugh AT earthlink.com), tell me what happens to Aden at the end of Dragon of the Stars, and tell me what format you want – ePub, Mobi, or PDF file.

Thanks to everyone who has read Dragon of the Stars! It still amazes and humbles me. To think I never even wanted to be an author...



Questions!

And finally, just some Internet questions that really have me curious…

What compels you to put someone in your sidebar?
(I update mine once a month or so, and anyone who visits me every week, and I visit them, goes in my sidebar.)

Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?
(I don’t think I’ve ever been afraid to leave a comment. We’re all just people after all…)

What other social platform would you recommend?
(I’m considering either Tumblr or Pinterest. Not sure which one.)

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
(For me, it’s a toss-up between people who claim that can get you thousands of followers and those who constantly Tweet ‘Buy my book.’)

For those who have been around a while, what’s an aspect of blogging you really miss?
(I miss the variety. I used to have the most eclectic followers, and now it’s almost all writers and authors. I love you guys, but where did everyone else go?)


Do you think they should remake The Crow? Did you guess the brown box? Are you participating in Write...Edit...Publish? Get the movie trivia right? Want to read Dragon’s Destiny? And what is your opinion on the questions…?
And I will be visiting with friends later this week, so I won't be around Thursday through Saturday.

153 comments:

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Me I am...

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Eclectic...

Jeremy [Retro] said...

We do not, repeat need another... Crow film, we didn't need the sequels to Brandon Lee's version. I have watched it many times and still remember the sadness that surrounded it. Using a digital face of Brandon to fill in the parts they couldn't finish and the shots with just his back to the audience... much respect to the filmmakers for making a wonderful tribute and film. The score and soundtrack remain to this day one of my favorites.

Congratulations on the new short story and to everyone you share with their stories, books... dreams are only dreams until they are reality.

Jeremy

Melissa said...

Thanks to all those who participated in the contest and congrats to Jeanne for the win.

What compels you to put someone in your sidebar?
I don't include a blog list. I usually put things there that have meaning... a group I frequent, an ad for a service I've used, etc. My follow options, WIP progress, page index and blog archive take up most of the room.

Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?
Rarely. I was when I first started blogging, though.

What other social platform would you recommend?
I've caught my limit. LOL For you, I'd vote Tumblr. I'm far from an expert on either venue, but it seems Tumblr can do more.

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
The worst thing (besides people doing nothing but self-promo) is that once you follow a lot of people, you can't keep up with your feed anymore. People are tweeting, but who's really listening? It's hard to connect on Twitter, and it definitely has its limitations.


Thanks again for hosting me. :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Jeanne.

I really enjoyed Jurassic World.

The Crow is one of my favorite movies. I can't imagine a remake.

Elephant's Child said...

I am putting my toes into the water with WEP. In trepidation.
And since I am not a writer, I am going to claim/pretend to be one of your eclectic followers.
Social media? Blogging is my limit.
Have a heap of fun visiting with your friends.

RaveAir said...

This year looks very fruiting to the filmmakers.

Mason Canyon said...

It's always sad to me when the film industry takes a perfectly good movie and tries to remake it only to have it turn out completely different from the original and always falls way short of the standard of the first.

Congrats to Jeanne.

Just Keepin It Real, Folks! said...

Yea I agree we do not need another Crow movie. And I have been intimidated to leave a comment on some of the uber popular blogs for fear that I will say the wrong thing and get blasted for it. That has happened before. So now I just read and don't comment.

Truedessa said...

Thank you Alex for writing the short story follow up to Dragon of the Stars. As a reader I just wanted to know a bit more about the characters...where would destiny lead them.

For those who bought Dragon of the Stars be sure to get Dragons Destiny you won't be disappointed. It's a quick easy read. This is just one of those stories that could lead to more books.

Alex I guess you never know where destiny will lead, you didn't want to be an author yet here you are and you host The insecure Writer's Support Group. I would say destiny played a hand here.

I know some people who use tumblr. I was going to use that instead of Blogspot when I first came on. If you want a younger audience I think tumblr is the place to go. Pinterest isn't that just for images?

The sidebar? hmm wonder why I never added that in, something to ponder.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Looking forward to the short story! I have to figure out a possible future for Aden before I e-mail you. As for social media, I'm posting to my Facebook author page more frequently, but I'm not a fan of Twitter.

Rhonda Albom said...

My answers to your questions: I am never a fan or remakes, so no. I guessed blue (I think), but I am sure I didn't guess brown. Not participating, for now. I guessed Braveheart (I think), Of course I want to read your latest short, but I need to read the book first. My "read later" list is getting too long. Loved your questions, and I am a bit of eclectic as I haven't finished my first book yet, so I am more of a travel blogger than an author, so we all haven't left you :)

Cathrina Constantine said...

Social Networking takes up too much of my time. Twitter boggles my mind.Does it really help in getting noticed or book sales? Who knows for sure....I do like Facebook, as long as the weirdo's leave me alone, which I had some very bad people post porn on my sight more than once. I was mortified and infuriated!!! I also have a personal FB which I like because I have family that lives in Florida and we post family pictures. I get to see my nieces and nephew, and what's happening in their lives. I do like to blog.

Li said...

You would think that someone would have gotten the message by now that the Universe is against a re-making of The Crow.

My sidebar blogroll is an assortment of blogs that both interest me and that I think would interest my readers.

I'm not on Pinterest or Tumblr so no advice there. I manage my Twitter by using a lot of Lists. (My stream moves too fast for me to ever catch anything of importance.) So, if I want to see what writers are doing, I have a List for that as well as one for close friends, breaking news, etc. It really helps me to get a handle on things and stay updated, while screening out all of the bots, people retweeting book sale/follow me pleas, political rants, etc.

mshatch said...

I basically have all the blogs all I follow on my sidebar. As for commenting, the only time I don't leave leave a comment is either because I don't have anything to say or because what I do have to say might be unwelcome.

And I completely agree with you about The Crow. No remake.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I'm still around ... wandering amongst your dragon tales ... dragon in a box .. I think I'd have said gold ... burnished gold. Still congratulations to Jeanne ...
I'm dipping my toes in FB and Tw .. but how deep I will go depends .. I do enjoy blogging though and meeting all kinds of amazing people .. learning loads too ..

Good luck to all authors et al .. cheers Hilary

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Great Internet questions, Alex. I'm curious to see everyone's answers! I don't know what other social media platform I would use, if any. I still really enjoy blogging, even if I'm not the best at it. :)

Loved that movie Enemy at the Gate! Now I want to watch it again. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jeremy, everyone wanted to finish that film for Brandon and they created a masterpiece.

