Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, #IWSGPit, Childhood Magic, Dune: Part Two Review, and March Movie Preview


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 March 6 posting of the IWSG are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

March 6 question -
Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

I’ve not had a need to try it. While I can see the advantages and benefits, I can also see AI taking over more. To the point natural creativity will be threatened. And that’s sad.


#IWSGPit!


The next #IWSGPit will be March 27, 2024.

10:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Get all the details here.



And there is a new release from one of our IWSG admins!

In Darkness by L. Diane Wolfe
Romance-Paranormal / Fantasy-Paranormal / Romance-Science Fiction
Print ISBN 9798988625148 $17.95, 342 pages
eBook ISBN 9798988625155 $8.99

Find it on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Gardners, and Goodreads


Childhood Magic by Shannon Lawrence

Mythological creatures have a long history, one that precedes written lore. Looking back at The Odyssey, which many of us read in high school, this was a tale originally told aloud by at least one of a collection of bards who traveled around and shared stories, which were eventually transcribed by others in the name of Homer. The Greek mythological creatures told in stories of the time included Cyclops, the Minotaur, and Sirens. Namely, creatures that served to speak to the perils people faced when they left the safety of their homes.

My favorite mythological creatures tend to live in two basic worlds: endearing childhood creatures and those found in darker stories. I love a cautionary tale, but there’s also the endearing magic inherent in a creature existing for good. Today I want to focus on two mythological creatures from my childhood that represented a beautiful kind of magic.


The Last Unicorn:
I have such fond memories of this movie, and I still watch it occasionally to this day. (Okay, probably annually). The Unicorn, who doesn’t have a name until she becomes the Lady Amalthea, is true to herself, loyal, self-sufficient, and brave. But she’s also blunt and intellectual, something I identified with. The voices, the music, the illustrations, I feel hold up today. It’s a gorgeous movie, but as a neurodivergent kid the character truly spoke to me.


The NeverEnding Story:
Falcor is a great iteration of the dragon. He has a sense of humor, he’s graceful and lovely in his own way, and he’s powerful, but he also holds the familiarity of a dog in his appearance and, once again, loyalty. Plus, he scares the bullies. What kid wouldn’t want a magical dog-dragon to swoop down and help them exact [an age-appropriate] revenge on their bullies? Even better if you can snuggle up with that furry dog-dragon later and scritch him behind the ear as you continue to be wrapped in safety.

While as a horror and urban fantasy author I most often address the darker creatures of mythology, I do have a nod in the opening of my book to one of the nicer creatures of North American mythology: Sasquatch, another part of my childhood.


Myth Stalker: Wendigo Nights
by Shannon Lawrence
A late night call from her mentor sends Selina Moonstone on a mission to Canada, determined to track down a Wendigo and exterminate it.

Available in paperback and e-book, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and more. Find the book at your favorite store using the universal link.

A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in over fifty anthologies and magazines in addition to her collections. Her nonfiction title, The Business of Short Stories, is available now and her debut urban fantasy novel is releasing March 2024. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem. When she's not writing, she's hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there's always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. Find her at The Warrior Muse.

Movie Review – Dune: Part Two


After over two years of waiting, the second half of the movie landed last Friday. We even watched the first part the previous weekend to remind ourselves what was happening. Didn’t like the wait, but it was worth it.
This movie is epic. It is grand on every level, from stunning special effects to sprawling, complex story to amazing battle sequences. The film has it all for both fan and novice to the series.
The action sequences are stunning, most notably the worm riding scenes. Not seen as often in the first film, they are in full force here. The attacks on the spice mining rigs are also impressive.
There were some differences from the book, but not enough to spoil it for fans. (I barely remember reading the book anyway!) I was never a big fan of the book, but the movies are spectacular. A must-see on the big screen.
Highly recommended!


March Movie Preview

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


8 –


Kung Fu Panda 4
Directors: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine
Stars: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis
After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.
I wonder if he’ll ever have the noodle dream…


22 –


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Director: Gil Kenan
Stars: Pau Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
Maybe letting New York freeze isn’t a bad thing…


29 –


Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Director: Adam Wingard
Stars: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Rachel House
Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island's mysteries.
Weirdest buddy-cop movie ever…


Have you played with AI? Have a pitch ready for #IWSGPit? What movies spark childhood magic for you? Have you seen part two of Dune? What movies are you seeing this month?

