Movie Reviews, Movie Trivia, Ninja News, and Cosmic Knighthood!

Something cool is happening at David Powers King’s blog today – the Ninja is now a Cosmic Knight! Check it out as we discuss teleporters, blogging, and Hot Tamales.

Movie Reviews

The Croods - 2012
A caveman family trying to survive as their world falls apart.
It was better than expected and had a good heart. Beautiful visuals, humor, and a good story about being willing to try new things. Probably the best film Nicolas Cage has done in the past ten years.
Recommended

The Sorcerer and the While Snake - 2011
A monk (played by Jet Li) tries to protect a young man from a thousand year old snake demon.
While the sets are colorful and lavish, the special effects fall short. So does the story, which is all over the map, following several characters. The movie isn’t sure what it wants to be – it’s too intense for kids and yet the dialogue and action are too childish for adults. I’ve seen worse, but I’ve seen a lot better!
Not recommended

Movie Trivia

Location, location, location! In what city or town does most of the action in these films take place?

1 – Rango 2011
2 – Tremors 1990
3 – Ocean’s Eleven 2001
4 – Doc Hollywood 1991
5 – Ghostbusters 1984
6 – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 1986
7 – Ratatouille 2007

Ninja News

Sarah Ahiers has an agent!!! Congratulations, Sarah.

Michelle Wallace is celebrating three years of blogging with THE UBUNTU BLOGHOP February 18-21.
What is ubuntu? "In Africa, there is a concept known as UBUNTU – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others." – Nelson Mandela. Any form of creativity that captures the spirit of ubuntu is welcome!
See her site for details and to sign up.

On February 28, Kyra and Rachel are hosting the WIP Movie Bloghop. See their sites for details.

Julie Musil’s book, The Boy Who Loved Fire, was released this week!

This Friday is the release of Decadent Kane’s second book in The Trouble With Elves series, Tempting Clover!

Ali Cross announced the dates for IndieReCon 2014 - February 25-27. See her site for details.

The A to Z Challenge list is open and filling fast! You don’t want to miss the biggest blogging event of the year. And if you need ideas for your Challenge theme, Lisa at Flash Fiction posted a great list.

Don’t forget the Insecure Writer’s Support Group post date is next Wednesday!

And the Epic 2000 Followers Giveaway continues!

Who will be GFC follower number 2000?




Have you seen either movie? Know the trivia answers? Excited about the new books and blogfests? Did you sign up for the A to Z Challenge? You know resistance is futile…

Don’t forget to visit David Powers King!

Science Fiction Guitars and The Hobbit Movie Review! Plus What Works Online Marketing Symposium, CassaStorm News, Tis More Blessed Giveaway, and Ninja News

‘Twas the last post before Christmas Eve and it threatened to explode…

Science Fiction Guitars!

Yes, you read that right! I found an article on Blastr with some AWESOME science fiction guitars. Prepare to drool…

Movie Review

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The journey continues as the party travels through Mirkwood and finally reaches Lonely Mountain.
As with LOTR, there is no saggy middle here. This instalment is a roller coaster ride, with the party encountering orcs, spiders, wood elves, men, and finally, Smaug. The best scenes include escaping the elves in barrels (also the funniest) and the encounter with Smaug, which is just stunning. We meet some new characters and are reunited with Legolas.
Jackson weaves in many things that will eventually lead to LOTR sixty years later, including a whole subplot with Gandolf that reveals the real evil behind what is happening.
And (warning/spoiler) the ending is a BIG cliffhanger! My wife literally cried out NO! when it ended.
Highly recommended!

There were also several previews – Nolan’s Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow, 300: Rise of an Empire, and Godzilla.
While watching them, I realized that the Internet is a big negative sometimes. Online, we knew it was the teaser for Godzilla. But sitting in that theater, there was no clue until the end. People who hadn’t seen it online got the full impact, the big Wow, it’s Godzilla!! It’s a shame the Internet has ruined the surprise for us now.
That said, seeing that teaser on the big screen was SO much better than online!