Melissa, you're welcome. I know I can't keep up with my Twitter feed anymore.

Elephant's Child, careful, sounds like you might slip into being a writer.

Just, that's sad.

Thanks, Truedessa! Destiny did have a hand in it.

Rhonda, don't leave me!

Cathrina, that's terrible.

Lisa, I do use lists, but they are really big.

Hilary, glad you're still around.

Christine Rains said...

We definitely do not need a remake of The Crow. Does Hollywood think they're out of original ideas? I'm never out of ideas! Why don't they hire me? =P Dragon's Destiny was excellent. I agree with you about Twitter, but I'm slowly trying new things with it and it's working better for me than Facebook. I miss the variety of followers too.

Murees Dupè said...

Congratulations to all the authors with new releases and to you, Alex:) Also, congratulations to Jeanne. I hope they don't remake the Crow either. It seems that the bad-luck (Brandon Lee dying) from the original film, is haunting the new cast of The Crow. Pinterest is fun, but I mostly use if for myself and not to build a platform, or gain new followers. Blogging is still my number 1 social media choice:) Have a great week!

DMS said...

Love the cover of your new short story!

I still haven't seen Jurassic World- it has been on my list all summer, but somehow I haven't made it there yet. Must go soon before it is out of all theaters!
~Jess

Debra Renée Byrd said...

I have to get to all my e-books, but when I do get to Dragon of the Stars, I'll let you know!!

I missed a lot of posts, so this is the first time I'm seeing the term "box social". lol I've only heard it on Family Guy, and I didn't realize Stewie wasn't saying Bach Social. lol

ediFanoB said...

Yay!
More Dragon of the Stars content. I'm sure it is not only Truedessa who wants to read Dragon's Destiny.

Thank you for reminder. I definitely need to update my sidebar.
I think you use a good rule.

I've never been afraid to leave a blog comment. I add a comment when I feel the need for it.

Social platforms - I left Facebook beginning of 2015. I have a Twitter account but do not use it regularly.
I neither know Tumblr nor Pinterest.

The worst thing about Twitter is to follow the right people and to handle all the messages in appropriate time.

It seems that the number of active followers is decreasing. I know follower who are now more interested in GOODREADS.
Furthermore I miss some blogger who I followed for a long time and where I knew they shared my taste.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Hey, cheers to your new story! We'll have to send you an e-mail after we finish reading DOTS. I've got the book, but I'm behind on my reading, so I'm not very far through.

The worst thing about Twitter is people who tweet something mundane and uninteresting. "Back kinda hurts today." Great, thanks for sharing that with the universe.

And yes, I miss the variety of blogs. There used to be a ton of very cool music blogs that would expose me to some great new music every week, but now most of them have all died off.

kaykuala said...

Am not anywhere into remakes. Would rather watch an entirely new movie with no connections whatsoever. It makes one wonder all along instead of having any notions about the previous release. Maintains the side-bar for those regular bloggers who normally make comments. Also keeping a tab on web-sites of interest which otherwise might be difficult to trace. It's like a reference list.That is how it is Alex. Nothing really spectacular

Hank

Jay Noel said...

I had no idea that Jurassic World has done that well. I still need to see it, along with Fury Road.

Yes, they really shouldn't remake The Crow. You cannot replace Brandon Lee. The movie is absolutely perfect.

And I don't have any specific criteria for my sidebar, but I do need to update it soon. I normally like to add my "regulars," but many of them have dropped off. I'm never afraid to leave a comment, and I really don't Twitter a whole lot (probably underutilized). I'm on Pinterest and Instagram, but I just don't have the time to devote to other platforms.

I feel exactly the same about how blogging has changed, and I know I've posted about it too. At one time, almost all my followers were non-writers. This was when blogging used to be true online journaling, and I had followers that posted about music, their struggles with addiction, their love lives, entertainment, etc. My favorite blogs were those that shared little slices of life and wisdom. I miss those days.

Unknown said...

oh some great Qs! believe it or not I don't have a sidebar, I have a handwritten list of my fav bloggers I love to visit and I pull it out throughout the week and check to see if the blogs are updated (I also know by now who posts which days of the week) I never knew there was another way and now it's all I know lol
Twitter is my favorite platform but I can't stand the "buy my book" incessant tweets, and I tend to mute those people

Blogoratti said...

Congratulations to Jeanne. And wow, Minions movie is almost at a billion -truly remarkable. And even more surprising is Jurassic World doing so well.

I add people to my sidebar daily as I discover new blogs all the time.
I do social media rounds sometimes, twitter and Google+.

Have a fantastic week, cheers!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Interesting comment about most of your blogger friends are now writers. Mine are too and I was wondering if it was my fault. I'll be reading your short story sometime this week as soon as I catch up on some things. It sounds like a greater power doesn't want The Crow remade.

Susan Says

Shell Flower said...

I've never actually seen the Crow, but now I want to. I guessed the right box, too, though I called it beige. Cool that you wrote a short story at the request of a reader. I'm drowning in my TBR list, but I'll get to Dragon some day. As for your internet questions, I have come across a blog or two that intimidated me. And some blogs have tons of followers but no comments, which I always find weird.

L.G. Keltner said...

They definitely should NOT remake The Crow. There is no reason for it at all. The first was so well-made that I don't see what a remake could possibly accomplish aside from disappointing fans.

Tonja Drecker said...

When I saw they were trying to remake The Crow, I shook my head. I love the original just as it is. As to social media - ugh. I still don't know what I'm doing...

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Christine, glad you enjoyed it!

Murees, maybe Lee is haunting them.

Jess, thanks!

Deborah, funny!

Edi, there are bloggers I really miss as well.

Brandon and Bryan, there are a lot of cool blogs that are gone now.

Hank, it works for you!

Jay, see Fury Road first. Much better movie. And I miss those days as well.

Beth, now you know!

Blogoratti, stunning how well both movies are doing.

EEGiorgi said...

congratulations on your short story, Alex! I've read the book a while ago, but I'll buy it to support you. :-)

Pat Hatt said...

Ugg to the stupid remakes. Congrats on the short story too! Still can't believe Jurassic World did so well.

Stupid buy followers crap annoys me on twitter. As for side bar, those who come regularly really. No more other social media platforms for me. 2 blogs, twitter, youtube, enough. Many different blogs have dropped by the wayside, I read that most blogs only last 7 months. Pffft to being scared to leave a comment lol



Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I miss the courtesy and generosity of blogland. I can find it, because I've been around long enough and know that it's here at your blog(for example), but it used to be everywhere. And people always returned blog follows. Now, I just lost two yesterday. I'm afraid they might think I'm one of those "buy my books" bloggers that so many have turned into.

Have a good week, dear friend.