85 comments:

Shannon Lawrence said...

Okay, the buddy cop thing made me laugh. I'm looking forward to Ghostbusters. Thank you for featuring me today!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Great picks for childhood magic!

We're looking forward to seeing the Dune movie. :)

Leigh Caron said...

Great feature on Shannon Lawrence. I'm definitely going to see Ghostbusters. And NYC absolutely needs a chill pill.

Truedessa said...

I watched Dune last week on TV as I wanted to see what it was all about. I enjoyed it but, now I have to see part 2. Hopefully, when I am feeling better. I know people who saw it last weekend and like you they thought it was very good!

Have a great day!

Peace, love and everything in between….

Cathrina Constantine said...

Congrats to Diane and Shannon! Great Book Covers!
My children and I loved The NeverEnding Story!

I liked Dune and looking forward to seeing Dune 2.

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

I totally agree with what you expressed about AI. If mankind lets machines do all the work and all of our thinking for us, it would constitute an incalculable loss. We all have brains and need to continue to use them and challenge them.

I am not a fan of Kung Fu anything, not a fan of the Ghostbusters franchise and not a fan of Godzilla or its sequels. I might be persuaded to watch Godzilla x Kong if it has a killer rock music soundtrack.

Enjoy the rest of your week and month, good buddy Alex, and I hope to see you again when I return to blogging April 1.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to Shannon on her new book. Yes, I use Al all the time to write informative articles for attorney websites. I heavily edit and rewrite sections of the articles, but it's a time-saver. I wouldn't want to use it to write creatively, but it does have its uses.

Jan Morrison said...

Yay Shannon and Diane!
As to AI - I'm distracted enough without that temptation. Don't most writers actually enjoy writing? If it would magically clean my house okay then. But create art? Nah that's the fun part of living.

Cannot wait to see Dune 2! Loved the book. So longgggg ago!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

One summer, living way out in the country and with little to do, I checked out, from the traveling library, all books on Mythology and loved them. My world expanded that summer. Books will do that.

I want to see the movies you've mentioned.

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

I’m with you about AI. I think it might be helpful in places, but I distrust the trend and abhor the way it violates intellectual rights.

Nick Wilford said...

The original Ghostbusters is childhood magic for me. Not very interested in all the recent versions.

I think AI needs to be kept on a lead or it will take over. The problem is we don't know the extent to which it already has.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

My husband and I have actually been going through our To Be Watched list of movies and weeding some out. I can't believe how many are on there! And with some of them, after watching the preview again, I wonder WHY are they on there in the first place?! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Shannon, you're welcome!

Leigh, yes it does.

Truedessa, hope you feel better and can go see it.

Shady, that would be great if it has a rock soundtrack.

Jan, very good point!

Nick, very true.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Congratulations to Shannon.

My husband rewatched the first Dune on Monday in preparation for seeing 2 tonight. I'll be staying home with a curry and glass of wine. I'm so out of the loop with movies, I didn't realise there was a new Ghostbusters - I'm looking forward to it.

I agree with you on the topic of AI. We shouldn't be in such a rush to hand over our creativity, because what's left?

Liza said...

I do worry that AI will improve to the point we can't tell the difference. Happy IWSG day, Alex!

Jennifer Lane said...

Big congratulations to L. Diane!!! And to Shannon!

I have not interacted at all with A.I., and at this point the political bias doesn't make me want to touch it.

PT Dilloway said...

I've messed around with the "AI" in Bing and Google a little but the results aren't really that great.

I keep thinking that Ghostbusters movie seems more like a superhero movie plot than a Ghostbusters plot. Since it's in New York they could just call in Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, which would probably be more efficient.

I was excited to see on the Rifftrax site they're raising money to do "Point Break" live this year. I think by now it's practically at the "stretch goals" so that's something to look forward to in August.

Lynn La Vita said...

I believe AI is here to stay. Much to my dismay, our family doctor uses AI to record our annual visit.

