Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Dark Matter: Artificial, WW84 Review, Jo Wake’s Tribute Blogfest, and New Releases


It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.


The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!


Want to know more about the IWSG? Operation Awesome recommends it and has a post up about it this week. Check it out!


January 6 question - Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

Characters I don’t care about. That’s a deal-breaker. Oh, and way too much exposition. I don’t want pages and pages of description.

IWSG Anthology winners!!!
Dark Matter: Artificial

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Discover dark matter’s secrets…

What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?

Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies (FIC028040) / Space Exploration (FIC028130) / Genetic Engineering (FIC028110)
Movie Review – Wonder Woman 1984


We watched this Christmas Day on HBO Max and will see it again this Friday in the theater.
Not as good as the first one, but expectations were super high as the first was a near-perfect origins story.
I liked the chemistry between Gadot and Pine. Felt genuine. Kristen Wiig was also really good as Barbara/Cheetah.
The action scenes were great, especially the desert car chase.
On the downside, it was a bit too long – some scenes could’ve been cut. It also needed a little more Wonder Woman, although I get they were focusing on Diana’s development. Also, Cheetah’s real origin story is much more interesting.
It may sound like I am really knocking it, but if the first movie wasn’t out there, I wouldn’t be so picky. It’s still really enjoyable and entertaining film. I look forward to seeing it again and any other sequels they would like to give us.
Recommended.


New Releases


Rain by Lisa Buie-Collard


The past is not an easy force to be reckoned with.

Find it on Amazon


Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by JQ Rose

Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams of being entrepreneurs in the flower business into reality.
Find it on Amazon


Beware the Jade Christmas: A Christmas Ghost Story by Roland Yeomans

Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Welcome to New Orleans, Christmas Eve, 1946.

Find it on Amazon



Park Avenue Blondes by Ruth Harris

For fans of Nora Ephron—Women’s Fiction Meets Cozy Mystery in the Big Apple.

Find it on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Google Play.





In Honor of Jo Wake

A very dear friend passes away on December 16 – Jo Wake at Jo on Food, Life, and a Scent of Chocolate. She was part of the Dragon Fellowship, known as Grandma Dragon to us, and we have decided to do something in her honor.

On February 6, share a recipe that brings them warm memories of friendship and love in honor of blogger Josephine “Jo” Wake who passed away December 16, 2020.






Ready for Dark Matter: Artificial? Picking up some new books? Participating in Jo’s tribute blogfest? Seen WW84 yet? And can you help co-host the IWSG in the next few months?


99 comments:

nashvillecats2 said...

Happy New Year Alex, again a great mixture of films and books reviewed.
So sad to hear about Jo Wake.
Take care.
Yvonne.

Tony Laplume said...

Bleh.

Tony Laplume said...

Let me expound on my comment: Bleh. I always tell myself I won’t do it this time, I won’t hope for a best case scenario. Well, wasn’t even included in the anthology. So disappointed.

I loved WW84. I like books that are written well, that are thought out, that have a reason other than being written to be written. If they’re both of those and are written competently, I can parse it. If they’re missing any of that it will be a challenge. If it is not written well or not thought out or written just to be written (which is a combination of the two previous but doesn’t have to be) I will quit reading. I have read nearly thousand-page books nearly to the end only to determine the whole thing was actually a huge waste of my time.

Erika Beebe said...

I wanted to say thank you for your upbeat newsletter submission this month. Your thoughts were really great to read. I appreciate your Wonder Woman review. I wanted to see it too Christmas Day but the kids voted for the Croods 2 and i thought that was pretty amazing. Put me down as a cohost for May. Cheers for a happier new year.

Pat Garcia said...

Happy New Year, Alex!
All the best for 2021.
You can put me down for April or May.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia

Lynn La Vita said...

Congratulations on being recognized by Operation Awesome. I visited their Website and discovered they are a great resource for authors.

What a lovely way to honor Grandma Dragon! I'm very sorry for your loss. She will be missed.

May the wisdom we gained from 2020 guide us through 2021.
Wishing you and all our members a rewarding and healthy new year.

Liza said...

I remember reading James Michener years ago. A revered author yes, but I learned quickly while reading his tomes that I could skip the entire first chapter which was always description, background and scene setting. I never missed anything by doing that.