Special CassaStorm Update

Last spring, Kimberly Gabriel at Art of Infiltration asked if her middle school classes could interview me. It was a lot of fun, and we just did it again for her current classes with CassaStorm. The students’ questions were really thoughtful and genuine, and I tried to respond in kind. This is the email I got from Kimberly:

They LOVED your interview. They said you seemed very genuine. Both of my classes said they "felt like they knew you" after reading your answers. We had a great discussion about your answer regarding themes and symbolism in books and whether authors deliberately create them. We also talked quite a bit about reading outside of your genre.

I can't thank you enough for answering their questions!! They also loved the bookmarks! Thank you for those too!

My writers really liked your advice to write what you want to read too.

Kimberly

Thanks again, Kimberly!

Tis More Blessed

Hosted by Milo James Fowler at In Media Res! Check out his site for other participants.

It’s every Friday in December, but I am being a rebel and participating today.

I’m giving away a physical copy of CassaStorm, along with some swag. (If you live outside the USA, you win all three of my books in eBook.) Comment to win.

Open through December 20!

Ninja News

The Fussy Librarian featured CassaStorm on Sunday in their recommendation email. If you haven’t signed up for their service yet, visit their website.

LG Keltner is celebrating two years of blogging by hosting the Endings Blogfest on January 9 – see her site for details.

Susan Oloier’s Haunted comes out December 17 – congratulations, Susan!

Michael Abayomi’s The Morning Star, a prelude to Guardians and The Lost Paradise, is available at Amazon now. Congratulations, Michael!

The second book in Jack Lewis Baillot’s series is out – Abolished Impracticality. Congratulations, Jack!












Ali Cross revealed the cover for her upcoming book, Blood Crown.

Can’t wait to read it, Ali!

What Works – Online Marketing Symposium

The first ever "Online Marketing Symposium" Monday, January 20, 2014. A blogfest with information you can use!

Hosted by Arlee Bird, Yolanda Renee, Jeremy Hawkins, and Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Do you ever wonder why some books become bestsellers while others can barely be given away? Why some businesses succeed and others fail? How does a blog post or a YouTube video manage to go viral? Is it a matter of luck or is there some magic formula for success?

Well, now maybe we can latch on to some of the secrets and tricks that make success happen or what we might want to avoid. We want you to tell us your stories of success (or not so successful) as we present a blogging event that will help us learn.

On event day you tell us about a marketing idea that you've used and what worked or didn't work. Your post could describe a campaign that succeeded in a big or small way or one that failed drastically. Tell us about a business campaign, an organizational event, a fundraiser – anything where a bit of promotion was necessary!

The What Works.. Marketing Symposium is not limited to authors but also to anyone in a business that has a promotional aspect – online or otherwise!

It's possible the blogging community can help you make that next project a viral success or that next book a best seller!

Join our first ever Online Marketing Symposium – sign up below!



Want one of those guitars? Did you see The Hobbit? Want to win a book? And what marketing tip can you offer…?

My last post this year will be for Mark Koopman’s Fifty States of Pray on Christmas Eve. Mini-Alex might even be part of the celebrations…

Carol Kilgore Entertains the Ninja Army, Star Trek Into Darkness Review, and Ninja News

Today I have the wonderful Carol Kilgore visiting the Ninja Army!

Thanks for hosting me, Alex. Your blog is such fun!

This visit was initially going to be part of my early April blog tour for Solomon’s Compass, but with scheduling issues and the A to Z, that didn’t happen. So I’m going to pretend it’s still part of the tour and tell you about my new book.

Do you like strong female protagonists? A sexy hero? Sidekicks?
Taylor Campbell – Xena Warrior Princess of the U.S. Coast Guard
Jake Solomon – Former Navy SEAL now working for a global security firm
Dan Blair – Antique dealer and gallery owner
Kelly Wetmore – Uber computer geek

A quest to find buried treasure?
Taylor was certain the buried treasure was all in Uncle Randy’s dementia-riddled mind. The final words of his last email to her were “tell no one.” She had promised to honor his wishes, and a promise was a promise. She was so screwed.

How about a present-day mystery with its origins tied to an incident that occurred in Bangkok during the Vietnam Era?
The Beginning—Summer, 1970: The Patpong bargirl tapped his shoulder. “You go buy my friend drink.” She pointed toward the end of the noisy bar as she wrapped her other arm around Ham Norberg’s neck and let her fingers play with the short hair at the back of his head.