Jo said...

Turns out I had only seen 3 of those films.

Originally I started putting blogs in my sidebar of blogs I read. Now I read so many it would start looking like yours I guess. Just being lazy not putting them there. Never seem to have time and I don't do half of what you do.

Never been afraid to comment.

Know nothing about those other social media sites and I have never figured Twitter and from what I now read, I don't want to.

Holy Ghost Writer said...

Nothing ever seems to get done on twitter beside people stating the obvious and clickbait links.

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

Hi, it helps to solve the question of Twitter and so on if you can't ever remember your password or how to get there. It did for me anyway.

I finally finished reviewing your beautiful book, Dragon of the Stars.
Thanks for a great story!
jean

Chrys Fey said...

That top 6 is interesting. I still haven't seen Jurassic World or Avengers: Age of Ultron.

About Twitter...I just unfollowed someone I sort of know because all she ever posted was stuff about her books. And not just once a day, but like 5 posts in a row a few times a day! That's too much.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Jurassic World being a monster hit is actually bad for all movies in my opinion. Sigh. I do love the cover art for all your stories. The latest short story one goes well with all the others.

Gail said...

Oh, Alex, I could have only answered The Dirty Dozen. I wait for the movies to come on tv. Although I was almost tempted to go see Inside Out. That is the way I always imagined my brain to be...full of conflict and unheard discussions and good advice, now and then.

The Crow should stand as it is. The remakes of old classics bother me. I'm not sure why but when I am asked about movie, I don't like asking in return, The first one or the new one?

I dislike the instant short responses of the quick media. I have seen too much trouble there in thinking before you speak but whatever sells the books, in addition to your wonderful stories, is okay with me.

Sometimes in Blogdom I have commented and had my arm bitten off so I do hesitate...in some instances to comment at all. What I run into most that I don't handle well is THEIR opinion should be MY opinion and any conflicting answers are not welcome. I've finally understood how to not offer my opinion on most things. Nice and neutral is not who I always am. I think I have a twisted sense of humor and every one doesn't get that. On a platform where we are supposed to be ourselves, I find myself pulling back and second guessing what I write. Maybe I do belong on Twitter.

You have a very good set up here. You welcome all responses and help those who are struggling to be as successful as you with advice, kindness, and truth. Thank you for that.

Bish Denham said...

I think people who remake movies don't have enough imagination of their own. It's like they're lazy or something. There are SO many ideas out there, why do a remake? Imagine someone remaking... Casablanca or Gone With the Wind.

The Box of Souls, not only a fabulous cover but a most intriguing title.

I'm not afraid to comment on blogs, but sometimes I have no idea what to say that will be somewhat unique. As for Twitter, I have an account, I post things, but I still don't know what good it's for. I feel like I can reach a whole lot more people through my facebook pages.

I have signed up for Write-Edit-Publish, Lord help me! :)

Heather M. Gardner said...

ALEX!

Happy Happy Happy Monday!

I'm a little surprised that Jurassic World is doing THAT well! I'm sure it's good, but not Avenger's good.


The Crow should never ever be remade.

Congrats to everyone with books and contests and awesome stuff going on!

Congratulations to you, Alex! I love the title you came up with! Dragon's Destiny is just perfect!

Heather

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Susan!

Shell, that is weird.

LG, exactly!

EE, it's free - I'll send it to you.

Pat, I've been getting a lot of those on Twitter lately.

Robyn, I've lost a couple recently.

Jean, I just read that - thank you!

Chrys, yes it is.

Thanks, Michael!

Thank you, Gail! And you don't want to deal with people like that anyway.

Bish, you can do it!

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm all signed up for WEP!

Here are some of my thoughts-
Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment? When I started blogging I was intimidated by almost everybody who seemed to know EXACTLY what they were talking about while I was floundering. LOL

What other social platform would you recommend? Not sure what else is out there. I'm considering Pinterest too. I LOVE to write from picture prompts, so Pinterest sounds like something that could work for me. I should have signed up long ago... will do so when I have some time...

What’s the worst thing about Twitter? There are tons of 'by-my-book' messages that clutter the feed. I really need to manage my feed and learn to use Twitter constructively.

For those who have been around a while, what’s an aspect of blogging you really miss? I haven't really thought about this...

Now I have an observation: I've seen blogs with hundreds of GFC followers, but a handful of comments. Strange.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Weird but the last time I left a comment it didn't stay. Hmm. Interesting. Not that it matters. My G+ always works. TG. You're right, the original The Crow was awesome. His face... very intense. Who else could do that. Bradley's too old.

Charles Gramlich said...

I had no idea the Furious series had done so well.

Sherry Ellis said...

I never saw The Crow, but from what you say, it doesn't sound like it should be remade.

American Sniper made me cry. Leaving the theater in silence was a really emotional experience.

I'd be interested in reading your short story!

Sarah Foster said...

I've actually never seen The Crow. Now I'm kind of curious.
Congrats on the new short story! I bought Dragon of the Stars but I still need to read it...I should probably get around to that...

Hart Johnson said...

I get annoyed with unnecessary remakes. I guess the wiggle room though, is in the word "unnecessary". To one person it may seem unnecessary, to another, critical.

As for your questions: My sidebar is mostly people who have visited me regularly, as that is the first place I go for who I should visit. I do get behind though. I only update it maybe every six months.

Michael Abayomi said...

I finally saw Furious 7 over the weekend, and I've gotta say... the movie doesn't deserve to be anywhere near that Top 5 list. And Mad Max: Fury Road definitely should've been placed higher than #234. That said, I still kinda enjoyed Furious 7 regardless of how ridiculous the stunts were, and feel it is a much better tribute to Paul Walker than that godawful Brick Mansions movies.

Robyn Campbell said...

I am participating, Captain. Can't wait to read them all.

I have twitter. I like it, but I wonder if it's just another time suck. *sigh* Pinterest is the best. Sign up for the business account. You can't have both.

I've never been intimidated. But I have to think on what to say. I usually think on it for a few minutes. I put folks on my sidebar when we connect. Although, with the WP, it's a hassle to do the sidebar.

Congrats to J.E. Woohoo.

Remakes suck MOST of the time.

I'll email you, Alex. That is cool. Can't wait to read the short story.

Unknown said...

I'm with you on The Crow. The original was a brilliant, one off thing and there's no need to remake it.

On to your other questions.

Any gamers or painter i read are is my sidebar, even many who don't comment on me or even follow me. From the rest of the blogosphere, I have to limit it only to people who I interact with regularly.

I'm generally not intimidated to leave a comment. There are some award winning painters out there that everybody reads and few comment on. I might comment once or twice a year on those guys pages, but read them religiously.