Cathrina Constantine said...

Happy New Year!

Congrats to all the Anthology Winners!

Alex, things have changed in my life, which makes my Wednesdays available to co-host. Just let me know.

Truedessa said...

Happy IWSG Day!

Congratulations to the winners of the Anthology contest!

So sorry to read about Jo, she always had delicious recipes and photos on her blog.

Any word on a release date for your new book?

I agree, too much description turns me off. I just want believable characters and a storyline that I can connect with, after all, that is what creates the magic. If, I don’t feel it in the first few chapters I won’t invest any more time into reading.

Have a nice day everyone!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yvonne, very sad.

Tony, sorry you didn't make the final cut. And nothing worse than getting to the end of a book (or a movie) and realizing you've wasted your time.

Erika, thanks - glad I was upbeat. Thank you for offering to co-host.

Pat, appreciate it.

Thanks, Lynn.

Liza, sounds like Tolkien.

Cathrina, thanks!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Too much exposition is a major problem for me. I'm also not a fan of the protagonist doing dumb stuff over and over again.

Happy New Year, Alex!

Joanne said...

Happy New Year and congrats to all in the anthology and with new books out. I get tired of books where the writer tries way too hard to be literary. It becomes a slog to read.
My sister and also a guy at work were let down by WW84. I still might see it in the theater. Sounds like it's not drawing crowds.
Hope your editing is going well and that you have a roaring 2021. You're off to a grand start today. Thanks

Steph W. said...

I think you nailed it with "Characters I don't care about." That is so important! Thank you for all of the hard work you do!!

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm with you on too much description! Slows everything down & drives me batty!
Congrats to the winners - I spy several friends and terrific writers! Looking forward to it.
Also looking forward to WW1984

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I need compelling characters. I don't have to necessarily like them, but something has to have me wanting to see what happens to them.

Congrats to all the anthology winners!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats to those authors. They've been fun to work with.

I really liked Wonder Woman 84.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Alex, hope you had a great time in the holidays. I too dislike pages and pages of never-ending descriptions.

So sorry to hear about Jo. She sounds like a wonderful person.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Happy New Year and congratulations to all who made the anthology!

I saw WW84 on HBO Max on Christmas Day. I enjoyed the movie well enough. There were incidents in the movie that could have been thought out better, but it's from a comic book, so I usually don't analyze those movies like others seem to do.

What throws me out of a story? Head-hopping is number one. I don't mind multiple points of view (I write them), but not in every other paragraph. I like it when each character gets at least a scene (if not a chapter) to themselves. I'm also thrown out of the story if the events (or motivation) don't make sense. I need some kind of logic for me to believe in the story.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Congrats to the IWSG anthology winners! I haven't seen WW84, yet, but plan on it. I can help co-host in February.

Nancy Gideon said...

Characters are deal breakers for me, too. I have to admire, root for or even despise (I LOVE a great villain!) them for a book to keep me awake past 10:30. I'd be happy to co-host in Feb or March! Happy New Year, Alex!!

Nick Wilford said...

Yep, connecting to the characters is a basic. I switch off from TV shows and movies if I have the same problem there, too.

Sorry to hear of Jo's passing. The bloghop sounds like a lovely thing to do in her honour.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to the winners! And I really enjoyed your Operation Awesome interview.

I'll try to visit 12 new blogs today. And I left a comment on the IWSG blog that I'm totally willing to help out by being a co-host. I hope you'll let me do it every three months and I can fill in when you need it. I want to help.

Yolanda Renée said...

So sad to hear of Jo's passing! She was such a lovely person!

Congratulations to all the anthology winners!

I can't wait to see WW.

Happy New Year!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Happy New Year!
I'm sorry to hear about Jo.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Feliz Ano Nuevo, Alex. Best to you and your family in 2021. Congrats to all the new releases. Looking forward to seeing the new WW film. I think we'll watch the old one first on the same night. I love doing that. Right now I'm watching a marathon of Jesse Stone with Tom Selleck. If you haven't seen them, I think you'll be impressed. They're filmed in the Maritimes.

Gwen Gardner said...