The story is set on the South Texas Gulf Coast, and features a cast of characters that one reviewer says “have the easy familiarity of characters created by Nora Roberts.” I’ll be forever grateful for such a fantastic comment.

If you visited me during the A to Z, you met the characters, visited the places, and caught a glimpse or two of the story.

I hope you’ll give the book a try.

You can find Solomon’s Compass on my author page at Amazon, along with links to everyplace I am on the web, and read the first pages using the Look Inside feature HERE.

Also, Solomon’s Compass is need of a little lovin’ on Goodreads, and I’d appreciate your adding it to your shelves.

Carol Kilgore is an award-winning author with several short stories, essays, and articles to her credit. Solomon’s Compass is her second novel, a blend of mystery, suspense, and romance she calls Crime Fiction with a Kiss. Carol and her Coast Guard husband live in San Antonio, Texas, with two herding dogs whose mission is to keep them safe from all danger, real or imagined.

Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Best/Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest! All links on the list go directly to the person’s post, so feel free to continue to explore. Special thanks to my co-hosts, Stephen, Livia, and Al.

Ali Cross just released The Seer (Desolation Diaries #2) – congratulations, Ali!


Randi Lee is putting together a 3-Ups Bloghop. She says it will work like this: Each blogger will pick the blogger listed below them, visit his or her site, read a post or two, and then tell them three things they like about the person or his or her blog. Easy enough, right? And how good will you feel after making someone else’s day? I reckon pretty darn good. Visit her site for details.

Movie Review

Star Trek Into Darkness
One word – awesome!
The reboot has come into its own now. Into Darkness is even better than the first film. It’s non-stop story and action, with a good dose of humor thrown in. It’s as if the movie is winking at the audience and never takes itself too seriously.
The effects are stunning and the 3D very immersive.
The film is just a lot of fun. Highly recommended and better than Iron Man III! Can’t wait for the next Star Trek movie.
SPOILER – Stop reading now if you don’t want to know! This movie echoes the second Star Trek movie because we get Khan again. (And we are introduced to Dr. Carol Marcus.) There are similarities and yet this film goes in its own direction.

Have you picked up Solomon’s Compass yet? Did you have fun with the blogfest? And who else saw Star Trek this weekend?

Ninja News, 1304-The Harbinger, Blogfest Overload, and Movie Trivia!

Ninja News

The second book in the Vallar series by Cindy Borgne is available now. Congratulations, Cindy!

Purchase the book here at Amazon. And the first book is currently ninety-nine cents at Amazon.

Ali Cross’ latest, a middle grade sci fi adventure titled JUMP BOYS: SOS, is out now. (And I’d like to add that she chose an awesome pen name.)


Don't forget the Wednesday Movie Quote returns with one from a romantic comedy!

Cover Reveal

1304 – The Harbinger (The 13th Floor series, #4)
By Christine Rains
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: March 13th, 2013

Meira Harper loves both her jobs: talking about beautiful shoes and fetching souls for Zeus. But the Thunder God threatens the harpy's loyalty to her job when she receives the call to bring the soul of gorgeous Sam Wright. Meira pleads with her boss to let him live. Zeus agrees, but Sam must fight for his life. If Sam can win three challenges, he can keep his soul.
The gods never play fairly, though, so Meira needs to find ways to help Sam with the challenges. She cannot outwardly cross her master, but she refuses to let the man she loves lose his soul. They haven't even had a chance to start a life together.
Sam's soul is on the line. Meira's will be too if she's caught, but that's a risk she's willing to take.

Find Christine Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blogfest Overload?

There are a lot of upcoming blogfests. Is it overload? Have we saturated the novelty of a blogfest?

I think we’re seeing a lot right now because people are trying to host one before the A to Z Challenge begins. (Blogfests, book tours, etc. are difficult to do during the Challenge since so many are focused on the Challenge itself.)

Too many? Perhaps, but I enjoy the sense of community and involvement. Besides, most are just fun!

And if you’ve missed some of the announcements, here’s a list:

Today and February 20 - Elise Fallson and Michelle at Writer In Transit are hosting the She Said What Blogfest.

February 20 - Jamie at Mithril Wisdom and Allison at Geek Banter are hosting the Level Up! Blogfest.

March 1 – M Pax, Suze, and Nicki Elson are hosting the Back From the Future Blogfest.