Great question and each answer adds to my understanding of AI.

Melissa said...

Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I think there are enough authors who enjoy the creativity of writing their own stories that AI won't completely take over. I know I'm one of them. I love escaping into my story worlds too much to give that job over to a computer.

H. R. Sinclair said...

I haven't tried the AI for blurbs yet. I'm not sure I will, I feel like you really have to learn how to use them to use them well. And, at least right now, it's not worth my time.

PS: My blog feed has changed.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Thank you for mentioning my new release.

I remember seeing The Last Unicorn when it came out. Congrats to Shannon.

I am all for another Godzilla flick.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Thanks for the head's up on Dune. Love those movies. Huge congratulations to our favourite Diane. Cheers.

Jemi Fraser said...

Congrats to Shannon and Diane!
I had so many childhood fave fantasy creatures - for a while I was obsessed with all things Nessie (Loch Ness).
I loved the Dune books when I was a teen - time for a reread I think :)

Samantha Bryant said...

I also don't play with AI--it seems like outsourcing the fun, and if I'm doing that, why am I writing? @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act

Jean Davis said...

I loved those two fantasy movies as kid too. Good picks.

As a die hard book and 1984 Dune movie person, I was on the fence about seeing the second half after what they did to the first half. Half. Ugh. There should be no halves! But I guess I'm being coerced to seeing part two this weekend with people who didn't see the earlier movie or read the book so they're enjoying it for what it is now. Yay for new Dune fans!

Kim Elliott said...

I had a Shih Tzu that looked a bit like Falcor. She was the sweetest dog that ever existed, and I still miss her every day!

I didn’t care for Dune part one, so I’m iffy on seeing part two. I couldn’t get into the books either, but I enjoyed the syfy channel Dune miniseries and Children of Dune with James McAvoy.

Sandra Cox said...

Glad you enjoyed Dune.
A1 is a double-edged sword, isn't it?
Congrats to Shannon:)

Nancy Gideon said...

I'm old enough to remember when auto correct became a "thing" on my work typewriter Selectric. AWESOME! But in fiction writing, it can become more of a menace than a helpmate especially if you write genre fiction with dialect or slang. You can program the words in, I know, but that can become a bigger time suck than creating the original work. When writing a Regency-set historical, I had to turn it off! I sit at the computer to write NOT to teach the computer not to rewrite. Sigh. Haven't seen the new DUNE yet. G vs K is more my style when it comes to enjoying movie popcorn.

F. Stone said...

Thank you for sharing your view on AI. "To the point natural creativity will be threatened. And that’s sad." So true. I even prefer handmade gifts to receive or give. I once bought a handmade doll. There was something about it that made it feel connected to happy things, and more. I kept it for years, then gave it to a friend's daughter. Over the years, I owned a few store bought dolls. Even though they were pretty and cute, they sat on my bed, barely touched. The handmade one? She became a part of my everyday life. Perhaps our books, put forth into the world from a place deep in our soul become the books people hang on to, reread many times. Thank you, Alex.

diedre Knight said...

Howdy, Captain!

Shannon writes the best stories! I'm sure Wendigo Nights will be just as exciting. Can't wait;-) I loved her piece on Childhood Magic.

I haven't seen the first Dune yet. Now, I look forward to an all-day movie event.

Twitter Pitch? Sounds interesting. Is it like an elevator pitch?

"Maybe letting New York freeze..." Haha!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Looking forward to the new Ghostbusters, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the recent sequel/reboot. The same for Godzilla/Kong. Those movies are stupid but fun!

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I feel so compelled to comment today. So forgive me if I get a little long in the tooth.

Regarding "Dune 2": I too liked the movie a lot. But it also crystallized within me exactly what keeps drawing me back to Dune and why I'm even thinking of running a tabletop roleplaying game in the Dune universe (using the core rules that came out via Modiphius and their 2d20 rules set). I like the universe. I like the world-building and I like all the scenery and imagining this weird dystopian future. But I don't like the characters. Sure, Chalamet is nice to look at (for me), but seeing him as this "messiah" character and then choosing revenge as an excuse to murder billions in a holy war will always be the biggest turn off. None of the characters appeal to me, except (maybe) Duncan Idaho. Everyone else is just scummy. But the world Herbert created is an incredible tour de force.