Congrats to all the winners of the anthology--beautiful cover :)

Jennifer Lane said...

Hi, Alex,

Sounds like we're on the same page about abandoning a story if there are characters we don't care about.

I'll co-host February or March!

Thanks for the reminder about Wonder Woman--I happen to have HBO at the moment, so I'll check it out.

Computer Tutor said...

Happy to co-host any of those months, Alex--February, March, April, or May. Just email me (askatechteacher at gmail dot com).

Sadira Stone said...

Congratulations to the anthology authors, and thanks, Alex, for all you do for all of us. Happy 2021! Here's to better times. Please hit me up whenever you need a cohost.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

My condolences and deepest sympathies to Jo's family.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Truedessa, must edit it first and then hope it's accepted!

Joanne, we're going to the theater to see it again. My expectations might've been too high.

Stacy, headhopping is a good one.

Thanks, Mary!

Nancy, thanks!

Natalie, you are on the rotation! I'll let you know the next month.

Joylene, I'll check it out.

Jennifer and Jacqui, thanks!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

I really enjoyed WW84. I also agree it was a little long (but I say the same thing about most blockbuster movies these days). I appreciated that it was also quite different than most superhero movies - the main villain wasn't something that could be defeated by punching.

Arlee Bird said...

I think there's enough dark matter in the world to plunge us all into an endless abyss if we don't latch onto the light. We live in a world of artificiality for sure and it seems everything gets more unreal as the days go by.

Sad about Jo. Her blog was among my early finds when I first entered the world of blogging.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

PK HREZO said...

CONGRATS to al the winners for the anthology! That's fantastic! Speaking of dark matter... there is a VR game I LOVE by the same name. Super sucked into it. Sorry I missed stopping by last month. Great to catch up with you as always Alex. I'd be happy to help host the hop in March or April. Just let me know.
I heard a lot of negative things about WW84. Your reviews is quite thoughtful tho so I appreciate that!! Happy New Year oh great Blogfather!! :)

H. R. Sinclair said...

Kristen Wiig was wonderful but I thought they backplayed her and Cheetah.

cleemckenzie said...

I was blown away by what Operation Awesome wrote about IWSG. What a great post it was.

diedre Knight said...

Howdy, Captain!

Lots of intriguing titles to start off the new year! Congratulations to all of the Anthology winners! I haven't seen the new Wonder Woman, though friends who have don't recommend it (?) I didn't know Jo, but the tribute is a beautiful gesture. Happy January!

Lisa said...

Thanks so much Alex for mentioning the new book today! I can host whenever you need me. Just let me know. I was disappointed with WW84, because of the comic element in the beginning (seemed to belittle her a bit IMO), and I think you're right. The first one was so very very good.

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

Really glad you liked WW84. I thought it was great and my expectations where very high for this one.

Elephant's Child said...

That is a lovely memorial to Jo. I suspect that she would most appreciate any recipe which included asparagus - lots of asparagus.
The Words for Wednesday meme added 'dragon' to a series of prompts in her honour.

Nicki Elson said...

Rest in peace, Jo.

I'm not one for highly descriptive prose either - I usually skim those parts. Or fall asleep.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sadira, thanks!

CD, very true.

PK, no worries and thanks!

Holly, I like her true origins story from the comics much, much better.

Lisa, you're welcome and thanks.

Cal, that's why we are seeing again in the theaters this weekend!

Elephant's Child, that's nice.

Fundy Blue said...

I'm so excited about "Dark Matter: Artificial!" What a great list of authors chosen by a great list of judges, Alex! Congratulations to each of them, writers and judges, for their efforts. I'm housebound for a while yet; so if you still need a co-host, I'll be happy to help. It's the least I can do for you and the IWSG! Happy New Year!

J E Oneil said...

I keep hearing that people either love WW84 or hate it. There's no in between. I'm not sure what to expect.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

That's wonderful about Operation Awesome! I just checked it out. Congratulations to all the anthology entry winners! It's going to be another fantastic anthology.

Mary Kirkland said...

I'm looking forward to the Wonder Woman movie.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi Alex...Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are ready to start the new year with your usual vim and vigor!

Congrats to all the anthology winners! How exciting to have another IWSG anthology! I am sure it will be an incredible read!