March 1 - Clare Dugmore and Kyra Lennon are hosting the Bloghop of Joy.

March 14 - Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno, LG Smith are hosting the National Wormhole Day Blogfest.

March 15 - Mark Koopmans is hosting his annual Got Green Blog O’ Hop.

March 18 is my Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest.

All of April – the A to Z Challenge.

Ongoing –

First Wednesday of every month - Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Every Friday - Celebrate the Small Things, hosted by VikLit.

Once a month is Writers4Writers

And this Friday only, my CassaStorm Cover Reveal! Big thanks to those who’ve signed up to help with the reveal on February 22.
(I finally saw my cover last Friday afternoon – it rocks!)

Movie Trivia

Name the science fiction (ish) movie featuring these actors:

1 – Kurt Russell and James Spader, 1994

2 – Peter Weller and Nancy Allen, 1987

3 – Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, 1995

4 – Ron Pearlman and John Hurt, 2004

5 – Lori Petty and Ice-T, 1995

6 – Keanu Reeves and George Carlin, 1989

See some cool new books you need to pick up? Think we've hit blogfest overload? How many have you signed up for before the A to Z Challenge begins? (Did I miss any?) And do you know any of the trivia answers?

Ali Cross is Destined, Ninja News, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

Today I have the honor of hosting the Ninja Master herself, Ali Cross! She just released the third book in her Desolation series, Destined.

It's always a good day to visit Alex's blog but it's fan-freakin'-tastic when you get to hijack it! Thanks Alex for being such a softie and letting me take over for the day! I'm here because my third book just came out! It's the last in a trilogy and it's landed me in a weird place.

It's sort of like riding a see-saw. Sometimes I'm up. Sometimes I'm down.

Sometimes I think, "Yeah! I'm done writing Desi's story!"

And other times I think, "I'm totally gonna write another Desi book!"

But mostly I think, "I did it!"

Signing on for a multi-book deal (doesn't matter if you're independently or traditionally published) is a big commitment. I mean, who wants to let their readers down? You've got to finish the story. And sometimes it's no easy task ~ especially when you've got other stories beating down your mental door insisting that you write them.

If you're currently stuck in the muck, I don't have any magic words to help get you through. All I can say is, strap yourself in and get ready for the ride of your life (up, down, all around). And when you're done (because you will finish!) we can go for a ride together and get our rock on.

Don't mind me if I do a little head-banging while I'm waiting. No matter what Desi says,
I TOTALLY WIN!!

Check me (er, Desi) out! 

This is the last (huzzah!) book in the Desolation Trilogy (notice how I said TRILOGY, and not SERIES like I used to? Hey, I make no promises). You can learn more about the series by going to the site, to Goodreads, or to Amazon.

Thanks again for letting me hang out here today, Alex! You're the bestest!

Ali Cross is the sensei of the writer's dojo where she holds a black belt in awesome. She lives in Utah with her kickin' husband, two sparring sons, one ninja cat, two sumo dogs and four zen turtles. 

Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Ninja News

I’m a guest of Laura Eno and Miss Snark! See how I respond to the strange questions and the stuff floating in Miss Snark’s punch.

Huntress at Spirit Called just signed with Musa Publishing, a small pub in Ohio, for her urban fantasy, The Magic Withheld. Congratulations, Huntress!

Chuck at Apocalypse Now and Shannon at The Warrior Muse are hosting a Choose Your Own Apocalypse Blogfest this Friday.

Losing Hope, the sequel to Losing Beauty by Johanna Garth, is available now, You can purchase it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Congratulations, Johanna!

Jack Lewis Baillot of However Improbable just released her first book – Haphazardly Improbable. Congratulations, Miss Jack! Buy it now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Andrew Leon has several books available for free today! Visit Amazon for the full list.

Healing Summer by Elizabeth Seckman is now available!
Find the author and the book at her blog, on Amazon, and on Facebook.

