Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, May Movie Preview, Series Influencer, Star One Answers, and Ninja News


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 May 4 posting of the IWSG are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove, Chemist Ken, Lee Lowery, and Nancy Gideon!


Big news today! We are welcoming a new IWSG Admin to the team - Sandra Cox!
She will take on the Publications/Conferences page.
Please stop by her site and thank her for donating her time to this awesome group!

May 4 question - It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?

Writer highs include the first draft done, cruising through edits and hearing from readers who enjoyed my books. Lows are when I a out of story ideas or slogging through the first draft.

CassaDark tour continues! Today I am visiting Damyanti Biswas and Christine Rains
On May 11, I’m visiting Shannon Lawrence


A Series Influencer by Sandra Cox

I’ll watch nearly any series, any genre, if the characters pull me in. Three of my favorites that have strong characters are: Black List, Reacher and Longmire. All different but all with protagonists that stick around a long time after the television is flicked off. Since I write Westerns, Longmire particularly stuck with me. The two main characters, Walt Longmire performed by Robert Taylor and ‘Vic’ Moretti performed by Katie Sackhoff, played well off each other. Their amazing chemistry strengthened the acting of the other in this modern-day police thriller set in the wilds of Wyoming.

Those two personas influenced two of my main characters in the Mateo series. One of the primary differences between Mateo and Walt: Mateo is a shifter. Somehow, I don’t see Walt Longmire shifting, do you? 😊


MATEO’S BLOOD BROTHER by Sandra Cox

Behind the amicable façade is a man who’s tough and determined. He’s Mateo’s Blood Brother.
They were friends, close as brothers. Then they weren’t.
Mateo and Jesse are cautiously working their way back to friendship when Jesse discovers the unthinkable. Delilah, the sultry shifter who’d had affairs with both men, is still alive. The tumble she took over a mountain ridge—a fall that nearly killed Mateo—should have finished her.
Now, there’s no choice but for the two men to work together to take down a she-devil straight from hell. As the stakes escalate and the hunt becomes more intense, another wolf appears on the scene. Always where Jesse’s at. Always when he’s in trouble. Jesse is divided between ending Delilah, a new love interest, discovering the identity of a certain brown wolf and staying alive.


Available at Amazon

A funky little giveaway:
Commenters names will go into the proverbial hat and one name will be drawn to win an I Heart Books stretch bracelet.

And happy to say I was the winner on another site and soon my wife will be enjoying the bracelet. Thanks, Sandra!

Ninja News


New release:

Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys (Gale Harbour Book Two) by C.D. Gallant-King

Newfoundland, Canada, 1993.
It's been a year since a handful of kids defeated the Psycho Hose Beast in the sleepy town of Gale Harbour, Newfoundland. Our heroes have entered into the era of rollerblades, Super Nintendo and oversized plaid shirts… unless you’re a goth, then it’s the era of Maybelline eyeliner, boots with too many buckles, and infected safety-pin piercings.
Thirteen-year-old Niall O'Neil is navigating a blossoming relationship with his crush, Harper Jeddore. Unfortunately, the power that allowed them to defeat the monster from the deep is still within them, and they are no closer to understanding or controlling it. When just touching your girlfriend can kill innocent bystanders, it complicates the already precarious practice of teenage dating.
But lurking in the backdrop of teenage romance, a sinister power is growing in Gale Harbour, and dangerous people are turning up in the small town with possibly deadly intentions.
Will the kids defeat this new threat? What did the US Air Force leave in the abandoned Hansen Air Force base? What is a space-surfing butt monkey? And most importantly—will anyone get to touch a boob?

Horror / Science fiction / Comedy
Print ISBN 9798542434674 $13.99 USD
eBook ASIN B09RKG6772 $3.99 USD
Find it on Amazon, Amazon CA, and Amazon UK

C.D. Gallant-King is a comic fantasy and horror writer currently based in Ottawa, Ontario, though he was born and raised in Newfoundland, in a town eerily similar to Gale Harbour. He has self-published four novels, including HELL COMES TO HOGTOWN, which was a semi-finalist in Mark Lawrence’s 2018 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. His short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies by Mystery & Horror LLC and Dancing Lemur Press, as well as in The Weird and Whatnot magazine.
Find CD here - website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Goodreads

Star One Lyric Answers

Knowing no fear, feeling no pain
No grief, no compassion, no guilt and no shame

The Terminator, song title – Fate of Man.

He lost his aim, each day the same
He's had enough of this boring game

Groundhog Day, song title – Today is Yesterday.


May Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for May. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.



6 –


Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.
Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Olsen, Michael Stuhlbarg
Multiverse of Madness – sure it’s Dr. Strange and not Dr. Fauci?