PJ Colando said...

Thanks for your review of Wonder Woman, a movie that I crave tp see but can not due to the profound Covid-driven theater closures in soCal. I live vicariously through your insights.

I'm sorry for you and the group's loss. I considered contributing a recipe, but stopped because I didn't know her. My attempt felt false.

Happy New Year - and I'd love to co-host whenever you need/want. I have no books forthcoming or agenda. Just want to contribute to this group which I cherish.

Loni Townsend said...

I was waiting to do an HBO Max trial once His Dark Materials came out, so I saw a lot of negative reviews about WW84 where they said the writing was horrible, that the beginning was a slog, and that the movie was dumb. I still wanted to watch it, though, but my expectations dropped dramatically before viewing. So for me, I had fun. :) I also liked His Dark Materials. They did a good job on that, and I'm looking forward to the next season.

kaykuala said...


Well done to all the Anthology winners. Most refreshing to see the array of talents. Dark Matter is most timely. A lot of mysterious info in AI that will govern our future. It should give an insight to prepare us. Late New Year greetings Alex!

Hank

Olga Godim said...

Great feature in Operation Awesome, Alex.

Blue Grumpster said...

I agree, Alex. The editing is a problem. It's unnecessarily long, but... she's good as Wonder Woman.

Happy new year (may it be a better one)

Blue

Chemist Ken said...

Wonder Woman had too many plot holes for me, and most of the Pine/Gadot scenes seemed like they were kind of thrown together at the last minute. I was disappointed with the movie. Happy New Year, Alex!

And yes, I somehow managed to convince myself that today was Tuesday, so I posted late again.

I'm available to co-host whenever you need. Seems like the only time I remember to post on time is when I'm a co-host.

Magic Love Crow said...

Happy New Year Alex! Congrats to the authors for Dark Matter Artificial! Sounds great! I haven't seen Wonder Woman yet, but hopefully I will soon! Take Care!

Heather M. Gardner said...

Hi Alex!
Great post!
Another anthology under your belt!
Amazing!
Heather

Birgit said...

Merry Christmas...belatedly and a Happy New Year! I hope you had a lovely time away from blogland. First, when I got an email about Jo, I was so saddened by her death. We were emailing each other especially with coping strategies when dealing with a loved one who has dementia. I was so glad to write to her and was planning to see her in the new year...sucks. I will love to showcase a recipe....one of mine or one of hers that she always sent out? She loved asparagus and I hate it so we laughed about that. I also recall how she loved growing up on a boat. I think I got that right. Anyway, I am still sad about her loss. I do want to see Wonder Woman and heard some negative things about it. I am not sold on Wiig playing Cheetah. I dislike a one note type of book which is boring as dirt and lacks originality plus very poor grammar. I suck at grammar but I know when it is bad even when I am not great at it myself.

J Lenni Dorner said...

Happy New Year!
I'm glad I could co-host this month. I'll volunteer again this summer. (After the madness of the A to Z Challenge is over.)
I hope the Operation Awesome feature brings even more writers to the IWSG.

I'm seeing a lot of people say that characters they don't care about is a big reason to stop reading. Maybe a future IWSG question should be "what makes you care about a character"?

Congrats to the Anthology winners.

I thought WW84 was good, but yeah, it didn't have the same ground-breaking feeling of the first movie. But I'd definitely see a third, which hopefully will exist.

Sorry about the loss of your friend. It's very good of you to put together a memorial.

Yay for more books! I only read and reviewed 23 books last year, but my goal for this year is 30. My other goals are to publish another fiction book in 2021, do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April, and increase the number of authors helped by Operation Awesome.

Sarah Foster said...

Congrats to the anthology winners!
I can co-host! Any month works for me.

Tonja Drecker said...

Congrats to the anthology winners! And I can co-host whenever you need me.
As to characters in a book, if they're meaningless, so is the story.

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

I'm sorry about your friend having passed away. May she R.I.P.

I haven't thought about yet what books I would like to pick up for the year and read. A lot of times I just start reading what I'm interested in at the moment. One book that I would like to read this year, though, is Asimov's first Foundation novel.

Jennifer Hawes said...