Movie Review

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson, it’s another great entry in the Middle Earth series.
Don’t go into it thinking you’re going to see another LOTR film though. The Hobbit is a very different story and moves at a leisurely pace. The movie is lighter and more whimsical.
Visually it’s stunning. Since we’re now familiar with Middle Earth, some of the ‘wow’ factor is gone, but the scenery and action scenes are still amazing. There’s a bit of backstory in the beginning and Jackson draws upon the appendixes to flesh out other scenes. We get to see Gandalf do more magic as well.
Martin Freeman is perfect in the role of Bilbo, and Richard Armitage does a strong turn as Thorin.
Overall, the movie is a little too long, but I was never bored. (I would recommend avoiding the giant sized drink.)
When it shines though, the film really shines! Looking forward to the second movie next December.

Any questions for Ali? Do you follow her or the Dojo? Excited about the new releases? Ready to celebrate the apocalypse this Friday? And did anyone else see the Hobbit?

Be sure to visit Laura Eno and Miss Snark!

Beginnings, Ninja News, The Hobbit Blogfest, Movie Trivia Answers, and the “Cheers Blogfest” Winners and Special Mentions

Today I have the honor of a guest post at Leave it to Livia. Now, if you’ve not met this enthusiastic fireball, get ready! Livia will knock your socks off. She asked me to share my beginnings, so brace yourself and jump on over to her site.

Ninja News

The Indelibles are starting new group that posts the second Wednesday of every month called Indie Life:
“Starting in the New Year, the Indelibles will host a monthly feature called INDIE LIFE. Modeled after Alex Cavanaugh's awesome Insecure Writer's Group, this will be a chance for indie authors to post about indie life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, helpful hints, and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier.”
See their site for details and to join the group!

The third book in the Desolation series by Ali Cross is now available – Destined. You should see the amazing stuff she is giving away as well. But wait, but you will, because the awesome Ninja Ali will be my guest on Monday!

Purchase Angela Felsted’s Chaste by December 15 and not only will all proceeds go to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, she’ll match them dollar for dollar. Full details at Jessica Bell’s site or at Lydia Kang’s site.

The voting is close in Karen’s Annual Blog Awards contest. If you haven’t voted for Blog of the Year, hop on over!!

Authors, need a book trailer? Brinda Berry is hosting a giveaway for one. See her site for details.

The Marquis by Christine Rains is now available!! This is the first book in The 13th Floor series. Congratulations, Christine.

Shelly F. Batt at Voice of a Writer is offering to critique the first twenty-five pages of one – two manuscripts – if you’re looking for a little help, see her site for details.

January 2, 2013 is the next posting date for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and the co-hosts will be Jamie from Mithril Wisdom and Tyrean.

The Hobbit Blogfest

Hosted by two awesome ladies, M Pax and Tyrean!

What is your favorite hobbit characteristic/or the one that you think closely resembles you . . .? They know how to relax. (Although I could use more of that right now.)

If you could choose between a scrumptious second breakfast and a perilous unexpected journey – which would you prefer? Second breakfast - I am so not the adventurous type.

Have you ever left behind something on a journey (expected or unexpected) and wished you could have it over and over again? Well, I lost my virginity on a band trip, but at the time, I really didn’t want it back. (That’s right – I was a heathen once!)

What is your Favorite part or quote from the book that you hope will be in the movie? The full exchange with Gollum – the riddles were cool.

Movie Trivia Answers

1 - What is the name of Rudolph’s dad? Donner
2 – In what city did “A Miracle on 34th Street” take place? New York
3 – Who played Scrooge in “The Muppets Christmas Carol?” Michael Caine
4 – What is the full name of the BB gun Ralphie wanted in “A Christmas Story?” Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action Air Rifle
5 – What song made Santa’s sleigh fly at the end of “Elf?” Santa Claus is Coming to Town

“Cheers Blogfest” Winners, Special Mentions, and Next Year

Over a dozen truly amazing posts went into the guitar case. Two names were drawn…

First Place – an autographed copy of CassaStar or Cassafire:
Elise Fallson!

Not only did Elise write a great flash piece that featured the blogfest hosts and say that Nathan Fillion could play me in a documentary, she made this:

Is that not awesome? I’m immortalized forever in plywood. And she’s sending him to me! Thank you SO much, Elise.

The Grand Prize – a picture of me and a recording of my guitar playing (and wow, that looks like a sorry prize on paper):
Ellie Garratt!

Ellie completely blew me away with what she claimed was her first video attempt ever:



Whoa!! Ellie, it’s amazing. Thank you so much for putting it together. You are a special friend.