13 –


Firestarter
A young girl tries to understand how she mysteriously gained the power to set things on fire with her mind.
Director: Keith Thomas
Stars: Zac Efron, Kurtwood Smith, Gloria Reuben, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
A remake because fire has come such a long way since 1984…


27 –


Top Gun: Maverick
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Who does Maverick fight this time? His age.


What are your writer highs and lows? Your writing influences? Get the Star One songs right? And what movies interest you this month?
Be sure to visit Damyanti Biswas and Christine Rains!



67 comments:

Damyanti Biswas said...

Thank You for the shout out Alex! IWSG is in good hands :)

Shannon Lawrence said...

The snark is quite strong today on the new movies! Ha! Double congratulations to Sandra Cox!

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

When it practically writes itself - that's when I experience a high. When I feel bored with my own project and don't know quite what to do to salvage it - that's a low.

I like Rachel McAdams from various films. I like Kurtwood Smith from That 70's Show. He will return as "Red" in the main cast of the spinoff series That 90's Show. I admired Gloria Reuben's character on ER and enjoy all of her appearances on big screen and small. Jennifer Connelly is a longtime favorite. Therefore the films M of M, Firestarter and T.G.: Maverick would all be of interest to me.

Enjoy the rest of your week, good buddy Alex!

A Hundred Quills said...

Hi Alex. Thank you for giving us reflective questions on writing. Helps me analyse my journey as a writer. Best wishes. And yes, congratulations for that win.

Cathrina Constantine said...

Alex, we think alike as far as a writers highs and lows. LOL.

Congrats Sandra!

Have a great week.

Nick Wilford said...

The lows make the highs so much better.

Congrats to Sandra and CD. Both books sound great.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks and congrats to Sandra for joining the team!
I could write first drafts all day and be happy!

C. D. Gallant-King said...

Thanks for the shout-out!

Also, you missed the best new release for May: BOB'S BURGERS THE MOVIE!

And if you want to extend it to TV, there's also Kenobi, Stranger Things 4, Kids in the Hall. It's a big month for me. :-)

Nancy Gideon said...

Yes, yes, and yes on your highs and lows! LOVE your list (this, from a avid list maker!). REACHER and LONGMIRE are huge favorites. Thanks for co-hosting with me this month

Nancy Gideon said...

Whoops! I meant Thanks for joining the IWSG Admin team. Need . . . More . . . Coffee . . .

Natalie Aguirre said...

It's awesome that Sandra is a new administrator. I go through many low points when slogging through my first draft too.

PT Dilloway said...

I didn't really like the original Top Gun that much so I'm not really that stoked for a sequel 35 years later, especially since Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise is still trying to be the big action hero. I would wager though there are exactly 0 sixty-year-old fighter pilots in the Navy.

Christine Rains said...

Happy to have you on my blog today! :) I love writing through the first draft, just letting the story flow. I dislike editing and marketing. I'm still surprised they remade Firestarter. Though, it seems like they're remaking everything these days. Congrats to everyone with new releases!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

It's rare that I'll watch a remake of a show or movie.

Your comment about the Top Gun movie totally cracked me up. :)

Melissa said...

Congrats to Sandra Cox!
Butt Monkeys? Love the title! LOL
Agree about the snark. Love your comments about the movies. :)

Diane Burton said...

I hope you're having fun on your tour. And I hope it's paying off. Slogging through edits--great way to put it. Sometimes it feels like trying to get through a swamp.

Lynn La Vita said...

I agree, for a writer, out of story ideas is the absolute lowest of the low.


Congratulations and welcome Sandra Cox! I look forward to reading the Publications/Conferences page.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Writer highs? Finishing and publishing a book.
Writer lows? Trying to fix a crappy book (it's where I'm at now).
The movie that interests Hubby is Top Gun. I told him I'd go if he wanted to see it in the theatre. Isn't that nice of me?

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
That you blog regularly and write books is amazing. I find it hard to blog often.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Damy!

Shannon, thank you.

Shady, you have some movies to watch then!

CD, you're welcome, and not too sure about best new release...

Nancy, thanks and you gave me a chuckle.

PT, you are probably right.

Christine, thanks again!

Madeline and Melissa, I aim to amuse.

Stacy, it is!

Pat, I used to blog more...

Elizabeth Mueller said...

They redid Firestarter? Oh dear...

I like how you said you cruise through the edits!

Toi Thomas said...

Thanks for another great hop and welcome to Sandra Cox.
I'm excited about Gale Harbour Book Two.
I'm excited about Multiverse of Madness.

Computer Tutor said...

Kudos to Sandra! You are lucky to have found each other. That woman is amazing!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I somehow missed the memo that Cruise will be in Maverick!