Despite how it may appear, I am not a social person so I avoid any other forms of social media. There are gaming/painting forums that I post on. They are very different in that I never, ever have to comment or make friends with anyone, yet I can still post. The ideal situation for someone like me.

I had Twitter when I was in between moving from home to here, but haven't touched it since. That was only to keep touch with people I actually knew.

I've been around for awhile and the thing I miss can be summed up in one word-Fran. Without him, the need to blog is pretty much gone. He was my touchstone, the only other Irish who was living away from home. Now I am alone on here and I don't really enjoy it.





SpacerGuy said...

Hey Alex I'm a Star Trek fan going back 10 years with my blog on the internet. Does that make me unique? LOL. I haven't written a book yet and I haven't gone away but congratulations to all of you who have. Your stories and characters are inspiring.

Carrie-Anne said...

There are some obnoxious writers on Twitter who are constantly promoting themselves, and it's s big turn-off. Every Tweet seems to be announcing a sale, a contest, a 5-star review, a guest post, a new release, or something else related to the book.

I haven't joined Tumblr or Pinterest, though it seems Pinterest would probably interest me more. It would be nice to have access to all those photos, and not just be limited to seeing the first few rows on a given page.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hey, Alex,

Interesting statistics on the movies... I agree that they shouldn't remake the CROW... it's a classic, now and just like so many other classics, they SHOULD NOT be remade. Very few remakes are as good as the originals...

SO happy that Denise and Yolanda are bringing back the WEP! It's the only time I've written anything NEW since my first two novels. Such a great way to push us to WRITE again if we haven't had the time or inclination to do so. I need to get on my story TODAY since I need to post by tomorrow...

Congrats to Tanya and Milo for their new works.

I usually put bloggers in my sidebar that I enjoy reading their blogs. Several do not visit me, but I find their posts intriguing and I keep visiting them anyway... when I have the time.. which is not much these days, sadly.

I am NEVER intimidated to leave a comment. A few rare times I won't leave a comment, because I simply have nothing to comment on.

I only know about Twitter and Facebook, and of the two I would recommend Facebook over twitter, simply because Twitter has too much self promoting tweets...

I LOVED how blogging used to be simply because many of us had MORE TIME to put up an interesting post. Six years ago when I first started, many of us posted daily. Really interesting and thought provoking posts, too. Many fantastic blogfests to learn about writing and read everyone's amazing work. But as the years went, so did many of our blogger pals and their great posts. Often way TOO BUSY to post or visit. Many have had published books and are now very accomplished authors and don't have the time for blogging anymore. Life has gotten so complicated and stressful, there just isn't enough time to do it all.

PLUS the fact that there are hundreds of new bloggers and added to the already thousands, it just too much and too overwhelming to keep up.

I know that I have cut back considerably and visit only the bloggers who have meant a great deal to me and the ones I consider friends. Even though I lOVE meeting new people, I just can't forge more friendships in the very limited time I have these days....

Alex, I still don't know how you do it!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

You're right, Alex: the typical audience for each blog has changed. Blogdom has evolved or de-volved into ghettos.

As the reason to visit changes, our audience changes. I think I will take up my old habit of hitting the link at the top of our blogs, NEXT BLOG, and visit, leaving a comment on interesting blogs -- that is how I got an eclectic audience by repeat comments to discovered blogs that talked on subjects besides writing that interested me.

Of course, writing on subjects outside writing helps attract outside interests, too.

Wasn't DARK CITY a great movie?

Ava Quinn said...

I loved The Crow. Tragic on so many levels. I'm with you, they should let it rest. It's be like remaking Blade Runner. No. Way.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Thanks for the shout out about the calendar!

I no longer have a blog roll on my sidebar since I switched to WordPress. My website designers could find no comparable gadget for WordPress that wasn't A LOT of work. I use Feedly, but of course, you can't see that from my site.

I'm never too intimidated to leave a blog comment, but sometimes I read the post and can't think of anything to say.

I don't understand Tumblr. Pinterest is okay. I occasionally find interesting images or links to stories there which I then pin to a Potential Inspiration board.

The worst thing about Twitter in my feed is repetitive Buy My Book tweets. The worst thing about Twitter as a whole is the number of abusive people who use it -- but I don't follow anyone like that, of course. The BEST thing about Twitter is using it to follow, say, a presidential debate rather than watching the actual debate. Just follow the hashtag and watch all the comments zoom by!

Like you, I miss some of the bloggers who have abandoned their blogs. :(

The Happy Whisk said...

I am considering Pinterest as well as a few others for food stuff. Not sure yet but probably I won't do FB. I doubt I would, but then, I never thought I'd be a blogger. So what the heck do I know.

Have a great week, Alex.

PS: Yes, cornflour/corn starch in the baking powder. I knew it was there but forgot until I made a bake over the weekend that called for 16g or BP. But I remembered real quick after eating, said bake.

HAPPY WEEK TO YOU AND YOUR WIFE!!!!

Fundy Blue said...

Wow! So much in your post today, Alex! Definitely want that short story!!! Can't wait to read it!!! I should revisit my sidebar ~ It's primarily the first bloggers I met. If I read a blog post, I'll leave a comment ~ Just to let the writer know that someone is reading it. I know how much comments mean to me. As for social platforms, I'm in enough trouble with Blogger, Facebook, and email! I don't do Twitter, because I don't have a smart phone ~ yet. No time anyway! Have a great week!

Andrew Leon said...

Hence the shift in the focus of my blog. Other writers are great for getting comments, but they don't buy books. So my traffic has been up but comments down. I suppose I'll see how that goes for a while.

Birgit said...

I hate when they want to remake something and you know this film will die a quick death. I think I got the answers right for once:) Well I am one of the non author people:) I find it funny because I love making cards but most of my followers are people who don't:) Remind me when I was in University-I was a Psych major but hung around with the English crowd. Regarding the questions, I don't have a side bar because I never thought of it and unsure how to put it on:) I am never intimidated by leaving answers even when I end up having foot in mouth disease. I have no care for Twit...ter because..why? I like Pinterest because there are so many pictures of neat things on there.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Heather! No, it is not Avengers good.

Michelle, someone else mentioned that, and it is strange.

Sherry, thanks! And I still want to see American Sniper.

Michael, it was fun, but agree that Fury Road should've made a ton more money. Awesome movie.

Robyn, thanks for the tip.

Anne, that's great you found those forums. I really miss Fran as well. I've followed him for years and it's so quiet now.

Michael, glad it's prompted you to write again. And we did seem to have more time back in those days. I don't know how I blogged so often then.

Roland, I should try that as well. And yes, Dark City was mind bending.