And I hinted there might be a bonus prize, so I drew one more name…
Jeremy Hawkins!

Jeremy not only nailed it with his answers, he made several awesome banners for me:

And one had Kate! Dude, you are the man. Bonus prize is your choice – photo of me OR the guitar recording OR (since you live too far away for us to meet for a beer) a phone call from the Ninja.

Honorable Mentions:

TS at The Non-Review “What Cats are Saying About Alex…” HILARIOUS! Dude, thanks for bringing Melvin back for me.

Hart at Confession of a Watery Tart She wrote me a song to the tune of “Walk the Way” that is PERFECT!

Heather at The Waiting is the Hardest Part She had Stormy the Weather Gnome do the post – do I need to add anything? Stormy rocks!

Tara Tyler Look at the cool drawing she did for me!

And before this post gets any longer, special thanks to Chuck, Cassie Mae, Julie Kemp, Kimberly, DL Hammons, Angela Brown, Robyn Campbell, SpacerGuy, Mina Burrows, ”T” Tanya, Livia, and everyone else for the heartfelt and/or hilarious words.

And a big thanks to the awesome hosts, Mark, Morgan, Stephen, and David.

If you missed this event, you missed something really special. Everyone was saying this was different. It wasn’t about me – it was about this awesome community. You guys understand the importance of supporting one another and it really showed.

Several asked if this will be an annual event. Not with me! But Mark said I could name the Cheers Blogfest victim next year, and a couple people have already come to mind. Mark, because he was the madman who thought up this crazy idea, and Arlee Bird (Lee), the founder of the A to Z Challenge. Both are men of integrity with great attitudes and they understand the importance of this blogging community. And yes, I will be more than happy to co-host a Cheers Blogfest in either man’s honor! The roasted Ninja is ready for paybacks…

Whoa!! Sorry for the length. See some exciting news or new books? How would you answer the Hobbit Blogfest questions? (And are seeing it this weekend? I’m seeing it Friday afternoon!) Get any trivia correct? Did you read the blogfest winners’ and special mentions’ posts? Ready to roast someone else next year? I know I am…

Don’t forget to visit Leave it to Livia!

Ninja News, Act of Kindness, and The Dark Knight Rises Review

Thanks again to everyone who left a word for Cassie Mae or weighed in on posting while gone last Friday!

Ninja News!

The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

Available for all ereaders from: Amazon, AmazonUK, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. (iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.)

If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links.

Inspiring the words M. Pax writes, Mary spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the husband unit and two loving cats. She write science fiction mostly and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. Visit Mary at her BLOG.


Ali Cross is celebrating her birthday by giving away books! Many to chose from – visit her site to enter.Happy birthday, Ali!

Roland Yeomans’ book, Burnt Offerings, is free through Wednesday. Grab your copy now from Amazon. He's an amazing writer!

Random Act of Kindness

Many of you have seen or participate in the Kindness Project, which is really awesome. Since true kindness without expectation of gain seems so rare these days, I thought I’d challenge my blogger buddies to do at least one random act of kindness this week. Something that makes the other person feel good about himself. I did something nice for someone this weekend and that person probably doesn’t even know it was me. But I did it for the joy of doing something kind. If you’d like to do a random act of kindness (or you just did so) let me know!

Movie Review

The Dark Knight Rises
One word – awesome.
The final installation in Nolan’s Batman trilogy is a masterpiece. It’s also very dark and bleak. My only criticism is that it could’ve used a few moments of humor, as 164 minutes is a long stretch of intense darkness.
The film is full of special effects and CGI, but in Nolan’s hands, it integrates so well you might not even realize it’s a special effect. (No, they did not blow up Pittsburgh.) However, the film focuses on drama. The action is sprinkled throughout the film and doesn’t overshadow the storyline.
The acting is superb. Hathaway is perfect as Catwoman and Gordon-Levitt great as inspector Blake. Tom Hardy really shines as Bane and you’ll hardly recognize him in the role.
Won’t spoil it for you, but the ending is very satisfying!
And there is no comparing it to The Avengers – these are two very different films.
Wouldn’t take little kids – too intense and with all the talking, they will probably be bored. But for everyone else, go enjoy this epic finale!