RE: "The Last Unicorn": I remember this movie! And it sparked in me a desire to watch it again (haven't seen it in maybe three to four decades--yes I'm old). I wonder where I can watch it, or what streaming service has it available. I'll have to do some research.

RE: March movies: Of course I will see Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black is pretty much my favorite actor these days. So I watch him in anything, and I follow him on instagram. He knows how to keep it real despite his fame. But the movie I'm most excited for with what remains of this month is "Godzilla X Kong." I'm a kaiju fan (as you know) and this promises to be a spectacular next entry in the monster-verse. I'm honestly just curious as to how they will bring Kong and Godzilla together to fight on the same team.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Our "natural creativity will be threatened" is right, Alex. I'm worried about all creatives with this AI stuff. Our online work is not safe at this time. And those who are true artists need to worry that their creativity will be replicated by AI. Thanks for another great post.

Stacy McKitrick said...

I have not used or played with AI. Not sure I want to, either. If I start using that crutch, what's to happen with my creativity? It's so fragile right now, I don't want to mess with it.

J E Oneil said...

Creativity is already threatened. Peoples' works have been stolen to create those AIs. It should be banned.

Lidy said...

My son is looking forward to Kung Fu Panda 4. While the oldest is looking forward to the latest Godzilla & Kong movie. I'm looking forward to the new Ghostbusters. To seeing the 1st and 2nd generation ghostbusters working together to catch the ghosts and save NY again. And looking forward to the upcoming Godzilla x Kong where the team up again to fight another threat.

Fundy Blue said...

Congratulations to Diane and Shannon! Both books sound great! I am looking forward to seeing Dune when I get home. Thanks for all you do for the IWSG, Alex, and to the admins like Diane. Enjoy our day!

PJ Colando said...

Ok, now I'll go to see the movie, Dune!

Olga Godim said...

Shannon, great post on childhood magic. The Last Unicorn made a huge impression on me too. Congrats on your new book.
Diane, congrats on releasing the entire collection.

Ray Rousell said...

I didn't much like the last Ghostbusters film, but with the return of the old crew, I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pat, yes! Should be fun seeing the guys riff Point Break.

Holly, I saw that - think I am still getting updates.

Diane, you're welcome!

Nancy, with the amount of science fiction words I use, autocorrect would be awful.

Diedre, like an elevator pitch.

Michael, my wife though most of the characters were on the bad side in the book and called Paul an anti-hero. And always up for a Godzilla film. Hope they don't drift into silly the Japanese ones did.

Thanks, Louise!

Loni Townsend said...

Your blue comments are always so entertaining.

My husband and I are looking forward to Dune. We're hoping to catch it on the big screen like we did the previous one.

Carrie-Anne said...

I've never had the slightest interest in AI for writing, though my long-hiatused sci-fi book that starts in the year 3001 features a lot of AI that enables people on Earth to live with barely lifting a finger. It's quite a culture shock for the protagonist when she's forced to move to a space colony near Jupiter and discovers there's not much AI or any other current technology!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Hi, Alex.

I've not deliberately played with AI, though it infuses itself into everything digital, it seems. It actually offered some helpful phrases with a bit of info about my books. Otherwise, I'm avoiding it like COVID.

Be well.

Carol Kilgore said...

I haven't used AI and have no current plans to try it in any capacity. I share your fears.

Juneta key said...

I don't really feel like it will threaten creative people, but people with little to no talent creative wise I would agree. I think naturally creative people stories will always be better and they probably won't lean on AI to write them, IMO. SEO, Marketing, Idea Outlines I think AI can be useful to help inspire and general human inspiration and ideas in writers. Not write the stories.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Nope, no AI for me and probably no theater trips. I felt the same as you about the books. I read them so long ago.

My children loved The Last Unicorn which isn't really a movie for little ones and of course, The Neverending Story is awesome.

G. B. Miller said...

My recent cover designer did tell me that AI was used a little for the cover (for those who self-pub, apparently KDP) is now asking how AI your book contains, if any), but beyond that, I don't plan on using any AI.