H. R. Sinclair said...

If Longmire was a shifter, it would be into a Grizzly. Congrats on the release.

Joanne said...

writing highs are times with writer friends. Lows - rejections. Tough biz. Welcome to Sandra Cox and good luck to her on continued book success. Same with you - hope all going well.
Your movie snark comments are spot on this month - you make me laugh at loud. I will still prob see all of these, just cuz - there just hasn't been many movies out there. Happy May - let the Fourth be with you and beyond.

Arlee Bird said...

I tend to run out of motivation before I run out of ideas.

Then you can always rehash old ideas. I like the original Firestarter movie, but not sure why a new version is needed. Is Hollywood experiencing the low of running out of ideas? Seems like they have for a while now.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Sadira Stone said...

We do seem to be living the age of remakes. I wonder why? Are filmmakers & screenwriters too emotionally exhausted to think up new plots? Or are viewers too exhausted to deal with new stories.
I wish you happy writing in May.

Fundy Blue said...

Hi, Alex! Definitely, a big thank you to Sandra Cox! I'm soon going to buy "Mateo's Blood Brother." "Mateo's Law" was so good. I'll be getting C.D.'s sequel too. The Newfoundlander in me can't miss that.

I plan to review "CassaDark" when I finish it. I'm reading a little slower now, because I have to cover one eye with a patch to be able to read. But I'll let you know when I'm good to go. I may hit you up for some questions, if you're open to that. All three movies look great.

Our tv provider is hosting "Watchathon" this week, so Terry and I are cramming in as much of ""Outlander's season 5 and 6 as we can. When I was so miserable during the first ten days or so in Hawaii, we started the series (again) and managed to get through the four seasons available before we left. So no movies for this week.

Have a happy May! May you sell lots of books!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Alex, your writing highs and lows match mine :)

Welcome Sandra Cox!

Tonja Drecker said...

Congrats, Sandra and CD! And how neat to still have your tour rolling, Alex. I'm half way through and loving it. We're hitting Dr. Strange (kids have been talking about it since November)

diedre Knight said...

Howdy, Captain!

A big welcome to Sandra Cox - and congratulations on Mateo's Blood Brother! I thoroughly enjoyed Mateo's Law and look forward to this one. I can see how Longmire might inspire Mateo's series. Loved Blacklist.

C.D. Gallant-King certainly has some interesting characters roaming the town of Gale Harbour ;-)

I guess I'll pass on the movies this month. I need to get back to Outer Range.

Have a wonderful month!

Carol Kilgore said...

Firestarter and Top Gun again? Amazing. Have a wonderful May, Alex.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Congrats again on your latest, Alex!
And Congrats to Sandra!

Anonymous said...

Congrats and welcome to Sandra! She's a great addition to the team.

Top Gun: Maverick is semi-enticing. I'll wait to see if it contains a lame Kelly McGillis subplot - that completely ruined an otherwise great action flick in the first movie.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Joanne, I aim to entertain!

Lee, no idea why they are redoing that one.

Louise, thanks - always up for questions!

Tonja, thanks!

Diedre, that series is so crazy, isn't it?

Lee, hopefully not!

Olga Godim said...

@Sandra: Your new book sounds enticing. I love shifters' stories.
@Alex: I'm with you on your lows; I hate it when I'm out of story ideas.

Sherry Ellis said...

Welcome, Sandra! She's a good person to have in the group. Hope your tour is going well!

Liza said...

Slogging through a first draft is HARD! Welcome to Sandra and thank you! Longmire was a great series. I'd love to meet a character based on him.

Sandra Cox said...

Alex, thanks for the warm welcome and for hosting me. Much appreciated.
Thanks, Shannon, Cathrina, Nick, Jemi, Natalie, Melissa, Lynn, Toi, Joanne, Rachna, Tonja, Tyrean, Lee, Olga, and Sherry. :)
Nancy, Reacher and Longmire are amazing.
Liza, Wasn't Longmire great?
Jacqui, Appreciate ya:)
H.R. Heh. The town he lives in is called Grizzly:)
Louise, I didn't realize you'd read Mateo. Mega thanks:)
Thank you so much, Diedre. That's great to hear.

Kim Elliott said...

For me, the first draft is a high, but not nearly as high as finishing edits. That's the part I dread, and it's the slowest. Love the movie snark. If fighting one's age makes a good movie, we could all be stars.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hey Sandra, I like Longmire too! Kind of creepy at times, but clever. Congrats on your new release! Love Mateo!

Congrats to C.D. Gallant-King.That story sounds like a hoot. And who makes up that crazy, wonderfull book title!!! So much fun.

Jenni said...

I'm with you on the first draft. That's such a good feeling to write The End. I just have to remember that when I'm in the slog.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sherry, yes and winding down soon!