Dianne, that's the best way to follow a debate! And you're welcome.

Ivy, sorry you ate some of it!

Fundy, I will get it to you.

S. L. Hennessy said...

So excited to read the short story! And I hate that they keep trying to remake classics that have no business being remade. Ugh.

Jeffrey Scott said...

I do remember watching the Crow. But the details escape me for the moment. One of these days I'm going to have to utilize my Saturday's the way I used to. Doing nothing but watch movies all day long. So many to catch up on. I have seen none of the films you've listed.

cleemckenzie said...

Darned! I didn't guess the right color. Oh well, next time. I'm in WEP with Denise and Yolanda. It should be fun, and a last fling before serious fall sets in.

I guess I'd go for Tumblr if I had two choose between the two. I don't do much on either one. I don't have time.

Karen Lange said...

Worst thing about Twitter - feeling compelled to respond to RT's. What I miss about blogging- same as you, pretty much. Many regular "veteran" followers writers or otherwise, have given up blogging completely.

Liz A. said...

Remakes... You'd think people could have an original idea. And alas, I picked the wrong box (sigh).

I have this widget in my sidebar that links to everyone who's commented. I found it somewhere or other and liked that idea.

I'm not intimidated to leave a comment. There are times that I just have nothing to say. Or used to. The more I comment on blogs, the more I find that I can say something random just to let people know I was here and reading.

I've never tried Tumblr. I rarely use my Pinterest, but it is useful. At the moment I'm trying to decide what to knit next, and I've been perusing my Halloween board.

Twitter--just so much static that it's hard to find the tweets from the people I actually care to read about.

Yolanda Renée said...

Cool, I got the right color!
Thanks for the shout out for the WEP - hope to see you there!
Pinterest is fun, but I don't know a thing about tumbler.

I hope they never remake the CROW, was done right the first time!

I think most folks prefer the quick connect ??? I have no idea. :)

Angela Brown said...

I had no idea they were trying to remake The Crow. Like you, I am a fan of the orignal and don't see anything that should be remade when it comes to this movie. Next thing you know, they'll try to remake Underworld and...no, that should not happen. At all.

Susan Kane said...

Why oh why did someone think that The Crow could/should be remade? Are ideas dried up in the thinking movie room?
Like you, I am noticing the numbers of bloggers talking about their books, the writing of same, ...
I blog because I love playing with ideas and images. Won't ever be talking about a muse or buy my book. I just want to explore the brain while I still can.

Sandra Cox said...

Interesting. I've noticed the same thing about blogging being mainly writers and authors. As much as I hate to say it, I think the rest of the world has moved to FB.

Cherie Reich said...

I'm more for sequels than remakes. For the questions, the worst thing about Twitter is all the noise. It overwhelms me and my social anxiety.

stephen Hayes said...

I'm honored to be included on your sidebar.

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

The Box of Souls is an amazing title.

Some films should never be remade! They have a special quality that makes them wonderful and unique!

Kathe W. said...

my answers to your queries:
1. I place folks in my sidebar when I find I am returning to read more!
2. Intimidated? nope. But sometimes I would like to leave a "HELPFUL HINT" but resist the urge as I don't want to insult or hurt feelings.
3.none- I am on Facebook, but not for many minutes per day- huge time suck. Just look to see how everyone is doing. Do leave a few comments.
4. Twitter? Tried it and found it tedious and insipid. I know some friends use it for work- so it must be useful- just not for me.
5. VARIETY AND HUMOR. I find those who post on memes items etc that do not relate to the meme but are only to sell their stuff are most annoying. I enjoy reading and seeing others takes on subjects.
Cheers!

River Fairchild said...

I've never seen The Crow (I know you're not surprised by that, Alex) but I'm adding it to my Netflix list.
Twitter can be annoying with the "buy my book" aspect. On the other hand, I've had a few people who actually have conversations with me.
It does seem like people have dropped out of visiting blogs. I thought it was because it's summer but maybe it's more of a shift.

Cindy said...

What other social platform would you recommend?

I'd have to say Facebook and it puzzles me why some people refuse to even try it. It doesn't have to take up a lot of time.

I joined Pinterest a couple of months ago. It's fun if you like to collect pictures, but so far I haven't really connected with anyone on there. I've been using it help describe characters and other description.

I'm not crazy about Twitter because of all the "buy my book" like you said. There are about ten people out of a thousand where I watch for their tweet. I use a program called Tweetdeck that helps me organize friends.

SK Anthony said...

I have issues with my kindle, as soon as I replace that sucker I'm reading Dragon of the Stars! I'm so excited you now have the Dragon's Destiny short story! :D

Ugh! You're so right about Twitter! *rolling eyes*

. . . and goodness, NO! there's no good reason to remake The Crow!

Joanne said...

No to a new Crow flick. I remember it as very unique. I did see Man From UNCLE this weekend and was amused for my $5. Guess it stank up the box office. In regards to my sidebar, I don't shuffle it enough. I know from April A to Z I found some new (to me) blogs and put them up there. Some have stayed active, some not. I need to do a new shuffle, and I've been remiss in putting you up there. As a computer idiot, I don't find changes easy to do. I attempted Twitter and did not see the point. Other social media have not caught my eye. It all takes a lot of time, in my opinion. I'd rather be reading a good book! Have a super week, Alex

J E Oneil said...

Ha! I can't believe I won. The box just looked more lizard-y than the others. And I totally don't think they should remake The Crow, but that's more because I was never really a fan of the first one...

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations to the winner. :)
I'm reading Dragon of the Stars now so will have to wait till I finish to know the answer to the questions.
Have a great week.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Birgit, I'm glad you visit me then!

Jeffrey, that's a great way to waste a Saturday.

Yolanda, you're welcome, and as I've written nothing, I probably won't make it this time.

Angela, never! Kate rules.

Sandra, they will go without me then.

Stephen, but of course! You rock.

Kathe, I try to give everyone a variety.

River, it's a sad shift.

Cindy, I use that. And Facebook just doesn't interest me.

SK, thanks!

Joanne, no worries.

JE, you won!!

Stephanie Faris said...

I have a diverse group of followers but mostly writers. I think the non-writers get scared off by all the writing stuff, but you post about movies, too! I never saw the original The Crow...it bugged me too much that the star died during its filming. I couldn't fully immerse myself in it, strange as that sounds.

Arlee Bird said...

No need to remake The Crow.

I guessed the right box!

I rarely update my sidebar but I should. Initially my sidebar consisted of the blogs that participated in the first A to Z. Now some have been removed due to not being active anymore and a few were added for one reason or another. I've thought about cleaning up my sidebar, but I do use it to visit blogs on occasion.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Jemi Fraser said...