Rhonda Albom said...

I have very mixed opinions on AI in writing, but as a blogger, I really hate it. What I am seeing already is the repeat and rewording of inaccurate information. However, where I like it, is in small doses, like a thesaurus for expressions. So I might ask for 10 different ways to say something. Great topic and interesting discussion Alex. Well done.

cleemckenzie said...

I'm glad this Dune is good. The first one wasn't at all.

S.E. White Books said...

I'm so glad the second part of Dune was worth the wait! The book is an annual re-read for me, I've always loved it. And the first part of the movie was exactly what I hoped it would be. I even made the Mr. and kids watch it with me, and they got dragged right in despite never reading the book.

Liz A. said...

I still haven't seen the first Dune. Sigh. Now I won't have to wait to see both parts, so there is a bit of an upside.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Loni, I am here to amuse!

Carrie-Anne, that is quite the change!

Rhonda, been a lot of thought on this one today.

SE, then you will really enjoy part two.

kimlajevardi.com said...

Congrats to L. Diane Wolfe and Shannon Lawrence!

Joanne said...

congrats to new works. It took me a few days to watch Dune 1. I do love Timothee and Zendaya. Maybe I'll get to the theater for Dune 2. We'll see.
AI - that's scary stuff to me. Will it cut down on kids originality - I can't imagine being a teacher these days trying to grade a paper...do they even require a paper to be written. Dumbing down America - sad!!!!!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Elizabeth S.C., They were a big part of my childhood.

Leigh, thank you!

Cathrina, thank you! NES was so good.

Natalie, thank you!

Jan, thank you! And I've repeatedly said I'm here for AI to clean my house, maybe cook for me sometimes.

T. Powell, that sounds amazing!

Annalisa, thank you! I'm looking forward to Ghostbusters, too.

Jennifer, thank you! I also haven't touched AI.

L. Diane, congratulations on your release, too!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Jemi, Nessie was a favorite of mine, too, and Chessie when I lived in Maryland (Chesapeake Bay "lake" monster)

Jean, they're classics!

Kim, sounds adorable! I always wanted a Falcor.

Sandra, thank you!

diedre, thank you so much! That was really good to read.

Michael, I hope you can find it! (I have it on DVD and had it on VHS before that, though my first VHS version was recorded off HBO by my grandma for that version - yikes, don't tell!)

Fundy, thank you!

Olga, thank you! And it was such a beautiful, mystical film.

Susan, TLU was definitely something where I understood more as I got older. A lot of that era's kid movies were so dark.

Kim, thank you!

Joanne, thank you!

Tonja Drecker said...

Congratulations, Shannon! Wendigos strike my curiosity, so you won me over. Alex, I'm trying to keep a very open mind about AI and not fall into the 'old generation' trope. Lol - trying :)

Birgit said...

I'm here! I agree with you about AI. I think, overall, it will be misused and we won't know what's true and what is not. It may dumb us down even more, if it can.
I love the Neverending Story. I'd like to see that film with the Unicorn. I watched a lot of old movies so I can't say which ones grabbed me but I always liked the Fairy tales and there was Russian version of Cinderella that was on TV manybtimes and I loved it.
As for films, I eat to see Dune but need to rewatch the first one again. Ghostbusters looks like fun. I'm trying to watch some Oscar movies right now.

Patricia JL said...

I haven't felt a reason to try AI yet either.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

So much excitement about the Dune movie. I've heard good things about it but probably won't see it myself since I'm not into sci fi or fantasy, either books or movies. It makes me rather an oddball in literary circles these days. I have no interest in using AI either other than to see where it takes us and that's anyone's guess.

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

My childhood movies that spark me are "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1970s original) and "The Wizard of Oz". The former I liked the mystery and eccentricity of the title character and the latter I liked I guess because it said that no matter how far you are from home and no matter what evil (in this case, the Wicked Witch of the West) lurks there or any where, friends can be made and love prevails.

I didnt realise until now that the next Godzilla and Kong movie comes out this month. I'll be sure to see that one when it releases but I just hope it does way better than the last one.

ib said...

