The Martian Review, RiffTrax Live, Salem’s Daughters, October Scary Stuff, Question of the Month, and Ninja News

So much good stuff today - The Martian review, Rifftrax Live - Miami Connection review and slide show... and we’re kicking off this week with a visit from my good blogger buddy, author Stephen Tremp!



Thanks Alex for hosting me as I kick off Salem’s Daughters Blog Tour! Your website is a launching pad and I greatly appreciate the momentum. The year is 1705 outside Boston. Thirty nine witches are flushed from their coven by a drunken mob and are running for their lives. Only thirteen (ages 13-17) survive by separating their souls and inhabiting six-month old cats in the first of their nine lives. The story then fast forwards to present day.

Now in their sixth life, they use their gifts for mischief and mayhem at a bed and breakfast named Murcat Manor. Salem’s Daughters is a supernatural thriller and will please a wide variety of audiences including paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense

Okay, time to meet the ladies:

Emily Livingston - leader and possesses each ability the other cats have, as long as they’re alive.
Rebecca - start fires. Short tempered.
Annie - speed things up and slow them down, like a person’s heart rate.
Chloe - levitate objects and opens things.
Amy - teleport herself instantly.
Helen - reverse things and locks and unlocks doors.
Angel - cause people to dream, influence their dreams, and prophecy about their future.
Scarlett - cast a bout of madness on a person.
Isabella - telepathy and illusion casting.
Rachel - astral travel: separate her soul from her body and travel outside it.
Jacqueline - freeze things or cause a body’s temperature to drop.
Esther - cause small explosions and heated bursts of energy.
Madelyn - genius, remembers everything and processes information faster than anyone.

Thanks again Alex for hosting me! You’re the bestest. My next stop is this Friday September 9th at Susan Swiderski’s blog, I Think Therefore I Yam.
And now the pertinent links for a full synopsis, downloads, and other fun stuff:
Amazon Kindle, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and blog

The Martian Movie Review

Directed by Ridley Scott – and the movie is so good, you can almost forgive the awful Prometheus.
Overall, this is great science fiction. Very plausible.
It moved a little slow, but the story is so enthralling that you’ll be riveted from beginning to end.
Matt Damon carries a lot of the film by himself. His character is smart, in control, and sometimes snarky. And in contrast with Gravity, you really like and care about him.
The supporting cast was incredible. Each one had their own, individual role and came across as so real and genuine.
The special effects were of course good. And they blended well – I didn’t even notice them.
What I really liked was the film’s hopeful message. People working together to solve a problem. That’s not something you see often in the age of cynicism.
Highly recommended!

RiffTrax Review

Another RiffTrax classic! Miami Connection was a cheap 80’s production with no continuity whatsoever. Easy fodder for the guys and it was hilarious. Some great lines:

Scene: Ninja in white walks into room of ninjas in black. Oh, we’re wearing black today? Thanks for telling me. You guys are dicks.

Scene: Gang members at night waiting for a fight. And waiting. And waiting… Like a bad 80’s video that won’t start.

And of course, many funny pre-show screens:

Ninja News

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open until November 1! The theme is Alternate History/Parallel Universe and any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging (must post for the IWSG at least once in September or October) or Facebook member (must join by today.) Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.

Special re-release!
UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Goodreads


Jessica Therrien is also hosting the Read and Review Challenge and it kicked off last week! Runs until March 31, 2016, so pick some books, read and review, and be eligible to win cool stuff.

Battle of the Banned

Hosted by Shady Del Knight. Here are the results from last Monday.

The song was Holy Diver, originally done by Dio. Killswitch got my vote, although they didn’t need it:
Ronnie James Dio –15
Killswitch Engage – 18

Another battle next week!

Halloween and October Happenings

Looking for some creepy stories? Haunted places? Ghosts and more? Then check out these bloggers in October:

Steven Symes is posting the 31 Days of Halloween. Something paranormal every day.

Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts is sharing some old horror comic covers every day.

Yolanda at Defending the Pen is featuring a selection of authors for a Halloween interview and flash fiction challenge.

Every Friday, Stephanie Faris is posting a scary story about a real place.

JE Oneil is posting scary websites, scary stories, and scary movies every Tuesday.

And if you want chills year-round, JH Moncrieff is always posting about strange phenomena and places.

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

“Who would play you in a movie of your life?”

Ryan Reynolds? We both have two legs, two arms, and a head.

Actually, I’d have to play myself. There’s no one out there who could understand the crazy depths of my brain.

It’s also quite possible the film would be a cartoon...

Ready to meet Stephen Tremp’s ladies? Anyone else see The Martian this past weekend? Did you go to the RiffTrax show? Have you written your entry for the IWSG Anthology? Battle of the Banned results surprise you? Ready for some Halloween chills? And who would play you in a movie…?

See you Wednesday for the IWSG post!