Hope your new year is off to a great start! Didn't see Wonder Woman yet. Saw the new Croods and it was hilarious. If I can't get into a character, I'm done with the book.

S.E. White Books said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Jo, Grandma Dragon. What a lovely tribute idea for her! I'll look forward to seeing those recipes on February 6th.

If you're still in need of co-hosts I'm happy to do so whichever month you need. Happy IWSG day!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I enjoyed WW84, but my analytical self says the writing wasn't good.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Happy New Year, Alex. We also watched Wonder Woman on Christmas Day. I was disappointed in it, but perhaps it's like you said. The first one was really good.

I'm participating in Jo's blogfest. I really miss her. She was special.

Empty Nest Insider said...

Congratulations to all the winners in the IWSG anthology, as well as the rave review in Operation Awesome!

I'm so sorry to learn about Jo. She was a wonderful woman who put her all into her recipes while incorporating sweet and savory personal stories. Jo also was a very enthusiastic supporter to many bloggers, so she couldn't be more deserving of a tribute. Let me see if I can dig up a Jo approved recipe! Thanks Alex!

Julie

Botanist said...

Characters I don't care about is probably my #1 too. Happy New Year, Alex.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Louise, thanks!

PJ, thanks, and you can see WW84 on HBO Max.

Loni, good to know!

Ken, you need to host more often then.

Birgit, I'm really sorry you won't get a chance to meet Jo.

J Lenni, that would be a great question.

Sarah, thanks!

Thanks, SE.

Julie, post a good one!

Jenni said...

Characters and too much description are big ones for me too. I want to skip ahead to the good parts, especially dialogue.
The Dark Matter Anthology sounds amazing! Congrats to all the winners!
WW84 sounds intriguing. I really enjoyed the first one and hope to catch this one too.

Liz A. said...

I saw Wonder Woman on New Year's Eve. (I got HBO Max expressly for that purpose.) I liked it. I see where it might have fallen down for you, though.

Consulting Writer said...

WW1984 was fun, but the movie I enjoyed the most recently was a toss up between RiffTrax Suburban Sasquatch or RiffTrax Lycan Colony. Both had stellar "special" effects.

Lidy said...

Congrats on the release! And congrats to the Dark Matter:Artificial anthology winners!

Saw WW84 Christmas Day and loved it. My husband felt the same as you but I loved it. But I enjoyed it as much as the first one.

Oh, I'm with you when description gets overlong. But more than likely I'll still keep reading. Unless other DNF reasons pop up.

Nilanjana Bose said...

Happy New Year, and congratulations on the antho, to you and all the authors! So thrilled to see Olga's name in there!

I'm sorry to hear about Jo Wake, my heartfelt sympathies for your loss, 2020 has been a horrific year too many losses.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - really sad about Jo ... but I'm glad Matt is being looked after. She was one special blogger with a great interest in many aspects of life.

So glad the anthology has been successful ... Sci Fi matters - lovely for you, stretching for me. Watching WW84 - sounds like a very switch off movie time on Christmas Day ... keeping occupied, amused is an essential at the moment.

Take care, stay safe and let's hope 2021 is kinder - Hilary

Elizabeth Mueller said...

I'm sorry to hear about Jo Wake. Why is her linky closed? I wanted to sign up for it.

Congratulations to the IWSG Anthology authors! Yay!

Too much exposition is right. Infodumping drives me nuts!

take care!

Diane Burton said...

Too much exposition pulls me out of a story, too. Happy New Year!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Liz, that's why were are going to the theater to see it again. Maybe my expectations were too high.

Consulting Writer - now you're talking!!! Both are hilarious.

Lidy, my wife also loved it.

Elizabeth, I will go check that right now.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Jo's passing. Heartfelt prayers for her friends and familiy. What a beautiful way to honor her.

I'm with you, I don't like too much explanation either. I love to read Stephen King but sometimes, he gets to be a little too detailed.

Warmly,
Elsie

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Congratulations to all the writers of Dark Matter. Bravo! And thank you judges. Writers helping writers. That's what this group is all about. So sorry to hear Jo died. May her spirit live on through her friends and family.

Alex, I can help out in March or April or any time after that. Thank you for this opportunity. All best to you, sir!

Liesbet said...