AI? Not a fan but I speak from no experience. I should probably try it in an attempt to be informed, at least. I do not desire to watch Dune and I am probably missing out on something great but....Kung Fu Panda, on the other hand...I may need to solo that one in the theatre. When my daughter was a wee lass, we watched all of the others multiple times. Now, 17, she has little interest. "Skadoosh"

Denise Covey said...

Diane's new book sounds great. Yep. I love the possibilities of AI.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I'm looking forward to the new Ghost Busters. Takes me back to my childhood!

Donna K. Weaver said...

I hate cliffhangers, so I didn't see the first movie. I did the same thing with the Marvel cliffhanger movie. Now that the second Dune movie has released, I'll watch the first one.

Mary Kirkland said...

The Neverending Story is where my dog got his name, Falcor.
I love the Godzilla and King Kong movies.

Botanist said...

AI has a lot of potential as a useful tool, but it also has vast uses for ill intent. It's becoming impossible to trust any published records these days, written, visual, audio, because they can all be faked with alamring realism and that's only going to get worse. Never mind AI waking up and taking over, the potential for disinformation to manipulate people's thinking is here now and very real :(

BTW - Norton has started flagging your blog as a "known dangerous site". I've seen this happen to a number of blogs recently, including my own. There's somewhere on the Norton site you can report a mis-classification.

DMS said...

I can totally relate to Shannon's favorite childhood movies! Those are two of my all time favorites! Wishing her the best of luck. :)
~Jess

mail4rosey said...

I agree that the AI could be useful at times but will probably stifle creativity in many instances. I see the same thing with phones/electronics (even though I'm happy to have a phone). Students used to LOVE to read and now they just want to play on their phones or laptops. We had the option to give 2 book tickets away in each class that we have, and most students simply didn't want to get a book. They were in a book vending machine, nice books! Brand new. 1% interest rate. We used to get excited over Weekly Readers (ordering books was a THING). I think technology has made the older children less prone to dive into a good book. Why bother when you can see stream the video in an instant? Makes me a little wistful.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Birgit, it does help to rewatch Dune: Part One.

Steven, I guess the last one made enough to make a fourth Godzilla film.

Ib, my wife and I still watch animated flicks, although we didn't go see that one.

Donna, smart idea.

Mary, I suspected that.

Ian, thanks for the heads up.

Rosey, that is sad.

Susan Kane said...

Dune 2 was great. We have been wondering about it. Now to wait for #3. Never ending story! Last Unicorn! Loved those memories when our kids were grade schoolers.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

Of all the movies, I think Ghostbusters is more my speed right now :-)

Ronel visiting for IWSG day If You Don’t Have Time to Read…

Sandra Cox said...

I'm going to a conference next month and one of the topics is AI so I'm hoping to learn more.

Sandra Cox said...

This sounds like a great read, Shannon.
Enjoy your weekend, Alex.

Toi Thomas said...

I'm late making the rounds, but really enjoying the hop this month.
I agree, the future of creativity is threatened and it is sad.
I really enjoyed the In Darkness Series.
I'm excited about the Myth Stalker book. I too adore mythological creatures and films featuring them.
Good to know that Dune Two is worth it.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I'd like to see Dune one day - so thanks for the recommendation. Congratulations to Diane and Shannon for their books - and good luck with the IWSG Twitter pitch in ten days time ... AI: I'm sure we're all using/being used in it without realising - cheers Hilary

Sandra Cox said...

I wonder what Ghostbusters will be like. The original cast is a tough act to follow.

The Happy Whisk said...

I'm a writer with zero interest in AI writing for me. That's be like letting a robot brush my teeth. No thanks. Plus, I freakin' LOVE to write. LOVE it. All of it. Love being a writer. It's the best!

Sandra Cox said...

Have a blessed Easter, Alex.

Sandra Cox said...

Have a blessed Easter, Alex.

Al Penwasser said...

"Weirdest buddy-cop movie ever."
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Deniz Bevan said...

I didn't know Paul Rudd was in the new Ghostbusters! It makes me more inclined to watch it, ha ha!

Sandra Cox said...

Glad you had a wondrous Easter.

Sandra Cox said...

Yay for new members of IWSG.