Sandra, you're welcome!

Kim, agreed!

Samantha Bryant said...

Great post today. Love the movie previews.

Lori L. MacLaughlin said...

Finishing a first draft is definitely a highlight. Thank you to Sandra for donating her time! My parents enjoyed Longmire. My Dad has always been a fan of westerns. I remember Katie Sackhoff from the Battlestar: Galactica reboot. She did well in that role, too. Congrats for the new releases!

kimlajevardi.com said...

My writing highs come happen when the words just flow. I write for that feeling. The loss come on when I fail to catch the words, or when I have to brutally cut my words.

Birgit said...

Congrats to Sandra for taking on more adventures here in blogland. She deserves the best!!! I would think that a writing low is writer’s block and the high is having the ideas just flow off the page. I am going to look forward tomDr. Strange but also the new Downton Abbey movie

Kalpana said...

I might watch Dr Strangelove after all, now that I've found out, through your blog, that Benedict Cumberbatch is in it.

G. B. Miller said...

My writing high would probably be something along the lines of actually writing something or working on something writing related, while a low would be a voluntary break of anything related to writing.

Not a big fan of reboots, since as of late they have a tendency to go very south very fast. Not a fan of Tom Cruise, so that movie is a no.

Nor am I fan of going out to the movies unless I'm on vacation to somewhere else.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kalpana, he is indeed!

GB, we still enjoy going out.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi Alex!

Congrats again on your new release! My highs are connecting with my writing and pleasing my readers. Lows are rejection after rejection with no response from an agent WHY especially after they request a full.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Getting that first draft done can be difficult, Alex. Certainly, having someone love your stories is a high.

Bravo to Sandra Cox for offering her time to help IWSG. I've thanked her on her blog. Love the bracelet, Alex. Here's hoping! All best to you, sir!

Audrey Stewart said...

I really enjoyed this post. It was a good read. I always enjoy any newsletters I get from you. You have obviously done all the research.

Mary Kirkland said...

Congrats to the new Admin.
Congrats on winning the bracelet.
I am looking forward to both Firestarter and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

I doubt I will watch the new Top Gun because I really don't like Tom Cruise's acting.

Truedessa said...

Congrats to Sandra! I haven't been to a theater in years.

I hope CassaDarK is doing well, it was truly an enjoyable read.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Chemist Ken said...

I'd be watching Dr. Strange this weekend, but I promised my daughter I'd wait until she could come along. :(

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mary, we probably won't see it either.

Truedessa, thanks!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I started watching Longmire right from the start. It's a great series. I followed Katee Sackhoff from BattleStar. Mr. Taylor's Australian accent always surprises me when he's being interviewed. Ah, yes, Newfoundland... an extraordinary place. If you want to sound like a native, it's pronounced Noufeun(d)LANd.

chickangell said...

Getting the ideas on the page can often be a low, especially when the muse refuses to cooperate! But the highs do help make it worth it, right?

Carrie-Anne said...

Welcome to Sandra!

Slogging through a first draft is a definite low, particularly when the words aren't coming quickly and easily. I wish all manuscripts could be a book writing you instead of you writing a book.

Al Penwasser said...

Remakes often suck, so I look at "Firestarter" with a jaundiced eye. Plus, in my opinion, the fact that you need to make a remake implies ya got nuttin' new. Meaning, I'll probably wait until it comes to TV.
Now, "Maverick"? A possibility. The original "Top Gun" fired us all up in 1986. We loved strutting around in our flight suits and leather flight jackets. Even though we flew aboard P-3s (and not the glamorous Tomcat), we felt like our sh*t didn't stink (it did). Even though it was chock full of mistakes, I still very much enjoyed "Top Gun." Anyway, here's hoping that "Maverick" isn't a woke disaster. I'll go see it.

Jennifer Lane said...

Hi, Alex. :-) Thank you to Sandra for her new role! I flaked out on IWSG and posting about C.D.'s new book this month, but I hope to get back into gear in June.

Jennifer Lane said...

PS I can't WAIT for Top Gun!

Loni Townsend said...

Ah yes, running out of ideas is a low.

Sorry I'm so late visiting for IWSG. That's cool you won the bracelet! Grats!

DMS said...

The first draft being finished is a high! A low is when I am not feeling like writing.

Congrats to your wife on her new bracelet. :) ~
~Jess

Lidy said...

Congrats on the release!

Saw Dr. Strange and Multiverse of Madness and loved it. Wanda, no the Scarlet Witch, stole the show. Her journey from Hydra agent, Avenger, Westview incident to Scarlet Witch is epic. Elizabeth Olsen nailed the character.

They remade Firestarter? What's next, Goonies? Weird Science? Animal House? Will nothing remain sacred?