I ended up having to delete my sidebar because it kept getting attacked by viruses and malware. When I did have it, I included people I considered 'friends' - people i regularly communicated back and forth with (on blogs, twitter, email...)

The spam of some people/corporations drive me nuts too on Twitter. I also DETEST the auto message when I follow someone back - especially if it's asking me to buy something!

Anonymous said...

I heard The Crow remake had died. Think I saw it on Twitter and read the link. I do hope so. It is an iconic movie and I don't see a remake making it better. If anything, it'd be like Robocop (I haven't seen the remake, but I heard it paled in comparison and was done badly.) Hollywood needs to stop with all the remakes and get on something new and original.

Unknown said...

Some movies are simply untouchable and should remain untouched!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Yay, Jurasic World at #3. I enjoyed it for sure. Lots of great news. I feel your pain on eclectic readers. If it makes you feel any better I'm a writer who's not successful AND eclectic.

G. B. Miller said...

I'm not a fan of any kind of remakes/reboots of movies that were done anywhere from 20 to 50 years ago. Three examples of movies that were stupidly rebooted/remade:

Total Recall (R to PG-13. Really?)
Yours, Mine and Ours (original with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball was better)
The Three Musketeers (Charlie Sheen. Really?)

Need I say more?

Father Nature's Corner

Rachna Chhabria said...

Yes, I guessed the brown box right, though lizards scare me. Congrats to Milo and Tanya. I too dislike followers on Twitter who constantly harass me to like their pages or accept a free copy of their books. Ugh! What happened to making genuine connections?

Denise Covey said...

Hi Alex! Thanks so much for the shout out for WEP. I'm still hoping you'll join one of our challenges!

Yep. Blogging has changed. Every social media platform has been taken over by authors promoting their books. I totally get that, but geez, you can't escape.

They say tumblr if you have a young audience for your books. I love Pinterest best, as I get some awesome images which people let me use. And you can share your blog posts if you want. I guess before long author/bloggers will take it over but ATM it is far more just photographers, foodies, travel...

I keep my blogroll updated. As you say it's hard to find anyone who's not a writer. We have Jo, hmm...

Denise :-)

Cherdo said...

Never, ever remake the Crow. I never understand the attraction in the first place, other than the draw of tragic loss of Brandon Lee. It was a dud.

I might have peeked at it to see Jack Huston, though. I loved him on Boardwalk Empire.

Helena said...

Of course no one should remake The Crow. The other night I saw the original The Day the Earth Stood Still--1951 and a remarkably sophisticated and solid sci fi movie. Then a few years ago the studios remade it with Kneanu Reeves. Couldn't compare. Do something original, Hollywood!

I can't comment on what to do with blogs because I've been so derelict in simply restarting my own. I realize that as a writer I should be everywhere on the Internet--a blog, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, whatever--but I'm not. Ironically, I'm getting more writing done on both a novel and a screenplay.

TBM said...

I hadn't heard about the Crow remake and I have to wonder why. It's such a good flick and I know there are millions of other stories that have been told yet, so why all the remakes?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Beverly, thanks!

Lee, I use it when I'm using my iPad.

Jemi, they usually ask me to like their Facebook page - and I'm not even on Facebook.

Teresa, no!

GB, you need say no more...

Denise, it does seem like an author takeover.

Helena, more writing is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

The Crow can never be remade. Brandon Lee cannot be replaced - except by himself. Move on Hollywood.

I use Pinterest a lot, for ideas and inspiration, to share thoughts with readers and writers, and to comment on my health by the images on MS that I select. (MS as in multiple sclerosis)

Patricia Stoltey said...

I don't have a "worst" thing about Twitter -- for some crazy reason, I love it there.

With my new website/blog, I haven't set up a sidebar list yet. I really need to do that. I will include the blogs (like this one) that I want to visit on a regular basis.

If I want to leave a comment, I do so (as long as I'm not forced to jump through too many hoops).

I'm sticking to Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads plus adding in Library Thing as soon as I have a little free time to explore there. I'm on Google+ but I think it might be struggling...

With my new blog, I've lost some of the folks who used to leave comments. I miss the feedback (thank you, Alex, for sticking with me through the changes).

Golden Eagle said...

Tumblr is a lot of fun--different from Blogger, from posting to the way you follow and catch up on other people's posts, but definitely enjoyable, at least for me.

Also, thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting this month! It was great to hear from you and a reminder to stop by here--your blog looks like it's as dynamic and interesting as ever!

Ellie Garratt said...

I have Beyond Space Opera on my Kindle. I'll be reading it tonight. You've also reminded me I need to update my sidebar!

shelly said...

Some movies should.never be remade. The Crow is one of them.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I'm glad to hear someone else say it. I'm so tired of these stupid remakes that should never have been remade. No one should remake The Crow! It's almost sacrilege.

Most of my audience is writers as well. Perhaps we're the only people who still read blogs.

Sandra Cox said...

Haven't seen Furious nor Sniper. Probably won't. I think Sniper would just be too emotionally draining.

Got Dragon. Thanks!

Tanya Reimer said...

I was wondering that myself. Where did everyone go? Facebook? Pinterest?
Congrats to the new releases!

Intangible Hearts said...

Wahlberg and Tatum? LOL. You have lots of followers so I'm not sure why you feel there's an aspect of blogging that's missing. Everyone loves you! I will want to read Dragon's Destiny but right now my Kindle is jam packed and I'm stuck in a book about trolls. Wish I could get out. :)

XmasDolly said...

As far as I'm concerned they should never redo "The Crow". There's definitely a hex on the role. It was done absolutely perfect. You just don't fix something that's not broke.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Patricia, sorry you've lost some folks.

Thanks, Golden!

JH, maybe we are.

Sandra, enjoy!

Intangible, thank you!

Patsy said...

I'm not sure any film should be remade. Why not tell a new story?

Julie Flanders said...

Oh I'm sorry I missed the lizard contest! Melissa always has such clever ideas. How fun.
I'm considering Tumblr too although I have no clue when I will actually do it. Tried Pinterest but couldn't get into it.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Is nothing sacred in Hollywood? Serious, The Crow is one of my absolute favorites. Know it by heart. Still, after all these years. DO NOT TOUCH IT! #endofrant

Crystal Collier said...

It's contest season, isn't it? So much awesomeness.

I hear you about blogging. The field really has narrowed in recent years. I think that's due to the explosion of other social media mediums. Pinterest. Instagram. Snapchat. Who needs a blog when you can communicate the same thing in an image and a few words?

Chemist Ken said...

Hurray for Jurassic World! I've already seen it three times. I know it had some problems, but I just can't get enough of dinosaurs chasing after people. It's like my nightmares coming back to life.