So sorry about the passing of one of our members. I did not know her, but lovely words and memories have been floating about the web. So nice IWSG is doing a blog hop in Jo’s memory!

Congratulations to all the winners of the newest anthology. The cover is outstanding, as always. And, a big thank you to all the judges.

Lots of book news and releases. I hope 2021 will be a productive year for all of us, including you, Alex. Happy to read you’re able to go to the movie theater. :-)

Sandra Cox said...

Congrats to the anthology winners:)
Have a Happy-Writing New Year.

Susan Kane said...

Rambling always kills it for me. Bad grammar and F bombs makes me angry. I have purchased too many self-published novels which had both.

Andrew Leon said...

WW84 proved that the first WW was a fluke and that Warner Brothers and DC are totally incapable of producing anything that rises about mediocre. Except Shazam. Somehow they nailed that one.

Kalpana said...

Happy New Year and thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I had dropped off the radar for a few months for the IWSG and am happy to be back as part of this wonderfully supportive community.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about Jo. :(

Congratulations to the anthology folks and to those with book releases!

I liked WW84, and you put a finger on why some people are complaining, I think. It wasn't the first one. But they rarely are.

Deniz Bevan said...

Congratulations, fellow anthology authors! I'm so excited!

G. B. Miller said...

Like you, pages upon pages of description as well the psychological back story/motivations (yeah, I've read a couple of books like that) completely turns me off, which is why I stopped reading literary fiction/non-fiction so long ago.

Re: WW84, I would be curious to see what the scores on Rotten Tomatoes are. Not so much the critics, since they're often forced to like stuff in order to keep their jobs, but what the average person (like the people here) think of it.

Susan B.Rouchard said...

Thanks Alex for this first IWSG post of the year, full of news, reviews and new ways to interact. Thanks for all your hard work and frequent visits too . Wishing you a creative 2021. Take care.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Thank you for the balanced review of Wonder Woman - I've read very mixed opinions, but I always trust yours. My husband offered to take me to the cinema between Christmas and New Year, but with all the restrictions in place I decided against it - and now they're all shut anyway. I'll get around to seeing it at some point.

Congrats to all the anthology winners!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Victoria. June?

Andrew, I disagree.

Kalpana, glad you're back.

Shannon, exactly. Even the second Avengers didn't measure up to the first.

Susan, thank you for being a part of it.

Annalisa, that's a shame.

Ellen Jacobson said...

A huge congratulations to all the anthology winners! I can't wait to read it!

What a wonderful tribute to Jo Wake. Such a lovely idea to share recipes.

Pat Hatt said...

Yeah, when exposition goes on and on and on, ugg.

At least WW2 was good. Will have to give it a go. If only they would release HBO max up here.

Kate Larkindale said...

Happy New Year Alex! And congrats to all the anthology winners. How exciting! Not entirely sure what hosting entails, but happy to do any month.

Melissa said...

Janet's memoir sounds interesting. I grabbed a copy today.

I'm tardy in making return visits for IWSG because I was helping my mom move last week.

J.Q. Rose said...

Congratulations to the authors who will have their stories in the new anthology! And a huge thank you for listing my new release, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir. Congrats to the authors who have new releases.
Happy New Year!!

Caitlin Coppola said...

Well, my reply is more than a day late, but that anthology looks great! And thanks for the review on WW1984. Was on the fence...but swinging towards seeing it. Why not? I like Gal Godot.

Thanks!

Powdered Toast Man said...

I am going to get into some danger so Wonder Woman can save me.

Toi Thomas said...

I'm late making the rounds as I've been in the process of moving this month, but it's finally done.
I'm very excited about the new Dark Matter anthology.
I too liked WW84. No doubt it wasn't as good as the first and had some flaws but for a DC movie, I thought it was a win. I hope they do more with this character. With her being almost immortal, she could have adventures in many different time periods and places.

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Kristen Wiig definitely was the highlight of Wonder Woman 1984 for me. That anthology looks SO good! Can't wait to get it!

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I'm so sorry for your loss, Alex. I didn't know Jo, but she sounds wonderful. I wish I'd seen the blog hop info sooner, but as usual, I cut it too close to the wire. :(

Congrats to all the anthology winners!