Downloading Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge? Read The Backworlds? (It’s great!) Planning a random act of kindness? And who else saw The Dark Knight Rises?

The Ninja Returns, Insecure Writers Support Group, and Ninja News!

I’m back! Did you miss me? I missed visiting you guys. Felt like something was odd every morning. However, four days away from it all with my wife was awesome. Outdoor activities were limited due to heat, but I had fun indoors as well. (Some of you will get that later…)

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. (This month we are posting on Tuesday as well.) I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

I’m well over halfway done with the first draft of CassaStorm. While I didn’t beat BuNo, 45,000 words for June is still really damn good for someone who types slow. (That would be ME!) I’m really happy how it’s all coming together.

CassaStorm ventures into several new areas. You’ll learn more about the various races and the intergalactic politics are more prominent. It’s also written from the point of view of three characters rather than just two. And now that I’m writing the third book, I realized each one has a common theme. (Never planned that – it just happened.)

The big question is whether this will be the final book. Yes, CassaStorm will complete the series. Will it be the final book for me? Well, that’s the subject of another IWSG post…

Ninja News!

LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten, and Chased just signed a deal with an agent – congratulations, LisaAnn!

Ali Cross’s next book, Desolate, comes out this week. Congratulations, Ali!! You can also visit her site for information on INDIE-pendence Day, a celebration of indie books that runs July 2-5.

Nicki Elson announced that The Omnific Publishing Freedom Sale will run through July 31. Kindle editions of select adult titles are now only $2.99. This includes her book, Three Daves.

Cate Masters has a new book, In the Midnight Hour. Congratulations, Cate!

M. Pax’s next book, Stopover at the Backworlds Edge, comes out July 23.

Karen Elizabeth Brown announced her next book, Medieval Muse, will be out in August.

Anyone else melt in the heat this past weekend? What are your writing insecurities today? Excited about all the new books? Did I miss anything major while on vacation? What are you doing for the Fourth of July? I’m hiding in a cool movie theater and watching the new Spiderman…

XTRA SPECIAL/X FOR MOVIE SIGN - A to Z Challenge

It’s the third A to Z Challenge! Blog the letters of the alphabet in order every day except Sundays The participation list is HERE – start with the blog after yours and visit at least five blogs a day. Mostly, make new friends and have fun!

My theme – I have selected a word for each day and will present to you blogger buddies who fit that description, along with movies, music, etc. My theme is to give back, highlight some awesome bloggers, and have fun in the process.

XTRA SPECIAL/X FOR MOVIE SIGN

Ali Cross
She is the original Ninja! The DoJo Master leads her own army of Ninjas in training through a website, chats, and an online conference. The author of Become was also one of my first blogger buddy to review CassaStar, and she even did a video review. (Complete with space ship sound effects!) Get to know the Dojo Master – she is a sweetheart!

And now the upcoming big movies for May! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

4 -

The Avengers
Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army.
Director: Joss Whedon
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

Joss Whedon? All of the Avengers? Are you kidding? There’s only one other movie I’m more excited about than this film.

8 -

DVD - Underworld: Awakening - What could be better than Kate in 3D?

11 -

Dark Shadows
An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter

While the Burton-Depp pairing is usually great, I’m not totally sold on this one yet.

15 -

DVD - The Grey - Excellent drama
DVD - Chronicle - Dark and effective

18 -

Battleship
A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals.
Director: Peter Berg
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna

Funny, I don’t remember aliens landing on the board and melting my plastic ships when I played this game as a kid…

25 -

Men in Black III
Agent J travels in time to MIB's early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Stars: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Alice Eve

Can you believe the first one was fifteen years ago? Whoa…

NINJA CONTEST – LAST DAY!

To celebrate 1500 followers, I’m holding a giveaway – a copy of CassaStar and CassaFire! The books will be donated to the winner’s choice of public or high school library, along with a selection of bookmarks. (The winner also gets bookmarks.)

How to enter: (and must be a follower)

Comment on my posts (just once each) U-X (Tuesday through Friday) – one point

Ten extra points for the first comment (please don’t melt my blog)

Ten extra points if you blog about this contest (leave a link so I know)

Winner will be announced Monday during the Z post!

Following Ali? See any movies that perk your interest? Don’t forget, last day to enter the giveaway! And who in your life is xtra special?