M Pax said...

Interesting about the Crow. That's how I felt about Psycho. It was perfect. Huge mistake to remake it.

What compels you to put someone in your sidebar?
When I switched to a responsive site, I lost my sidebar. So it's no longer an issue. Actually, I don't miss it anymore.

Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?
No. Only on sites that want me to sign up for something first. Then I won't bother.

What other social platform would you recommend?
I love Twitter and FB is very handy. If I had a smartphone, I'd go with Instagram.

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
I love Twitter. I meet so many cool people and learn so many interesting things.

For those who have been around a while, what’s an aspect of blogging you really miss?
There's still a lot of blogs out there, but it seems less social than it used to be. I miss that.

Catherine Stine said...

I put peeps in my sidebar when they have interesting posts and comment back. Yes, occasionally I don't comment, especially about political or religious stuff that can be divisive. I don't even like to post really critical things. As far as social media I am leaning toward - Instagram.

Liz Blocker said...

The Hollywood remake trend drives me crazy, and this latest installment is making me furious. It's just a money-making ploy, because the original was a hit. And as a result they miss great, unique new ideas and they ruin beautiful films. ARGH. Don't get me started.

Tyrean Martinson said...

I would love to read Dragon's Destiny and sent you an e-mail with info. I stop by Pinterest every few weeks, I use instagram (my kids hang out there sometimes) and facebook (mainly because my family and some high school friends got me hooked), and I looked at tumblr once, but I started to feel overwhelmed.

Twitter is okay in small doses. I also don't like the thousands of followers people and I'm not a fan of the instant "you followed me, now buy my book" private message. However, in the last few months, I've had at least one short tweet conversation a week with someone on twitter, and I have tried to become more creative with my own tweets - or at least a little less "sales" frenzied. However, I must warn you, tomorrow I will be highlighting freebies all day long. Run away! Then, I'll go back to normal again for a while.

I've been wondering that about blogging for a while now, but I appreciate Maurice Mitchell's film sketchr posts, and Heather Holden's Echo Effect comic strip. They are wonderful, art-filled highlights in the midst of writing blogs. I may start writing about something other than writing one of these days . . .just to change the pace of things.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Crystal, you may be right.

Mary, I miss that as well.

Maurice's site is awesome, Tyrean. And I'll be on vacation, so you won't bother me with those Tweets tomorrow.

Al Diaz said...

1. They impressed me at some point, that's why they're there.
2. Yes. Believe it or not, some of you are too picky with the kind of comments you wish to receive.
3. I'm on Pinterest and I love it. Don't know Tumblr.
4. "Buy my book" and endless retweets.
5. I miss my own ignorance of when I started blogging. I miss who I was.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the signal boost, Alex! I enjoyed your short story.

Donna K. Weaver said...

I wish I understood the desire to remake or reboot everything anymore. I don't know that I've seen anything that did justice to the original.

kimlajevardi.com said...

Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?
I'm not really intimidated to leave blog comments, but sometimes I don't have much to add to the specific discussion.

What other social platform would you recommend?
I use Twitter, but you already use that one.

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
I'm with you about the twitter follower and "buy my book" people.

In terms of The Crow, I wish they'd stop recycling all the old movies and go with fresh material. So many writers out there have great stories that people are unwilling to take chances on, and I think that's short-sighted.

Unknown said...

James Cameron still tops the list.. come on Jurassic World, you can do it!

Unknown said...

I'm with you--leave The Crow alone.

Misha Gerrick said...

What compels you to put someone in your sidebar?

I ended up taking my sidebar off because it made my blog load too slowly, and the funny thing is that no one misses it.

Are you ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?

Nope. My issue is always what to say, especially when I've encountered a blog post consisting of the exact same cover as twenty other blogs I've visited.

What other social platform would you recommend?
Both are nice, although I find Tumblr to be a pain in the back to get into. Reciprocation seems not to be a thing there.

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
People who spam my timeline with twenty identical messages per minute.

For those who have been around a while, what’s an aspect of blogging you really miss?
I miss the fact that people used to be more willing to take part and comment. These days, especially in blog hops, it feels like a lot of people are there posting, but few people are really visiting anyone else. And I'm sad to say that after 2012, I never felt this more keenly than in the A to Z Challenge.

Trisha said...

I agree completely - the Crow does NOT need to be remade! The original was a once in a lifetime sort of production, and the real-life stories that went into the making of it just make it all the more haunting. Agreed on the soundtrack, too.

Regarding the sidebar - I guess it's just people that I've visited regularly, or that I like visiting. They don't necessarily have to be people who visit me regularly in turn, but usually they do tend to be. I haven't removed anyone from it in a while, even those who haven't updated in years.

Blog comments - nope. Not intimidated. Sometimes I do find that I really want to leave a comment, but I just have no inspiration for what to write. But that's pretty rare.

Social platforms - I don't really use any, except Twitter rarely - but that's mostly to post automatic posts via my GoodReads updates. ;)

Worst thing about Twitter - I agree with your answer. Mine was going to be something along the lines of those people who want you to pay for retweets, followers, etc., and also those who claim to be social media specialists or whatever who will help you get followers. I never even bother to follow them back.

What do I miss? I miss MYSELF being really active and inspired. Ha. But I feel like I'm finally getting my 'creative' mojo back. I agree that it's good to have variety in your blog roll.

J.L. Murphey said...

Hi Alex! Taking a break from death paperwork to read blogs.

Jennifer Lane said...

Interesting thoughts about The Crow. It did have a special, dark feel to it.

alexia said...

Not sure if I should say this, but I don't think I've seen The Crow. Not the whole thing at least, maybe parts. For your social media question, I personally LOVE Pinterest, but for marketing, I think Tumblr is probably more "in". And Twitter - I hate people that follow you, and then when you follow them back, they unfollow you so their numbers of followers to following look better. Um, no. That's why I don't auto follow anymore. You have to talk to me.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Love that quote from the crow. How true. Leave it to Melissa to come up with a clever idea!

I think you're onto something with the variety. Even writer bloggers need to find interesting topics and not just always blog about writing.

Congrats on Dragon!! (again)

Sandra Cox said...

Enjoy your vacay. Hope it's all kinds of fun.

mail4rosey said...

Some movies really shouldn't be remade. And big congrats to your winner. :)

Anonymous said...

I wish movie makers would come up with more original movies instead of constantly making remakes and sequels.
When I find blogs I enjoy reading, I add them to my list. I don't recall ever being intimidated by a blog. I like Pinterest because I'm a visual person and I like pinning pictures for fun. I don't know anything about Tumblr. I admit to using Twitter only to post my blog links. I just can't get into those short bites. With blogging, I miss being able to keep up with all the great blogs I'd like to read.
Enjoy your visit!

Unknown said...

I guessed the "beige" box! All the lizards around here are beige like the desert. I'm putting your short story in next week's Friday Freebies as "Free with Restrictions" and linking to this page. Have a great weekend, Alex!

Blue Grumpster said...

What! A remake of The Crow? You mean like a.... rrrrrrrreboot? (throwing furniture)

Cherie Colyer said...

I didn't realize they were remaking the Crow. I agree, there's no reason to.

I don't think I've been afraid to leave a comment. Worst part of Twitter: it's a toss up between constant "buy my book" and auto replies asking me to check out another site.

klahanie said...

Pawtience, my esteemed human friend, Alex. Yes indeed, I have arrived with one of my eagerly waited for comments.

My human has watched The Crow and agrees with you that a remake would be unnecessary.

My human puts folks on his sidebar because he thinks they are jolly good people, or animals, for that matter.

My human, but not I, can feel silly about leaving a blog comment because he often thinks his comments are not very good.

I know you aren't a fan of Farcebook, aka, Farcebark, aka Facebook. However, my human, Gary and I, use that social network to pawmote blogs, including yours, good sir.

The worst thing about Twitter is that I get blocked by alleged comedians when I outwit them.

Good point about blogging and the aspect you miss. I like those bloggers who blog for the interaction within a sharing, caring community.

Have a pawsitive weekend, human Alex.

Penny!

Unknown said...

Congratulations to Jeanne :). And big congrats to you on your short story! I am a big pinterest fan :) Takes some time to put good images up, but is worth it and a fun network to be on.

T.F. Walsh said...

Congrats on your new short story... shall check it out:)

Hmm, I just wish I had more time to leave more comments and spend more time blogging and visiting more wonderful bloggers.

I'm a big fan of Pinterest and use it as an inspirational place for my stories. Facebook is probably my fav. place to chat with people and readers. twitter is more of just info churn.

Ray Rousell said...

Can't understand a remake of the Crow???? Why?? I'd love to read Dragon Destiny, but I'm still reading CassaFire!!!

Deniz Bevan said...

I would say, come to Tumblr! but I'm not on there as often as I used to be. Pinterest is fun for collating story inspiration images.
Why would they try to remake The Crow? Can't we have some original films?!

Shah Wharton said...

You got all of us authors from IWSG! Your success scared away the average blogger, perhaps? :)

The Crow should NOT be remade. I cannot imagine who would capture that character as well, and why bother. All the ideas out there and we have to remake classics? Frustrating!

shahwharton.com

Shah Wharton said...

You got all of us authors from IWSG! Your success scared away the average blogger, perhaps? :)

The Crow should NOT be remade. I cannot imagine who would capture that character as well, and why bother. All the ideas out there and we have to remake classics? Frustrating!

shahwharton.com

Anonymous said...

Alex it astonishes me how much you cover in each post-- it keeps me updated on all happenings in our corner of the blogiverse. I agree with you on Twitter-- those are the two aspects I hate. I still have eclectic followers, and I wish that stays the same. Writers and readers are excellent, but I want the gardeners, weavers, scrapbook makers and astronomers!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Al, that's sad! And I'm not picky.

Milo, you're welcome and thanks!

Misha, a lot of people don't get around and comment as much as they used to.

Alexia, that's why I check WhoUnfollowedMe.com often.

Lexa, thanks!

Penny, thanks for sharing mine and I'm honored to be a jolly good person.

Appreciate you reading at all, Ray!

Shah, I don't want to scare anyone...

Toi Thomas said...

I'm only for a Crow reboot if they can advance and perfect the tech enough to CGI Brandon Lee in the role. Perhaps the overall film quality or storyline can be enhanced and we just don't know it, but the actor and the soundtrack would have to stay the same...Is that asking too much?
I'm still waiting for CGI Bruce Lee movies.
Sorry for my geek rant.

WEP has been so great but also overwhelming. I've over commented myself to other things and am struggling to visit all the posts, which are so amazing. I'm learning a lot.

What compels me to put someone in my sidebar?
It can't be too distracting from my post needs to serve a purpose. It's not a place for pretty or cool things unless there's a message behind it.

Am I ever intimidated to leave a blog comment?
No, but I sometimes feel I don't have time to say what I want.

What other social platform would you recommend?
I actually do enjoy Pinterest and just started with Tumblr; the jury is still out.

What’s the worst thing about Twitter?
What you said, but also that most people tweet the same promo stuff over and over. Not many are sharing articles, interests, quotes or topics.

For those who have been around a while, what’s an aspect of blogging you really miss?
What you said.

Mason T. Matchak said...

I think that Jurassic World was horribly written, so seeing that it's made so much money just makes me sad. -_-

And I'm with you on The Crow. There doesn't need to be another remake. I enjoyed the movie, but I really don't think it captured the sadness and suffering of the original comic. Granted, I haven't read or seen either since high school, so I might feel differently nowadays, but still. Let it rest.

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

Hey Alex! Just wanted to stop around and say HI! So HI!

I hate Twitter. Too frenetic. Hate word limits.

Unknown said...

My least favourite thing about Twitter is when I lovingly craft a solid joke or comment and it gets nothing. NOTHING!

Blogging is a fading artform. Everyone's moved off of it and onto stuff like Reddit and Buzzfeed. Anyone who still has just a personal blog is behind the times (hi I'm Michael, nice to meet you).

Mary Aalgaard said...

I vote to place a moratorium on all remakes and see what Hollywood does when it has to be open to new ideas and writers! So, no. Don't remake anything. Spin-offs are fine, but don't redo what is already out there.
Okay. Moving on.
I like following other types of bloggers, too, but the writers are the ones with the stamina. We do it for the writing and connecting. I suppose we need to seek out the other types of artists.
I almost always leave comments, unless it's somewhat of a celebrity blog, like Neil Gaiman. I've never left a comment on his blog. Do you think he really writes it, or is it a PR person?
I like Pinterest for the creative ideas and quotes. That's where you'll find the more artist-types on the 'net.
Have a great week, Alex!
Play off the Page

Beate said...

I have yet to see Furious 7 but I did see Jurassic World and I liked it very much. Now I'm curious if it'll climb even higher :) But that's still a long way to go to be in the second place.

Unknown said...

I haven't thought of the Crow in years. I wasn't a huge fan - it was too dark for me back then. I was young, and everything had to be sunshine and roses.

My husband, on the other hand, loved it. It was one of his favorite movies. He died in '97, and I've never found anyone else. After reading this, I can't decide if I want to re-watch the movie or not. :-P